This is the best I’ve seen White Bear Lake look and play in I don’t know how long. The Bears, spearheaded by one of the state’s most talented receiver rooms, have been smothering teams in the trenches, and they came into their Week 5 matchup with Forest Lake last night 4-0 and averaging dang near 250 rushing yards a game. Yes, of course, the OL deserves credit, but the Bears‘ RB1 Brian White III Brian White III 5'10" | 185 lbs | RB White Bear Lake | 2027 State MN has been outrageous as a senior and is a clear-cut sleeper prospect as well as the state’s Breakout Player of the Midseason. One of only tailbacks already having passed the 1,000-yard mark through five games of action, White III’s highlights are terrific, as his blend of speed, quickness, and power is up there with any back in the state, and he’s been a splash-play tailback, possessing the legit explosiveness, vision, and playmaking ability to take the ball to the house any and every touch. White III has established himself as one of Minnesota’s most lethal offensive threats this season.

Brian White III Brian White III 5'10" | 185 lbs | RB White Bear Lake | 2027 State MN is maybe the #1 most overlooked prospect – and especially offensive player – in Minnesota right now. The standout White Bear Lake tailback, who is the lynchpin of the Bears‘ impressive 2025-2026 season turnaround, has posted 866 yards and 10 TDs in 4 games, including 41 rushes for 327 yards and 4 TDs in the Bears‘ 34-21 win over East Ridge. White III’s midseason tape opens with a heckuva homerun hit of a TD against Park. In the blink of the eye, he’s gone up the gut. I don’t think anyone even touched him and the last pursuer was just inside 20 yards of catching him by the time he passed the goal line. His stutter steps and cuts freeze defender’s ankles, and he doesn’t seem to lose any speed when he changes direction at a sprint. White III is able to dust 6A defenders’ pursuit angles, even back-end players with a full lead up and chance to catch him, and it’s very difficult to not notice and appreciate the absurd speed/contact balance. He barely loses momentum as he works through multiple tackle attempts in a single rep and carry. The kid owns loads of power, will run behind his pads, run you over, and carry on like he was running through pads at practice. It’s also game over if he gets the edge, sideline, or even a full head of steam. Plus, PRZMN likes his jittery footwork, ability to go speed to power as a ball carrier and accelerates into contact, and how he can run through and break multiple tackle attempts in a single carry. Big-time jump cut too.

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In my opinion, White had the best Week 1 showing out of any ball carrier in 6A. On only 15 carries, he took the rock for 211 yards and 3 rushing TDs, which amounts to 14.1 ypc every time he touches the ball. On his tape, White’s style of play proved to be a unique combination that allowed him to see such success. He’s got the speed to beat defenders to the edge and hunt upfield for extra yards, but he’s thick and powerful enough to run through multiple tackles on the same play. White never stops churning his legs, and that constant movement helps him find open space time and time again. This, combined with excellent field vision and some nasty acceleration, rounds out to be an incredibly talented back with a high upside. In White Bear Lake’s run-heavy offense, he looks due for a monster senior season.

White Bear Lake also returns one of the best RBs in the Metro and Class 6A in 2026 in Brian White III Brian White III 5'10" | 185 lbs | RB White Bear Lake | 2027 State MN . A no-nonsense tailback with some serious burst and power in his game, White III finished last fall with 151 rushes for 859 and 4 TDs at a 5.7 YPC clip, but he was also the third-leading receiver with 10 catches for 177 yards (17.7 YPC) and 0 TDs, making him a must-mentioned weapon in this pass-catching-focused 6A feature. White III earned First Team All-Conference and was the conference’s leading rusher in 2025, earned SportsIllustrated Minnesota Player of the Week honors, and proved himself as a real-deal homerun hitter with game-breaking speed against 6A Big School competition as a junior. Good vision, impressive burst and acceleration up to the second and third level of a defense, and his strong lower body helps him easily work through arm tackles and weaker tackle attempts on his lower body. Very impressive contact balance, and he also has the top-end speed to finish big runs for six and outrun those last pursuers and defenders once he finds space. Lowered the boom for a fantastic truck stick into the endzone of a helpless Stillwater DB at the goal line in 2025 that really stuck out in our memory, and White III is also a legit pass-catching option out of the backfield for his QB’s safety valve. Should see some major production out of White III in 2026, one of the most underrated offensive playmakers in MN and 6A going into the season.