Pops Picks: A New 2028 Colorado Prospect To Know At Each Position
In this article:
Ahead of our first-ever Prep Redzone Next Middle School Camp in Colorado on May 4th, we’re starting to really kick the tires and look deep in the state for the talent. The Box State has a ton of talent in its…
Access all of Prep Redzone Next and Prep Redzone
Continue reading this article and more.
Continue ReadingAhead of our first-ever Prep Redzone Next Middle School Camp in Colorado on May 4th, we’re starting to really kick the tires and look deep in the state for the talent. The Box State has a ton of talent in its four borders, we’ll just continue to shine a light on them earlier. Here’s a look at a prospect at each position that I feel is destined for big things.
Quarterback
If you’ve followed my writups through the years, it’s no secret how much stock I put into genetics when trying to forecast the future success for eighth-grade prospects. For that reason, among many others, Titus Huard Titus Huard 6’4″ | 180 lbs | QB Valor Christian | 2028 CO is a quarterback prospect that the high school world will hear about in the near future. If that Huard last name rings a bell, he’s the son of former NFL quarterback turned FOX College Football analyst, Brock Huard. In addition to that, his mother Molly played basketball at the University of Washington (where father Brock went to school, too) and his two older sisters Haley and Macey are both playing hoops at Montana. “Little brother” Titus is already listed at 6-foot-4, 170-pounds and will be off to Valor Christian in the fall. He’s got an obvious height advantage and as you can see in the film from two years ago below he can throw some frozen ropes.
Film: 7th** Grade Film
Highlights
Running Back
Colorado isn’t exactly a tropical climate, and anyone who has strapped up pads in a cold-weather game knows how much more you feel those collisions in the cold. I say that because attempting to tackle a running back like Charlie Kroell Charlie Kroell 5’9″ | 170 lbs | RB CO in that chilly weather can’t be very fun for the guys he’s running against, over and through. At an estimaded 5-foot-6 and 150-pounds, Kroell is put together very well and has a lot of muscle mass for a back only getting ready to enter high school. He hits the hole hard and easily busts through would-be arm-tackles, showing off his power, before using his speed to outrun linebackers and defensive backs on the second and third levels. On top of the contributions on the field, Kroell is also a tough kid by all accounts–playing some of the season with a cast on his left arm from his elbow to his knuckles.
Film: 8th Grade Film
Highlights
Wide Receiver
The Mile-Hi Thoroughbreds 13U team was a force this season, as they tore through the Rocky Mountain Pop Warner league with a 6-1 season record–outscoring their opponents 231-78 and winning the league title in the process. There were a number of really impressive prospects on this team, including his partner-in-crime at wide receiver, Lawrence Griggs Lawrence Griggs WR CO , but for today we’ll focus on De’Jay Davenport De’Jay Davenport 5’8″ | 140 lbs | WR CO . Davenport is one of the better-balanced receivers I’ve seen in this crop of Colorado 2028s, thus far. At 5-foot-8 and 140-pounds, there are bigger and faster receivers in the state, but there’s something about his game that keeps catching my eye. Between body control, incredibly reliable hands and his track record of flat out winning, there’s a ton to like here.
Tight End
In no way is the hay in the barn yet, but the last time I liked an eighth-grade tight end from Colorado as much as I like Cannon Zubeck Cannon Zubeck 6’6″ | 230 lbs | TE CO , it turned out to be consensus class of 2026 No.1 player in the state, Camden Jensen Camden Jensen 6’7″ | 235 lbs | TE Heritage | 2026 CO . While Zubeck doesn’t yet have the double-digit scholarship offers that the 6-foot-7 Jensen has, he is already 6-foot-6 and 230 pounds before even entering high school. The three-sport athlete is currently on the shelf with a leg injury, but there’s no denying the high ceiling he has an athlete. With his best sport being basketball right now (in my opinion), give any football coach in America an incoming freshman that is a legitimate 6-foot-6, 23o-pounds, with the feet of a basketball player, mental toughness of a baseball player and physical ability of a football player–and they’ll be doing back flips in their office.
Film: 8th Grade Film
Highlights
Athlete
I only need one hand to count the number of Colorado 2028 prospects that I feel are in the same realm as Jai’Dan Richardson Jai’Dan Richardson ATH CO . Richardson suited up for the Cherry Creek Bruins youth program this year, which serves as the feeder into Cherry Creek High School–whose varsity program hasn’t lost more than three games in a season since 2012. When it comes to Richardson, I don’t even know where to start. Offensively, he took the bulk of the snaps lined out wide as a wide receiver where he didn’t even have to use his size and strength advantage that often, because he typically had already blown past the defensive back cursed with guarding him. However, he also took handoffs and pitches from the running back position, too. All that, and he appears to have the size of many pre-high school tight ends, to boot. Flip sides of the ball, and he’s also one of the top outside linebackers in the state. Honestly, if I had to make a prediction today, I think he may be a better outside linebacker than any thing else because of his ability to get off blocks and devour whoever has the ball. Bottom line–this kid is a future Saturday football player.
Film: 8th Grade Film
Offensive Line
Make this twice in as many days that we’re covering DJ Curry DJ Curry 6’1″ | 275 lbs | OL CO as a “new” prospect, but in a 2028 Colorado class that hasn’t necessarily knocked my socks off in terms of offensive line prospects since my initial sweep in September/October, he really is the new name to know. He’s a big kid that does a great job of delivering a big blow right off the whistle. I think he might end up as a disruptive interior defensive tackle when it’s all said and done, but he’s one of the best offensive tackles in the state.
Defensive Line
Bryon Madrid has had quite the disruptive middle school career as a two-way lineman for the Mile-Hi Thoroughbreds. At 5-foot-11 and 200 pounds, Madrid is a bit of a tweener at this point – not big enough on a national scale to hang in there as a defensive tackle, but not crazy-athletic enough to be a pass-rushing defensive end. That said, when it comes to Colorado 2028 prospects, there’s not many more that consistently get into the backfield like Madrid does. He’s got a mean streak to him and isn’t afraid to mix it up if the situation calls for it. Fires off the ball quickly and gets into the offensive linemen’s chest first, he then follows it up with quick-action moves that clears the lane to the backfield.
Linebacker
Heading back to Cherry Creek, where the high school varsity program finally had their run of four straight Colorado 5A state football championships broken this past December, Jeriah Barnes Jeriah Barnes 5’9″ | 160 lbs | LB CO is a really good looking prospect. One of the many weapons that played on both sides of the ball–just like Jai’Dan Richardson Jai’Dan Richardson ATH CO (listed above)–I had trouble deciphering between running back or linebacker for him. At 5-foot-9 and 160-pounds, he has some pretty good size right now for the position(s) he plays and his style of play follows suit. He’s strong, aggressive and seems to be always attacking. Specially at linebacker, which is where I think he ends up long term, he’s a tough kid to stop from blitzing up the gut if he times it right. He’s a downhill runner that gets from point A to point B, in short order.
Defensive Back
On film, Cassese is one of the fastest 2028 prospects in Colorado, that I’ve seen to date. On a national scale, he’s average-to-below-average in terms of height and weight based off his last reported measurements (5-foot-8 and 130-pounds), however he can absolutely go. He is more than capable as a wide receiver or return man, but don’t sleep on him as a free safety. He covers ground quickly and his speed is certainly a difference-maker. On the rare chance that a receiver slips behind him, he can play in trail and still make a play on the ball. On a flat out fly route, if he picks up his man in time, there aren’t many that can get loose from him.