One of my favorite 2028 QBs in Minnesota, Mankato East’s Kellen Willaert Kellen Willaert 6'2" | 171 lbs | QB Mankato East | 2028 State MN had yet another strong in-person evaluation and visibility point at the PRZMN Spring Showcase. Calm, cool, and always poised, Willaert has a smooth, fluid, and quick throwing motion and release, and he consistently puts together one of the most accurate bodies of work in any QB group we see him with. On Saturday, his smoothness was yet again on display, as well as his beautiful touch on the ball. Willaert had maybe the best deep ball in attendance, dropping the ball in a bucket with lethal efficiency, and he was constantly threatening defensive backs to the third level of the field. East – and their QB room – is in a good spot right now.

The Mankato East QB1 was in attendance on Saturday, and after his showing, I think the Cougars could be gearing up for a big year. Boasting 9″ hands, a 75″ reach, a pair of 8′ broad jumps, a 4.85 shuttle, and standing at a true 6’2″, Willaert has a lot of physical tools to get the job done at the next level. On the field, Willaert possessed one of the best all-around skillsets while slinging the rock. He does a great job of anticipating windows and hits a number of incredibly difficult spots outside of the hashes deep downfield. He was able to reliably place the ball where only the receiver could catch it, and placed a number of passes right where you’d want to hit a wideout. I really like Willaert’s upside, and I’m pumped to watch him ball this fall.

PRZMN is quite bullish on 2028 Mankato East QB Kellen Willaert Kellen Willaert 6'2" | 171 lbs | QB Mankato East | 2028 State MN , and you’ll see the 507 sophomore quarterback make an impressive debut on the upcoming 2028 ranking’s update this coming month. Willaert has now impressed in both padded and unpadded, game and camp settings, and he one of the better arms in attendance in terms of accuracy, release, and mechanics, not to mention consistency, in addition to a great frame that is going to be able to hold significantly more weight as he enters his upperclassman and eventual college QB eras. Willaert was more than hanging with upperclassmen arms at the 612Q’s Elite Academy, and although you could tell that being outside of the pocket and on the move wasn’t his natural and most comfortable setting, he was flashing some very impressive throws from challenging angles and settings, but it was obvious by the delivery and end-product when Willaert was locked into his mechanics or not. The Mankato East sophomore also threw a couple really impressive sail routes near the end of the workout, solidifying our overall positive impression of the young and up-and-coming gunslinger who helped engineer one of East’s best seasons in modern program history.

Taking over as the full-time starter for the Cougars last season, Kellen Willaert Kellen Willaert 6'2" | 171 lbs | QB Mankato East | 2028 State MN immediately impressed under Center as he led the team to a 6-3 record. Willaert completed over 62% of his passes for 1441 yards, 11 TDs, and 8 INTs. I remember covering Willaert at the 612Q’s Offensive Skills Showcase event in March and I was impressed with his footwork and strong spiral, and especially early on during the 2025 season, Willaert got off to a very hot start, showing solid touch and a quick release on his throws. Willaert will look to find more consistency with his decisions entering his junior season, but he’s clearly cemented his place as a trusted signal caller for the Cougars’ offense.

The tides turn, the winds shift, and the pendulum swings, and in 2025, the Kato Jug belongs to Mankato East High School. After 19 years across town with Mankato West, the East High School Cougars thrashed their in-town counterparts 28-7 at Minnesota State-Mankato’s football stadium. The Cougars moved to 3-0 with the victory and look like a legitimate contender for a deep Class 5A playoff run and potentially a state title, and the lynchpin of the success is sophomore QB sensation Kellen Willaert Kellen Willaert 6'2" | 171 lbs | QB Mankato East | 2028 State MN . A 6’1, 165 lb. PrepRedzoneMN Showcase veteran, Willaert has been balling out through three weeks of action, completing 34 passes for 51 yards (66.7%) for 530 yards and 7 TDs to 2 INTs and spearheading a Cougars passing attack that is throwing for nearly 200 yards a game and over 10 yards an attempt.

Displaying accuracy to all three levels of the field, good touch on his downfield throws, and the ability to read the field well and make fast, effective decisions with the football, Willaert has been efficient and secure with the rock while displaying a quick, compact release and a strong arm that can put the ball on a rope, even on more difficult passes on the route tree. Willaert opens his Mankato West highlights with a beautiful deep out route from the opposite hash that he put on a line, and he shows real poise in the pocket and will finish and deliver throws through big hits and oncoming rushers. The sophomore is playing and throwing well above what his age would suggest, and I think it’s safe to say that Willaert is one of the breakout stars of this developing 2025 season. Pay attention to Mankato East in the 2025 5A race, folks!

https://www.hudl.com/video/3/21815732/68c5acca5701f01258cc81d3

The other likely possibility for the head signal caller for the Cougars is current sophomore Kellen Willaert Kellen Willaert 6'2" | 171 lbs | QB Mankato East | 2028 State MN . Both my coworker, Austin Lowell, and I were very high on his performance at the prestigious 612QBs camp. His freshman tape is also full of green flags. Willaert already boasts an ideal frame for a prep QB, and he throws one of the best spirals I’ve seen from the 2028 class. He’s got a lot of the building blocks you like to see from a long-term starter. Good decision making, improving release, and the ability to move when the pocket collapses around him. Even if Willaert doesn’t get the nod as a sophomore, the future is bright.

Mankato East holds a young QB who after this performance may have very well established himself as a legitimate contender for the starting QB job in 2025 in Kellen Willaert Kellen Willaert 6'2" | 171 lbs | QB Mankato East | 2028 State MN . While his numbers during the test portions didn’t suggest he was quick, he was impressively fast moving around in the pocket. Willaert threw the ball with a solid release and a consistently strong spiral. I don’t remember a single pass that he threw that look wobbly or sloppy on his part. Willaert is quickly building confidence under Center, and it will be interesting to watch how his role develops for Mankato East as he enters his sophomore year.

The greater Mankato area had a phenomenal showing at the camp, and Willaert was no exception. He has kind of a funky release, but consistently got out tight spirals and hit a number of throws off-platform early in the day. Willaert was able to put a decent amount of air under his intermediate to deeper routes, stretching the field fairly well. Iron sharpens Iron, and that Mankato East QB room is putting in the work. Willaert is a rising 2028 to keep your eye on.