Always fun to watch the #1 prospect from any state, buy boy is Shakopee’s Blake Betton Blake Betton 6'3" | 205 lbs | LB Shakopee | 2027 State MN special. An elite athlete and football player no matter which way you spin it, Betton was a tremendously fun at the Bemidji State War on the Shore Big School Team Camp. The future LB is a can’t-miss, always-looming presence as Shakopee’s safety, and he’s taking over a much larger offensive role for his Sabers in 2026. I frustratingly watching Shakopee try to get Betton the ball on four straight runs or passes, each of which were blown dead by an illegal infraction for one reason or the other, and although I didn’t get to see him with ball in-hand very often, Betton made more than a dominant impact from his defensive play alone. Betton absolutely smacked a Forest Lake RB while running the alley with ruthless intentions and efficiency, and his elite frame and measureables helped him create a ton of game-changing plays from the defensive secondary alone. We saw him create a crazy INT vs. Bemidji that was the single rangiest individual play of our entire time in Bemidji. Betton came from the opposite hash while the QB was rolling away from him to make one of the best plays on the ball all day. Also had a great goal line stick against Mack Jurkovich to keep him out of the endzone. Excellent leg drive post contact. Was also a physical ball carrier who had Big School defenders second guessing, not to mention a good route runner. Can break down and drop his hips at the top of the route to create separation. Good hands as well.

Betton is also an easy kid to root for, humble, with a good head on his shoulders, not to mention a coaches son with a noticeable competitive streak to boot. He mentioned to PRZ that he will visit Penn State for White Out game in 2026 vs. USC. Get excited: Nittany Lions fans!

The best downhill and rangy linebacker in the state of Minnesota was one of two top 2 prospects we got to watch at the Bemidji State Big School Team Camp as our #1 overall prospect Blake Betton Blake Betton 6'3" | 205 lbs | LB Shakopee | 2027 State MN showed why the folks over at Penn State should be ecstatic over the coming several years. Blake was also my selection for heaviest hitter on contact on several reps I watched out of him in Bemidji as the fluidity Blake has to get to the ball carrier no matter where he’s at on the field is surely a blast to watch live and in-person. Easily the most instincitve linebacker in attendance in Bemidji from a vision perspective. One of a couple Sabers that will have full PRZ attention watching the Big Ten on Saturdays over the next handful of falls for sure!

Another 2027 spring recruiting trail winner, Shakopee’s Blake Betton Blake Betton 6'3" | 205 lbs | LB Shakopee | 2027 State MN also qualifies as a “when” not “if” developing P4 prospect who has been in the crosshairs of PRzMN and regional D1s since he was a freshman. The son of Shakopee’s head coach Ray Betton, Blake has always had impressive size and range as a young safety, with a strong basketball background and athleticism visibly above his peers. With dynamic freshman tape competing against non-varsity competition, Betton became a shoe-in playmaker for the Sabers varsity defense in 2024, helping them to a Class 6A state semifinal appearance while proving himself to be more than capable of asserting himself physically in run support and explosively in pass defense. It’s been a slow and steady offer climb for Betton, who earned his first scholarship offer in January from NDSU, but things really began to heat up in April, with North Dakota South Dakota State offering, followed by South Dakota in May. Then, in an exciting yet unsurprising turn, Betton became a P4 offeree on the 15th, as one of Minnesota’s top out-of-state suitors in the Iowa State Cyclones pulled the trigger on the Shakopee SAF and potentially future LB. You watch the tape, or even better, watch Betton live, and it doesn’t take a professional scout to know this kid is different. More offers coming!

We recently broke down Shakopee’s stud 2027 safety Blake Betton Blake Betton 6'3" | 205 lbs | LB Shakopee | 2027 State MN midseason tape for a Film Room special on PrepRedzoneMN, and got to see the sophomore live and in-person against the Minnetonka Skippers, and he’s been more than impressive both on the field and on tape. Against the Skippers, with more than 8,000 fans watching on, Betton was a fantastic tackler who could come downhill and stonewall powerful ball carriers once he made contact with some thump, and was more than athletic enough to corral and handle ball carriers in space 1v1. He owns a long, lean frame that looks like a legit 6’3+, and he shows a ton of room to fill in as he continues to grow. Plus, he’s got a strong basketball background, and is the son of Shako’s head coach Ray Betton, a nice box to check given how coaches kids usually have a high IQ, not to mention the fact that Betton plays safety, where you need to be able to read and process quickly. We know he’s been getting a lot of attention so far this fall, but Betton HAS to be included in this feature, as he’s one of only a few MN 2027s to earn a P4 gameday invite this fall and one of even fewer to earn a gameday invite from the Gophers. Betton checked out Dinkytown last weekend in the gophers win over Maryland and also visited Wisconsin in early October.

Here’s what we noted about Betton’s midseason film: “The sophomore brings tons of pop and a physical edge to the Shakopee defense, especially as a third-level defender and one who has to make a lot of high-pressure 1on1 tackles. He owns long arms, height, and athleticism, and creates a huge catch radius that can pick off and break up passes at a variety of angles. Especially effective in 50/50 highball situations. In run defense, Betton sifts through traffic and finds the ball with pace, takes good angles to the football, accelerates into contact, sticks ball carriers, and doesn’t allow extra gains once he makes contact. Even as a sophomore, Betton is a hulking high school safety, and depending on how he continues to grow, I could see a move to linebacker in his future, especially given how physical and run-defense-heavy his tape and skillset is.” I see many more visits in this young man’s future and he is currently on a shortlist of MN 2027s looking and playing like future P4 prospects as sophomores.

Shakopee’s superstar sophomore Blake Betton Blake Betton 6'3" | 205 lbs | LB Shakopee | 2027 State MN is playing like his early 2027 ranking indicates and is displaying D1-worthy size, length, instincts, athleticism, and physicality. I got to see Betton ball out in a big-time, run-heavy, Top 3 6A showdown with Minnetonka a couple of weeks ago, and he lived up to the hype. Betton was a fantastic tackler who could come downhill and stonewall powerful ball carriers once he made contact with some thump, and was more than athletic enough to corral and handle ball carriers in space 1v1. Through 7 games of 2024, Betton posted 56 tackles, 2 PBUs, a forced fumble, and an interception, and brings tons of pop and a physical edge to the Shakopee defense, especially as a third-level defender and one who has to make a lot of high-pressure 1on1 tackles. He owns long arms, height, and athleticism, and creates a huge catch radius that can pick off and break up passes at a variety of angles. Especially effective in 50/50 highball situations. In run defense, Betton sifts through traffic and finds the ball with pace, takes good angles to the football, accelerates into contact, sticks ball carriers, and doesn’t allow extra gains once he makes contact. Even as a sophomore, Betton is a hulking high school safety, and depending on how he continues to grow, I could see a move to linebacker in his future, especially given how physical and run-defense-heavy his tape and skillset is. Lots of football left in this young man’s career, get to know the name now!