Top recruiters are already circling this 16-year-old volleyball phenom from Eagan

Editor’s note: This is the second Recruiting Across Minnesota, a new Strib Varsity feature on recruiting in Minnesota high school sports.

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A 16-year-old from Eagan is the next uber-talented Minnesota teenager to be tagged as the top prospect in her sport.

Meet Mesa Jameson.

She’s the consensus choice to be the state’s top volleyball player, regardless of class, and among the United States’ best young volleyball players.

Just a sophomore, Jameson can jump to reach 10 feet 5 inches, nearly a half-foot above a basketball rim.

The 6-foot-3 middle blocker turned ferocious hitter is not just a powerful leaper but also adds elite lateral and forward quickness around the net. Coaches say she’s the total package.

And the recruiting frenzy for her is about to blow up. .

“Her recruiting is at the highest level with the top schools wanting her to be on their campus,” said Jameson’s Northern Lights coach, Mark Steinbach. “With where she is now and what her potential is, I think she has the potential to be one of the greats.”

Since 2016, Eagan’s Kennedi Orr (Nebraska), Champlin Park’s Sydney Hilley (Wisconsin) and Wayzata’s Stella Swenson (Minnesota) were ranked top 10 national high school prospects from Minnesota. Orr was also the No. 1 player in her class as a junior in 2019.

Ranked as high as No. 3 in her class at her position nationally, Jameson puts less stock in ranking than a slideshow she put together earlier this spring with her mother, Kristina. It wasn’t for a school presentation.

This was the first time Jameson really did a deep dive into her recruiting, and the slideshow was made of possible college destinations.

“I’ve been starting the process,” said Jameson, a member of the Northern Lights 16-1 club team. “I’ll do research about the schools, especially what I’ll be majoring in.”

Will Jameson end up staying home? Or will she be lured out of state to warmer weather? The Gophers and UCLA stopped by Northern Lights club practices recently.

High school volleyball players have a different recruiting timeline than players in other sports.

College volleyball coaches can’t offer scholarships to prospects until June 15 after their sophomore year. Official visits can’t come until Aug. 1 before junior year.

Many top players are pressured to commit after that first phone call and offer from coaches in mid-June.

“I don’t know what I will do,” Jameson said. “What I’ve heard at least is that college coaches will say they want you and then [sometimes] if you want more time, they will go to the next person.”

Jameson will first receive invitations to attend elite team camps at top college programs between May 30 and June 14. That will help her determine the best opportunities and best fit. That’s also where coaches can have direct interaction with prospects on campus.

“I’m looking forward to my recruiting process,” Jameson said. “I’m looking forward to meeting different coaches and talking to them to figure out different personalities.”

Rapid rise

At 6 feet in middle school with athleticism to compete with older players, Jameson stood out on the high school basketball and volleyball teams at Park of Cottage Grove.

But her freshman year in 2024, Jameson gave up hoops to focus solely on volleyball.

After leading Park with more than 300 kills and 70 blocks as a freshman, Jameson transferred to Eagan last year before her sophomore season. A Strib Varsity All-Minnesota team selection, she led the Wildcats to 25 wins and the No. 2 ranking in the final regular-season Class 4A coaches poll with 327 kills and 73 blocks.

“She’s really such a great athlete, so anytime she’s touching the ball she’s getting better,” Eagan volleyball coach McKenna Melville said. “One of her greatest gifts is she just sees the game in slow motion.”

At Eagan last year, Jameson switched from middle blocker to outside hitter. She’s now a right side on her club team. In fact, her talent and versatility to excel at different positions drew comparisons from her coach to one of the best in the world — and a fellow Minnesotan.

Former Edina and Cincinnati star Jordan Thompson, a Northern Lights alum, was an All-American in college who helped Team USA win gold and silver medals in the Olympics.

“I actually got to play against Jordan Thompson a lot,” Melville said. “Just a really cool and super down-to-earth human being, which is awesome. She’s very similar in that way [to Jameson]. But also in that one team she plays on the right side, and the other team she can play on the outside.”

Jameson was recently selected for the second straight year to the U17 U.S. national team and will compete in the Pan American Cup and the World Championships this summer.

“We came back from Salt Lake, and I talked to some of the best coaches in the country,” Steinbach said. “The feedback on Mesa was that she has elevated a ton since we started in January. ... She’s in a moment of high growth for us, which is super fun to see, especially heading into the national tournaments.”

