Many Minnesota high school seniors signed their paperwork this week to play college football, starting on Wednesday’s opening day of the early signing period that ends Friday. Which talented seniors remain unsigned? Who’s up next in the junior class? Who are the most heavily recruited players in the state right now? This breakdown aims to answer those questions.
Before we get to the players, here’s more information on the timeline of signings: After this signing period ends, seniors can again accept scholarship offers and financial packages starting Feb. 5, which is National Signing Day and the beginning of the regular signing period for those going to Division I and Division II football programs. The final signing date for Division I football is April 1, and for Division II it’s Aug. 1. Juniors and sophomores have a lot more time before their signing days, of course, but they can still make verbal commitments any time in the future.
Now on to the top 20 unsigned Minnesota high school football players (listed alphabetically):
Randy Kweyete, defensive back, Park Center: The 6-3, 185-pounder recorded 50 tackles in six games after recovering from injury and attracted interest from FCS and FBS power conference programs.
Cooper Mansfield, offensive line, Elk River: Best blocker on the Class 5A champion, the massive 6-10, 300-pounder had one FBS offer from Ohio and interest from others.
Caisen Thome, safety, Kasson-Mantorville: Arguably the top safety prospect in the senior class has Army and Navy offers and received power conference interest.
Ajibola Afuye, defensive line, Stillwater: The 6-5 edge rusher — who received interest from six power conference teams, including the Gophers and Wisconsin — finished with 60 tackles, including six tackles for loss and four sacks.
