2028s Who Know How to Put Points on the Board

Editor's note: We'll continue breaking down this class in its entirety. If <a href="https://prepredzone.com/subscribe/">you're not yet subscribed to Prep RedZone</a>, you can save 40% off an annual subscription by using the offer code Guerin40 at checkout. This deal will be available throughout the Winter Rankings Cycle.   Defenses might win championships, but that's only because the best ones are adept at stopping the most dangerous offensive weapons from doing their thing.   With these members of the 2028 Prep RedZone rankings, that's easier said than done.   Each of the players on this list were credited with 50 or more points as sophomores during the 2025 football season. It leaves us wondering what any and all of them can do as upperclassmen.    Needless to say, they've got a huge jump start on career production over most of their peers, even those in our rankings.    [player_tooltip player_id='293593' first='Michael' last='Martin'] RB, Christ Church    Martin entered Christ Church as a freshman with loads of promise. Even so, Martin has exceeded all expectations. Through two seasons, he has reached the end zone 39 times. Thirty of those came last fall, when he used an eye-popping 257 carries to rush for 1,425 yards. He also caught 12 passes for 131 yards. That's a big work load, but Martin is making it count.   [player_tooltip player_id='1818416' first='Zy' last='Rouse'] ATH, Strom Thurmond   Rouse is going to be in the mix for the Rebels' quarterback job after some graduations chasing the team's 2025 state championship. But it wasn't as if he was sitting idle this past fall. He scored 13 touchdowns and added a pair of two-point conversion runs. Those 82 points accounted for 15 percent of the team's overall scoring. Not bad for a guy waiting in the wings.   [player_tooltip player_id='1818894' first='Tre' last='Jackson'] RB, Pelion    Part of the first-year coaching staff's priority list was an offensive emphasis that wasn't so one-dimensional. The team started throwing a lot more, but the Panthers also made sure Jackson's job was to hold the balance. As such, he scored 10 touchdowns, with nine of them coming on the ground. He had three multi-score games, and it might have only been the beginning.   [player_tooltip player_id='1824040' first='Elijah' last='Harper'] ATH, CA Johnson    While most of Harper's point production came via his nine touchdown receptions, he was influential in the team's scoring in other ways, too. He recorded a pick-six for CA Johnson in the season-opener against Columbia and also added three two-point conversions for the equivalent of another touchdown.    [player_tooltip player_id='1467817' first='Liam' last='Flynn'] K, River Bluff   Flynn had a proverbial leg up even on some of the other kickers in our 2028 rankings in that he had a full season at Blythewood to cut his teeth prior to making the move to River Bluff. In his new digs, he hit eight field goals and added 29 PATs to give him 53 points last fall. We don't say lightly that he may hit 80 points as a junior.   [player_tooltip player_id='2098894' first='Diego' last='Tranquilino'] K, Woodruff   Tranquilino probably won't be some high-end recruit; kickers rarely are. But no one at Woodruff is overlooking his value to this team, often in small doses. He drilled 54 of his 55 PAT attempts and connected on five short field goals to push him to 69 total points scored during the 2025 season. This offense should be even better next year, so his production should only continue to increase.   [player_tooltip player_id='874321' first='Raphael' last='Puiu'] WR, James Island (pictured)   After Puiu scored 19 touchdowns as a sophomore and found himself on our Fab 50 squad, everyone started to wonder what he would look like with a new quarterback next fall. We're here to tell you that the move from [player_tooltip player_id='1592342' first='Connor' last='Dantzler'] to younger brother [player_tooltip player_id='1820390' first='Brady' last='Dantzler'] should produce another big season. It doesn't have to match his 2025 numbers for it to be dynamic.   [player_tooltip player_id='1820474' first='Preston' last='Smith'] RB, Midland Valley   Smith won't be hurting for carries and receptions in 2026, especially after he proved he could carry more of the load as a sophomore. It was then that he rushed for 10 touchdowns and hauled in three more receiving. That's an average of one score every 14 or so times he touched the ball. As more opponents concentrate on the Mustangs' passing attack, it should simultaneously benefit Smith.   [player_tooltip player_id='776240' first='Tre' last='Blakeney'] QB, Marlboro County    Blakeney is a super-intriguing player to watch next fall after he was giving the keys to the Marlboro County offense and then discovered he was going to be very busy, even by quarterback standards. On top of his 11 passing touchdowns, he also rushed for just as many. He also scored on three two-point conversion runs.    [player_tooltip player_id='1856861' first='Garrison' last='Copeland'] WR, Trinity Collegiate   Despite being considered the team's WR2 for most of the season, Copeland still finished with a team-best 12 receiving touchdowns and added another on the ground. Those 13 touchdowns were more than a third of the teams total point production and twice as much as any other player on the Titans roster.    [player_tooltip player_id='1540721' first='Landyn' last='Strong'] RB, Blythewood   During his abbreviated JV stint as a freshman, Strong proved he could reach the end zone consistently. The bump up to the varsity didn't change anyone's opinion on that front. He finished his debut season for the Bengals with eight rushing touchdowns and another one receiving. Considering he only had 151 offensive touches, we expect an increase next season.

Editor's note: We'll continue breaking down this class in its entirety. If you're not yet subscribed to Prep RedZone, you can save 40% off an annual subscription by using the offer code Guerin40 at checkout. This deal will be available throughout the Winter Rankings Cycle.