2028 Rankings Update Top 100 Stock Risers

Get 30% Off Your Subscription with Code PRZWV30 at Checkout!   As with every rankings update, some of the biggest stories come from the players who made the largest jumps. Whether it was strong sophomore film, offseason development, camp performances, or increased recruiting attention, these prospects did enough to separate themselves from the pack and climb the board. Rankings movement is earned, and the players featured here took advantage of the opportunities in front of them to boost their stock heading into their junior seasons. Here are the prospects who saw the biggest rise in the Top 100 in the latest 2028 rankings update.    2028 Capital WR Jordan Whitehead is a player we are betting on heading into the fall. Whitehead flashed plenty of potential as a sophomore and showed enough signs to believe a much bigger season could be coming. He is a dynamic athlete and can develop into a top playmaker in the class. Those traits helped him climb to the #5 WR spot in the 2028 rankings in this update. The upside is there for Whitehead to emerge as one of the top offensive weapons in the class if he takes the next step in his development this season. With a year of experience behind him and a larger role expected in the Capital offense, we believe he is one of the more intriguing breakout candidates in the state entering his junior campaign.     Specialists do not always get the same attention as other positions in the rankings, but 2028 Chapmanville K Ashton McClanahan has continued to make a strong case for himself. McClanahan remains the #2 K in the class and earns a bump in the overall rankings after a solid sophomore season with the Tigers and on the camp circuit. He is already one of the better specialists in West Virginia and still has plenty of room to grow as he gains experience and continues to develop. McClanahan is a player we expect to take another step forward and put together a breakout junior campaign.     2028 Shady Spring WR Gage Spears has steadily built momentum over the past several months, and this rankings update reflects that. Spears continues to turn in strong camp performances, including multiple times at PRZ camps. That body of work earns him another bump in the rankings, moving him into the Top 10 receivers in the state. Spears also recently picked up his first offer from Concord, with plenty more coming over the next two years. Expect to see his name pop up more among the top receivers in the state the next two seasons.     2028 Pendleton County WR Travis Owens may still be flying under the radar, but his production says he deserves far more attention. Playing at the Class A level can sometimes make it harder for prospects to gain statewide recognition, yet Owens put together one of the most productive 2025 seasons of any returning receiver in West Virginia, with 70 receptions for more than 1,300 yards and 18 touchdowns. Owens enters his junior season with a chance to again rank among the state's receiving leaders, and it would not be surprising if his stock continues to rise as a result. His ceiling remains higher than where he currently sits in the rankings, making him one of the more likely candidates to climb even further in future updates.     2028 Independence OL Peyton Wade is one of the bigger movers among offensive linemen in this update, climbing 11 spots and sits in the Top 15 at the position. Wade has continued to trend in the right direction over the past couple of years, showing steady improvement as he develops both physically and technically. The move to Independence should only help that process, as the Patriots have built a reputation for developing quality linemen. Wade still has room to grow, but the progress has been noticeable, and there is a lot to like about the direction his game is heading. With another offseason of development, we expect Wade to take another step forward and put together a strong junior campaign this fall.     2028 Braxton County RB Logan Payne continues to raise his stock as he develops into one of the more intriguing backs in the class. Payne earned Top Performer recognition at our Exposure Series and turned that performance into an offer from WV Wesleyan, giving him an early boost on the recruiting trail. Beyond the offer, what stands out is how much physical development he has made over the last two years. With a big junior campaign looming, we believe there is still plenty of room for his stock to climb as more people take notice of the progress he has made.     2028 Woodrow Wilson OL Ben Fitzwater has taken some positive steps since our last evaluation, and the recent offer from Concord reflects that progress. One of the biggest areas we wanted to see growth in was in how Fitzwater moved on the field, and his sophomore film showed noticeable improvement in that department. He looks more comfortable getting out of his stance, covering ground, and handling situations that require him to operate in space. Fitzwater has always had flashes, but seeing those improvements start to show up on film is encouraging. His trajectory is pointing in the right direction, and if he continues building on the progress he made as a sophomore, it would not be surprising to see his stock continue rising over the next year.

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