Litchfield’s 2025 squad was a manufacturing plant of rushing yardage last season. Led by one of the Most Explosive RBs in Minnesota, the Dragons‘ 6’2, 210 lber. Anthony Taylor Anthony Taylor 6'2" | 210 lbs | LB/RB Litchfield | 2027 State MN – who is firmly on the Gophers instate recruiting board – is a tremendous runner, posting a ridiculous 1,997 yards and 30 TDs on an 18.5 YPC average as a junior. With big-time size, Taylor has a ton going for him, including an eye-catching performance at the 2025 UND Flagship Prospect Camp, putting up green testing numbers on a tremendous frame whose COD, hips, and general mobility we got a nice firm look at in Grand Forks. He’s poised and primed for a big-time boost in the rankings and an outstanding Summer Camp SZN after helping Litchfield to a 8-4 record and 319 YPG average, according to MNFootballHub, in 2025.

Taylor opens his junior highlights with a dazzling first rep in which he spins through two LB’s tackle attempts and a mass of bodies on the ground at the second level, runs through another tackle attempt, then carries a DB like a backpack for an extra 10+ yards in an electric display of strength and effort. The 6’2, 210 lber. follows it up by showing off some vision as takes a direct snap, zigzags and bursts upfield, cuts back against the grain, and then stiff-arms three, yes, three, defenders to the ground before racing upfield, gathering his balance, and stiff-arming another would-be tackler before getting hawked down near the goal line. He does show some homerun speed and ability, and Taylor is a violent runner who sent some defenders flying onto their butts in 2025 and owns a mean truck stick that will drop the pads and bring the physicality and aggression to the tackler and to the contact point.

Taylor is an electric blend of speed, power, size, and physicality, though I’d categorize him as a power runner first, and one who potentially projects to LB at the next level, but it’s hard not to love his nonstop motor, lateral agility, and vision, as he sees and manipulates space as a ball carrier and packs a wallop at the contact point, with some of the best contact balance in the state regardless of class. Pay attention to this Litchfield Dragon as the Summer Camp Circuit approaches quickly.

Our final Top 25 Top Newcomer of the PRzMN 2027 Ranking’s Update, Litchfield’s sophomore sensation Anthony Taylor Anthony Taylor 6'2" | 210 lbs | LB/RB Litchfield | 2027 State MN is also one of the MVPs and biggest stock risers from the 2024 prep football season. Week after week, PRzMN was publishing eye-catching stat lines from the Dragons‘ stud sophomore RB, so it’s easy to imagine that I came into Taylor’s evaluation ready to watch some broken tackles and big runs. Well, I did see some good reps as a RB, but I was more blown away by Taylor’s defensive film. Lining up a yard or two behind the MLB as a hybrid ILB/SS, the 6’2, 200 lber. is absolutely one of the rangiest defensive prospects I’ve watched in the past few years. It looks like his job is to “see ball, get ball”, and boy is he good at it.

Taylor’s play speed and range, along with his motor, combine for a true sideline-to-sideline defender who takes great angles to the football and can close on and tackle 1v1 and in space with lethal effectiveness. He triggers on ball carriers like he was shot out of a cannon and gets vertical and closes with serious pace, meeting RBs and QBs at or behind the LOS. He instinctively works and slips into passing lanes around the hook/curl and returned an interception for six in 2024, nearly returned a kick for six last season, and is a good tackler who sticks RBs with good technique and halts their momentum to negate extra gains. He takes great angles to the football, cutting off RBs at the LOS from a high safety position, and the 0-60 acceleration and amount of ground he can cover in a blink makes him a TFL machine in run support. I love how he can drop his hips and mirror a ball carriers movements when tracking and closing on a RB’s hips. Taylor gives me big Hutchinson grad and current Minnesota Golden Gophers LB Alex Elliott vibes, and I’d be pumped if his recruiting arc is similar. Litchfield is going to make some noise next year, just like Taylor could make some noise on the recruiting trail.