Dakota State Prospect Camp: Nate’s Standouts, Part II - Prep Redzone (2024)

MADISON, SD– We pop in for one last time in our camp evaluations from the Dakota State Prospect Camp from last Tuesday. This last group ends with a bang, as there are several 2025 prospects I would make offers to, 2026s that blossomed in their camp eval vs. their tape, and much more with the 16 prospects evaluated and listed below!

One of the most raw yet high upside quarterbacks from the Dakota State prospect camp was Madison’s Cohen Hahn Cohen Hahn 6'0" | 160 lbs | QB Madison | 2026 State SD . Cohen is a 2026 quarterback that is you can tell the skills are there for the taking and he just needs to develop. The skills that did pop out was with Cohen’s precision, as he showed off a couple throws that I watched in front of me that showed off good rhythm thru his reps towards the end of the Dakota State prospect camp. Mechanically I felt that he was developing at a great pace with the coaching he received at Dakota State, and more reps will tell this young man’s story thru the summer into the fall season and one that has a lot of potential in the QB room for the Bulldogs.

Laythan was a linebacker prospect at DSU that was a newer name that got onto my radar recently, and rose to the occasion in my live evaluation. He showed off good fluidity for his size with his pro agility, and I certainly believe he is a prospect that has the work ethic to improve that number with a couple more years left of HS football under his belt at Spearfish. The 5’10 185 thumper also showed off great athletic movement and pursued the ball with good instincts while playing downhill. in the reps I watched. I was intrigued to with how balanced Laythan was with his footwork and I felt he has improved a ton even since the season ended based on the tape I watched as he had a bigger trigger at Dakota State. I think at the next-level Laythan paints the picture as a fit at linebacker but you certainly have some position flexibility with this kid as he certainly has next-level potential written on him.

Brock was by far the most polished prospect amongst the skill players group at Dakota State and the testing numbers I stood next during his reps started it off in Madison. He showed off well-versed hands from my eyes and was an excellent route-runner for his position. Brock also appeared much more elusive from the live-evaluation than I was expecting especially with his vision he showed off in the open field as he could read what was coming quicker than the linebackers and secondary could react to. I will yell this into the clouds, Brock is a prospect you go outside your measurables threshold for and was another one that I thought had grade-A character too to add to his resume of skillsets.

Hunter Sayasavanh, QB, Sioux Falls O’Gorman, SD 2026 Twitter

This was by far the best live evaluation I have gotten out of Hunter in the nearly two years I have scouted him, as he was amongst one of the best two quarterbacks at the Dakota State Camp. This was also the first time I got to see his mobility stand out outside of a 7v7 setting, and I came away impressed with how athletic he was especially with his change of direction. He showed off great footwork throughout the day in Madison and I felt the game really slows down for him in a camp setting especially going up against the heart of the strongest secondaries in the state he see weeks after week playing in Sioux Falls. The releases I saw in 1v1s also appeared more polished, as Hunter showed quick development and attention to detail coming from the coaching at DSU. This kid would be a slam dunk of a fit at Dakota State in the coming years for sure.

Tylen Valandra, RB/ATH, Todd County, SD 2025 Twitter

One of the most under the radar prospects in the 2025 class that I thought made a big splash at the Dakota State prospect camp was Todd County’s Tylen Valandra. Tylen appeared more balanced with his footwork in person, and I thought the agility he showed off was more loaded than what his tape showed off which is always great to see. He also carried more instinctive burst than I was expecting to see as he was great from his starting position getting that speed he has brewing quickly with his athleticism. He is one that should be higher on radars with more camp appearances hopefully coming.

I had been compilating positional where to place Israel on our next 2026 rankings update and I would say my visit to the Dakota State prospect camp put me at a closer consensus of where his best next-level fit is. This young man certainly stood out at wide receiver in Madison, and impressed me with the long arms he had for his size and the instinctive movement he showed off with his route-running certainly caught these eyes on a handful of reps. Israel also plays with a demeanor that you want your wide receivers to have, as even as just a 2026 prospect he showed off a WR prospect with a chip on his shoulder mentality in my eyes. The 5’10 wide receiver certainly shows off a scholarship-level talent that is incoming in North Dakota’s 2026 class as another prospect that always tells me that getting the road and getting a camp eval will always do the justice.

Treason was another prospect that a live eval paid off some dividends at Dakota State. Honestly, it started with the eye test as I liked this kid’s frame from the opening of reps as he flashed smoother with his athletic movement throughout the camp. He certainly can develop over the coming years with his change of direction but the fluidity was certainly there during his pro agility to flash quicker I would say even by the start the football season. I already feel the Traeson has gotten more rangy with his pass coverage since the fall season, which was shown in some of the LB 1v1 reps I got to watch, which is where I thought he flashed his skills the most. At 5’10 220 pounds, I like the fit as a small-school thumper at the next level that looks like he has some versatility on where you could position him at the next level.

