Box State Ballers: 5 Game-Changing 2028 Colorado Prospects

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>As a state, Colorado doesn't get the respect it deserves, <strong>PERIOD</strong>. The Box State <em>does</em> produce next-level talent, but in recent history a lot of the <strong>elite</strong> kids have left the state. For examples of this, look no further than the classes of 2026 and 2027. Quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='216690' first='Trent' last='Seaborn'] played the bulk of his pre-high school career in Colorado, but the now-freshman (2027 class), relocated to Thompson High School in Alabama ahead of his eighth-grade year and is quickly closing in on 20 offers. Peel the onion back one more year to find 2026 offensive lineman [player_tooltip player_id='401303' first='Breck' last='Kolojay'], a Colorado-native who transfered to IMG Academy in Florida after his freshman season and holds a reported 12 offers. Time will tell what happens with these five Colorado prospects below, but they're impressive already. Take a look at these 2028 prospects from The Box State</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["626903"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"- As mentioned above, for whatever reason, there's a bit of a stigma that surrounding Colorado athletes and that they're not on the level of athletes in other states. Bunton III and his support system have taken that disrespect personally, so he has traveled around the country attending different eventsu002du002dincluding our Prep Redzone Next camp in Georgiau002du002dand has excelledrnrn- Bunton III is playing for the Colorado Jr. Buffs this year , one of the state's top youth programs, and has picked up right where he left off from camp season. He's RB1 on a super talented team with next-level weapons at nearly every positionrnrn- The last known verified measurements I saw had Bunton III listed at 5-foot-5 and 150 pounds, but he looks a little taller and certainly 10 pounds heavier with good muscle. When looking for an NFL comparison, think Saquon Barkley with stout size and quickness","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_1_player":["983595"],"_player_evaluations_1_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_1_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_1_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"- Like [player_tooltip player_id='626903' first='Kevan' last='Bunton III'] listed above, Jaramillo is another running back from The Box State that is worth paying attention to early on in 2023rnrn- Listed at just 5-foot-3 and 130 pounds right now, there are some obvious question marks surrounding his size as it compares to other backs in the class. However, what's not in question is his verified 4.65 speed. Jaramillo just needs a tiny crease for him to explode through and he's likely going the distance with his elite speedrnrn- Jaramillo is playing this season for the Mile High Thoroughbreds and is part of a dynamic offense that is based on speed and quickness. His explosive play on film should come as no surprise when looking at additional combine numbers, which includes a 36u0022 inch vertical and 4.5 short shuttle","_player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_2_player":["983205"],"_player_evaluations_2_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_2_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_2_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_2_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_2_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"- Another member of the Colorado Jr. Buffs, [player_tooltip player_id='983205' first='Rome' last='Bell'] is the only prospect in this writeup that is listed as an ATH (athlete) because of the affect the game on both sides of the ballrnrn- Offensively he is one of the weapons on the outside for uber-talented 2028 quarterback, [player_tooltip player_id='650567' first='Luke' last='Rubley']. He tracks the ball very well and does a nice job adjusting to it in mid-air. Wouldn't call him a speedster at this point, but does a solid job of creating after the catchrnrn- Truth be told, I see Bell as a safety as he continues in his prep career. He's a really physical player on both sides of the ball. As a defensive back, he sees plays developing like a corner player but then gets downhill and can lay the wood like a linebacker","_player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_3_player":["983302"],"_player_evaluations_3_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_3_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_3_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_3_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_3_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"- As a running back, Cromwell is one of the more exciting eighth-grade players I've seen on film early in this 2023 season. He's lining up for the Highlands Ranch Mountain Lions Black this season, a very talented squad that will certainly be in the running for a Pop Warner Regional Title, if not more...rnrn- Cromwell is a good-looking prospect already at 5-foot-9 and 155 pounds. Has long limbs that he uses to hit the hole hard and gets vertical quickly, rather than dancing around and wasting stepsrnrn- If the last name Cromwell and success as a running back sounds familiar, it's for good reason. He's the younger brother of former Columbine High School standout, Seth Cromwell. The elder Cromwell finished up his high school being ranked the No.5 RB in Colorado for the class of 2022. He recently scored his first career collegiate touchdown for Division 2 Missouri Western State University","_player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_4_player":["983396"],"_player_evaluations_4_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_4_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_4_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_4_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_4_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"- Kouahi officially introduced himself to me, the state of Colorado and anybody else who may have been watching last March when he went off for four touchdowns in the Colorado Youth Football Invitational. At no surprise, he was named Athlete of The Game for his effortsrnrn- After taking the field for Highlands Ranch Mountain Lions Black a year ago, he's running with the Colorado Jr. Buffs this year and is off to a fast start. While he's just one of the options on the outside this season, he knows what to do with the ball in his handsrnrn- It feels weird saying he's unassumingly fast, but on film it doesn't look like Kouahi is moving fast until he's blowing by helpless defensive back's in their backpedal, as he's throwing his arm up to the quarterback, asking to be hit deep. Don't get it twisted though, he's not just a one-trick pony. Kouahi is more than capable of taking a slot screen to the house too","_player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":5,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-64f784f647150"} /-->