Player to Watch

Duluth Denfeld senior-to-be running back Taye Manns (maroon uniform) has the skillset to be an impact player at the next level, perhaps even at the University of Minnesota. He's a north-south runner with elite breakaway speed and size, who prefers to run inside the tackles and run through and over tacklers. He's got a lot of his school's all-time best running back, C.J. Ham, in him, albeit with much more speed. In terms of pure toughness (I've watched them both up close in practice and at games many times during their high school careers), Manns and Ham are equals. Like Ham in high school, Manns is brutally physical and wears down defenses, especially late in games when he's at his best. My understanding is the Gophers have reached out to Manns, a sleeper recruit to watch.