Wang possesses an imposing physical presence on the football field, standing out with his tremendous size. His ability to eat up double teams showcases his overall physical strength. He can shed blocks efficiently, allowing him to disrupt plays in the backfield. One of Wang’s standout features is his imposing stature, which adds an intimidating factor to his defensive skill set. His tenacious mentality is evident in his approach to each play, demonstrating a relentless pursuit of the quarterback or ball carrier. When exploding out of his stance, he exhibits a remarkable burst of speed and power, allowing him to disrupt offensive plays with exceptional quickness. Wang’s mentality is downright mean when addressing linemen and ball carriers, highlighting his aggressive play style. This aggressive mindset translates well to his ability to destroy the edge of the line of scrimmage, as he limits outside runs. His dominance in this area is a significant asset to any defensive unit, as he can single-handedly take away the option for opposing teams to attack the perimeter.

When I first discovered Annandale’s 6’7, 260+ pound DE Gavin Wang early this offseason, I only had a news clip from KRWC AM 1360 in Wright County of his 12 tackle, three sack performance against Watertown-Mayer in early October, as well as a single game tape on Hudl, so although it was obvious he had the makings to be a top-tier prospect in the MN 2025 class and potentially the Midwest, there just wasn’t enough evidence to go off of for me to comfortably justify a top-end ranking. However, now that a junior highlight is available, as well as some rumblings from the summer camp szn of his in-person performances impressing, Wang saw a 18 ranking increase from #27 to #9 overall in our PRzMN 2025 Big Board. Honestly, I’d be surprised if he doesn’t keep climbing up, as the size catches P5 and FBS eyes and the skills keep them locked on the Central MN defensive lineman. Wang posted a 275 lb. bench press in April, threw 137-07 in the discus and 44’3″ in the shot put this spring, was productive last fall with 43 tackles and 8 sacks, and once the August 1st deadline rolled around where D1 programs could contact the rising juniors, he heard from the likes of NDSU, SDSU, Miami (OH), Wisconsin, and Minnesota. Wang’s length and strength jump off the tape first and foremost, and as a standup 5T who can put his hand in the dirt as a 4/4i, or line up even wider, I also like how he gets off the ball, defends, pursues, and can close out on the edge with good pursuit angles, as well as drop his hips and break down to tackle in 1-on-1 settings well for a big guy. His strength helps him split double teams, execute power rushes to drive blockers back into the pocket, and crumple kids as a blocker when manning the OT spot, and there’s also some quickness present that helps him beat blocking attempts to their upfield shoulder. Wang also shows off some effective hands and a good motor, and if he can work to add some more twitch and functional pass rush moves, he’s going to be an absolute bear to try and stop. We cannot wait to see how he looks in 2023. Big things are coming!

One of the most interesting and high-upside prospects on the entire 2025 rankings and possibly the state of Minnesota, 6’7, 245 lb. Gavin Wang is another Annandale prospect with eye-popping size, but has the highest ceiling of any sophomore in the state and presents a unique challenge and eval as a scout and recruiting fanatic. Wang only has one game of film from 2022, but boy is it an enticing one, as the sophomore DE went off against Watertown-Mayer to the tune of 3 sacks, and man, did he look good doing it. From a standup two-point stance or with his hand in the dirt, Wang’s strength and length helped him annihilate double teams all game long, and he was able to stay in the opponents backfield all game long to impact both the run and pass games. It looked very easy for him, and his physical gifts and how well he seems to move at 6’7, 250+ are rare at that size and age, and with how he took over that Watertown-Mayer game against a very strong Royals squad just couldn’t be overlooked in regards to these rankings. Look how Jide Abasiri Jide Abasiri 6'6" | 290 lbs | DL Prior Lake | 2024 State MN has blown up the last calendar year if you want a comparable example. You’ll want to keep your eyes and ears open for this name going forward.