Notable P5 & FBS Offers Going Out Early this Fall Pt. 1
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With all of the can’t-miss action going on throughout the gridirons of America’s Heartland, it can be easy to forget that recruiting is still very much in full swing, and between the gameday visits, here-and-there officials, and Friday night evaluations,…
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Continue ReadingWith all of the can’t-miss action going on throughout the gridirons of America’s Heartland, it can be easy to forget that recruiting is still very much in full swing, and between the gameday visits, here-and-there officials, and Friday night evaluations, some major and notable D1 offers have been sent out to standout senior, junior, and sophomore ballers across the Midwest. Lucky for our wonderful readers, PrepRedzone has been tracking the most noteworthy of the FCS, FBS, and P5 offers earned by standout high school football players from North Dakota to Missouri, and everywhere in between. For some, it’s their first opportunity to play big-time college football, and for others, that offer set off an explosion of attention, but one constant is that all these young men are seeing their hard work pay off and having quite a fun fall. Let’s dig in!
P.S. – stay tuned for part 2 coming tomorrow!
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There’s been a lot of recruiting movement in the Great State of Indiana during this burgeoning 2023 season, and offers started rolling early and often. One of the first to earn a significant offer was Avon High School’s 6’2, 185 lb. DB Russell Peterson, who only held an FCS Pioneer League opportunity from Butler University coming into the season. His offer sheet stepped up a notch early in September when FBS Northern Illinois offered a scholarship on September 3rd, a day after NIU got a big-time victory over ACC competitor Boston College in a thrilling 27-24 overtime victory. A week later, on September 11th, Eastern Michigan joined in on his recruitment with another MAC offer. Peterson has to be pumped about how his fall is going, and in his midseason senior tape, you can see a DB capable of manning both the high safety spot or play man coverage as a CB but with a skillset better suited to play safety at the next level. With noticeable length, I like Peterson’s closing speed on the ball and top-end speed to carry receivers down or across the field and hawk down loose ball carriers in pursuit in impressive fashion. Speaking of impressive, I also like how the 185 lber. is more than willing to come downhill and lay the wood. He takes solid angles to the football and keeps his feet active before sticking his cleat in the ground, loading up his hips, and exploding through contact. He runs the alley well and can tackle in space or around the box. Great to see him raise his stock thanks to the senior tape.
One of the big winners recruiting-wise at the midway point of this blooming 2023 high school football season, River Falls High School’s 6’6, 230 lb. TE Eli Johnson has seen the all-important junior season pay off as he entered the ranks of P5 recruits after receiving his first offer on September 2nd from Iowa State. Two weeks later, North Dakota State added a heavyweight FCS offer. Mizzou, Yale, Kansas State, and Nebraska all have sent gameday invites as well. Johnson reports a 4.69 40 and runs with the esteemed AAU program that is the Wisconsin Playmakers, and you can see that athleticism in his senior game tape, which shows off a TE with a balanced skillset who can do real damage in the passing and blocking game. Johnson can flex out or do damage as an in-line TE as a receiving target, as he can possesses tons of length and can drop his hips and create separation at the top of the route, as well as burn DBs out of his breaks or when going vertical. He’s also a very effective blocker who is strong enough to handle first level defensive linemen and coordinated enough to work to the second level and handle quicker defenders in space. Good technique and uses body positioning as well. No problem in the physicality department either. The state of Wisconsin has yet another high-ceiling TE prospect on their hands.
Daeden Hopkins
Daeden Hopkins
A Show-Me State standout who also entered the ranks of newly-minted P5 recruits, 6’6, 205 lb. Hermann High School EDGE Daeden Hopkins earned an exciting offer from Iowa State on September 9th after starting his junior year in convincing fashion on the gridiron. A lengthy, athletic pass-rusher who reports a 4.87 40, 9’4″ broad jump, 4.5 pro agility, and 32″ vertical, Hopkins has a ton of noticeable upside in his defensive game, as he’s an incredibly twitched-up DE who can put his hand in the dirt and beats blocking attempts with impressive ease and in a boatload of different fashions. Besides his super twitchy lateral ability, Hopkins has good bend at the top of the arch, has an explosive get-off, closes with eye-catching speed, and plays the hands of would-be blockers with good timing. To reinforce the athleticism, he also has a ton of game as a WR, where he possesses a ton of balance, especially through contact, as he’s really hard for opposing defenders to tackle and slips through tackle attempts very easily. He tracks the ball well, covers a ton of ground with each step, and is a weapon after the catch. With so much length and a frame capable of blowing up in a collegiate S&C program, the upside, especially considering his athletic gifts and tape, is intriguingly high. Great move by ISU getting in early, this dude can play.
