3 Things To Know About the 2030 Class

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We published our., 2030 rankings on Monday, with 62 ranked players, and plenty more on the watchlist. While it's wildly early in the process, we already know a lot about how this class is shaping up. Nothing is set in stone, but there are already some notable themes developing with the class of 2030.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>*Not a subscriber? Get 30% off any subscription with promo code Helms30*</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">3 Notable Themes in the 2030 Class</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":3} --> <h3 class="wp-block-heading">Can I interest you in an edge rusher?</h3> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I won't bury the lede. We've never had a class with four out of the top 6 players playing the same position. We came close with our <a href="https://prepredzone.com/north-carolina/rankings/2028-rankings/">2028 linebackers</a> (at one point, we had four in the top 10), but never to the extent of this edge rusher class.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2232642' first='Noah' last='Powell']</strong> (Southeast Raleigh), <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2263926' first='Major' last='Howell']</strong> (Leesville Road), <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1612272' first='Jace' last='Connelly']</strong> (Kings Mountain), and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1705246' first='Collin' last='Jeffries']</strong> (Corvian Community) have combined for 17.5 sacks while getting snaps on strong teams. All four already have Power Four interest, and seeing the early production match the potential is actually fairly rare. Believe it or not, we don't normally see the players with early recruiting interest <em>also</em> dominate on Friday nights. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Don't miss some of the other guys, though. We have West Charlotte's <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2211795' first='Shiloh' last='Rhodes']</strong> ranked as a tight end, but he's had an excellent freshman season as an edge rusher (and we're open to changing his position on the back end). I also have my eyes on <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2344542' first='Triston' last='Harrison']</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2248504' first='Lakota' last='Brooks']</strong>, both of whom have flashed early.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We actually ran into a common problem with Brooks. We had his height and weight from middle school still listed. On film, he <em>looked</em> bigger, but we couldn't put a player at his former listed size far into the rankings. Once we confirmed that he's a full three inches taller and already pushing 225 pounds, it was an easy decision to make him a Top 25 player in the class.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":3} --> <h3 class="wp-block-heading">Early quarterback production</h3> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Projecting young quarterbacks is an art, and one of the more difficult parts of scouting. There's so much early attention on passers that <em>not</em> ranking one highly can often mean flying in the face of national watchlists and one or two of the approximately 487 random money-grab bowl games that pick "All-American" middle schoolers.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>But it sure does make things easier when a few of those guys step in as freshman starters and deliver. Our top four quarterbacks are the four leading passers in the freshman class in North Carolina, with <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1605503' first='Jordan' last='Jenkins']</strong> (Kings Mountain), <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1894011' first='Noah' last='Dailey']</strong> (Ardrey Kell), <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2340755' first='Daniel' last='Evans']</strong> (Northern Guilford), and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2325766' first='Caiden' last='Thompson']</strong> (Jack Britt) all putting up over 1,300 yards with fewer than eight interceptions this season. Plus, three of the four are already over the 6-foot mark, answering any lingering questions about size.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>That's not a guarantee that any of those four pan out as recruits, but it certainly makes evaluations easier when there are guys playing positive, controlled football, in addition to the high-level flashes we expect to see from top young players.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>And don't forget about a few of our guys who haven't played a ton. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1660512' first='Meyer' last='Passino']</strong> (Hickory Ridge) and <strong>Jayden del Rosario</strong> (Millbrook) have been excellent in varsity mop-up duty, while Providence's <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1590808' first='Pierce' last='Giles']</strong> is doing everything he needs to do as the junior varsity starter.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":3} --> <h3 class="wp-block-heading">Teams with multiple ranked freshmen</h3> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I like to look at teams with multiple freshmen contributors. Not only does it show which staffs are willing to play young guys, but it also gives an early indicator about which teams might be future contenders.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Southeast Raleigh:</em> In addition to our top-ranked 2030 in Powell, the Bulldogs also have highly-ranked defensive back <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2232648' first='Carter' last='Jaime']</strong>, another potential national recruit.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Kings Mountain:</em> The Mountaineers are destined for future high-level success. Between Jenkins at quarterback, Connelly off the edge, and explosive receiver <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1843780' first='Tony' last='Boyd Jr'].</strong>, the Mountaineers have three stars at key positions.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>A.C. Reynolds:</em> The Rockets have three explosive playmakers in <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2339932' first='Juelz' last='Harper']</strong>, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2464223' first='Jeremiah' last='Wise']</strong>, and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2371187' first='Trae' last='Brown']</strong>. Harper and Wise are first and third on the team in rushing while Brown leads the team in receiving.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>South Garner:</em> The Titans have three ranked freshmen: Running back <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2325722' first='Ayan' last='Briggs']</strong>, lineman <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2325690' first='Amorie' last='Dabo']</strong>, and kicker <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2381388' first='Felix' last='Kihosa']</strong>. Kihosa and Briggs have huge roles while we've scouted Dabo in practice and think he could break out next year.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>RJ Reynolds:</em> The Demons put defensive back <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1697825' first='Cassidy' last='Cockerham']</strong> and running back <strong>Sincere Roseboro</strong> on the list. Roseboro leads the team in tackles while Cockerham has popped in limited varsity action.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>T.W. Andrews:</em> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2462550' first='Michael' last='Snipes']</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1697370' first='RJ' last='Hawkins']</strong> are huge contributors for Andrews, each one of the top players on his respective side of the ball. Hawkins already has Power Four interest.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Charlotte Christian</em>: Charlotte Christian's 2030 class has a bit of a reputation. As middle schoolers they were really, <em>really</em> good as a team. So far in 2026, the Knights have three freshmen receivers with ample playing time: <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2400658' first='Christian' last='Patrick']</strong>, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2371575' first='Aidan' last='Dallas']</strong>, and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2325917' first='Cruz' last='Cochran']</strong>.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Westover:</em> Westover is a young team playing plenty of freshmen and sophomores. The best in the 2030 class are <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2333831' first='Zion' last='Williams']</strong>, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2340503' first='Jrue' last='Glenn']</strong>, and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2325760' first='Jarrod' last='Smith']</strong>, all of whom are among the team's leading receivers.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Hickory Ridge:</em> The Bulls are another team with an impressive QB-WR duo. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2155184' first='Elijah' last='Douglas']</strong> is explosive and has nearly 500 yards while <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1660512' first='Meyer' last='Passino']</strong> looks like the quarterback-in-waiting.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Southern Alamance:</em> Unlike a lot of other schools, Southern Alamance's key freshmen aren't at the skill positions. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2344542' first='Triston' last='Harrison']</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2347834' first='Caden' last='Brooks']</strong> play on the lines, while <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2387073' first='Ian' last='Burgess']</strong> looks like a top defensive back.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>North Mecklenburg:</em> The Vikings have two key freshmen. Quarterback <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2152133' first='Ashton' last='Jones']</strong> has been on our radar for a while. He hasn't played a ton, but he has six touchdowns and no picks. Defensive back <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2464431' first='Kaden' last='June']</strong> is second on the team in tackles.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em><em>There's plenty to come from Matt Morrow, Zane Rowland, and me on the 2030 rankings over the next week. Stay locked in with Prep Redzone for more insights, evaluations, and rankings updates. Want to get in front of our Prep Redzone scouts? Sign up for our <a href="https://events.prepredzone.com/e/2586/register/stock-up-showcase-carolinas">Stock Up Showcase</a>. Use code <strong>SUHelms25OFF</strong> for 25% off registration</em>.</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->