Preston Hanson Preston Hanson 6'4" | 212 lbs | LB/TE Fertile-Beltrami | 2026 State MN ranks as a top LB and TE prospect in the class of 2026, but the stud out of the 9-man state champions, Fertile-Beltrami took most of his reps at TE on Sunday. Hanson has plenty of strength, and does a good job being able to rip off the defender to break off of press coverage. Hanson has excellent footwork, and he ran his routes like a WR, getting depth on his vertical routes, and utilizing his length to catch high passes. Hanson didn’t get a lot of opportunities to showcase his pass-catching ability last season playing for an offense that ran for nearly 4000 yards last season, but the potential is clearly there, and Hanson could very easily fit into the collegiate level at both positions that he plays currently.

A big-time stock riser in the 2026 class, both from his in-season play translating to off-field recruiting success, including in our recent PrepRedzoneMN Official Rankings Update, Fertile-Beltrami’s Preston Hanson Preston Hanson 6'4" | 212 lbs | LB/TE Fertile-Beltrami | 2026 State MN has a chance to climb as high in the rankings as any prospect in Minnesota’s 2026 class. After a great showing at the 2024 Minnesota state semifinals, Hanson was firmly on our radar as a possible D1 kid, and we weren’t shy about sharing it with the world. His first-class height/length combination at two positions that Minnesota traditionally produces well at (DE/EDGE and TE), as well his individual play style and skillset, had some itching to get more information on the 9man standout. Look at our recent Biggest Stock Risers report on the site for a more detailed breakdown, but Hanson is a nasty two-way starter with physicality and a mean streak on the offensive side of the ball, as well as legit juice as a pass catcher, and is an instinctive, three-down DE edge presence who can impact the run and passing game of opponents. Athletic and effective in space, natural edge setter and defender, and uses his length to not get tied up or blocked at the LOS or out on the perimeter. The upside, as well as athleticism, are staring you straight in the face, but we need to confirm the size and athleticism we see on tape in person before we can really get a proper evaluation in on him. It’s always mysterious checking in on 9Man kids, but the upside couldn’t be bigger in the small-town kid from Northern Minnesota.

Saw His Ranking Rise 100 Spots from #187 to #87

My favorite Stock Riser from the latest 2026 update, Fertile-Beltrami’s Preston Hanson Preston Hanson 6'4" | 212 lbs | LB/TE Fertile-Beltrami | 2026 State MN was a can’t-miss presence during the 2024 9Man state semifinal and Prep Bowl from back in November, firmly planting himself on the 2026 recruiting scene as a long, physical, and versatile 6’5, 215 lb. EDGE/TE with a ton of room to grow and develop. Prior to his junior season, Hanson only had a few basketball highlights available on his Hudl, and prospects coming from the small school ranks, especially 9Man, are notoriously difficult to find information on, but with already-present and eye-catching size, we obviously had to fit him onto the Big Board. Now, and especially after watching him at state, he’s firmly planted himself as a Top 100 prospect with a lot more room to continue to climb. Hanson, who is fresh off a visit to Fargo for NDSU’s first Junior Day, could benefit from some editing to his junior highlights, but it’s still obvious that the EDGE/TE is long, in possession of an awesome frame that could really blow up at the next level, and owns a skillset and combination of length, speed, power, and physicality to dominate at the 9man level.

As a TE, Hanson is a physical blocker with a nasty streak who will let you know that he kicked your butt when he has your face in the turf. Can handle 1v1 assignments and open some big gaps for his RBs throughout the season. As a pass-catcher, the 6’5, 215 lber. does a good job of finding and sitting down in zone coverage pockets, shows some juice after the catch as a ball carrier as well thanks to his speed and strength through contact. He shows soft hands that do a good job of catching the ball away from his body and he can also reel in catches in traffic and through tight coverage. Hanson also possesses burst out of his cuts and a huge catch radius when reeling in receptions around the field, and he can work with his QB, improvise, and find space when plays are being extending and his QB is scrambling. Defensively, Hanson aligns as both a standup EDGE and off-ball linebacker, showing up all over the field as a dynamic defensive presence. He is an instinctive edge presence who can use his length and get-off to not only produce as a pass rusher, but occasionally step into passing lanes and pick off some low passes, a la Andrew Van Ginkel in 2024. The small town standout does a good job of reading and processing with pace to create big plays in the backfield before things can develop. He understands leverage as the edge defender and does a good job of containing the ball carrier while keeping his outside shoulder free. Hanson uses his length to stay unblocked and not get tied up around the box and can win reps and beat blocking attempts with physicality as well, and he’s also a strong tackler with good closing speed. For a 6’5 defender, Hanson does a good job of mirroring, breaking down, and corralling shifty ball carriers without over-extending, over-pursuing, or coming in out of control for a missed tackle.

Obviously, there’s a lot to like in the prospect with ideal size at a premier position on the gridiron, but PrepRedzoneMN would be thrilled to get some athletic data on the small schooler so we can really contextualize how he would best fit into the college level. Hope to see this dude on the offseason trail!

Hanson made a solid open-field tackle short of the first down on third down. He grabbed a pass from Easton Petry for fifteen yards and a first down. Hanson’s great block on the outside sprung Isaiah Wright Isaiah Wright 5'11" | 200 lbs | RB Fertile-Beltrami | 2025 State MN . On defense, Hanson held the edge, allowing teammates to make a tackle. Then, he got off a block to make an open-field tackle. Caleb Stoltman forced a runner wide into Hanson, who made the tackle.

A built TE returning on a state championship-winning team, Hanson is a problem on both sides of the ball. He’s a long OLB/TE who displaces defenders with ease when his hand is in the dirt. Hanson moves his feet well when blocking, either turning his hips so that his defender can’t access the ball carrier, or driving them downfield and planting them in the turf. He works well to the second level where he is a clear physical mismatch for a vast number of linebackers. On defense, he possesses a lot of physical gifts, that should pique plenty of college’s interests. Hanson is definitely a name to know ahead of 2025.