2028 Watch List: 15 Linemen Prospects to Know

Code PRZWV30 for 30% off your subscription!   Our 2028 Watch List has been updated for the first time at the high school level with many new faces emerging from this past season. Here are some 2028 linemen prospects you need to know now and for the future.    One of the early top 2028 OL in the state to know is at one of the best programs at developing offensive linemen with Huntington's [player_tooltip player_id='1221856' first='Tyler' last='Avery']. As a freshman, Avery was a top performer at the PRZ WV Stock Up Showcase last month and has a bright future at his position. Size is obviously what you notice first when you see Avery on film and in person and has a leg up on most of his fellow 2028 WV offensive linemen in that regard. Footwork, explosiveness, and overall athleticism will continue to develop over the next three years which will take his game to new levels, but the early signs show that Avery will get there in time.      [player_tooltip player_id='1624400' first='Brody' last='Faircloth'] was a varsity starting center as a freshman for Hedgesville and comes from a long line of talented offensive linemen in his family. Already in the 6'1 300 range, Faircloth's older brothers each topped at least 6'4 with future potential to continue growing. Older brother Levi was our top-ranked 2025 OL in this past class and will head to Marshall to continue his playing career with Brody often lining up next to him this past season. Faircloth does a nice job handling usually older and stronger interior defensive linemen for his age and showed flashes of strong physicality for a freshman in his first year of varsity. Footwork, pad level, and more consistent hand use will benefit him in the future as he continues to develop but be sure to keep tabs on the next talented Faircloth out of Hedgesville.      Another varsity starting offensive lineman as a freshman was [player_tooltip player_id='1260138' first='Steven' last='Kinney'] for the Nitro Wildcats. While he's not as big as some other OL in the 2028 class, Kinney has some of the best film and is playing the position like a veteran early on. He's a nasty and physical blocker with good athleticism that allows him to pull and get out in space effortlessly. Kinney's short-area quickness is impressive for his age and he gets to the second level of the defense very quickly. He's very physical at the point of attack with violent hands and punches that stymie bigger defensive linemen throughout his freshman tape. Physical growth these next three years will determine his ceiling as a prospect, but Kinney has put himself in the conversation for the top offensive lineman in the 2028 class at this early juncture on film alone.      Doddridge County's [player_tooltip player_id='1222034' first='Jacob' last='Britton'] really caught our attention at the PRZ WV Stock Up Showcase last month where he was in contention for the best defensive lineman at the camp. He was a two-way starter for the Bulldogs this season showing potential on both sides of the line, but we like him the most as a DL prospect right now. Britton is another highly physical player which shows up at OL and DL, a trait we saw firsthand at the Showcase. He's explosive and very strong for his age with an impressive freshman build. Britton was the fourth-leading tackler for Doddridge County as a freshman and totaled 86 tackles, 10 TFLs, and 3 sacks.      [player_tooltip player_id='1310969' first='Paul' last='Cochran'] was another varsity starter for the Riverside Warriors as a freshman and should be a four-year player for them. Cochran will need to keep developing physically to raise his ceiling as a football prospect but has also has a quality wrestling background as well. His coaches entrusted him to play left tackle and center as a freshman, and based on his footwork and lateral quickness you can see why. Cochran is strong for his age and size likely due to his wrestling background and understanding of leverage and hand use.      Another young Huntington Highlander offensive lineman to know is [player_tooltip player_id='1294666' first='Tripp' last='Setliff'] who also earned Top Performer honors at our Stock Up Showcase last month. Setliff is a stocky athlete right now but has the ideal frame for center which he played on the Huntington JV team this past season. He'll need to keep developing athletically and increasing his length over time but is a strong and physical blocker which we saw live at the Showcase. Setliff is a tough and tenacious battler who gives max effort every snap and rep which will translate to future varsity success once his body develops more.   <blockquote class="twitter-tweet">JV game highlights against rivasiiiiiddee highschool💪🏻💪🏻🔥🔥<a href="https://twitter.com/DFO_AJ?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@DFO_AJ</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/Mikesetliff3?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Mikesetliff3</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/billyseals47?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@billyseals47</a> <a href="https://t.co/GTVuPtyQ0D">pic.twitter.com/GTVuPtyQ0D</a>— [player_tooltip player_id='1294666' first='Tripp' last='Setliff'] (@SetliffTripp) <a href="https://twitter.com/SetliffTripp/status/1838377713993695433?