Firecrackers: '28s Showing Early Signs of Explosive Talents

We are in the midst of the Class of 2028 rankings update and you will all soon see that there are several explosive athletes near the top of the list. Across WR, RB, and even QB there are quickly athletes establishing themselves early in their careers as kids who can change a game with their athleticism and with minimal touches. As these kids start to carve out bigger roles we are sure to see some unbelievable highlight reel plays on a weekly basis. Today we are going to talk about the athletes that I am going to be watching very closely and I recommend fans and coaches do as well. Let's dive into these Game changers!    When it comes to explosive athletes in the Class of 2028 you have to start with the Franklin WR. The incoming sophomore already looks the part of a WR1 with his 6'1" 190 lbs frame. He also flies around the field like a WR1. Gavin has a .96 flying 10 time, has hit 23.3 mph top speed, and as a freshman averaged an unreal 25.1 yds/rec with a total stat line of 11/276/1. Every non-RB with more receptions than Gavin graduated this summer, so the door is wide open for him to see a massive spike in his receptions, yards, and TDs. With his size, speed, ball tracking, and quickly developing route running we could be in store for a very memorable sophomore season.     Devin will have to bide his time, and put in a lot of work to see varsity time this fall. Arrowhead returns a ton to their backfield this fall, but even so Devin is blessed with so much natural talent that we could see him find some reps as the season goes on. The current RB for his Class has a reported 4.5 40 at 5'11" 180 lbs. A great frame to build on, and a great base of speed to build on and break open games with. The '28 RB displays great patience and vision in his freshman tape as a runner and returner too. When his time comes, Devin is going to be a game-changing playmaker.     Staying at Arrowhead, the next potential stud athlete who could make fireworks this fall is WR [player_tooltip player_id='1627980' first='Benjamin' last='Prescher']. The '28 has an elite frame with length to dominate out wide at 6'4" 190 lbs. Benjamin was able to earn time on the varsity as a freshman, scoring a 25 yard TD. Plenty of receptions graduated this summer, so I expect to see Prescher more involved this fall. Most noteworthy about Ben's game on top of the size, catch radius, and strong hands is how well he moves with that big frame at such a young age. Even as a freshman Benjamin was smooth with his route running and flashed explosive acceleration to utilize any sort of space after the catch. His body control is advanced for his age. We could see a big leap in production and big plays this fall.     Janesville Craig's offense was led by an electric freshman WR in 2024 who put up 29/579/5 as a go-to target. That game breaker was 2028 [player_tooltip player_id='1627985' first='Malachi' last='Schoonover']. Malachi is developing into a serious matchup problem. As a freshman he averaged 20 yds/rec as a varsity athlete. The way he did it was what was so impressive. His quickness in/out of routes opened up separation very consistently. After the catch he was elusive, making DBs miss and beating angles with his acceleration and top speed. It also jumps off the tape how well he can adjust, twist, or contort his body at the last second to reel in passes all over the field or near the sideline. Big things are ahead for this athlete. Keep a close eye on him.     We don't often talk about QBs when it comes to athletes who can create fireworks, but we don't see too many athletes like Bode at QB. Especially at such a young age. Bode already has the school squat record under his belt at 490 lbs, set as a freshman. The powerful athlete also deadlifts 500 lbs and benches 280. On the field, Bode earned the QB1 job from the start of the 2024 season. As a freshman he put up 977 passing yards with 9 TDs and ran for 688 yards and 12 TDs while leading the team to an 8-4 record. It is his running that has made him such a gamebreaking athlete early in his career. He can run with power or utilize his breakaway speed to get the edge and down the sideline. Bode is an athlete that is going to force defenses to cover the entire field because of his dual threat abilities. I can't wait to see the fresh highlights starting next month.     It is great to have the Valeri family back in WI. Alijah's older brother used to play for Hortonville before transferring to Illinois and eventually committing to play D1 football as a DB. Now it looks like it is Alijah's turn to shine on the gridiron. This time around it will be for Appleton North. I can't wait to see his role this fall because the '28 has a great base of athleticism including a 4.56 40, 9'6" broad jump, and a 22 mph top end speed. Valeri dominates with that athleticism when he pairs it with vision, route running, and instincts with the ball in his hands. He does a great job of finding green grass with the ball in his hands, making him not only a great WR but also a great kick returner. I can't wait to see Valeri on Friday nights and his ability to shred defenses in the short, intermediate, and deep passing attacks. This is definitely one of the top new names to know.

We are in the midst of the Class of 2028 rankings update and you will all soon see that there are several explosive athletes near the top of the list. Across WR, RB, and even QB there are quickly athletes establishing themselves early in their careers as kids who can change a game with their athleticism and with minimal touches. As these kids start to carve out bigger roles we are sure to see some unbelievable highlight reel plays on a weekly basis. Today we are going to talk about the athletes that I am going to be watching very closely and I recommend fans and coaches do as well. Let's dive into these Game changers!