5-Spot of Ohio 2028 Prospects I’m High On Early in 2023
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Year over year, Ohio is traditionally somewhere in the top 5-10 when looking at where the country’s top high school football prospects are located. While they’re not Texas, California, Florida or Georgia, the Buckeye State is certainly up there in…
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Continue ReadingYear over year, Ohio is traditionally somewhere in the top 5-10 when looking at where the country’s top high school football prospects are located. While they’re not Texas, California, Florida or Georgia, the Buckeye State is certainly up there in terms of the amount of next-level prospects it produces The pre-high school football sector is extremely fractured with a million different variables to factor in when looking at prospects of this age, yet talent still rises to the top. Here’s a look at five Ohio eighth graders (class of 2028) that I like already based off last season or early action from this year.
I’m not sure what the Feister family puts in their water, but I need some of it. Class of 2028 Linebacker Brydon Feister Brydon Feister 6’2″ | 195 lbs | LB OH is a prospect with an insanely heigh ceiling. While Brydon is blazing his own path to the next level, you have to understand the genetics he’s working with. He’s the younger brother of 2027 prospect Brayton Feister Brayton Feister 6’3″ | 220 lbs | LB Archbishop Hoban | 2027 State OH who is a FBS offer away from the world knowing who he is. The elder Feister scored two touchdowns on just five carries in his first-ever varsity game for Archbishop Hoban, in a running-clock induced drubbing of Frederick Douglars (KY) last week. While Brayton is finding early success on offense, Brydon is a linebacker prospect I’m in love with and would put top-10 nationally at this point, ahead of the 2023 season. At 6-foot-2 and 220 pounds, he’s a grown man in an eighth-grade body with exceptional range and athleticism. Also one of the most elite, sure-tackling linebackers I’ve seen in this class thus far, it shouldn’t come as a surprise given he’s the reigning Ohio Athletic Committee (OAC) Junior High Wrestling State Champion at 176 pounds. He’s a menace on offense as well, lining up as a running back, wide receiver, tight end or wherever they need him to be. Bottom line there aren’t too many 2028 prospects that look like Brydon Feister Brydon Feister 6’2″ | 195 lbs | LB OH .
Traditionally I cover the eighth grade class with 99% of my times because it’s the closest thing to “real”, high school football. However, last September I covered future Pickerington Noth quarterback Chase McKee Chase McKee 6’2″ | 160 lbs | QB Pickerington North | 2028 OH as a seventh-grader because he’s that special. Up three inches and 15 pounds from last year to 6-foot-2 and 160 pounds, I’ll be shocked if he starts his high school season (next year) without an offer. McKee is the straw that stirs the drink on one of the most dominant pre-high school teams I have ever seen. A year ago, McKee led Lake View Junior High to an undefeated, unblemished OCC Championship where they outscored their opponents 341-0 in just seven games. In limited time due to blowouts, his stats tell you everything you need to know. The talented righty finished the record-breaking season going 57-of-89 for 1,405 yards and 24 touchdowns versus just four interceptions. Unless something drastically changes, I don’t see why this would change.
Another prospect that I uncharacteristically wrote about a year ago as a seventh-grader was Emiere Lemons Emiere Lemons 6’4″ | 175 lbs | ATH OH . I first saw Lemons play two years ago as a sixth-grader when he lined up as a Quarterback, mostly because he was the tallest and most athletic kid on the team. Fast forward two years and Lemons is now up to anywhere between 6-foot-3 and 6-foot-5 (depending on who you ask) and is quickly becoming one of the most dominant pre-high school athletes in all of the Midwest. The big guy has all but moved outside to play wide receiver, but with his size and build, don’t rule out tight end or defensive end as he progresses. Also a talented basketball player, he’s just one of the crazy athletic kids with bright futures on the Ginn Elite 14U team this season.
The final two prospects in this Ohio 2028 write up are actually teammates out of Columbus. Starting with Antoine Jackson Antoine Jackson 5’10” | 145 lbs | WR OH , who stands just about 5-foot-10 and weighs between 135-145 pounds with length. After watching some older clips I liked him as a wide receiver due to his build and watching him run with the ball on the field. However, after watching film from this year, he brings a lot to the table as a defensive back. He’s a longer athlete with a decent amount of muscle on his frame and plays with a physical nature. I look forward to getting additional looks at him throughout the rest of the 2023 season, but my initial reaction is that can play cornerback or safety with his skill set. Time will tell.
A teammate of the aforementioned Antoine Jackson Antoine Jackson 5’10” | 145 lbs | WR OH on the Columbus Ice 14U team, Hairston stole the show in film of a recent victory. The 5-foot-8, 155-pound running back went off to the tune of three touchdowns (and a fourth one called back) in addition to a number of big tackles as a linebacker, in a 30-0 victory. He’s a decisive back who doesn’t waste time dancing, opting rather to stick his foot in the ground and get vertical in short order. That’s not to say he doesn’t have the agility and ability to shake defenders one-on-one in the hole, but he’s a back that’s going to take what the line gives him and executes. Another thing I picked up on in the film, in which he mic’d up for, is the overwhelming positivity he brings to his teammates and the field. His leadership skills can be heard seen and heard. From being a team captain, to telling his teammates to watch the language and even giving props to the other team for a good tackle. Like I said for Jackson, I look forward to seeing more film on him and would be interested to see what his speed numbers are like. Nonetheless, at this stage of the game there is a ability here and I’m intrigued to see he develops.