Building the Rankings: 2026 Prospects – Part 1

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>As we continue to build here at PrepRedzone West Virginia, we will have to begin taking a look at 2026 prospects within the state. We currently do not have any rankings for 2026 but are certainly beginning to build our watchlist for the rankings hopefully dropping in the upcoming months before the beginning of the season. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>With that, we'll be highlighting 2026 prospects from the state over the next several weeks and months beginning today. Let's dive right in. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>If anyone knows more about any of these prospects, has contact information (such as social media), or has more tape on them please let me know as I'd love to learn more about each prospect.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Notably, these are all very early scouting reports on each player. We hope to have deeper scouting reports in the future on each. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>WR Malachi Thompson (Sissonville)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>So what stands out about Thompson immediately is that as a 2026 prospect, he already has great size at 6-foot-2. He's a natural with the ball in his hands - good vision, fluid hips, and shows great agility. Has an advanced understanding of the fundamentals of being a wide receiver and is technically sound. Great catch radius, hand-eye coordinator, and special awareness knowing at all times where out of bounds is. Very intriguing wide receiver prospect overall who I'm excited to watch more of in the near future. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>QB [player_tooltip player_id='927614' first='Caleb' last='Hall'] (Gilmer County)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>There's not a ton out there on [player_tooltip player_id='927614' first='Caleb' last='Hall'] unfortunately but his stats have caught my eye that's for sure. He's a three-sport athlete in football, wrestling, and baseball which immediately stands out as well. What I've heard early on is Caleb is a tremendous athlete who shows quite a bit of promise on the gridiron. If anyone knows more about Caleb, has contact information, or has more tape on him please let me know as I'd love to learn more. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>ATH [player_tooltip player_id='922040' first='Blake' last='Fisher'] (Sissonville)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>As a freshman, Fisher almost totaled 750 yards from scrimmage and four touchdowns. Stands at a reported 5-foot-8 but definitely runs bigger than his size. He's shifty and agile, good fluid hips, and has good vision. A slippery runner, opposing defenders have a hard time at times of bringing down Fisher when the ball is in his hands. He's a hard-nosed runner can beat you with his athleticism or with his toughness. Quality speed overall which should improve as he gets older. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>S</strong> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1112752' first='Marcos' last='Kniska'] (Trinity Christian)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Once again a prospect where there isn't a ton out there on but we were able to find enough to video to start getting a general feeling on Kniska as a prospect. Reynolds has solid size though we couldn't find accurate measurements for him just yet and appears to be a solid athlete overall. Shows good skills as a wide receiver </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>S Kaden Keener (Grafton)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Keener was a very productive player for Grafton this past season as a freshman on both sides of the ball. His best production came at free safety, however. He has strong read and reaction skills and has a knack for finding the football and getting around the ball. Strong tracker with solid fundamentals, and shows quality instincts which should improve as he continues to develop. At a reported 5-foot-10, he already has good size, will be interested to see how he continues to grow. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>LB Aidan Ramsey (Webster County)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>At 5-foot-11, 175-pounds, Ramsey is well on his way to ideal linebacker size at the college level. He's got a good first step to his game and is quick to the punch as a stand-up pass rusher. Also shows the ability to play with his hand in the dirt. Good instincts and play recognition skillset. Shows fluid hips that allow him to stay with ball carriers as well. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>Have information regarding a prospect or team that you believe would be useful for us to know? Feel free to contact me at dylanccwriting@gmail.com or on Twitter,&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/RivalsDylanCC">here</a>.</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Want to claim your profile or don't see a profile for you? Claim or create your free player profile by clicking and searching your name,&nbsp;<a href="https://prepredzone.com/prospect-index/claim-your-profile/">here</a>.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->