‘Back and forth’

The recruiting slideshows help Jameson gain a better understanding of different programs, but she wasn’t the first in her family to go through the process.

Her mother was a star volleyball player for MACCRAY and went to play at Notre Dame. Her older sisters graduated from Park and played basketball and competed in track in college.

“She will be visiting a college I visited 35 years ago during my recruiting process,” Kristina Jameson said about Texas A&M.

Mesa Jameson is juggling club, Team USA volleyball, and track and field (high jump and 100-meter hurdles) this spring. But she will also try to fit in elite camps at UCLA, Arizona State, Pittsburgh, Texas A&M and Minnesota.

Jameson attended camps hosted by the Gophers, Missouri and Nebraska last year. Former Eagan teammate Madi Kraft is a freshman libero with the Gophers.

“I personally love the Gophers and their staff is amazing,” Jameson said of coach Keegan Cook’s program. “I love the warmth. But I love being home. It’s kind of like a back and forth.”

In Minnesota’s 2027 class, the top 10 prospects have already committed to college programs, including Lakeville South and Northern Lights 17-1 teammates Kaelyn Bjorklund (Clemson) and Elleora Utecht (Mississippi State).

Jameson is expected to make a decision soon after the first contact period with colleges June 15. For now, her club volleyball season is the top priority.

“At tournaments, I’ll peep out what colleges are watching,” Jameson said. “But during the games, I’ll just be playing. I kind of got used to it. When I play, I try to zone them out and not get distracted.”

The best example of her focus was during a recent practice. Jameson didn’t hesitate to pursue feedback from her coach while struggling on a drill. It didn’t matter that a Gophers coach was standing 15 feet away.

“She comes to me when she’s flustered, whether that’s in practice or in the game,” Steinbach said. “That’s great because she’s showing that desire to learn and get better. That’s absolutely necessary now and to get to that next level.”

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Recruiting Across Minnesota

Fuller’s five risers

Five Minnesota prospects who stood out:

Madeleine Hamiel, Cretin-Derham Hall, basketball: Gophers coach Dawn Plitzuweit offered Hamiel a scholarship in late March. The 5-10 freshman helped lead her North Tartan 15U team to the Minnesota AAU state championship with 20 points vs. the Minnesota Fury on Sunday.

Gavyn Lorenson, Lake City, basketball: The 6-5 junior made an impression with the Wisconsin Playmakers AAU team at the Prep Hoops Battle at the Lakes Friday through Sunday. He picked up three Division II offers since the event from Winona State, Concordia-St. Paul and Minnesota State.

Avery Minor, Benilde-St. Margaret’s, volleyball: The No. 2-ranked volleyball prospect in Minnesota’s 2028 volleyball class behind Jameson, Minor recorded 13 kills along with four digs Sunday in a huge three-set victory against Northern Lights in the AAU Super Regional.

Zivad Robinson, Minneapolis Camden: The 6-3, 275-pound junior lineman committed to Iowa State after taking an official visit to Ames last week. Robinson’s ranked No. 12 in the 2027 class in Minnesota, but he’s the eighth player to commit to a Power Four program.

Hunter Vinkemeier, Le Sueur-Henderson: The 6-10 junior continues to impress after leading the state with 20 rebounds per game this past season. His Minnesota Fury 17U AAU team went 4-0 in the Battle at the Lakes. He received a D-II offer from Northern State in South Dakota.

Transfer portal tracker

College practice starts next month at Georgia Tech for two former Minnesota Mr. and Miss Basketball winners. Former Maple Grove star Jordan Ode, the No. 1 prospect in the state’s 2025 class and that year’s Miss Basketball, will suit up for the Yellow Jackets women’s program after redshirting at Michigan State last season. Former DeLaSalle standout Nasir Whitlock, who averaged 20.5 points for Lehigh’s NCAA tournament team, will be playing his junior season for the Yellow Jackets in the ACC. Whitlock won Minnesota Mr. Basketball in 2023.

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Recruiting Across Minnesota will be published weekly on stribvarsity.com. Don’t be a stranger on X after reading, as chatting about these stories makes them even more fun to share. Thanks, Marcus (@Marcus_R_Fuller on X).