It’s hard to miss Willmar’s Cooper Schnichels Cooper Schnichels 6'6" | 220 lbs | TE/WR Willmar | 2028 State MN . At a verified 6’6, Schnichels is a massive target on the gridiron, and his size and game present an equally massive skill set and projection at the college level. With the Cards sitting at 6-0 after Friday’s thrashing of St. Cloud Tech and looking/playing like a legit Class 4A contender, Schnichels presents one of the singular most potentially dominant skill players in all of Class 4A and MN big school football, especially when it comes to playoff time. Schnichels has been sent recruiting and/or gameday invite graphics from the likes of Penn State, UCLA, Texas A&M, and the home state Golden Gophers, the latter of which he visited on Oct 4 for the win over Michigan.

Schnichels can drop his hips and has shown some increased twitch, suddenness, and smoothness at the top of the route. Sudden feet; can shut down well for a wideout of his size. He displays a massive catch radius, tracks and plays the ball well in the air, and can stack and burn CBs in man coverage, even over the top. The junior TE/WR demonstrates noticeable burst as a route runner, and strong, soft hands that catch the ball away from his body. He’s also dangerous after the catch and steps and works through lower-body tackles without losing momentum or balance. If I had to guess, I’d think the Willmar 2028 will see some FCS attention and offers leading up to the always-important Summer Camp SZN. Stay tuned!

Getting to the TEs now, so you’ll hear me mention the “All-Eye Test Team” and “All-Lobby Team” quite often now. Leading the pack of giants is Minnesota’s own Cooper Schnichels, a massive, long, and gargantuan sophomore with a significant amount of room to fill in. During drill work, Schnichels could change direction and shut down well, with good coordination and the looks and movement of a talented power forward on the hardwood. He’ll be a D1 signee in a couple of cycles and firmly on the Gophers radar going forward. Good showing during 1v1s as well.

Coming in with a Top 10 debut and a #8 overall ranking on the latest 2028 PRZMN Big Board, Willmar’s Cooper Schnichels Cooper Schnichels 6'6" | 220 lbs | TE/WR Willmar | 2028 State MN has had a busy offseason in 2026. The sophomore, whose eye-popping measureables and impressive sophomore tape has already made him a must-know TE prospect in the Upper Midwest, visited Iowa State in March and Minnesota in April, spring-boarding what could be a massive summer if the in-person ability lines up with the tape.

A towering, eye-popping presence lining up on the perimeter of the LOS, Schnichels can shut down and break off his routes quickly and cleanly, especially for his size, and demonstrates a massive catch radius when he fully extends his arms. He owns strong hands that can catch the ball away from his body and finish receptions through contact, and is willing to go up and high-point the ball through traffic. He’s also willing to work over the middle and reel in tough catches through oncoming contact and potential big hits from safeties or linebackers trying to line him up. He also demonstrates the contact balance and athleticism to step and work through tackle attempts and the burst to accelerate away from second and even third-level pursuers. A very scary sight to see at 6’7, 220, indeed. Schnichels also displays some quickness, burst, and ability to separate at the top of the route, an effective stiff arm and uses his weapon in the open field, and physicality after the catch, as well as fight to stay upright and earn more yardage for his squad. The great hands and massive catch radius stand out the most on film, as well as the route running skillset, and when you factor in the size, it’s a no-brainer that Schnichels is receiving P4 attention.