A big-time recruiting win for the Golden Gophers in rival territory, Cedar Rapids‘ product and Prairie High School rising senior OT Will Clausen showed up and showed out at his future home in Dinkytown. A legit 6’5+ with good length and a lean 290-pounds with room to grow, Clausen was the undisputed Alpha Dog out of the padded OL/DL groups that descended upon the PJ Fleck RTB Prospect Camp, asserting himself throughout the Gophers’ camp but especially so during 1v1s, when the lights were shining brightest. We watched Clausen win three reps on the Board Drill is dominant fashion, bending, loading his hops, and flying out of his stance, getting his hands on quickly and violently, and overwhelming, large, D1 and scholarship-bound DL quickly and physically while helping them flat on their backs and rear ends. With blood in the water, Clausen came into 1v1s warmed up and ready to work, going best-on-best with the competing DL group while showing off foot speed, balance, and an impressive ability to adjust laterally to handle twitch, and combined with that aforementioned brute strength, he wasn’t letting any body off easy. Clausen looks every bit of a future B1G OL, and it was also impressive how he took reps, and won, at both tackle spots, while working in front of his future OL coach Brian Callahan. Gophers got a good one.

Will is one of the Gophers newest commits last week, and was an offensive linemen that caught our immediate attention numerous times throughout camp on Tuesday. He was very sudden during the testing period as it was hard to miss how quick his get off was at 6’6 285 pounds. That translation into the 1v1 reps was evident as Will was by far one of the best offensive linemen in attendance that showed off very physical hands, excellent pad-level and showed off as one of the most pure finishers you would see at the Minnesota prospect camp on Tuesday night. I love the growth that Will’s made from a summer ago at the NDSU camp as the Cedar Rapids Prairie product, should be a great one in the offensive trenches in Dinkytown.

Clausen goes 6’5” 280 pounds as a guard who plays with a strong base.  Needs to continue to add more strength up top.  Anchored well vs bull rushers, but was beat inside on occasion with quickness.

Fresh off his first Power 4 offer, Will Clausen Will Clausen 6'5" | 280 lbs | OL/DL Prairie | 2027 State IA has still somehow gone underrecruited, despite his 6-foot-6, 280-pound frame and athleticism. Recently posted in a video by Moreau doing a backflip at that size, Clausen possesses rare burst and physical tools that should have almost every Midwest program banging down his door for his services.

Long, powerful and quick, Clausen plays right tackle for Prairie, and that’s likely where he projects at the next level. Showing great pad-level, drive and a willingness to help teach and coach the younger guys — plus be involved in activities outside of the sport — Clausen appears like a dream add for a locker room, too. With a super high ceiling, if Clausen ends up in the right program, he’ll have NFL potential.

I did not get a chance to scout Clausen live when he played for Benton last season but appreciated what he put on film. Those skills and more showed up when I scouted him during a game against Iowa City West on Oct. 17, 2025. The junior was operating as the Prairie Hawk right tackle and held up well facing an aggressive Trojan defense. His athleticism and agility at his size leads to current success and there’s potential for much more. His frame can comfortably add mass and strength without the loss of the natural gifts that already make him special. Clausen plays with a good pad level and drives well with his legs in run blocking. He sets up quickly with balance in pass-pro. His footwork is sound.

The biggest name on the Prairie roster is undoubtedly Will Clausen Will Clausen 6'5" | 280 lbs | OL/DL Prairie | 2027 State IA , as the growing right tackle has received continued Power 4 interest throughout the summer. Programs like Iowa, Iowa State, Kansas, Kansas State and a barrage of FCS programs have begun to invest in him as a potential target, though none have offered at his point in time.

At 6’5″ and now listed as 270-pounds in his X bio, Clausen possesses a long frame and a wide stance that make him the top offensive linemen in the state of Iowa’s 2027 class. He’ll also play defensive end for the Prairie Hawks this fall — which programs like Iowa prefer in the OL they recruit — and that should help further develop his aggressiveness as a blocker. With his frame, Clausen should easily continue to fill out, and he has a chance at being one of the more coveted recruits in the Midwest.

Clausen and his family moved from Benton into the College Community School District, where he will join a Prairie program capable of making noise in 2025. For his part, Clausen provides the Prairie Hawks with a physical two-way lineman capable of impacting the game on both sides of the ball. It will be interesting to see if his new coaches try employing him in both trenches, which can be challenging at the 5A level. There’s good reason to try it when we watch his sophomore highlight video from last season. The first clip shows him crashing down on the run as a defensive tackle, and the next one has him mauling an opponent on the interior of the O-Line. Clausen has time to figure out his ultimate position and plenty of potential to be a difference-maker.