We’re staying in the Show-Me State in this recruiting-focused feature. It’s not every day you come across a 6’8, 270+ lb. lineman, so after finding him on Twitter this summer I’ve made sure to keep a close eye on Eureka High School’s Jack Lange for PRzMO and my own personal curiosity. Lange did earn a B1G first offer in June from the Nebraska Cornhuskers, but things have really picked up during his junior season season on the recruiting trail. Since September rolled around, he’s earned offers from Mizzou, Kansas State, and Illinois, completing a trifecta of P5 conferences with a ton of time to hear from the ACC and PAC12 still this season. You don’t find kids of Lange’s size who can move like him very often, as the 6’8er is coordinated, balanced, and a good athlete who can take off and cover ground in space and break down to handle second and third-level defenders. The LT is bendy, possesses a strong punch and times it out well when making initial contact, and has long arms that knock defenders off balance when he locks out. Lange is always working to finish and does a good job of corralling and staying engaged with slippery defenders. His frame displays the potential to hold and add an exciting amount of good weight, and his mobility and COD skills are already high-quality for a kid of his size and age. He’s a no-brainer P5 OT and is off to a great start to his upperclassman campaign with Eureka. You can find any kind of recruit you need in the Great State of Missouri.
One of the few 2026 representatives in this two-part feature seeing their stock rise, offer list grow, and September pop off to a hot start, 6’2, 200 lb. OLB Johnmichael Fountain hails from the talent-rich Wichita area of South Central Kansas and Wichita Northwest High School. PrepRedzone made sure to let our readers know about Fountain’s potential last year when he was a freshman, as he’s done nothing but solidify himself recruiting-wise this summer and into his sophomore season. After his first offer rolled in from Iowa State in mid-July, the LB saw offers roll in from Kansas State, Nebraska, and Kansas, all since September 10th. The Jayhawks offer is the most recent and came in on the 23rd, and it’s a safe bet that Fountain will be hit up for more P5 scholarships as this fall continues to progress, especially from programs in the Midwest region. In his 2023 game tape, Fountain demonstrates a hard-hitting playstyle and the versatility to line up as an off-ball LB as well as the ability to rush, pressure, enforce the run, and create disruption (including pick-off passes) off the edge as a standup, wide-9 defender. He’s a visibly strong prospect, especially for his age, and excels at the point of attack. Once he gets his hands on a ball carrier, it’s game over, and I also am impressed with how he absorbs blocking attempts without losing momentum and can complete and make plays/tackles through contact. Adding the size/age factor into the equation, Fountain’s got a very bright future as a player and prospect. Wichita is loaded in the 2026 class.
