2028s Ready for the Friday Night Lights

As this Class enters their sophomore seasons we are going to see so many more of the athletes be turned towards and relied upon to make a varsity impact. Some because of roster build and some because their development has made it impossible to keep them off the field. Either way we are headed towards a lot of the athletes in our 2028 rankings either making their varsity debut or experiencing their first legitimate, consistent workload. Looking through the list and their rosters a few athletes stood out and those are who we will be talking about today. Why they could see the field this early, and what they would bring to the field if they get the call up. Let's dive into it!    Nehemiah is in a situation where opportunity and talent could meet at the perfect point. The 6'4" 170 lbs incoming sophomore spent his freshman season leading the way at WR on JV while putting together a strong collection of highlights. He has a massive wingspan that shines when it comes to high pointing the ball, using his frame to create space, and also beating DBs downfield with his extremely long strides. That size and talent should have a path to Friday nights too as only two members of the offense who caught a pass in 2024 will return this fall, and those two combined for 5 catches. So the door is open for a talented athlete to take over at WR1. I believe that could be Nehemiah. I know I'll be keeping a close eye on him early in the season to see if he can earn a role with the starting offense. I recommend others do too.     This will be an interesting athlete to follow. Franklin is always producing a deep roster, and the defense never seems to lack that top end talent at all three levels. So the opportunities may be hard to come by, at least early on for the 2028 DL [player_tooltip player_id='1256621' first='Zachary' last='Keith']. However, if he does find the field I'm intrigued to see the impact he could have. Zachary has a massive frame that is required to be a consistent impact on the interior at 6'3" 295 lbs. As a freshman, Zachary has tape showing a solid get off. Especially for his size, the 2028 is able to get out and have power on contact with the OL. Zach also has shown he can create pressure by collapsing the interior of the pocket. He is definitely a name to keep a closer eye on as the season goes on.     Lancaster already knows what they have in Toay as a defender. The LB flies around the field with power and strong instincts that are developing very quickly. Toay earned a varsity role at LB and ran with it to a 2nd place finish in tackles on the team with 84 and 9 TFLs plus 3.5 sacks. Where we could see the new varsity role is as the starting QB on offense. Lancaster loses their 2024 starter who threw for almost 2,000 yards while running for nearly 600 yards. Ragatz served as the backup in 2024 and looks primed to take over the dual threat responsibilities. That opens the door to a two- way impact and the potential to put together a career that a lot of people remember. I'm excited to watch it unfold.     The time is now for QB [player_tooltip player_id='1287562' first='Dalton' last='Steinke']. Catholic Memorial graduates both QBs who saw action in 2024 including standout MJ Mitchell. That leaves the door wide open for Dalton who comes into the role ready and able to handle the responsibility. Dalton thrives with his pinpoint accuracy and touch while not being afraid to push the ball to all three levels of the field. Over the years Catholic Memorial has been best when we see a dual threat at QB, and Dalton will be able to bring that to the field with his athleticism. Steinke looks like a great fit for the job. I'm jacked up to watch him develop on a weekly basis this fall.     I'm pumped to potentially see [player_tooltip player_id='1306753' first='Diego' last='Adame'] earn a varsity role this fall. Looking through the stats from 2024, Monona Grove returns one athlete who caught a pass and was listed at WR. So the door is wide open for someone to come in and earn a substantial workload. Diego quickly comes to mind as an athlete who could do that. He has a solid frame to continue to grow and build upon. Watching back through his freshman season, Diego's speed jumps off the tape compared to the field. He consistently was beating angles to the sideline and down the field. His acceleration got him out of situations where it looked like he was well contained. He clearly was a playmaker at the lower level and looks primed for that next step up in competition.     Looking through the Kettle Moraine roster it appears that the team will be looking for that next WR or two to step up. They return their leading receiver from 2024 and that is about it when it comes to returning production. So that opens the door to the next wave of talent coming through the program. My pick for a larger role is 2028 WR [player_tooltip player_id='1140755' first='Brody' last='Schimpf']. The freshman tape shows a playmaker who dominates in two ways. First is with his long speed, stretching the field and getting behind the defense for the big play. Second, Brody did really well in the quick passing game. He can create quick separation or find soft spots and then make defenders miss after the catch. Watch for a breakout season from the 2028.

As this Class enters their sophomore seasons we are going to see so many more of the athletes be turned towards and relied upon to make a varsity impact. Some because of roster build and some because their development has made it impossible to keep them off the field. Either way we are headed towards a lot of the athletes in our 2028 rankings either making their varsity debut or experiencing their first legitimate, consistent workload. Looking through the list and their rosters a few athletes stood out and those are who we will be talking about today. Why they could see the field this early, and what they would bring to the field if they get the call up. Let's dive into it!