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 24, 2024</a></blockquote>     [player_tooltip player_id='1311031' first='David' last='Browning'] was a varsity player for the Chapmanville Tigers as a freshman sliding in at left tackle in year one at the high school level. Browning has quality early length with the potential to keep growing and has the frame to add significant mass in time. Playing left tackle as a freshman speaks to his early talent level and bodes well for a bright future in their program. Browning brought a lot of value as a run blocker and consistently got consistent push on his freshman tape with early physicality. He's also a quality athlete for a young big man with signs of footwork that could allow him to stick at tackle if he can continue to get longer.      [player_tooltip player_id='1624427' first='Levi' last='Picha'] flashed on the Woodrow Wilson JV team this past season and showed glimpses of what's to come for his future. Picha is a long athlete with athletic potential as a defensive end prospect depending on how his body develops over the next three years. His length and quickness off the edge proved to be a difficult matchup at the JV level and are two traits that can't be taught. Picha showed glimpses of pass-rush ability as a freshman and will continue to develop moves to aid him in that part of his game. He pursues the ball with tenacity and is a high-motor player which will pay dividends once he gets his expanded varsity opportunity.      Just a few clips of film are available from 2028 North Marion offensive lineman [player_tooltip player_id='1624409' first='Evan' last='Miller'], but he'll be one of the more notable big men to know in this class. He's the younger brother of Nate Miller who was one of the better OL prospects in the 2024 class with Evan already being equal or even bigger in size as a freshman than he was as a senior. We'll wait for more film to become available before a full evaluation is made, but keep [player_tooltip player_id='1624409' first='Evan' last='Miller'] on your 2028 offensive line shortlist.      We got eyes on several of the 2028 linemen in this article in person at the PRZ WV Stock Up Showcase last month with Grafton's [player_tooltip player_id='1590934' first='Cole' last='Boyles'] being another. He got a firsthand look at some of the better linemen in the state at that camp and what he'll need to do to add his name to that list. Boyles saw varsity action for the Bearcats in 2024 which tells you that he'll progress and develop over time into a formidable player in their program. Early physicality was apparent on film and as his body and athleticism develop he'll continue to improve.      Shady Spring's [player_tooltip player_id='1538716' first='Peyton' last='Wade'] is another developmental young lineman prospect that we saw at the Stock Up Showcase and will continue to improve over the next three years. His body should develop a lot by his senior year with a good early build for his age to continue to add to. His early strength shows up on film at the JV level for the Tigers and it wouldn't be surprising to see Wade earn a varsity starting job as a sophomore. He has an ideal guard frame and should develop into a quality prospect by his senior year with the potential to make a big jump sooner rather than later.      Just a handful of highlights are available for 2028 Musselman big man [player_tooltip player_id='1609865' first='Deacon' last='Nguyen'] but he showed potential as a defensive lineman as a freshman for the Applemen. He saw some varsity action during his first year of high school as an interior DL with flashes of future potential for the position. Nguyen has a good early frame and size for that spot and should increase his varsity role as soon as next season. Once more film becomes available, we'll learn more about his future as a prospect but keep tabs on Nguyen along the way.      A small school offensive lineman to know in the 2028 class is Tyler Consolidated's [player_tooltip player_id='1604387' first='Max' last='Winters']. He started at right tackle for the Knights as a freshman and looked like their biggest lineman physically. Winters comes off the ball explosively with strong hands that stick to opposing defenders. He's a strong and physical young player who didn't play like a freshman and is stout at the point of attack. Winters' also showed quality footwork and athleticism as well for a freshman big man and should develop into a notable OL prospect in this class.      Sissonville had a freshman varsity offensive lineman in [player_tooltip player_id='1624419' first='Sam' last='Dyer'] who showed potential in his first year of high school. Dyer has quality guard size in the 6'1 285 range with glimpses of mauling potential. He'll need to continue developing athletically to increase his ceiling as a prospect but has the other tools to make strides as a player. Just a handful of highlights make it difficult to get a great feeling of his game, but Dyer will be another developmental 2028 prospect to watch out for in the coming years.      A late addition to our radar after posting our 2028 Watch List was Bluefield's [player_tooltip player_id='1625644' first='Ethan' last='Thompson'] who started for the Beavers as a freshman. Thompson played both tackle spots which speaks to his talent level as a freshman varsity player at a tradition-rich program like Bluefield. He has quality size and length in the 6'3 245 range for his age that he'll continue to add to in the coming years. Thompson has solid footwork for his age as well and you can see why they trusted him to play tackle during his first year of high school. He also flashed playing with an edge in several of his clips and the ability to finish blocks and put defenders on the ground.

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