Jay Sanders
Jay Sanders
About Jay
Expert Analysis
Oliver West | Prep Redzone Scout
A Top 5 WR sitting just outside the Top 50 in the final 2026 PRZMN Rankings Update,
Jay Sanders
Jay
Sanders
5'9" | 175 lbs | WR
Minneapolis North | 2026
State
MN
goes down as easily one of the most electric players in Minnesota’s 2026 class. Additionally, the Sanders’ brothers will also have their names etched in the Minnesota history books as one of the more athletic pair of brothers to grace Minnesota gridirons and hardwood of the 21st century. Just like his older brother,
Jay Sanders
Jay
Sanders
5'9" | 175 lbs | WR
Minneapolis North | 2026
State
MN
has been hampered by his perceived lack of height, but it hasn’t stopped him from gaining major instate offers from Minnesota-Duluth and St. Thomas, as well as dazzling PRZMN each and every time we’ve seen Sanders live, which now goes into the double-digits combining padded and non-padded settings. Sanders‘ combination of athleticism, ball skills, body control, and 50/50 ability, not to mention “he’s got that dawg in him” mentality in competitive settings made for a straight-up ridiculous displays of playmaking ability every time we see him, a trait that also showed up in the last game of his prep career, a state semifinal loss to Annandale, the eventual champion, posting 6 catches for 112 yards and a TD. We’ve also seen Sanders run as fast as a low 4.6 in the 40 and jump 10″+ in the broad, so wherever he ends up, he’s got the juice to keep the playmaking streak going.
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Read EvaluationOliver West | Prep Redzone Scout
MN Elite
PRZMN was stoked to see Sanders in attendance at the NYE 7v7 Open Run playing his 7v7 ball with MN Elite, and as always, Sanders alone was worth the price of admission. The most athletic player in attendance, Sanders pulled off some flat-out unreal reps and personal efforts throughout the two games I saw him play in. First off, Sanders had the in-person crowd gasping with “ohhs” and “ahhs” after he threw out a perfectly-timed and wickedly-twitchy spin move at full speed after the catch, spiraling an attempted defender past him while grasping at air. A few plays later, Sanders took flight for maybe the single-most impressive rep of the day, seemingly floating through the air to high-point and “Moss” the football over two defender’s outstretched and waiting arms. Sanders seemed to hover he was in the air for so long, and both reps were excellent examples of Sanders‘ elite athleticism, body control, and explosiveness that he brings to the position. Still uncommitted as well! Someone is going to get a straight-up stud.
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Read EvaluationAustin Lowell | Prep Redzone Scout
After an explosive offseason,
Jay Sanders
Jay
Sanders
5'9" | 175 lbs | WR
Minneapolis North | 2026
State
MN
returned to full form in his return onto the field in 2025, finishing as one of the biggest playmakers in the conference. Sanders finished with 630 receiving yards on just 30 receptions (21 YPC) while leading Class 3A with 10 receiving TDs. Sanders had no problems running following his injury, and resuming with his sharp, violent cuts, Sanders was able to win his reps with his footwork and follow by outracing everyone to the endzone. Sanders will look to extend his TD total through the postseason.
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Read EvaluationAustin Lowell | Prep Redzone Scout
Our 3rd prospect from Minneapolis North on this list, we covered J’Marion Sanders at the Combine Series in April as he ended up winning MVP honors at the showcase. Despite being limited to just 3 games due to a knee injury Sanders, posted a whopping 360 yards and 6 touchdowns on just 16 receptions in that span. So far this offseason, Sanders has quickly regained his groove, and his knee doesn’t seem to be bothering him as he’s regained his groove in full form and at full speed. Sanders has sharp and impressively precise route-running ability, and he’s so dangerous with the ball in his hands, as he was able to turn on the jets and burn the defense on multiple occasions in short-route situations last season. Sanders should be on the watchlist toward having a monstrous comeback year, and despite his smaller size, he is absolutely worth the high ranking at his position right now.
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Read EvaluationAustin Lowell | Prep Redzone Scout
Named as one of the MVPs of the showcase, I don’t think anyone came even close to how spectacular
Jay Sanders
Jay
Sanders
5'9" | 175 lbs | WR
Minneapolis North | 2026
State
MN
played on Sunday. Coming off knee surgery from last season, Sanders posted impressive testing times, including a 4.65 40 yard time, a 4.4 shuttle, and a 9’1″ broad jump. Sanders is quick off the release and I was surprised with just how aggressive he was with his footwork on his cuts, and it seems that knee isn’t affecting his play. Sanders had several highlight-reel catches, including an effortless one-handed reception in front of the scouts. I’m really excited to see how Sanders rebounds in his senior year, and he could easily contend to be one of the most explosive receivers in the state in 2025.
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Read EvaluationOliver West | Prep Redzone Scout
Still a bit of an enigma, Minneapolis North’s playmaking WR J’Marion Sanders, is coming off a sophomore season where he carved out a big role for himself on what was a stacked Polars roster talent-wise, but I want to see more from him before I can feel fully comfortable projecting him to the next level. The younger brother of now-Illinois Fighting Illini WR Mario Sanders, a NJCAA All-American at Iowa Central and former stud hooper and WR for the Polars himself, Jiggy Jay had great production last fall (61 receptions for 701 yards and 10 TDs) and has looked twitchy and sure-handed in the offseason events I’ve seen him at this winter/spring, but the film is a bit scattered and it’s hard to get a sense of what he can really do as a WR from the sophomore tape. However, I can see that he would make an excellent slot receiver at the next level, and it’s where he found the bulk of his eye-catching production from 2023. Sanders has game-breaking speed, and you can see North made an effort to get him the ball and allow him to do his thing in space, and footwork at the LOS and top of the route is exciting and effective. He’s twitchy after the catch and with the ball in hand, tracks and plays the ball well in the air and demonstrates 50/50 ball ability and some bounce when he goes up and high-points the rock. Plus, Sanders breaks his routes off well and finds and takes advantage of holes in zone coverage, and is a motivated blocker on the perimeter who helped spring some of his teammates for big runs last fall. This is a name I could see catapulting up the 2026 Big Board in the coming months.
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