2024 MN Rankings Update: Positional #1s
In this article:
Hello, wonderful MN subscribers. Long time no talk. Please excuse my lackluster production as of late. However, I am very happy to be back to writing and scouting and hope to build off some long overdue hype for the recently…
Access all of Prep Redzone
Continue reading this article and more.
Continue ReadingHello, wonderful MN subscribers. Long time no talk. Please excuse my lackluster production as of late. However, I am very happy to be back to writing and scouting and hope to build off some long overdue hype for the recently released 2024 Minnesota rankings update. To help create some more buzz around the current sophomore prospects in the Land of 10,000 Lakes I wanted to start off the 2024 post-update content with a banger and highlight the #1 ranked player at each position on the football field. It’s looking like a very promising class, with a lot of prospects showing good size for their age and a lot of room to continue growing. There’s also a lot of depth, particularly at the OL and DL spots (not surprising), as well as LB, DB, and QB. Additionally, there is some big-time potential at the RB and WR position, specifically at the top end, and overall the c/o 2024 rankings rose from 50 prospects up to almost 180. With all of the new additions and movement from the last update, let’s start things off by highlighting some of the big dogs and break down the #1 player at each offensive and defensive position on the football field. I’m excited to be back, let’s get to it.
QB1: Tanner Zolnosky Tanner Zolnosky 6'0" | 185 lbs | QB East Ridge | 2024 State MN (East Ridge) 6′, 185 lbs. @TannerZolnosky
The East Ridge Raptor has been on the radar of PRzMN since he met with Tom Lemming in 2020 during his freshman year in Woodbury, and he’s delivered on the potential and strengths he showed as a young buck and has stepped into a starting role for the Raptors in 2021. Also a PrepRedzoneMN Showcase standout, Zolnosky went 92-169 (54%) for 1,625 yards and 12 TDs to only four interceptions, and possesses a good arm that can hit a variety of passes downfield including deep posts, outs, and throws up the seam. He also shows off a quick, smooth release and can extend plays in and outside of the pocket with his legs. I also like the accuracy he shows on his deep balls. Thanks to his varsity experience, arm talent, athleticism, and intangibles he earn himself the #1 quarterback spot and came in at #17 overall in the recent update of the 2024 rankings. I’m excited to see him sling the rock as an upperclassman. Soph Highlights Varsity
QB2: Milos Spasojevic Milos Spasojevic 6'4" | 215 lbs | QB Minnetonka | 2024 State MN (Minnetonka)
RB1: Maxwell Woods Maxwell Woods 5'11" | 180 lbs | RB Chanhassen | 2024 State MN (Chanhassen) 5’11, 165 lbs. @maxwellwoods0
It was a tight race for the RB1 spot in the class of 2024 as STA’s Savion Hart Savion Hart 6'0" | 190 lbs | RB Saint Thomas Academy | 2024 State MN is a very exciting ballcarrier and prospect in his own right, but ultimately the #1 spot went to Chanhassen Storm RB Maxwell Woods Maxwell Woods 5'11" | 180 lbs | RB Chanhassen | 2024 State MN . There’s talk around the state that this kid may be a special prospect, and during the 2021 he received game day invites from the Minnesota Gophers as well as the Iowa State Cyclones. The tape looks good as well, as he shows positional versatility on offense as both a RB and WR. He displays good burst, as well as elusiveness as both a ballcarrier and in his routes out of the slot. He’s got a powerful lower body and some loose hips that helps him explode through holes and out of cuts at the LOS as well as make tacklers miss in a variety of ways, and overall is a standout athlete with a balanced skill set as a RB. There’s a lot to like and he’s already a natural fit at the varsity level, so Class 5A needs to be on the lookout for Woods these next two years. Also plays basketball for Chan. He came in as the #2 overall ranked recruit in the 2024 class. Sophomore SZN highlights
RB2: Savion Hart Savion Hart 6'0" | 190 lbs | RB Saint Thomas Academy | 2024 State MN (St. Thomas Academy)
WR1: Daniel Freitag Daniel Freitag 6'1" | 175 lbs | WR Bloomington Jefferson | 2024 MN (Bloomington Jefferson) 6’2, 170 lbs. @DanielFreitag_
