Strongest Position Groups of the Class of 2028

<p><strong><em>*Use code Johnson30 for 30% off an annual Prep Redzone subscription*</em></strong></p>   <p>As I work through the rankings updates for every Class I get a sense for where the strength of every Class seems to be. But I wanted to dive in further and see what the numbers actually say are the best position groups are for every Class. Yesterday we started this off with the strongest position groups of the Class of 2029. We continue this series with the Class of 2028 and their strongest position groups. What it takes to make this list is both top end talent and depth. So we are looking at the position groups with the best combination of total number of athletes and the total number of Top 100 overall players per group. Let's dive in and find out the strongest position groups of the Class of 2028!</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">#1 Offensive Linemen</h2>   <p>The title for best position group of the Class of 2028 belongs to the offensive line unit. Surprisingly, it only has the 2nd most ranked players with 40 behind WR with 41. However, the OL group blows away the competition with the 24 Top 100 players. Not to mention they also have #101 & #102 in the overall rankings. That means over 25% of the Top 102 ranked players are offensive linemen. A dominant showing for the position that this state is known for.</p>   <p>This group is led by Top 5 overall player [player_tooltip player_id='1627975' first='Roman' last='Holtz'] who will be returning to anchor the Arrowhead OL as they look to repeat as D1 State Champs. It also has some freakishly massive OTs with 6'6" 300 lbs [player_tooltip player_id='1709709' first='Christian' last='Zywicki'] and 6'6" 310 lbs [player_tooltip player_id='1284965' first='Jacob' last='Van Der Kooy']. The guard position is held down by some great top end depth led by [player_tooltip player_id='1629770' first='Lucas' last='Davis'], [player_tooltip player_id='1627977' first='Chris' last='Ferrario'], and [player_tooltip player_id='1715922' first='Jack' last='Walter']. You can throw a dart at a map of WI and you will land within a few miles of a stud 2028 OL.</p>   <p>There are even a group of sophomore OL ready to have their breakout moment in 2026 that people will want to keep an eye on. [player_tooltip player_id='2112364' first='Max' last='Crimmings'] of Verona put together great tape in 2025 and is building himself into a prospect that many will want on their radars. [player_tooltip player_id='1287655' first='Jace' last='Fontaine'] worked his way into a starting role as a sophomore and will be back to truly establish himself as one of the best in the state on the interior in 2026. I also believe that highly ranked [player_tooltip player_id='2112353' first='DJ' last='Jones'] for Stoughton is ready to take that leap this offseason and become a legitimate D1 level talent.</p>   <p>There are so many talented OL in this Class. Even with all the names mentioned today we are just scratching the surface of what this group has to offer. FBS talent. Depth. Massive breakout potential. There is a bit of everything, making this the strongest position group in the Class of 2028.</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">#2 Linebacker</h2>   <p>The LB position group came to play in 2028. While they only have the 3rd most players ranked overall at 35, they earn a spot at #2 by having the 2nd most Top 100 overall players with 15. That combination of depth and premier top end talent came together to just barely edge out our #3 position group. This is another position this great state is known for, so let's dive into who teams will be looking at.</p>   <p>This is an elite group at the top. LB/S [player_tooltip player_id='1624391' first='Will' last='Schmitzer'] leads the way with his dynamic and productive play for Catholic Memorial. [player_tooltip player_id='1865234' first='Brady' last='Schmidt'] is right behind him in our Top 10 overall. The Fond du Lac stud broke onto the scene in 2025 with a massively productive season that highlighted his outstanding instincts, football IQ, and physicality. It has a guy like [player_tooltip player_id='1688677' first='Taft' last='Wojciechowski'] who is playing out of position for WDP and absolutely dominating do it. This position group also is home to the state's leading tackler from 2025, [player_tooltip player_id='2112361' first='Ryan' last='Zenner'] of Chippewa Falls.</p>   <p>The up and coming talent among this position is equally as exciting as we have the potential to see even more guys push their way towards Top 100 consideration. Guys like [player_tooltip player_id='1635414' first='Toay' last='Ragatz'] who has been a force for Lancaster on both sides of the ball. Or [player_tooltip player_id='1258906' first='Dashaun' last='Lewis'] who spent 2025 playing DE so that he could get on the field early in his career. It also has a guy like [player_tooltip player_id='1570071' first='Cooper' last='Huff'] who just had a great showing at the recent UWEC Camp, highlighting him explosive athleticism.</p>   <p>LB has such an exciting blend of proven talent and breakout potential. This group alone could be responsible for so much shake up during our next Rankings Update. I can't wait to see how it continues to strengthen itself.</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">#3 Wide Receiver</h2>   <p>Coming in at #3 for the strongest 2028 position groups is our WRs. They actually lead the way for most overall players ranked in the Class with 41 overall players. What held them back is they were 3rd overall in Top 100 players with a strong 14. There are clearly a lot of playmakers out wide to learn about in this Class.