Wideout James Kopfmann James Kopfmann 6'0" | 160 lbs | WR Chanhassen | 2026 State MN has been a playmaker since bursting onto the scene as a freshman during the Storm’s state championship run, earning the nickname “Junior James.” Last year he averaged over 28 yards per catch, and this fall he’s expanded his skill set. Last week he caught six passes for 124 yards and two scores. The game has slowed for him, allowing more yards after contact and critical third-down conversions. James still stretches defenses vertically, but he now adds subtle route adjustments and short-area shake that turn modest gains into first downs. His growth from pure deep threat to complete receiver makes him Nathan’s go-to option and a matchup headache for every opponent.

One of the most explosive WRs in Minnesota last season, James Kopfmann James Kopfmann 6'0" | 160 lbs | WR Chanhassen | 2026 State MN proved to be quite the X-factor for Chanhassen’s passing game last season. Kopfmann finished 4th in the conference in receiving yards (827) and 8 touchdowns on only 32 receptions, with his 25.8 yards per reception ranking as the highest average in the state for a receiver with 30+ receptions last year. Kopfmann boasts blistering speed to easily get behind the secondary, but what really impressed me was his eye-precision and his ability to adjust to the ball to make a spectacular catch through coverage. Kopfmann has the natural twitch and hip movement to cut and make double-moves on the defender, and his breakaway speed is dangerously effective. With Kopfmann in the lineup, Chanhassen’s offense should once again be explosive, which could parlay toward a return to the state championship game.

Another 2026 prospect who has already been featured in a big-time post-rankings update article this week, Chanhassen’s stud WR James Kopfmann James Kopfmann 6'0" | 160 lbs | WR Chanhassen | 2026 State MN was one of the most prolific wideouts in Minnesota high school football in 2024, finishing 12th in MN in receiving yards (827) on only 32 receptions, meaning he averaged an eye-popping 25.8 yards per catch, as well as 8 TDs. This also came in Minnesota’s second-largest classification of football on the 2023 state champion and 2024 state semifinalist Storm. That also makes Kopfmann the 6th highest yardage total in the MN big school ranks of 5A and 6A. The fact that Kopfmann is in the elite & limited group of MN’s most explosive skill players can be traced back to his raw, volatile, verified speed. The now-junior went 11.22 in the 100M and 21.95 in the 200M, plus a 49.79 400M and 5’10 high jump, last outdoor track season as an underclassman. He’s a strong candidate to break 11 seconds in the 100M this coming spring, and with the route running prowess, quickness out of his breaks, and ability to consistently separate on every route on the route tree, combined with the speed, and I think you have maybe the most under-the-radar prospect in MN’s 2026 class. Yesterday, finally, Kopfmann finally met with a D1 college, as Montana’s Joe Pawlak stopped in to see the wideout, and some teammates, at Chan High School.

The track speed most noticeably shows up in Kopfmann’s impressive ease when taking the top off the defense and winning vertically, and doing so with fluidity and an easy-breezy effortlessness that can sadly be hard to find in MN skill players at times. With quick footwork and a knack for taking advantage of an opponent’s overreach or misstep, Kopfmann does a good job of beating and then immediately stacking a CB, out-positioning himself before easily pulling away to catch a long deep ball. The extra gear he shows when tracking and running down the deep ball, as well as his impressive burst and acceleration, flash the track start and get-off needed as a stud sprinter. It doesn’t seem like there was a DB in Class 5A who could keep up with Kopfmann in 2024.

I can’t lie, I didn’t expect the 2023 Minnesota 5A state champion Chanhassen Storm to defend their crown as well as they did this past season. A 5A state semifinalist who narrowly lost to the eventual champions Elk River 21-19, Chanhassen’s success and clutch playoff performances were powered by the likes of our next Top Newcomer: James Kopfmann James Kopfmann 6'0" | 160 lbs | WR Chanhassen | 2026 State MN . The junior wideout popped off for 32 receptions for 827 yards (25.8 YPC)and 8 TDs, powered largely due to his blazing 11.22 100M and 21.95 200M, plus a 49.79 400M and 5’10 high jump, all from the 2024 outdoor track and field season. That is some serious speed and athleticism, and I dare say that the junior is still under-the-radar on the recruiting-front right now. If Kopfmann can go sub-11-seconds in the 100M and record a bunch of new PRs this upcoming T&F season, things are going to change very quickly, no matter how popular he is on the junior day trail.

I got to see the Chan product live in that state semifinal matchup with Elk River, and he was a dynamo. A vertical threat who was consistently getting open on a variety of routes, Kopfmann’s junior tape proves him to not only be one of the most explosive wideouts in the state, but also one of its best route runners. The junior displays good footwork in his releases at the LOS and can beat DBs at a variety of points throughout a route. If he gets a step and stacks the DB, it’s game over, and he also wins and creates separation at the top of the route with consistently. He’s a sudden, smooth, effective route runner who generates noticeable power and accelerates out of his cuts, hit a dirty hitch-and-go and a comeback against STA and ran a beautiful route for a TD in the state semifinal game against Elk River. Kopfmann can win in 50/50 situations and shows strength and body control when playing the ball in the air, sometimes over or through multiple defensive backs, and he displays impressive burst from a dead stop and with the ball in hand and pull away speed when the ball is in the air. He can easily take the top off the defense, and also does a good job of working with his QB and finding space when a play is extended and his QB is scrambling. People need to start waking up on this young man’s talent!