The #1 ranked prospect in the entire class comes out of Bloomington and the phenomenal two-sport stud Daniel Freitag Daniel Freitag 6'1" | 175 lbs | WR Bloomington Jefferson | 2024 MN . The most athletic sophomore in the state of MN, Freitag already holds high-major basketball offers from Wisconsin and Minnesota, but don’t get it twisted as he is very much interested in playing college football as is by no means set on only playing basketball in college. Unfortunately, he battled injuries throughout the 2021 season and limited film from the fall, but in the game available you can easily see the size, quickness, and body control of an elite athlete his age, and it shows up all over the field as a WR and DB. He can track and adjust to the ball for tough catches, drop his hips to cut off his routes and get out of breaks, and catch, tackle, and block kicks. I’m a big big fan of this kid and was pumped when he visited Iowa State on an unofficial basketball/football visit this fall, as well as checking out the hometown Gophers on a basketball unofficial. These are far from his last visits. Can’t wait to devour more film of this guy. Preseason Scrimmage 2021
WR2: Carter Holcomb Carter Holcomb 5'9" | 165 lbs | WR Rochester Mayo | 2024 State MN (Rochester Mayo)
TE1: Conner Connell Conner Connell 6'4" | 225 lbs | ATH Luverne | 2024 State MN (Luverne) 6’4, 215 lbs. @connell_conner
Unfortunately, when you divide the rankings by position and click TE, there is a small mistake and a Chanhassen LB is listed at TE, but I will make sure to get that fixed. However, 2024’s TE1 comes from the outstate and SW Minnesota’s Luverne High School.The Cardinals had some very underrated ballers in this 2022 senior group ( Nathaniel Cole-Kraty Nathaniel Cole-Kraty 6'0" | 190 lbs | LB Luverne | 2022 State MN , Zach Kruse Zach Kruse 6'0" | 190 lbs | LB Luverne | 2022 State MN ) and I am very excited to see them grow a possible monster in their upcoming ’24 class. As I’m sure many of you know, Minnesota is a hotbed for D1 TE talent, and the 2024 class has a few potential sophomores who show a good chance of continuing that lineage. The best of the bunch right now is 6’4, 215 lb. Conner Connell Conner Connell 6'4" | 225 lbs | ATH Luverne | 2024 State MN . Also a standout baseball player, Connell shows off a great frame that will only get bigger, faster, and stronger as he ages as well as the athleticism and toughness to impact both the running and passing game from the TE spot, as well on defense as a LB. He’s got good speed at his height/weight and the ability to start and stop with power, and possesses soft hands catching the rock and finishing ability as a blocker. He also can blitz, shoot gaps, and close space and get hip to hip with ball carriers in a hurry, and is going to become even more dominant as an upperclassman. The future is bright for Conner and he came in at #14 overall in the 2024 rankings. 2021 Midseason tape
TE2: Jack Simon Jack Simon 6'3" | 225 lbs | TE Wayzata | 2024 State MN (Wayzata)
OL1: Luke Speedling Luke Speedling 6'4" | 260 lbs | OL Minnetonka | 2024 State MN (Minnetonka) 6’4, 250 lbs. @speedling_luke
It was a very tight and competitive race for the title of OL1 in the 2024 class of MN prospects. The position group is loaded, with a lot of talent in the Metro as well as some outstate recruits with size and tenacity. There were six offensive lineman in the Top-30, and 15 in the Top-100, but the top spot in the most recent update came out of ‘Tonka and their sophomore LT Luke Speedling Luke Speedling 6'4" | 260 lbs | OL Minnetonka | 2024 State MN . With noteworthy size for his age and varsity experience as an underclassman in MN’s largest classification of prep football, Speedling absorbs and reciprocates contact well and is a powerful drive blocker who is always looking to finish. He’s nimble enough to effectively pull from his OT position and looks very hard to disengage from once he locks onto a defender. He also plays DL’s hands well, and if he can clean up his footwork in pass-pro I think he’s got the chance to be another big-time OL prospect from the Land of 10,000 Lakes. Minnetonka High School is a must-stop for college programs in the 2024 class, especially in the trenches. Speedling came in at #8 overall in the 2024 rankings, and is being tailed closely by a Prior Lake Laker mauler who came in at #9. Sophomore. Tonka
OL2: Aiden Horel Aiden Horel 6'5" | 325 lbs | OL Prior Lake | 2024 State MN (Prior Lake)
DL1: Lucas Caron Lucas Caron 6'6" | 245 lbs | DL Bemidji | 2024 State MN (Bemidji) 6’5, 220 lbs. @Ljamescaron5
