Pops Picks: Standout 2028 QB’s From AYF Nationals – Part 1/3

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>There was a lot of football to be seen last week at the AYF National tournament. Between myself and a few others, we did our best to see the most 2028 and 2029 prospects that we possibly could. With nine fields hosting games at the same time, different age groups/divisions, kids playing up or down and no clear way of finding out what grade (class) the athletes were in--you can imagine the hard work it took to compile what we got. In full disclosure, we didn't see every team--a near impossible task. However, we did see the overwhelming majority of kids in the 12U-14U age brackets. Here is a look at Part 1/3 at the top 2028 quarterbacks we saw.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1111818"],"_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":"The starting quarterback for the 13U D1 AYF National Champions, the O.G. Ducks out of California. On the tall and thin side right now at 5-foot-11 and 135 pounds, but he's a smooth operator at quarterback. He himself looked like he'll be playing on Saturdays in a few years, but was surrounded by a boatload of future D1 kids on this team. This 13U team was nicknamed u0022The Dream Chasersu0022 and they were exceptionally dominant. Washington Jr. throws the deep ball with beautiful dutch and was worth the price of admission.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_1_player":["650567"],"_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":"For my money's worth, Rubley was hands down the top 2028 quarterback prospect at AYF Nationals. Rubley led a stellar 5280 Colorado Jr. Buffs team to the 14U D2 championship at nationalsu002du002dmarking the second year in a row that a team from The Box State has won the national title in this bracket. The kid has it all for a quarterback at this level. The smarts to understand situations in-game, the leadership to get his guys lined up and has an absolute Howitzer for an arm. I don't think there's a throw on the field that he can't make at this point. His father TJ played in the NFL/CFL for several years and his older brother Jake Rubley was at Kansas State this season, but has since transferred to Illinois Stateu002du002dboth quarterbacks, too. This kid is going to be a top 25 Quarterback in the country, come 2028.","_player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_2_player":["751653"],"_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":"One of two New Jersey quarterbacks to make this list, [player_tooltip player_id='751653' first='Zymere' last='Weaver'] is an impressive looking young athlete. He's all of 6-foot-2 with length and athleticism to bootu002du002dand is honestly probably a better basketball player right now. Down at AYF Nationals, the New Jersey 14U All-Star team was an absolute buzzsaw that destroyed competition with a smash-mouth running game and attacking defense. Weaver has some things to work on, namely throwing a tighter spiral and improving accuracy. However, once he hits the weight room on a consistent basis and continues to develop, I don't feel they're long-term issues.","_player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_3_player":["1110253"],"_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":"Heading back to California, specifically in the greater Los Angeles region, quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='1110253' first='Lincoln' last='Jahn'] showed a lot of ability and a very strong strong right arm. Jahn was QB1 for the Hub City 14U team out of Carson and helped lead the team to a third place finish in the 14U D2 bracket. At 5-foot-10 with some big offensive linemen in front of him, he did a good job of climbing the ladder and stepping up in the pocket. Kept his eyes down field at all time and trusted his guys. Also has some unassuming athletic ability that was showcased specifically in their game against the Mattapan Patriots (Massachusetts) where he threw a TD pass after rolling out and receiving a toss-back from a running back that was in trouble, on an attempted jet sweep.","_player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_4_player":["959703"],"_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":"The MVP of the 14U D1 championship game, Elvis was certainly in the building for the Ginn Elite 14U team. Ginn Elite is funded by former 14-year NFL standout Tedd Ginn Jr. is based out of Ohio, but Koutsakis Jr. is from Pittsburgh. He was better than I even anticipated and made the game look simple. A little undersized right now, but he was playing pitch and catch with the elite skill guys that surrounded him offensively. Played with confidence and swagu002du002dthe type of kid I want leading my squad any day of the week. He says there are a few options on the table for him as it pertains to high schoolu002du002dincluding staying to play for his local public school, Gateway.","_player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_5_player":["1016186"],"_player_evaluations_5_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_5_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_5_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_5_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_5_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_5_evaluation":"As mentioned above, both quarterbacks from the AYF National Champion New Jersey 14U All-Star team were named to this listu002du002dand for good reason. While [player_tooltip player_id='751653' first='Zymere' last='Weaver'] may have the higher ceiling athletically right now, [player_tooltip player_id='1016186' first='Rahmir' last='Rivera'] has become the fastest-rising 2028 quarterback in the Garden State in my eyes. At AYF Nationals, all he did was throw dart after dart and laser after laser. He may not have the height right now, but the kid has the arm strength and accuracy to go toe-to-toe with anyone in the state. Has such a short, simple throwing motion with barely any wasted movement. Watching the ball come out of his hand was a thing of beauty. He told me there are a few high schools in play right now, namely Donovan Catholic and reigning state champs - Red Bank Catholic.","_player_evaluations_5_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_6_player":["1111167"],"_player_evaluations_6_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_6_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_6_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_6_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_6_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_6_evaluation":"Despite coming up short in the 14U D2 National Championship game to [player_tooltip player_id='650567' first='Luke' last='Rubley'] and the 5280 Colorado Jr. Buffs, the Old Town Ducks out of Michigan battled all week long and woke a lot of people up. The Ducks had a lot of talent on their team at all positionsu002du002dincluding quarterback, where Donald Tabron II was fun to watch. The 6-foot-2, 160-pounder already reports an offer from the University of Maryland in just the eighth grade. He passes the eye test right away and certainly looks like he will develop into something really, really nice. His grandfather played professional baseball in the Negro League back in the day and that athletic talent still rings true. He'll be attending Cass Tech in the fall, a team that fell to eventual MHSAA State Champs Southfield Arts u0026amp; Tech, in the second round of the MHSAA playoffs.","_player_evaluations_6_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":7,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6574d5f788992"} /--> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->