Not only because they have a great name, I’ve been following the Paw Paw High School program closely since I became smitten with the Hindenach brothers a few years ago, and they’ve once again reloaded with some high-quality high school football recruits in 2023. The younger brother of now-Eastern Michigan OL Dennis Strey, 2025 Paw Paw OT/DE Darrin Strey measures in at a cool 6’7, 285 lbs. and knows how to use it. He came into the season as a known commodity, as Kent State, Toledo, Eastern Michigan, Western Michigan, Cincinnati, Miami (OH), and Central Michigan had all offered up as a sophomore, but the pedigree of offers has turned up a notch since his junior season got underway this fall. Michigan State offered on August 29th, Minnesota on September 9th, and West Virginia followed on September 16th, making Strey a bonafide P5 OL prospect at the genesis of his junior year. After peeping the midseason tape, it’s easy to see why Strey has ventured into the P5 realm of recruits, as he possesses two-way versatility as a right tackle and DT/DE hybrid, and is a colossal lineman who looks towering and intimidating on the gridiron. The mobility is eye-poppingly impressive for his size as well. He’s a crushing puller with a ton of lateral agility and COD skills and is balanced, coordinated, and very comfortable moving, breaking down, and blocking in space. The strength is also backed up by the size, as Strey displays a strong initial punch and pop, which helps him either crush defenders or send them backward and onto their butts 5 yards past where he hit them. As a defensive lineman, he sheds blocking attempts and absorbs contact like he’s playing against JV competition. I also like his solid pad level for his size, and he shows a good get-off, active hands, and a good motor. I do not see kids of his size move, change direction, and dominate at the point of attack very often. No-brainer P5 OL who will add a lot more big-time offers before it’s all said and done. What a fun tape to watch!
Highlights
Cameron Gorin
Cameron Gorin
Hamilton Southeastern High School, located in Fishers, Indiana, right outside of Indianapolis, is home to a stacked roster in 2023 led by 2024 Notre Dame OT commit Styles Prescod, but themselves a heckuva 2025 OT prospect on the other side of the LOS in 6’5, 265 lber. Cameron Gorin. In the spring of 2023, Gorin saw his recruitment take off, as Ball State, Marshall, Western Michigan, Eastern Michigan, Bowling Green State, and most notably Louisville all offered between May and August, but things ramped up once his junior campaign got underway this fall. In-state, B1G competitor Indiana offered up on September 6th, making Hamilton Southeastern home to one of the most talented offensive tackle duos in the entirety of the Midwest. As a RT, Gorin freezes defenders with his initial punch, follows it up with strong leg drive, and overwhelms smaller opponents with his sheer combination of size and strength. He does a good job of staying square and setting a solid base in both run and pass-blocking situations, possesses a smooth pass set that can gain depth to handle speed rushers, is agile enough to combo around the LOS, and looks to finish in run blocking settings. He’s a big, strong kid with a balanced skillset as a junior who would fit and project very well to the B1G and potentially the Indiana Hoosiers. However, he’ll have more options once it’s all said and done. I would not want to rush the QB against Hamilton Southeastern this fall.
We’re staying in the Great State of Indiana and our 2025 class for our next notable P5 offer coming out of the Midwest this fall. Andrean High School, located in Merrillville, right over the Illinois border and only an hour away from Chicago, is fresh off producing Drayk Bowen, a true freshman linebacker at Notre Dame who made their initial two-deep going into the season, and they have another stud defender on their hands in the junior class. James Finley IV, a 6’1, 170 lb. DB earned his first P5 offer on September 7th from Michigan State after coming into the year with Miami (OH) and Central Michigan offers, and is also a standout high-hurdler on the Andrean track and field team in both the 110M and 300M hurdles. He’s a well-known recruit who is on the radar of a lot more P5 programs as well, and Toledo also added their name to the mix on September 9th. His 2023 game tape displays a CB/safety hybrid with tons of length, and instincts in coverage who does a good job of reading route combinations, dropping into passing lanes, and triggering on the football well. Finley IV also gets out of his breaks with pace, is comfortable tackling in space and closes well with solid and consistent tackling technique, and can be especially productive in zone coverage. As a WR, Finley IV can take the top off the defense and torch 1-on-1 coverage, shows quickness and burst after the catch, and tracks & plays the ball well in the air. He’s a good athlete who can do everything asked of him as a safety. The Spartans did a good job of getting in early. Andrean has more than a few defenders worth following in their upcoming graduating classes.