Dominic Zander, WR, Bismarck St. Mary’s Central, ND 2026 Twitter

One prospect that I thought aced the test when it came to attention to detail while working with the DSU coaching staff was Bismarck St. Mary’s Central’s Dominic Zander. No doubt that we have seen this young man’s skillsets pop out before during the 2023 season, but I thought the athleticism that Dominic showed off was much more seen in a live evaluation. Especially when I watched him track the ball and use his vertical in 1v1s, that showed me a ton of what this kid brings to the table as a prospect that showed off great hands in the reps I watched. He also showed off the buzzing speed as we verified a 4.73 40 yard dash at the SDSU camp the next day. He shows off as one that with a great senior season, that could certainly gain more attention on the recruiting trail in my eyes as one I would would offer on my recruiting board.

Riley Gay, DL/OL, Wall, SD 2025 Twitter

Riley is a West River secret in the trenches that I don’t think the recruiting world knows about yet, but certainly should after camp evaluation. The 6’4 260 pounder from Wall, is a DT prospect that showed off sound technique with his hands from the reps I watched out of him and I felt his pad-level got better quickly thru coaching from the Dakota State staff in my eyes. He has the ideal frame you want in the defensive trenches and has a lot of upside with his footwork he can grow in the coming years from my eyes. He moves quite well for the frame he has put together and is one that some scholarship-level schools are missing.

Troy Catches, RB, Rapid City Central, SD 2026 Twitter

Another West River prospect you should know this time in the 2026 class is Rapid City Central’s Troy Catches. Troy is a jack of all trades for the Cobblers and was a member of our All-Camp Team at our most recent Prep Redzone Dakotas Combine. You can tell Troy has put in the work in that short time, as his testing numbers from what I watched came in faster than we saw at Augustana. He also looked more poised as a pass-catcher in Madison as a prospect that with development looks like a running back at the next-level based on his frame. Troy is one I cannot wait to see what the tape brings out this fall, as he has caught my eyes continuously this Spring and Summer.

Miles Eide, WR, Centerville, SD 2025 Twitter

A new name to my 2025 South Dakota radar that showed some splashes in Madison was Centerville 2025 wide receiver Miles Eide. He impressed me with his length for his 6’0 150 pound frame and debuted a well-versed catch radius on a handful of the reps I got to watch at Dakota State. The change of direction was also there for the taking for Miles, as he ran one of the swifter pro agilities amongst the wide receiver group on the day. He showed off quick instincts with his route-running especially on deeper routes with his ball-tracking and would be a great NAIA fit in my eyes.

Gavin is a prospect on tape that sells what a great athlete he certainly is with his elusiveness out of the pocket and one that I thought from a development perspective learned some key skillsets to smoothen his game more in the Brookings passing game. He was another prospect that I thought took in the attention to detail from the DSU coaches, and quickly developed better mechanics from start to finish of camp. The arm talent is certainly there with improvision for Gavin, and I can’t wait to see what he can do with his growth this summer into the season as a probable next-level QB prospect.

Carter atlhough undersized, is a wide receiver that certainly plays bigger than what his measurable will throw at you. He showed off well-versed balance in his footwork with his route-running in the reps I caught at Dakota State. I certainly loved his hands in my live evaluation of Carter, as he is a wide receiver prospect that could catch plenty of balls in the right system just with his instincts alone. The amount of seperation I saw Carter get with his change of direction in 1v1s was impressive for his size and makes me think he could do the same in a college offense. Carter also showed off a high charactered young man which should add another reason to get him on your radar as he certainly has developed since watching his fall tape.

Cohen was certainly the most technicial sound offensive linemen we met at the Dakota State prospect camp last Wednesday. The 6’1 245 pounder was very efficient with his footwork and showed off plenty of balance overall with his feet. Balance wias this kid’s middle name, as evaluating his hands, Cohen was persistent with his pass-rush with constant feisty hands and pad-level throughout his day in Madison, and I would even give Cohen my trenches MVP at the Dakota State prospect camp. I have to say I am really surprised offer #1 has not come in for Cohen yet.

Matt Steffen, WR, Sioux Falls O’Gorman 2026 Twitter

Finally, we look at our last WR prospect that popped out at the Dakota State prospect camp as that was Sioux Fall’s O’Gorman’s Matt Steffen. I got glimpse of Matt during the 7v7 season, but I am starting to feel I missed out on some skillsets based on what I saw in Madison. The length he has at 6’2 170 pound has a great feel for the game especially with his football IQ as Matt crosses up a few skillsets I was hoping to see in my live evaluation. The change of direction and great finishing speed this kid played with on every rep was excellent to watch in person. Matt showed off all the finesse you want in a scholarship-level wide receiver and impressed me with his catch radius later during 1v1s. I have to get Matt on our rankings probably by yesterday, cause I was quite impressed with what I saw in Madison.

A Couple More Standouts:

Jaxton Opdahl, WR/DB, Chester Area, SD 2026 Twitter