Dawson-Boyd vs. Murray County Central was one of a handful of MN small school showdowns we were watching incredibly closely on Friday, and the matchup delivered, with the Blackjacks walking away with a 42-21 win on the road against the Rebels. In the D-B victory versatile 2027 6’3, 205 lber. Colten Bothun Colten Bothun 6'3" | 200 lbs | EDGE/TE Dawson-Boyd | 2027 State MN showed up and showed out, reinvigorating his recruiting stock and platforming himself well for a potential ranking’s bump in this month’s 2027 update. Bothun went for seven rushes for 159 yards and three TDs, one catch for 12 yards, and six tackles in the victory, and the posted senior tape displays a tall, shifty, balanced RB with power and quickness in the open field. Good vision and overall elusiveness, especially for his size, and homerun speed helps him find six as well as flash the speed to take the edge and sideline of a defense. Long, strong legs bounce weaker tackle attempts off his thighs with ease as well. This dude is going to be one hard 1v1 tackling assignment for Blackjacks‘ opponents in 2026.

Bothun is a physical rarity in single-A football, and the two-sport athlete (Football/Baseball) has been attracting a lot of NSIC attention as of late. On his junior tape, Bothun proves to be a mean edge rusher who is capable of frequently disrupting both run and pass plays. One of my favorite parts of his game is how he blows up lead blockers. Fullbacks or pulling guards, it doesn’t matter. Bothun will get underneath them and explode through, completely collapsing run lanes and blowing up the play in the backfield. He also plays an important role on offense as a tight end, where he’s got legit receiving upside. Bothun is a fantastic checkdown, both because he’s a reliable target and because he’s more than capable of taking the rock downfield for extra yardage. I’m excited to see where his recruitment goes during his senior year.

The lone Minnesota athlete in attendance put Minnesota on the map for sure, as one of our top performers at the tight end position. It was enlightening to see the position flexibility Colten possessed for his size as he showed off as a smoother route-runner than I had envisioned and knew how to catch the ball in tight windows on short and intermediate routes. I said pre-showcase that I was going to be intrigued on what side of the ball Colten showed off as at our Prep Redzone Dakotas Showcase. His size as exactly as advertised as a tight end that stretched out with a 6’4 wingspan and is filling out with how to utilize it to his advantage. Hopefully with his junior tape coming thru soon, he could be a SW Minnesota prospect to gain more ground on the recruiting trail.

Colten was a new name that showed off what he could do at our last Prep Redzone Dakotas Showcase and I am excited to see how his skillsets have developed since last time. If I recall, he peaked on offense at our last DAK Showcase, but the tape I see on defense also intrigues me so he could be another one that shows off his position flexibility at our showcase on Sunday in Aberdeen as I stoked to get a even stronger live eval on the Dawson-Boyd athlete.