2029 Rankings: Athletes Ready for the Varsity Leap

The future is now for the Class of 2029. Their rankings have debuted for the first time, and there is no better time to get to know the Class of the future than right now. We have talked about the Top 10 athletes in this Class. We have dove into several athletes who have already made a varsity impact. Now it is time to turn towards projection and prediction with this Class. We are going to do that by taking a look into who I believe are in line to see their first consistent varsity action when their sophomore season kicks off. Get ready for some breakout seasons from these athletes.    OL can be hard to project. Teams love having age and experience in the trenches, but there are times when you wins out because of the talent they bring. One case where that youth could win out is with [player_tooltip player_id='2124833' first='Myles' last='Manning'] out of Verona. Myles checks the box when it comes to looking the part. He is a 6'3" 265 lbs OT and the kid stands out on tape. Playing against non-varsity athletes proved that Myles is well on his way towards being ready for Friday nights. His heavy hands and upper body strength would throw around DL. So many reps ended with Myles' man on the ground, quickly after the initial engagement. The big man has some solid mobility too. I won't be surprised to see Myles more on the interior if he does make the leap because Verona does have two very good options at their OT spots.     Sun Prairie West is going to be looking for a lot of new production in the receiving game. They had 8 athletes catch passes in 2025 and 6 are set to graduate. One of those athletes who could step up in a big way is TE [player_tooltip player_id='2124837' first='Carson' last='Sauer']. Now I know 180 lbs is light for the TE position, but that didn't stop Carson from driving defenders around the field with his run blocking, or pancaking them on first contact. The weight will come over the years. His long frame can definitely handle it. What also stands out on Carson's freshman tape is how they use him at TE and also in the backfield. We even see him carry the ball at times. He was a superior athlete compared to his peers that he went up against. That tells me after an offseason Carson could have himself ready for that varsity leap. Especially with the void of production to be picked up. Keep an eye out for this kid.     Now Max did get to play a little bit of varsity, but I believe 2026 is the breakout year where we see LB1 consistently contributing on Fridays. 7 of the top 8 tacklers for the Greendale defense graduates, leaving plenty of open spots around the front seven open. That is where Ward will be able to step in and contribute. The 6'2" 185 lbs LB is showing the instincts for the position. He flows with the play, maintaining his gap and coming down to meet the ball in the hole. He is learning how to navigate through all the trash in the front seven and has flashed the ability to keep himself clean of the hands of OL. Size, instincts, and range are great building blocks to work with. I'm looking for a breakout year from Maximus this fall.     I'm looking forward to LaRoy's future on the field. He is an undersized DT/OL at the moment, but he makes up for it with explosive violence. LaRoy excels with his ability to turn that burst at the snap into power the second he makes contact. To make a varsity impact we will need to see him continue to add to his frame to play on the OL. However, that quickness and speed to power ability could get him into a contributing role at DT early on. We have seen athletes his size and talents be able to make surprising impacts. So keep an eye on LaRoy.     It won't be easy for Trevor to find the field on Friday nights, but I won't put it out of the question. West De Pere graduates their WR1 along with multiple other depth pieces at the receiving positions. There are juniors and sophomores ready to step up, but I won't be surprised to see the freshman push for time. Especially as the season goes on. Trevor dominated on the JV in 2025 with 896 yards and 14 TDs. That dominance alone could have coaches ready to move him up. Adding to the odds for varsity time is the raw athletic talent Trevor has. The kid is so quick and sudden with his route running. His highlights show a kid that is able to break routes without sacrificing speed and that allowed him to open up huge separation from DBs. He clearly has great ball skills too and can make you miss after the catch. One thing is for sure. Trevor's time is coming.     Liam was able to get a little run on varsity, finishing with 9 receptions, 173 yards, and 2 TDs. Things are looking much more open to him this fall, though. Every WR with more production than him in 2025 graduates. So that leaves the door open to Liam becoming WR1 for the Waupun offense this fall. Watching his varsity highlights from 2025, Liam dominated attacking across the short and intermediate levels of the middle of the field. He was able to find soft spots or lose DBs in traffic. The 6'1" 155 lbs WR also did what he could to make an impact with his downfield blocking too. Talented and selfless can get you a long way. Liam has even more than that to work with.

The future is now for the Class of 2029. Their rankings have debuted for the first time, and there is no better time to get to know the Class of the future than right now. We have talked about the Top 10 athletes in this Class. We have dove into several athletes who have already made a varsity impact. Now it is time to turn towards projection and prediction with this Class. We are going to do that by taking a look into who I believe are in line to see their first consistent varsity action when their sophomore season kicks off. Get ready for some breakout seasons from these athletes.