In my eyes, one of the best winners at the SDSU prospect camp was Simon Vinton Simon Vinton 6'5" | 220 lbs | DL Orono | 2026 State MN of Orono as he got a plethora of offers come thru from his camp performance in Brookings and was in my top-tier too for defensive ends. His impressive hands were an eye-catcher all day as Simon showed off an agile get off for his size (with still plenty of room to grow) and was swift getting his hands off his sheds. I would say he is one of Minnesota’s bigger camp risers this summer. Twitter

The most productive pass rusher on this accomplished junior roster goes to Orono’s Simon Vinton Simon Vinton 6'5" | 220 lbs | DL Orono | 2026 State MN . A 6’5, 210 lb. DE from the Class AAAA state semifinalist Spartans, Vinton was one of the highest debuting newcomers in the recent PRzMN 2026 rankings update, coming in as the #45 overall junior with a ton of room to continue climbing. I just broke down his game in depth in that recent feature, so I’ll do my best to not repeat myself, but the big takeaways of Vinton are his size, production, multi-sport background, and in-person evaluation all lean towards that of a D1 prospect, and he posted an impressive 10 sacks in 2024, good for 6th in the entire state, as well as 57 total tackles and 10 TFL for good measure. Vinton was outstanding when I saw him live and in person multiple times in 2024. With a nonstop, highly-active motor, noticeable length (reports an 80″ wingspan), and overwhelming size, Vinton was living in opponents’ backfields all season long, flying off the ball, processing and closing quickly, and never taking his foot off the gas.

Here’s what impressed PRzMN in our earlier breakdown of Vinton from a couple weeks back:

“Vinton displays a balanced skillset of speed, quickness, technique, and power as a DL/EDGE. He shows a good get-off, uses his hands effectively, and owns a good pass-rushing repertoire, and can pursue down the LOS and out to the edge with noticeable speed for his size, which also helps him run down and pressure QBs in pass-rush setting. Vinton reads, processes, and identifies the ball and ball quickly, all while staying square and light on his feet while working deep into the backfield, and demonstrates heavy hands and an effective first punch. He doesn’t get tied up and allow OTs and TEs to get hands on, and overall is consistent in his technique and assignment sound. He’s also strong enough to eat contact, chips, and lead blockers and can maintain his balance, shed, and create disruption and finish tackles in the backfield. Offensively, he’s a tough, physical blocker with good hand placement and can help out in the passing game. Vinton’s size, film, multi-sport background, production, competition level, contributions to a 4A semifinalist, and in-person evals have me bullish on his chances of continuing to rise up the ranking. Just need some verified data on the kid!“

Another big, long, high-potential pass rusher who I’m dying to get a look at this offseason, Orono’s Simon Vinton Simon Vinton 6'5" | 220 lbs | DL Orono | 2026 State MN was fantastic in the multiple in-person visual points I got on him and the Spartans 4A state semifinal run in 2024. As both a TE and DE, the kid would just play his tail off, staying very active in both run defense, pass rush, and run blocking. He would display great play speed for his size, consistently made plays behind the LOS, and was also one of the best pass rushers I saw this past fall. He also has a great frame, self-reporting at around 6’5, 220, with good length and a multi-sport background that includes wrestling and lacrosse. I really love his production rushing the passer. Vinton posted an impressive 10 sacks in 2024, along with 10 TFLs and 57 tackles, and when you combine it with the size and length combination and you have the makings of a potential big-time prospect at a premium position.

Vinton, who is fresh off a junior day visit in Fargo with NDSU and also earned a junior day offer from North Dakota, displays a balanced skillset of speed, quickness, technique, and power as a DL/EDGE. He shows a good get-off, uses his hands effectively, and owns a good pass-rushing repertoire, and can pursue down the LOS and out to the edge with noticeable speed for his size, which also helps him run down and pressure QBs in pass-rush setting. Vinton reads, processes, and identifies the ball and ball quickly, all while staying square and light on his feet while working deep into the backfield, and demonstrates heavy hands and an effective first punch. He doesn’t get tied up and allow OTs and TEs to get hands on, and overall is consistent in his technique and assignment sound. He’s also strong enough to eat contact, chips, and lead blockers and can maintain his balance, shed, and create disruption and finish tackles in the backfield. Offensively, he’s a tough, physical blocker with good hand placement and can help out in the passing game. Vinton’s size, film, multi-sport background, production, competition level, contributions to a 4A semifinalist, and in-person evals have me bullish on his chances of continuing to rise up the ranking. Just need some verified data on the kid!