Highlights:

Undoubtedly one of the top athletes in the state, Heimer currently boasts 6 offers, including two from recent full FCS member St. Thomas, and the University of South Dakota. Despite missing two games last season, Heimer racked up over 1,500 yards and 21 rushing TDs while averaging 8.3 YPC. He was also a force on defense, including 58 total tackles and a defensive TD. His tape is about as nuts as you would expect. An exceptionally quick back whose build is rare in football, let alone AAAA, Heimer can make wild cuts in rapid succession on a dime. He runs through defenders like a hot knife through butter, and should prove to be one of the best players in the state this fall.

One of the state’s biggest sleepers, Heimer came to mind as an obvious winner from this spring, in large part to him cementing himself as an under-the-radar talent in the 2026 class. The Byron Bears product, who owns some fantastic junior tape and two-way production to go along with multiple strong, in-person offseason showings, finally earned his first D1 offer earlier this month after South Dakota reached out with an offer after an in-person workout, and the likes of Minnesota-Duluth and MSU-Mankato have also offered for good measure. Additionally, Heimer eclipsed a can’t-ignore athletic data point during this 2025 Outdoor Track & Field Season, cracking the sub-11-second mark in the 100M a few times, including two 10.98s and a blazing 10.84 to really highlight the speed and explosiveness you can see in his junior tape. Heimer has also added a flyin’ 22.09 200M to solidify said speed and explosiveness, and I can’t help but be curious as to where the P4 interest is at here.

The Byron Bears are at it again with a potential P4 prospect. New RB1 Carson Heimer Carson Heimer 6'1" | 190 lbs | ATH Byron | 2026 State MN is on the most prestigious of shortlists this offseason, having been visited by the Minnesota Golden Gophers’ Director of Recruiting John Schaekel at Byron High School this past week. Although he’s holding it down as RB1, Heimer will more than likely see his positional classification switch to ATH or even DB, as he’s a legitimate two-way prospect whose hard-hitting physicality showed up as a SAF with the Bears‘ aggressive 2024 defense. With verified speed that we discussed in depth in the recently published “Fastest Prospects” feature on PRzMN, Heimer can generate a ton of momentum and power into contact and pops the ball out thanks to the force he creates at initial contact. He’s a strong, technically-sound tackler who can consistently win, and even dominate, 1v1 hits and tackles. Heimer flies out of the secondary like he was shot out of a slingshot, stuffing receivers at initial contact and crumpling, spinning, or tossing them backward for some of the bigger hits created by any Minnesotan in 2024.

Here’s what he wrote about his defensive skillset in the latest PRzMN “Fastest Prospects” special:

“As a safety, the 185 lber. opens his defensive reps with a car crash-esque collision against a Faribault RB after coming across the field at full tilt, lowering a shoulder, and running through the RB for a crushing and dominant hit that sends the poor kid’s feet over his head like he was a rag doll in a World War 1 trech charge. Heimer is one of the state’s hardest hitters who can physically dominate at the contact point and create hair-raising hits that get the crowd on their feet, and his play speed allows him to play with range and cover large swaths of ground in pursuit of the pigskin throughout a rep. He can come downhill and run down QBs behind the LOS as well as get out of his breaks with pace and create massive hits to jar the ball loose in coverage from his safety spot. Heimer is a strong 1v1 tackler who is great at tackling in space, reads the QB eyes and route concepts quickly, and naturally works to undercut routes and make plays on the ball, and runs the alley effectively. Safety is very much in play for Heimer’s potential position at the next level, and North Dakota and Wyoming have come in to check on the junior this past month. I’d keep an eye on this kid’s recruitment and stock if I were you.“

Minnesota’s new RB1 checks all the necessary boxes in the speed department. Not only is he one of the fastest prospects in the state’s 2026 class, Heimer is also one of the biggest stock risers of the 2026 update, climbing 22 spots up to #33, is on a short list of in-state prospects that the Golden Gophers will be checking up on and seeing in person this winter, and is your new RB1 in the Great State of Minnesota. Heimer followed up a fantastic junior season on the gridiron (188 carries for 1,561 yards and 21 TDs and 58 tackles and a defensive TD while missing two games) by showing up ahd showing out at the PrepRedzoneMN Stock Up Showcase last month. The junior measured in at 6’1, 182 with a 6’3″ wingspan and a 31″ vert before posting a 4.59 and 4.62 40, a 4.21 and 4.57 shuttle, and a 10′ broad to go on top of an eye-catching showing during competition as a RB. Not only does Heimer have football speed, he’s shown some real-deal track speed as well. The Byron product ran an 11.34 100M time in the 2023 outdoor track season, strengthening the portfolio with a 6′ high jump, 21’9.5″ long jump, 50.68 400M, and 22.92 200M. The young man can run, and he’s also seriously under-the-radar on the recruiting trail right now, despite some big-time collegiate programs coming into Byron to meet him.

As a RB, Heimer is a fluid, electric, game-changing ball carrier who was scoring long TD runs nearly three minutes into his junior tape. It’s obvious the junior was on another plane of speed and athleticism last season, blowing by entire defenses without seeming to break a sweat and bouncing and working through tackle attempts like he was playing JV opponents. The kid was flat out dominant in 2024, and is a silky smooth ball carrier who glides by pursuers and up to the third level of the field and can scoot by would-be tacklers with a simple cut and flip of the hips. His big-play speed can create and finish explosive runs for six, his balanced gait and lower body helps him slip and run through tackle attempts at his legs without losing momentum, and he can easily break tackle attempts and drag multiple defenders and dogpiles for extra yardage. Plus, he’s a sudden and dynamic cutter with some quick plant & stick ability. Heimer’s eye-catching burst gets him upfield and into the third level of a defense in a blink, and the top-end speed shows up well when he’s finishing a big run and outpacing that final backside CB or S down the sideline with noticeable ease and without extra strain or a pickup in his gait. I also like his effective and well-timed stiff arms that sent a couple defenders flying onto their backs this past season

As a safety, the 185 lber. opens his defensive reps with a car crash-esque collision against a Faribault RB after coming across the field at full tilt, lowering a shoulder, and running through the RB for a crushing and dominant hit. Heimer is one of the state’s hardest hitters who can physically dominate at the contact point and create hair-raising hits that get the crowd on their feet, and his play speed allows him to play with range and cover large swaths of ground in pursuit of the pigskin throughout a rep. He can come downhill and run down QBs behind the LOS as well as get out of his breaks with pace and create massive hits to jar the ball loose in coverage from his safety spot. Heimer is a strong 1v1 tackler who is great at tackling in space, reads the QB eyes and route concepts quickly, and naturally works to undercut routes and make plays on the ball, and runs the alley effectively. Safety is very much in play for Heimer’s potential position at the next level, and North Dakota and Wyoming have come in to check on the junior this past month. I’d keep an eye on this kid’s recruitment and stock if I were you.