With four defensive lineman in the Top-15 of the 2024 update and another ranked 16th, there is a lot of talent at the top-end in one of Minnesota’s historically strongest position groups. There’s also some noteworthy size at the DL spot, and the prospect who may end up as the biggest and baddest of the bunch comes out of Bemidji Lumberjacks and their tank of a defensive lineman Lucas Caron Lucas Caron 6'6" | 245 lbs | DL Bemidji | 2024 State MN . With long arms, a quick first step, and some lateral agility, as well as strength and power that you’d expect from a prospect of his size. He envelops ball carriers when he gets ahold of them, covers ground quickly when in pursuit, and athletic enough that tackles have to respect his speed upfield in pass protection but also be weary of his ability to cross face and cut inside when given the opportunity. He’s already bigger than most of the players he went up against all year, and is strong enough to gain separation from opponents when he attacks block attempts. He can also long-arm tackles backwards and is instinctive enough to throw his hands up into passing lanes when he can’t get to the QB. Caron is an XL 5-tech who could grow into a giant iDL or NG, but has the skill and athleticism to play out on the edge as a DE too. There’s a lot to like and I’m looking forward to see how he takes advantage of this offseason. He came in at #5 overall in the class of 2024 update. Soph SZN
DL2: Wyatt Gilmore Wyatt Gilmore 6'4" | 250 lbs | DL Rogers | 2024 State MN (Rogers)
LB1: Sam Macy Sam Macy 6'5" | 230 lbs | LB Chanhassen | 2024 State MN (Chanhassen) 6’4, 185 lbs. @SamMacy13
One of the few young bucks to receive a P5 game day invite in 2021, Macy got to check out a University of Minnesota football game in November and is another high-profile recruit out of the Chanhassen Storm program in 2024. Although he’s still wiry and lanky, Macy has an intriguing frame that could hold a ton more weight and fill out into a P5 LB/Edge body by the time it’s all said and done. He displays a hard-hitting playing style who is very hard to block and contain from the edge, and he laid some massive hits on the QB in his sophomore year as a menace for opposing OTs. He’s got the speed and bend to get around tackles and TEs outside shoulder but also is strong at 185 pounds and can back down, push/pull, and beat blocks with strength if need be. I also like how he covers ground and can get flat down the LOS in run pursuit, and he really makes disrupting the QB and holding the edge look easy in his sophomore tape. When you combine his size, production, and age it’s really hard not to be excited about his future. Macy came in at #6 overall in the recent update. 2021 highlights
LB2: Dylan Gross Dylan Gross 6'2" | 220 lbs | LB Brainerd | 2024 State MN (Brainerd)
DB1: Zashon Rich Zashon Rich 6'2" | 180 lbs | DB MPLS North | 2024 State MN (MPLS North) 6’2, 180 lbs. @zaeway3
The Minneapolis North Polars are no stranger to P5 talent and we may have found the next great prospect out of the north side in sophomore DB Zashon Rich Zashon Rich 6'2" | 180 lbs | DB MPLS North | 2024 State MN . With the size and length to play safety and the hips and speed to play corner, he is a very intriguing 6’2 lockdown corner who looks like the second coming of Omar Brown. His long arms and chest strength help him throw WRs off their marks and timing when he gets a hand on them at the LOS, and he’s comfortable and natural in pass coverage when the ball is in the air. He makes sure that he’s in the receivers pocket before he gets his head around to locate the football and is fast enough to never really worry about getting beat deep downfield. He’s also a willing supporter in the run, and I also got to see the young man play live against my Southwest Lakers in his freshman year of 2020, and he easily belongs at the varsity level and doesn’t play like an underclassman. I gotta get some more looks at him in-person as we go forward, but I think there’s a lot of potential and an intriguing physical makeup and skill set that is too hard to ignore right now. Another great 612 prospect! He came in at #4 overall in the 2024 rankings update. Island
DB2: James Mankaka James Mankaka 5'11" | 175 lbs | DB Rochester Mayo | 2024 State MN (Rochester Mayo)
ATH1: Darius Jordan Darius Jordan 5'10" | 150 lbs | DB Rochester John Marshall | 2024 State MN (Rochester John Marshall) 5’10, 150 lbs. @DariusJordan23
There’s been buzz about Jordan in the 507 for a couple of years now and he really began to deliver on that hype in 2021. The sophomore plays primarily QB, but also lined up as a WR, carries the rock like a RB, and can tackle in space like a safety. His versatility is really impressive and he’s a smooth runner with a knack for making people miss. I also love he tackles from his DB spot and he’s overall a fluid athlete with some high potential at multiple positions. It’ll be important for him to attack the offseason and put on weight and muscle, but if I had to take a gander at what position he is most likely to play at the next level, I’d put my money on DB as of right now. He looks like he’s athletic enough to project to offense, so he’ll be a prospect I’ll be keeping a close eye on in the coming months and years. Jordan came in at the #23 spot overall in our recent ’24 update. Sophomore
ATH2: Tykeilan Moore Tykeilan Moore 6'2" | 190 lbs | ATH Fridley | 2024 State MN (Fridley)