Kristen Hoskins felt it right away, the instant he stepped foot at the IMG Football Showcase two years ago.

Blessed with speed comparable to that of the top recruits in the nation, the shifty, hard-to-corral senior receiver from Alexandria was largely ignored when he arrived. He was from Minnesota, after all, and rural Minnesota at that. Hoskins knew what he was capable of; no one else bothered to find out.

“It was frustrating,” said the 5-9 Hoskins. “I went to the camp and nobody was looking at me. Then I performed really well and then all of these college coaches started calling me and texting me and hitting me up.”

Hoskins committed to Minnesota in February.

It’s a common refrain in local high school circles, but one that’s slowly starting to fade away. More and more, Minnesota players are showing strong in national recruiting circles. And where once the preponderance of Division I recruits came from the Twin Cities area — kids outside of the metro were looked at as lumberjacks and lineman — players from Greater Minnesota are building the state’s reputation.

Under the shadow of 2018 Marshall quarterback Trey Lance, the No. 3 overall pick in the NFL draft last spring, five of the top 10 prospects in the Prep Red Zone rankings of the Class of 2022 are from outstate Minnesota, three of them wide receivers: No. 1-ranked Eli King of Caledonia, No. 4 Hoskins and No. 10 Mekhi Collins of Mankato West.

The other non-metro players in the top 10 are both offensive lineman: Tony Nelson of Tracy-Milroy-Balaton, committed to the Gophers, and Deylin Hasert of Marshall, who will go to Iowa State.

King, following the lead of older brothers Owen and Noah, will play basketball in college and has committed to Iowa State. Fans who have seen his football talents should consider themselves lucky. King decided not to play football this fall to concentrate on basketball.

Collins, 6-5 with quick feet and agility, is coveted largely because of the matchup problems he presents. He committed to North Dakota State and had Division I offers from Iowa State, Kansas State, Eastern Michigan and Air Force, with Minnesota and Wisconsin also showing interest.

And then there’s Hoskins, who’s been wowing Alexandria fans with the magic in his feet, always a threat to transform a mundane play into something special. Gophers faithful will get to see his now-you-see-him, now-you-don’t act soon. He committed to Minnesota last winter.

He said the lack of respect he felt at the IMG camp still strikes a nerve and he’s determined to make people regret underestimating him.

“I was seeing all these guys perform and I was thinking, ‘What is this guy doing that is so much different than what I can do?’ ” Hoskins remembered. “After camp, I was suddenly a three-star [recruit]. It shows that where you live really does matter. Too many people are sleeping on [players from] Minnesota.”