With a decorated wrestling background (4th place at 160A in 2024, including a pin of the #1 seed in the state quarters), the classic trope of the undersized but strong, small-town, productive, tough-as-nails LB, and coming out of a program that breeds hard-nosed football players and athletes, Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg’s 5’10, 180 lber. Jett Olson went crazy in 2023 as a RB and was Impressive in the Open Field. Olson posted 163 rushes for 1,252 yards and 13 TDs and had some exciting junior tape that made me question if I should change his position on the small schooler’s profile.

Offensively, Olson can beat you with speed, quickness, or power, and leaves pursuers stuck in the mud when he cuts back across the grain and produces power when he sticks his cleat in the ground. He uses his quickness to get would-be tacklers off balance or on their heels, and because they bit on his move, can’t get a clean shot on him, which allows Olson to use his impressive contact balance that helped him break the tackle attempts of much larger defenders through his powerful lower body, balance, and a will to stay upright. Plus, he uses his stiff arm very effectively. If you let Olson get the sideline, he’s gone, and the 180 lber. popped off some very long TD runs in 2023.

Defensively, he slips into passing lanes well from his OLB spot, is a strong form tackler who sheds blocks well and can defend the edge with good leverage and can tackle in space. Olson is always around the football on both sides of the ball and is poised for a monster year production-wise as a senior.

The Guillotine ranking – 7th 160ArnAnother two-way player on the football field, Olson made his first state tournament appearance last season. As a running back, he has the speed needed to turn a ten-yard run into a house call, and he has the power to make arm tackles fruitless, but what impressed me the most was the explosiveness of his cuts in the open field. His cuts are fast, and the junior comes out of his breaks with immediate power. As an outside linebacker, he does a great job setting the edge, using his hands to get off blocks, and his quickness to string out sweeps. He has good range in pass coverage, and my guess is he has a great blast double leg takedown – because that is precisely what it looks like he is doing when he meets a ballcarrier and puts a big hit into the runner’s thighs and wraps his man up.