Updated: Washington 2028 Rankings (51-100) Defense

Jordan Johnson August 17, 2025 @ 09:37 PM

Per usual rankings are based on who projects highest at the collegiate level. Have a look at the Washington Top 150 <a href="https://prepredzone.com/washington/rankings/2026-rankings/">https://prepredzone.com/washington/rankings/2028-watch-list/</a> for 2028 as we break down #51-100 on the defensive side of the ball.           *PLEASE NOTE- This is very much just a preliminary list with the athletes still being so young. There will be numerous changes and individuals added in the coming months/years.             There are numerous LB's worthy of recognition on this list with [player_tooltip player_id='1615869' first='Kael' last='Copeland'] having top 25 potential and being a top two-way threat as well. As a freshman he rushed 56 times for 379 yards (6.8 ypc) and 6 TDs but will likely project on the defensive side of the ball, where he made 46 tackles with 7 TFL's and 2 sacks. Unreal numbers for a 9th grader at the varsity level. His Kennedy Catholic teammate [player_tooltip player_id='985347' first='Alex' last='Prince'] OLB/DE was also a contributor and will play a key role in the years ahead.    [player_tooltip player_id='1337973' first='Inoke' last='Crosby'] of Bellevue has a chance to be big-time and make a significant jump up the board with Yelm LB's [player_tooltip player_id='1795369' first='Zarrick' last='Roberts'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1658510' first='Jackson' last='Mathis'] both looking like multiyear all conference athletes. Roberts possesses legit size and speed and could be one of the best sophomores in the league this season.    [player_tooltip player_id='1200859' first='Angelo' last='Williams'] of Life Christian Academy will be one of the top defenders in the state at his classification level this coming season. He made 14 tackles, with 9 TFL's, and 7 sacks last year as a freshman.    [player_tooltip player_id='1338199' first='Michael' last='Neal'] of Enumclaw was the frosh MVP last season and could be an all-conference LB as a sophomore. [player_tooltip player_id='987108' first='Liam' last='Herolaga'] of traditional 4A power Lake Stevens is another young gun who could step up and contribute this year.    5-8 190-pound LB/RB [player_tooltip player_id='1615878' first='Jack' last='Hopen'] of 2A state champ Anacortes did a little bit of everything as a freshman, making 34 tackles, with 7 TFL's, and 3 sacks defensively. He also averaged 8.1 yards per carry with 3 TDs on 34 rushes. Incredible numbers at an early age.    On the defensive front [player_tooltip player_id='1615683' first='Anthony' last='Dunston JR'] of Rainier Beach earned all-Metro honors as a freshman. He doesn't have prototypical size but there is time for growth. [player_tooltip player_id='984901' first='Ryder' last='Gobin-Tolentino'] is another talented kid out of Lake Stevens who has good film and put together some impressive clips on the 5v5 circuit.   Keep an eye on 6-2 DE/OLB [player_tooltip player_id='1530586' first='Micah' last='McMahon'] out of Glacier Peak. He had a 5-sack game and made numerous plays at the freshman level. Also noteworthy is 6-4 240-pound lineman [player_tooltip player_id='1659751' first='Riley' last='Crouch'] of Rogers HS who is an intriguing prospect with size.    Last but not least on the D line [player_tooltip player_id='1335638' first='Zephaniah' last='Vailahi-Sala'] of Life Christian Academy who has added size and could be a problem on the interior as part of a talented LCA group.    In closing two kids in the secondary you will hear a lot about are [player_tooltip player_id='1691690' first='Nick' last='Simms'] of Bellevue and [player_tooltip player_id='1340757' first='Bernard' last='Bourgeois Jr']. of Lindbergh. Simms excelled as part of FSP on the 7v7 circuit, with BB accounting for 5 TDs on offense and 10 tackles defensively at the varsity level. Both are undersized but 1st team all-conference projected kids in the coming seasons.