Highlights
Representing my home state of Minnesota, Robbinsdale Cooper High School was the home to state’s top recruit in the 2023 class in consensus 4-star Jaxon Howard, now a linebacker at LSU, and reloaded in their 2025 class in 6’3, 210 lb. LB Emmanuel Karmo. Also a standout WR for the Hawks, Karmo has been a known commodity since he was a freshman and was the first in his class of MN prospects to earn collegiate offers, which has now transitioned to big-time P5 opportunities from the likes of Iowa State and Purdue going into his junior season. Excitedly, the Michigan State Spartans have also joined the fray in September, adding the second B1G offer to his list on the 7th. More should come after collegiate programs check out his junior tape, which shows off a physical and dynamic athlete possessing length who can bring a ton of juice to the offense and defense as a LB and WR. Karmo is instinctive in the turnover department – as he looks to score on loose fumbles, gets his hands on the rock when tackling, and is agile enough to drop into passing lanes in the flats to pick off unsuspecting QBs. He closes very well off the edge and shows the get-off and speed to chase down ball carriers from the backside of the play, and the strength and pop to lay the wood as a tackler. Offensively, he high points the football well and can win contested catches, and demonstrates great contact balance with the ball in-hand and lateral quickness and cutting ability as well. He’s laid the boom on more than a few occasions this fall and has gutted some opposing defenses when he totes the rock as well. Athletic, dynamic, and productive, he’s all over the gridiron when he straps it up. Michigan State made some quality offers in early September.
Let’s stick to the Upper Midwest and head east from Minnesota to Wisconsin, where Bay Port High School sits right outside of downtown Green Bay and is another program on this list home to high-powered prospects besides the one we are taking a deep dive into. The Pirates have an emerging stud in the Wisconsin 2025 class in 6’5, 240 lb. lineman Alex Warden, who also doubles as an All-Conference wrestler, accomplished thrower on the track team, and lifter who reports a 515 lb. squat and 265 lb. bench. His hard work paid off earlier this month when his received his first overall offer from FBS Wyoming, shortly after their double OT thrilling upset over Texas Tech. The Cowboys do an excellent job of recruiting Upper Midwest prospects, and more often than not when they get involved, many more big-time programs follow. Warden is off to a hot start in 2023, as the RT is a strong kid who gets off the ball well, can bend and play with good pad level in his stance, and is a hammer at the point of attack. He is agile and controlled enough to execute effective pulls around the LOS and works to the second level well as a blocker. As a DT he flies off the ball, is strong and motivated enough to work off double teams, and has the motor to run down loose ball carriers far from the LOS. He plays far more powerfully than his 240 lbs. would suggest and thrives in the physicality department, much like many Wisconsin-bred linemen before him. Stay posted on Warden’s budding recruitment, it’s far from done.
One of the biggest stock-risers during this developing 2023 season in America’s Heartland, Goodland High School’s 6’6, 220 lb. TE Linkon Cure is having a heckuva start to his junior season on both the gridiron and recruiting trail. Since September rolled around, Cure has added offers from Penn State, Wisconsin, Purdue, Vanderbilt, Nebraska, Michigan, Florida, Illinois, Texas A&M, and Auburn. Need I say more? That’s quite a list of heavyweight programs from the best conferences P5 football has to offer, and although Cure saw his recruitment kick off in June with offers from Kansas State, Iowa State, Mizzou, and Kansas, things have surely ramped up a notch and he’s now a legitimate national recruit right on the cusp of blue-chip status. The tape speaks for itself, as the 6’6, 220 lber. is an absolute freak, especially with the ball in hand. I don’t use the term “freaky” very often, and for good reason, but Cure absolutely fits the mold and possesses speed, lateral agility, and overall movement skills very rarely seen in a body of his size. Cure is a devastating weapon in the passing game, and as a testament to how dangerous he is as a ball carrier, also returns kicks. He’s electric with the ball in hand and can spin, slip through, cut past, and break tackles in as many eye-catching ways as you can think of. He’s also capable of winning contested catches over triple-teams and reeling in receptions through contact, breaks off his routes very well has rare quickness for a kid of his size and age, and has the speed to take the top off the defense and hawk down loose ball carriers 60+ yards downfield as a DE. Seeing a 6’6, 220 lb. receiver cut on a dime like he can does not get old, and I cannot imagine how defenses in small-town Kansas feel trying to contain him. The simple answer is they can’t. He’s bound and built for the highest levels of college football. What a monster!
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