</p>   <p>That includes guys like [player_tooltip player_id='1287224' first='Gavin' last='Schiek'] of Franklin who has the talent to be a WR1 for a high level college program. We also have the dominant small school standout [player_tooltip player_id='2055377' first='Beau' last='Spindler'] who has been a nightmare for DBs already. The group also has some impressive hybrid WR/TE like #1 [player_tooltip player_id='1288210' first='Tre' last='Oiler'], a bonafide Power 4 talent, or [player_tooltip player_id='1792046' first='Griffin' last='Boda'] who was a force as a blocker and stepped up in key clutch moments as a receiver.</p>   <p>Where this Class carries a lot of weight is in the potential it has. 14 might not be the cap for Top 100 kids in this group. We have so many athletes ready to breakout in 2026. [player_tooltip player_id='1244378' first='Sonny' last='Young'] is massive and ready to step into a key role for Indian Trail. [player_tooltip player_id='1668147' first='Nehemiah' last='Steward'] could find himself as the go to guy for Sheboygan North. It will be interesting to see how football/basketball standout [player_tooltip player_id='1955155' first='Charlie' last='Kwapil'] develops and where he fits in on the Racine Case offense. We could see a lot of shake up in the WR room during our next update.</p>   <p>While the top of this position is talented, we are just scratching the surface on what it will be. 2026 is the year we see a lot of these kids establish themselves. What is already a deep Class could push its way up this list with a few more breakouts.</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">#4 Running Back</h2>   <p>This was a very tough call to make for #4 and #5. In the end, we went with the running back position as our 4th strongest position group of 2028s. The group has 31 total players ranked and 9 of them are inside our Top 100 overall players. The overall depth of the position was too much for our #5 position group to overcome.</p>   <p>Leading the way at our RB position is several established kids. [player_tooltip player_id='1627981' first='Devin' last='Nettles'] helped Arrowhead to a State Championship and should handle even more touches this season. [player_tooltip player_id='1851482' first='Ian' last='McClure'] is ready to step in for the graduating Badger that led Reedsburg to a state appearance in 2025. [player_tooltip player_id='2112359' first='Daschel' last='Stallings'] has proven to be a physical workhorse ready for 20+ carries a week. [player_tooltip player_id='2059295' first='Bryson' last='Hoeffler'] is ready to continue to shred teams with his vertical speed and burst through gaps. I can't wait to see how [player_tooltip player_id='1709852' first='Axzil' last='Eggert'] takes that next step forward.</p>   <p>There are also some exciting pieces just biding their time on their team's roster. [player_tooltip player_id='1289178' first='Camden' last='Shumpert'] is next up at Catholic Memorial and is a big play threat. [player_tooltip player_id='1865187' first='Carter' last='Rosen'] is in line to battle for the Kimberly RB1 role. [player_tooltip player_id='1853259' first='Damian' last='Bartolotta'] has the speed that the Oconomowoc backfield has leaned on over the past few years. There is a lot to like about what we could see breakout in 2026.</p>   <p>This is a very well rounded group. Where it might lack in elite, top end talent it makes up for in depth. We could see every one of these 31 ranked kids play large roles for their team in 2026. If that is the case then get ready for a very fun 2026 season.</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">#5 Defensive Line</h2>   <p>We wrap up our Strongest Position Groups of 2028 with our #5 position. The defensive line. While it might not have the depth of the other spots with 24 total ranked players it does have the talent to hang with those other positions. That talent includes 11 of the 24 players ranked inside the Top 100 overall. This position group has some of the best talent we have ever seen at the top.</p>   <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1284777' first='Hendrix' last='Dawson'] already holds multiple Power 4 offers. He is sure to be joined in that honor by guys like [player_tooltip player_id='2112349' first='Zach' last='Lavoe'] of Arrowhead and [player_tooltip player_id='1628031' first='Azindo' last='Takoro'] of Edgewood. Those two are massive, powerful, and extremely disruptive. The group also has Reedsburg two way standout [player_tooltip player_id='1618910' first='Landen' last='Knuth'] and Brookfield East DT/NG [player_tooltip player_id='1288198' first='Deandre' last='Ehlen']. Both of them should have the eyes of D1 coaches. This group also has the explosive mismatch out of Arrowhead, [player_tooltip player_id='627633' first='Jacob' last='Downing'] coming off the edge.</p>   <p>After that strong initial wave of top end talent we have several up and coming names to know. Milwaukee Marquette has a set of twins in [player_tooltip player_id='1709716' first='Zac' last='Meulemans'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1709734' first='Ty' last='Meulemans'] that will be ready to continue to make plays for their varsity defense in 2026. Look for [player_tooltip player_id='1570970' first='Yisrael' last='Washington'] to continue to his to prominence for Kenosha Bradford too.</p>   <p>This is a group headlined by some of the best collection of top tier talent we have ever seen at the DL position. Behind them we are looking for that next wave of talent to establish itself. That isn't easy to do as sophomores on varsity, so look for that to happen in 2026 as this group enters their junior season this fall.</p>

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