Woodward, Ezeiruaku Lead Their Team’s Defense: ’28 Ranking Update

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>After much anticipation, tedious note taking, scrupulous attention to detail on a spreadsheet with massive amount of datasets on it, and hours of film watched, the time has come to release Prep Redzone's player rankings update for the class of 2028. Here are a few quick hitters to keep in mind:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>With over 330 players ranked, this is the single, deepest player ranking for football prospects in the class of 2028 for the state of New Jersey by any media outlet.</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Prep Redzone continues to be the industry's leader in terms of state-by-state depth when it comes to player rankings. Nobody has deeper rankings.</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Prep Redzone New Jersey,&nbsp;<em>specifically,</em>&nbsp;is the unabashed leader in transparency, as we share our raw, unedited, and unfiltered ranking evaluation notes.</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Please be aware that due to the volume of work required for this, there will be typos throughout the notes.</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Be sure to follow me on&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/BrendanScoutsNJ">Twitter</a>&nbsp;for the latest New Jersey high school football prospect news and not miss a beat!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:separator --> <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity" /> <!-- /wp:separator --> <!-- wp:table --> <figure class="wp-block-table"><table class="has-fixed-layout"><tbody><tr><td>[player_tooltip player_id='2044418' first='Adam' last='Sepe'] 6'0" 195 QB Caldwell</td><td>Does not need 11 minutes of highlight tape; steps up int he pocket, throws ball about 55 yards up field; ran option, makes correct read and runs inside out; seemes to be a one-read and throw player; very food at fade balls, first 5 throws were all vers or fades; leads receivers well so they can get YAC, but also places ball on their catch radius/plays off of defenders; need to see more of a variety of throws on his tape, snap it, catch it, rip it; has shown moxie and ability to create when things get hairy</td></tr><tr><td>[player_tooltip player_id='432446' first='Adrian' last='Woodward'] 6'0" 160 DB Bergen Catholic</td><td>Safety, can backpdal fast without being low; breaks on ball, can go from far has to opposite boundary to intercept passes; trusts his leaping ability to tip/pressure passes when QB scrambles; often a single high safety; throws his shoulder on the ground when tackling, not a wrapper when coming down hill; understands film study, will get down hill on a bubble and abort his assignment, wraps when he has a unning start; want to see more coverage plays and more clips of form tackling to warrant a higher ranking; hve not seen hips shift; trips people when tackling</td></tr><tr><td>[player_tooltip player_id='923007' first='Ahmaad-Hassan' last='Ellis-Mcclain'] 5'7" 145 DB Shabazz</td><td>Slot receiver, a bit slow out of the slot; cuts are not hard enough to make someone's hips turn; slows down slow mo on tape - no good; runs with ball way away from his body; used a lot in bubbles; gets a solid 5 yards a pop; corner, stop and ngo not sudden; a fringe jv/varsity player at this point</td></tr><tr><td>[player_tooltip player_id='1679421' first='Aiden' last='Ezeiruaku'] 6'2" 195 DL Glassboro</td><td>Surfs well, explosive out of it when it is time to get down hill; quick get off allows him to split gaps; explodes and takes it to defenders; loads up to attack and swipe at the ball when pin oursuit; husler, backside edge made a tackle near opposite plyon to save a TD; 3rd and 4th step are faster than his first two; gets off the snap high, must have and play with lower pad level; want to see him get hips around when pass rushing; right now more of a run stuffer than a pass rusher; worried he is too small to play EDGE in college if he achieves his true upside</td></tr><tr><td>[player_tooltip player_id='1574209' first='Alex' last='Finkelstein'] 5'11" 170 DB/RB The Pingry School</td><td>hips flip more like a safety, more with power and torque than smooth and fluid; cross over runs well; ; played reciever, tracks ball deep effectively; wild cat back, looks to get to outside immediately; solid HS prospect</td></tr><tr><td>[player_tooltip player_id='2175337' first='Amari' last='Roots'] 5'9" 155 RB/LB Dwight Morrow</td><td>Stays in good, trail position in high red zone; gets hands on offensive linemen, needs to be more aggressive into them and physical to shed blocks; holds on and extends/reaches when tackling, doe snot use shuoulder; wraps legs when tackling; tailback, hard runner but easy to take down</td></tr><tr><td>[player_tooltip player_id='2169599' first='Amir' last='Culbertson'] 6'0" 180 ATH/DB Timber Creek</td><td>Edge,gets hands on but does not forcefull ybump or redirect; can time snap well and scrape, want to see him bend corner harder; able to lay a bit hit; disruptive, gets his hands on the ball often; a punt returner, does not see ball well and plays it over his head; has some speed and vision in the open fielld; WR; hard body fakes on pivot routes, not clean necessarily, but hard; snaps hips down; uses hands to catch; can high point and moss a defendernot sure what he will play in college, solid ball player</td></tr><tr><td>[player_tooltip player_id='1872807' first='Andre' last='Bowe'] 6'0" 175 WR/DB Timber Creek</td><td>Slot receiver, runs hard; breaks are a bit dramaticized, want to see him get out of them a bit quicker, sinks his hips when doing so however; sort of drifts back toward LOS on out routes when he doesnt necessarily need to; over the middle want to see him attack, return to the ball;</td></tr><tr><td>[player_tooltip player_id='2217992' first='Andrew' last='Pinnock'] 5'11" 250 DL/OL Millville</td><td>Hard to drive off the ball when doubled; too strong and quick off the ball to scoop backside; extends and works people backwards; works half man well; fundmanetally sound defensive lineman</td></tr><tr><td>[player_tooltip player_id='1906134' first='Angel' last='Balan'] 5'9" 160 DB/WR Cliffside Park</td><td>Corner who plays 10 yards off, will tackle low; receiver who can leap for ball and extned with his momentum taking him backwards; attacks through thigh boards when given a running start; gives up force leverage at moments; extends and competes for ball when defending; type of player I think you can coach up and work with; effort blocker for his teammates; need to see him get more twitchy if he wants to play at next level; fundamentally sound and seems smart on field</td></tr><tr><td>[player_tooltip player_id='1648989' first='Anthony' last='Costello'] 5'11" 154 WR/DB North Plainfield</td><td>Does not need 8 minutes of highlights; returner, slow plays to set up blockers; a bit slight of a player, skinny legs; turns his speed up when he sees a seam, only has one speed though; sets a solid edge on kickoff coverage, squeezes and condences well; corner, catch technique, must complete for the ball because he is often trailing, attacks it;</td></tr><tr><td>[player_tooltip player_id='1172700' first='Austin' last='Vandenbos'] 6'0" 175 ATH Central Regional</td><td>First clip is of him on JV KOR; QB, flushes pocket when nothing is there, won't force it; puts ball on receiver's not best leverage; played some goal line WR; slant not sharp, uses hands to catch ball; a big body; might be a tweener positionally; pop pass does not set feet just throws it; at his best moving around</td></tr></tbody></table></figure> <!-- /wp:table --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Rankings Update: New Jersey Class of 2028 Coverage</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><a href="https://prepredzone.com/2026/08/2028-rankings-key-takeaways-hot-takes-from-todays-update">Key Takeaways + Hot Takes</a><br><a href="https://prepredzone.com/2026/08/woodward-ezeiruaku-lead-their-teams-defense-28-ranking-update">Woodward, Ezeiruaku Lead Their Team's Defense</a></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->