Behind the Scenes of the 2028 Rankings: Spring

Happy Rankings Week from us here at Prep Redzone! We've got a loaded week and a half of coverage on a fun 2028 class, but as always, I wanted to start by taking readers behind the scenes of our spring rankings update. Here are some things you may not know about the 2028 class.   *Use Promo Code Helms30 to get 30% off your first billing cycle*   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Spring Rankings Update: 2028 Class</h2>   I always like to start these by explaining the purpose behind each particular update. The spring update seems to be the most confusing for fans, but it's actually pretty simple.   Usually, the late spring update is our biggest of the year, even though no games have been played since we last updated rankings.   There are several reasons for that. For one, we're just trying to survive during the Winter update. There are over 300 schools in North Carolina, so naturally, we miss plenty of talented players who broke out in the fall.   We spend the spring both playing catch-up and discovering new players via in-depth written series. For example, we added nearly 30 players to the 2028 rankings while watching film for our Deep Dives series.   Guys like Dudley IDL [player_tooltip player_id='2172185' first='NaShon' last='Overby'] and South Johnston athlete [player_tooltip player_id='2147418' first='Cayden' last='Odle'] made their way well into the rankings because of strong film, rather than elite numbers that pop up on leaderboards.   A lot of the movement came from strong camp performances. We have guys like [player_tooltip player_id='1815332' first='Landon' last='Suttle'] (South Point) and [player_tooltip player_id='2213283' first='Daniel' last='Carter'] (Harding) ranked well above where their current recruiting interest is coming from. Both of them had great performances: Suttle at our <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2026/05/prep-redzone-all-camp-team-offense/">Prep Redzone Exposure Camp</a> and Carter at the <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2026/05/mvp-players-cfi-carolinas-mega-showcase/">CFI Showcase</a>. Add West Stokes receiver [player_tooltip player_id='2112028' first='Jay' last='Taylor'] to that list, as he's been on a tear this offseason.   Finally, college coaches have been busy. While we cover the whole state, we sometimes miss things. Offers and interest from college coaches help us create a more complete picture. When a guy we didn't expect to blow up starts racking up offers, we go back to the tape. Sometimes there's something there we've missed, or sometimes we realize that a player has grown or gotten faster.   That's the case with E.E. Smith edge rusher [player_tooltip player_id='1709614' first='Cassell' last='Cruickshank']. A physical beast, he's raw, but he's performed well on the camp circuit and has blown up this offseason, earning offers from seemingly half of the country's top teams. We talked to some coaches, looked at the film, and we agree. His college upside is elite, even if his junior year production was modest.   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">The Numbers</h2>   Let's dive into some numbers around this rankings update. I've started tracking stats for our rankings, giving some insight into the update. Take a look at some of the key numbers in this update:   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/whelms21/status/2057521371475828768?s=20 </div></figure>   I always enjoy listing several accolades and the players who told the story of this update.   If you have other questions or want me to break down some of the numbers further, just reach out on Twitter (<a href="https://x.com/whelms21">@whelms21</a>).   <h3 class="wp-block-heading">Unranked to Top 150</h3>   We want to give special recognition to the players who moved into the top half of the rankings. Here's every unranked player who entered the Top 150.   [player_tooltip player_id='991736' first='Asaiah' last='Brown'] | Rolesville*   [player_tooltip player_id='1604676' first='Weston' last='Michalak'] | Mooresville**   [player_tooltip player_id='1311681' first='Linkin' last='Stevens'] | Christ School**   [player_tooltip player_id='1048431' first='Kaydan' last='Whiteside'] | Asheville   [player_tooltip player_id='2213283' first='Daniel' last='Carter'] | Harding   [player_tooltip player_id='2185039' first='Cayman' last='Hayes'] | Watauga   [player_tooltip player_id='2211520' first='Noah' last='Wright'] | Independence   [player_tooltip player_id='2145139' first='Joseph' last='Gibbs'] | Southeast Alamance   [player_tooltip player_id='2060117' first='Isaiah' last='Johnson'] | Mallard Creek   [player_tooltip player_id='2156958' first='Tayshaun' last='Whiteside'] | East Rutherford   *Out-of-state transfer   **Reclassification   <h3 class="wp-block-heading">Biggest Movers</h3>   We had 48 stock-risers, and we'll re-evaluate every player who moved up, but I'm giving special recognition to the 12 players who moved at least 25 spots:   [player_tooltip player_id='1709614' first='Cassell' last='Cruickshank'] | E.E. Smith   [player_tooltip player_id='1942149' first='Ja'quez' last='Johnson'] | Southern Durham   [player_tooltip player_id='2112036' first='Guy' last='Vann'] | Grimsley   [player_tooltip player_id='1970938' first='Tucker' last='McWhirter'] | South Point   [player_tooltip player_id='1283411' first='Elias' last='Price'] | Mallard Creek   [player_tooltip player_id='2111037' first='Dallas' last='Richardson'] | St. Pauls   [player_tooltip player_id='2112028' first='Jay' last='Taylor'] | West Stokes   [player_tooltip player_id='1815488' first='Kaiden' last='Womack'] | Hough   [player_tooltip player_id='2164529' first='Charlie' last='Jones'] | Lake Norman   [player_tooltip player_id='2112656' first='Karod' last='Harris'] | Roberson   [player_tooltip player_id='1952814' first='Alex' last='Parrish'] | Southeast Alamance   [player_tooltip player_id='1883038' first='Lamar' last='Daniels'] | Holly Springs   [player_tooltip player_id='2113124' first='Duke' last='Dow'] | Jay M. Robinson   [player_tooltip player_id='1617272' first='Brendan' last='Hall'] | South Mecklenburg   [player_tooltip player_id='1969811' first='Leighton' last='Lascallette'] | Riverside   <h3 class="wp-block-heading">Biggest Watchlist-to-Ranked Jumps</h3>   I end all of these with watchlist-to-ranked. I love these because everybody wins. We put guys on the watchlist primarily if we know of them, but haven't seen much varsity film. These are all players with potential but little production. When the production comes, we can slide them into the rankings. When they impress, they move far into the rankings. Here are the five highest-ranked players who moved from the watchlist this update:   [player_tooltip player_id='1616131' first='Andrew' last='Lane'] | Concord   [player_tooltip player_id='1815500' first='Jaden' last='Lewis'] | East Bladen   [player_tooltip player_id='1709621' first='JaSiaha' last='Nance'] | Seventy-First   [player_tooltip player_id='1718079' first='Henry' last='Hamilton'] | North Raleigh Christian   [player_tooltip player_id='1616118' first='Hamilton' last='Stallings'] | Providence   [player_tooltip player_id='1780771' first='Mason' last='Kellam'] | Wake Forest   There's plenty to come from Matt Morrow, Joshua Graham, and me on the 2028 rankings over the next week. Stay locked in with Prep Redzone for more insights, evaluations, and rankings updates. Want to share Prep Redzone with a friend? Promo code Helms30 will get them 30% off their first billing cycle for any subscription.

Happy Rankings Week from us here at Prep Redzone! We've got a loaded week and a half of coverage on a fun 2028 class, but as always, I wanted to start by taking readers behind the scenes of our spring rankings update. Here are some things you may not know about the 2028 class.