Freshman Report: 2024 V. 1

We have a policy at Prep Redzone North Carolina where we don't ranked players without varsity film except in truly unique situations. Accordingly, you won't find a 2028 rankings or even watch list until after the season ends. But that doesn't mean we won't write about players in the class. Here, we look at a few class of 2028 players who are impressing early in our first freshman report of the year.   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Nine Freshmen to Watch</h2>    There's a glitch on Coulter's MaxPreps page that is showing his statistics as if he were a quarterback. While I'm sure he'd make a fine dual-threat passer, disregard those and don't let them distract you from his success as a receiver this season. Coulter is extremely quick and already has a feel for finding open space against zone coverage. He's not bad when matched up in man either.     Northside-Jacksonville hadn't won more than two games since 2019, but the Monarchs are 2-0 thanks to some stellar play from freshman quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='1421029' first='Kaleb' last='Robinson']. Robinson had four touchdowns and 226 yards against reigning state runner-up Clinton and though he took his lumps last week with a few picks, he battled back to lead NJHS to a 21-14 win over Swansboro.     Arthur <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2024/08/week-1-high-school-breakouts/">broke out</a> in his first game with South Rowan, finishing with nearly 150 rushing yards, and wearing down the opposition as the game rolled on. He's quick to the hole and loves to get downhill. He's shown some good contact balance already and we think he'll continue to get better as he grows.     Ziglar is showing himself to be one of the best young big-play threats in the state. He had over 100 yards on just five carries in his high school debut against Middle Creek, then had the game-winning kick return a week later against Apex. Fuquay-Varina seems content to ease him in, but his upside is tantalizing after just two games.     Bryant looks like an elite talent already. In Week 1, he was the best player on offense for either team, racking up over 76 yards and a touchdown on just 13 touches. The next week, he was everywhere on defense, with seven tackles including three for loss. I've heard a lot about him, but haven't gotten to see much film, so I'm looking forward to the opportunity to do a full evaluation on the freshman.     If we had to put out freshman rankings today, Clark would hold the top spot as he's been electric already through three games. He's been Country Day's top target and has already attracted some recruiting attention from major schools. He has the size and speed to be a true No. 1 receiver, even as a freshman.     Lynch has been succeeeding at multiple positions, even though Lincolnton has had some difficult matchups to start the year. He has 117 total yards on offense as a slot receiver and back and has an interception defensively as a corner. We'd love to see some more film, but the brief glimpses we've seen are encouraging.     Alexander is already making an impact, especially on the defensive side of the ball for NRCA. He's had four tackles for loss and a sack through the first few games. He's another guy we'd love to see more on film, because the stats indicate he could be a great young pass-rusher.     Young leads the class of 2028 in tackles so far this season as he's helped lead Franklin to a 2-0 start. He's racked up 17 solo tackles including two for loss and he's picked off a pass as well. We're excited to see more of him in the future.

We have a policy at Prep Redzone North Carolina where we don't ranked players without varsity film except in truly unique situations. Accordingly, you won't find a 2028 rankings or even watch list until after the season ends. But that doesn't mean we won't write about players in the class. Here, we look at a few class of 2028 players who are impressing early in our first freshman report of the year.