Grading the 2028 Offensive Position Groups

We're nearly finished with our spring <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2026/05/behind-the-scenes-of-the-2028-rankings-spring/?itm_campaign=wp-parsely&itm_medium=smart-link&itm_term=a4463f07cc22cf863bb37ca3f639d200&itm_source=smart-linking">rankings</a> coverage for the 2028 class. But before we move on to look at the 2029 class, I want to finish with one of my favorite pieces. It can be helpful to look at the class as a whole—where its strengths, weaknesses, and depth lie—to get an idea of where schools might have the best chance to focus their recruiting efforts.   It's been <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2025/06/grading-the-2028-offensive-position-groups/">nearly a year</a> since I last graded the 2028 position groups, and a lot has changed. After <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2026/05/grading-the-2028-defensive-position-groups-2/">looking at the defense</a> earlier this week, I'm grading each of the five 2028 offensive position groups for top-end talent, depth, and overall potential. Let's go.   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Grading the 2028 Offensive Position Groups</h2>   <h3 class="wp-block-heading">Quarterback: C</h3>   The Numbers: 38 ranked, three Top 50, 12 Top 150   Highest Ranked: [player_tooltip player_id='1616126' first='Kaden' last='Craft']<a href="https://prepredzone.com/player/cory-cunningham/"></a> <a href="https://prepredzone.com/player/cory-cunningham/"></a> (No. 7 overall), Lake Norman   Strongest Level: FCS/D2   With the invention of the transfer portal, we may never see a true "A" class ever again. Top teams just aren't prioritizing high school quarterback recruiting, which is pushing Power Four talent to the Group of Five level, Group of Five talent to the FCS level, and so on.   Similarly, the state of North Carolina is experienced at the quarterback position. There just aren't many young starters across the state. Just four sophomores threw for at least 175 yards per game as the primary starter last season. For comparison, 11 sophomores did that in 2024.   Still, there's plenty of potential. The top three players in the class weren't among the class's passing leaders for a variety of reasons.   Craft was efficient, but only averaged about 18 attempts per game. [player_tooltip player_id='1616122' first='Ja'Braylan' last='Patterson'], who led a run-first unit at West Iredell. [player_tooltip player_id='1604676' first='Weston' last='Michalak'] was a freshman last season, averaging over 230 yards per game for Ambassador Christian before reclassifying up (a rarity today) to the 2028 class.   There's a lot of unproven talent in the middle of the rankings. Guys like [player_tooltip player_id='1616112' first='Jonah' last='El-Amin'] (Jordan), [player_tooltip player_id='1149961' first='Braxton' last='Johnson'] (East Forsyth), and Ryan Ruzzuti (Myers Park) have all the skills, but haven't been full-time starters.   Some experienced guys with college size and arm talent could rise if they can put it all together on the mental side. I'm interested to see how [player_tooltip player_id='2198468' first='Levi' last='Kerr'] (Marvin Ridge) and [player_tooltip player_id='1132904' first='Tyler' last='Vickers'] (Topsail) develop after another full offseason.   Projecting quarterbacks, given the current transfer portal dynamics, is hard. I'd be surprised if every one of the 13 quarterbacks ranked between 75 and 175 pans out. But I'd be more surprised if none of them become quality college starters.   <h3 class="wp-block-heading">Running Back: C</h3>   The Numbers: 46 ranked, six Top 50, 16 Top 150   Highest Ranked: [player_tooltip player_id='1616304' first='Teo' last='McPhatter'] (No. 20 overall), Princeton   Strongest Level: D2   How much do you value depth? As opposed to some other positions, there aren't many elite backs in the class of 2028, but there are plenty of quality backs.   McPhatter is our highest-ranked back, an ultra-athletic guy who hasn't yet hit on the recruiting trail. That's somehwat of a theme. A couple of the other guys in the Top 50 ([player_tooltip player_id='1815393' first='Ty' last='Shoemake']- Grimsley, [player_tooltip player_id='1616134' first='Titus' last='Troy']- Cannon School) have started to pick up some recruiting momentum, but it's an underrecruited group as a whole.   In fact, this class may fail to produce a Power Four back altogether, and could only produce a couple FBS backs. But there will be plenty of quality Division II/Division III backs.   We have 11 backs ranked in a 41-slot range between 127 and 267, and a further 10 ranked between 209 and 249.   This group is ever-changing, and even since we released last week's updates, we've gotten favorable reports about the progression of guys like Newton-Conover's [player_tooltip player_id='1715220' first='Jeremiah' last='Pope'] and West Wilkes' [player_tooltip player_id='1404784' first='Andrew' last='Herman']. I'll also be interested to see what college teams think of Southern Alamance's [player_tooltip player_id='2144167' first='Sincere' last='Thompson'] and Midway's [player_tooltip player_id='1687440' first='Wesley' last='Tew'], two guys in high school offenses with the athleticism and production to find later college success.   <h3 class="wp-block-heading">Wide Receiver: B</h3>   The Numbers: 45 ranked, four Top 50, 16 Top 150   Highest Ranked: [player_tooltip player_id='651159' first='Braylon' last='Clark'] (No. 1 overall), Providence Day   Strongest Level: Group of Five/FCS   This receiver group is intriguing, to say the least. You've got Clark, a national recruit seen as a can't-miss prospect.   Behind him, you have the 6'4" [player_tooltip player_id='1636010' first='Tylan' last='Grimes'], technically sound speedster [player_tooltip player_id='1616138' first='Xavier' last='Hutchens'], and the yards after the catcher master, [player_tooltip player_id='1421082' first='RJ' last='Lynch'], in the top 35. Then, there's a bit of a gap in the rankings before you find a huge group of 12 between 60 and 125.   While all of those 12 have the talent, there's a bit of "choose your fighter" in that group, where some players have a particular skill set one team is looking for, and another fits with another college.   In that group, only [player_tooltip player_id='2145139' first='Joseph' last='Gibbs'] (Southeast Alamance) and Braylon Loftin (Fike) have really gained traction on the recruiting trail. Look for guys like [player_tooltip player_id='1657753' first='Doc' last='Caldwell'] (Lake Norman) and [player_tooltip player_id='2112027' first='Zakai' last='Milton'] (Grimsley) to be next.   <h3 class="wp-block-heading">Tight End: C</h3>   The Numbers: Five ranked, one Top 50, four Top 150   Highest Ranked: [player_tooltip player_id='1616145' first='Henry' last='Evans'] (No. 48 overall), Rolesville   Strongest Level: Group of Five/FCS   It's not surprising to see a thin tight end class. Last year, when we looked at the <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2025/06/grading-the-2027-offensive-position-groups/">2027 class at this point</a>, we had only nine ranked tight ends in what has become a fairly strong class.   I like this tight end class, if thin.   Evans has continually improved and has put himself in a position to be popular on the recruiting trail this summer. Behind him are some quality tight ends.   [player_tooltip player_id='1665296' first='Brayden' last='Crain'] is making the move to Christ School this year. The 6'5" dual-threat is a strong blocker who caught four touchdowns on eight total catches last season. [player_tooltip player_id='1815391' first='Shane' last='Lucas-Walker'] already has some recruiting momentum at the Group of Five level after catching 15 passes in seven games for Northwest Cabarrus.   [player_tooltip player_id='1969811' first='Leighton' last='Lascallette'] has been the most productive on the field, with 25 catches for over 500 yards last year. We saw Conley's [player_tooltip player_id='2169854' first='Harris' last='Jones'] at the Carolinas Coaches' Combine, where he took home an overall camp <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2026/04/ccc-clayton-recap-award-winners/">MVP award</a>.   <h3 class="wp-block-heading">Offensive Line: A</h3>   The Numbers: 45 ranked, eight Top 50, 19 Top 150   Highest Ranked: [player_tooltip player_id='548207' first='Grayson' last='Williams'] (No. 3 overall), Southeast Raleigh   Strongest Level: Power Four   In a strong defensive class, it's the offensive line pulling a lot of the weight for the offense.   The position has some momentum, too, with <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2026/05/2028-ol-stock-risers/">six stock-risers</a> in this update, while Williams and Mallard Creek's [player_tooltip player_id='1600577' first='Austin' last='Ballou'] held steady in the top 10.   Shelby's [player_tooltip player_id='1687745' first='Tee' last='Hollifield'] and South Mecklenburg's [player_tooltip player_id='1617272' first='Brendan' last='Hall'] moved into the Power Four range in this update. At the same time, we continue to be astronomically high on South Point's [player_tooltip player_id='1815332' first='Landon' last='Suttle'], who continues to impress every time we see him.   That's not to mention Palisades' [player_tooltip player_id='1246669' first='Ephraim' last='Holmes'] and Grimsley's [player_tooltip player_id='1046314' first='London' last='Delk'], who both continue to quietly dominate and slide under the radar. I like a few sleepers, as well, with Dudley's [player_tooltip player_id='2168236' first='Kameron' last='Abrams'] and SouthLake Christian's [player_tooltip player_id='2112026' first='Crawford' last='Williams'] already <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2026/05/future-2028-stock-risers-spring-update/">trending toward major jumps</a> in the summer rankings update.   Next week, we start our look at the 2029 class. Make sure to DM me on Twitter/X (<a href="https://x.com/whelms21">@whelms21</a>) with your film, measurements, and times so we don't miss you. Want to share Prep Redzone with a friend? Promo code Helms30 will get them 30% off their first billing cycle for any subscription.

We're nearly finished with our spring rankings coverage for the 2028 class. But before we move on to look at the 2029 class, I want to finish with one of my favorite pieces. It can be helpful to look at the class as a whole—where its strengths, weaknesses, and depth lie—to get an idea of where schools might have the best chance to focus their recruiting efforts.