2028 EDGE Rushers Primed for Mayhem

There's an excellent line from “Ted Lasso” where he's asked to explain his interpretation of the offside penalty in soccer. We're a family site, so we'll simply paraphrase the example as saying “You know it when you see it.”   Well, we've applied the same thought process to our rankings.   For the first time ever, we're introducing the EDGE position for the Class of 2028 and subsequent classes. It was a choice we made after years of conversations on what it truly means to be an EDGE rusher, what doesn't qualify and how we will choose to classify both those who do and those who don't.   The impact of the change means we'll have a new position group included in our rankings each cycle, of course. But it further illustrates another evolution of the site as a whole.   The defensive lineman distinction will now include defensive tackles, defensive ends who are mostly appearing in 3-4 schemes and hybrids.   The linebacker distinction will cover middle linebackers and outside backers who tend to stay off the line.   Lastly, the EDGE distinction will include those players who are constantly rushing the passer or working their way into the backfield and are starting at or near the line with the intent of completing the first tasks.   Naturally, at the college level, there tends to be some physical traits tied to who is deemed an EDGE - taller and longer athletes. We won't always apply that qualification. As you'll see below, most of ours are 6-foot-2 or taller.   We do have a handful who haven't hit that mark on the height charts yet. What they have done is proven themselves as effective players at the position, often over the course of their first two seasons of high school football.   After all, we know it when we see it.     TOP OF THE CHARTS   [player_tooltip player_id='1467819' first='Brandon' last='Poston'] Aiken (pictured)   Poston is running up on two years of being ranked in our system. You read that just fine. We included him in our initial Class of 2028 charts mere weeks after he started high school. That first week of the 2024 season, he started off his career with a 13-tackle, four-tackle for loss game and he hasn't really let off the gas since. What's more impressive is that he's doing it with more size and knowledge of the game. To think, he's got almost two more years remaining of terrorizing backfields.    [player_tooltip player_id='1823864' first='Jace' last='Coleman'] Lugoff-Elgin   Coleman is on the smaller size of the players at the position we have ranked in the junior class. But he more than makes up for his 6-foot, 195-pound frame with freak strength and quickness. If he was bigger, he'd be on every college board in the southeast. News flash: He's on a bunch of them anyway. Coleman's productivity is second to none, either. In his first 17 varsity games (five as a freshman, 11 as a sophomore and his season opener this fall), he put up 144 tackles, 36 tackles for loss, 12 sacks and two forced fumbles.    [player_tooltip player_id='1615105' first='Kermit' last='Davis'] Stratford    One of our favorite parts of being in Davis' orbit is seeing people react to meeting him for the first time. Davis already looks like a college athlete, and he has for some time. While he's missed some time, his ability to absorb so much of the focus from opposing coordinators is next level, too. Davis is often not only fighting through offensive tackles, but H-Backs and tailbacks, too. Quite a bit of his impact never reflects in his own numbers, but those of his defensive teammates who are often left in one-on-one situations.   [player_tooltip player_id='403133' first='Christian' last='Webb-Scott'] Westside   Before Webb-Scott even got to South Carolina, he'd turned heads at his old school outside Atlanta. He was sitting behind some previous top-level talent but forced his way onto the field for a Peach State powerhouse just the same. So when he got to Westside, he was a known commodity in the recruiting world. Anyone on the Rams' schedule knows that, too. As such, he's double teamed, chipped and schemed away from constantly. When teams do decide to test him, it's usually a one off occurrence. Webb-Scott is a fluid athlete. Need proof? Watch him on the basketball court.     FILM REVIEW    [player_tooltip player_id='2058589' first='Jaylen' last='Bacote'] Dillon    Bacote is one of the biggest question marks we had in our discussions in that he has been (and probably still will be, thanks to an updated scheme) moved inside when the Wildcats have a bigger issue with interior defense. He's also the team's starting left tackle on offense and will be crucial there. But in evaluating what he's done to this point, we kept going back to how Dillon used him last year against some dynamic rushing attacks. Against Hartsville, he swapped over to more of a defensive tackle look and stood tall in the thick of it. Now imagine him against a singular blocker on the outside and you can see why he's moved into our rankings at the new denomination. There's no telling if he'll stay there, but we love his potential when he's lined up outside.    PRIMED TO RISE … AND DOMINATE?   [player_tooltip player_id='1816841' first='Easton' last='Catto'] Dorman    When we verified Catto in April, he was fractionally shy of 6-foot-5 and 230 pounds, had a 78-inch wing span and ran a sub-5.0 40. He saw the field plenty as a sophomore, but he was also sitting behind a ton of senior talent that was on its way out. Now, he's part of a core of a defensive unit with all sorts of talent and the diversity to move around. Catto fits that label well. He can put both hands in the dirt or stand up and make throws nearly impossible. His junior year could be a massive springboard for the rest of his football career.   [player_tooltip player_id='1615102' first='Jay'Sean' last='Culp'] Rock Hill    Culp is one of the hottest names in recruiting boards the last six months. His transfer from Lewisville didn't hurt his exposure levels. But what's got colleges drooling is how much he's continued to show that moving up from Class A isn't fazing him. He started off his Bearcat career with an impressive showing in the season-opening win at Irmo, often outmaneuvering some heady talent on the other side of the line.   [player_tooltip player_id='1763272' first='Michael' last='Poole'] May River    Poole isn't responsible for a coaching change in the offseason. But you can't blame the first-year staff for being so excited for what having him in a Sharks uniform could mean. Poole was a Prep RedZone South Carolina Preseason All-State Team honoree because we know how good he is, too. He's not always lining up in the same spot game to game or even snap to snap. He's got some positional options that allowed him to rack up 113 tackles last fall as a sophomore. We've got no reason to think he can't hit triple digits again this year and again as a senior.    [player_tooltip player_id='1869917' first='Josh' last='Winbush'] Clinton   As a sophomore at Ware Shoals, Winbush not only put up numbers that don't seem plausible (43 tackles for loss, hello!). He also contributed to one of the best seasons in Hornets history. He made the move to Clinton in the offseason, and one of the first things the Devils did was decide to play him to his strengths. His competition level is going to take a massive leap up this year. We don't expect him to keep his same productivity, but the word on him is out and for good reason.   [player_tooltip player_id='2177616' first='Aiden' last='Blue'] Lake View    Blue is a bit of a Class A cheat code. At 6-foot-3, he's often lining up three-four yards outside the offensive tackle. The goal of his alignment is two fold. First, it allows him to patrol the edge for quick outside passes. Second, it forces offenses to all but abandon any chance of running to the edge on his side and instead go up the gut. That's not exactly a win, either. When teams go that route, Blue's first two steps turn him into a heat-seeking missile who is essentially blind siding tailbacks.

There's an excellent line from “Ted Lasso” where he's asked to explain his interpretation of the offside penalty in soccer. We're a family site, so we'll simply paraphrase the example as saying “You know it when you see it.”

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2028 EDGE Rushers Primed for Mayhem

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