Freshman Friday | 2026 Prospects to Watch XI

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>Get 30% off your first billing cycle with code: OscarGalindo30 in the coupon code area.</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:separator --> <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity" /> <!-- /wp:separator --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>It's Friday and that means one thing... Freshman Friday shoutouts!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We are back with 5 more 2026 prospects that are ready to ball out next season. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:separator --> <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity" /> <!-- /wp:separator --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>[player_tooltip player_id='488215' first='Brandon' last='DeAnda'] | DB/WR | Columbus | 5'10" 160 lbs</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em><a href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/17944530/Brandon-DeAnda" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Hudl</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/whoisbrandond1" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Twitter</a></em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Talk about a playmaker! Columbus' [player_tooltip player_id='488215' first='Brandon' last='DeAnda'] consistently found ways to make plays whether he was on offense or defense. On defense, he finished his freshman season with an absurd 11 interceptions. DeAnda is extremely smooth in coverage and can break on the ball on a dime. He does an excellent job tracking the ball with his eyes and is aggressive at the catch point. Brandon was used a couple of different ways on offense; working out of the slot as a pass catcher and allowing him to create plays on receiver handoffs. One of many great young players for the Discoverers. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/hudl {"name":"acf/hudl","data":{"embed_code":"u003ciframe src='https://www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/17944530/63517ef164df770cec73ea1d' width='640' height='360' frameborder='0' allowfullscreenu003eu003c/iframeu003e","_embed_code":"field_62daf7995fd8c"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6468374375931"} /--> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>[player_tooltip player_id='488173' first='Nate' last='Marable'] | DL | Millard West | 6'4" 210 lbs</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em><a href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/18271255/Nate-Marable" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Hudl</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/nate_marable" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Twitter</a></em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I don't have a ton of tape of Millard West's [player_tooltip player_id='488173' first='Nate' last='Marable'], but from what I saw, there's definite talent there. Marable is a tall defensive end with solid length and a good get-off at the snap. He fires out of his stance and does a good job winning his matchup with his quickness and hand use. Nate uses his length very well and can usually create some sort of separation when shedding blocks. Could also see him develop into a solid tight end prospect, depending on how he continues to fill out.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/hudl {"name":"acf/hudl","data":{"embed_code":"u003ciframe src='https://www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/18271255/63a635c64205b80f1c18b5dd' width='640' height='360' frameborder='0' allowfullscreenu003eu003c/iframeu003e","_embed_code":"field_62daf7995fd8c"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6468374375968"} /--> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>[player_tooltip player_id='487607' first='Dayton' last='Gaius'] | DB/WR | Millard South | 5'9" 135 lbs</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em><a href="https://twitter.com/dayton_gaius">Hudl</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/dayton_gaius" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Twitter</a></em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I got to watch Dayton at the Mother's Day showdown this past weekend and was really impressed by his coverage skills. He's very mobile with a quick twitch and fluid flip of his hips. Even as a smaller DB, Dayton has no issue getting physical with receivers and battling for the ball. During his freshman season, Dayton also plays receiver, where he displays solid hands with the ability to add yards after the catch.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/hudl {"name":"acf/hudl","data":{"embed_code":"u003ciframe src='https://www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/16510804/634f701257983f131486aca4' width='640' height='360' frameborder='0' allowfullscreenu003eu003c/iframeu003e","_embed_code":"field_62daf7995fd8c"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6468374375994"} /--> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>[player_tooltip player_id='487605' first='Barrett' last='Hinrichs'] | RB | DC West | 5'10" 185 lbs</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em><a href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/18067302/Barrett-Hinrichs" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Hudl</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/BarrettHin62000" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Twitter</a></em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Barrett did not waste time making his presence felt among the varsity ranks. He first jumped on my radar during the Falcon's game against Boone Central. What stood out the most was how hard Barrett ran all game. He can pound the ball between the tackles with a solid vision and bounce to work his way to the outside. Very tough runner that can power through contact. Looking forward to watching Barrett continue to develop in year 2.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/hudl {"name":"acf/hudl","data":{"embed_code":"u003ciframe src='https://www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/18067302/642c5b4b664bc905200ed605' width='640' height='360' frameborder='0' allowfullscreenu003eu003c/iframeu003e","_embed_code":"field_62daf7995fd8c"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-64683743759bd"} /--> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>[player_tooltip player_id='795461' first='Dawson' last='Johnson'] | QB/ATH | Grand Island Northwest | 6'2" 188 lbs</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em><a href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/17696628/Dawson-Johnson" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Hudl</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/dawsonj04" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Twitter</a></em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Dawson is an exciting young QB out of Grand Island that I've been keeping an eye on. He's a great overall football player, looking solid at defensive end, as he played mostly defensive snaps as a freshman. Dawson has been putting in a lot of work this offseason, working on his QB play and fine-tuning his arm At a recent camp, he showed off his smooth release and arm strength. He has good ball placement at all levels of the field and can fit the ball into small windows. Dawson has a few camps coming up and I'm hoping to catch him at one of those to see more of his arm talent. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://twitter.com/dawsonj04/status/1656825907594551296?s=20","type":"rich","providerNameSlug":"twitter","responsive":true} --> <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/dawsonj04/status/1656825907594551296?s=20 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:separator --> <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity" /> <!-- /wp:separator --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Make sure to follow @PrepRedzoneNE on Twitter and Instagram to stay up to date with all your Nebraska prep recruiting news.</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->