2028 Rankings Debut: The Top 20

The 2028 West Virginia rankings have made their long-awaited debut as an up-and-coming rising sophomore class begins to make their names known. This class has the potential to be one of the most talented groups of prospects in recent memory in the state, given what they have shown so far, with many more expected to emerge in the years to come. Here are the 11-20 ranked 2028 prospects at this point in their young careers in our eyes.    In any other year, 2028 Martinsburg DB [player_tooltip player_id='1625117' first='DeJuan' last='Woodson'] is likely a Top 5 prospect, which speaks to how talented this class is. He may work his way up the rankings in time, once we see him at the varsity level, with some good early signs as a freshman last season. Woodson has a high ceiling as a safety prospect, given his frame and the athleticism he has shown as a young player. He has D1 potential if he continues to develop and will likely become a household name at the state's top program sooner rather than later.   <blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Check out my freshman season film 👀👀<a href="https://twitter.com/RecruitMHSFB?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@RecruitMHSFB</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/PrepRedzoneWV?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@PrepRedzoneWV</a> <a href="https://t.co/aZVKSgdVz4">pic.twitter.com/aZVKSgdVz4</a>— dejuan.woodson (@woodson_dejuan) <a href="https://twitter.com/woodson_dejuan/status/1939861027073786292?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 1, 2025</a></blockquote>     2028 Huntington WR/ATH [player_tooltip player_id='1624328' first='Travon' last='Okonkwo'] has the potential to fly up the rankings once he carves out his role at the varsity level. Receiver feels like his most natural position right now as an athlete who also lined up at quarterback and running back on the Highlanders' JV team last season. With his size and athleticism, Okonkwo has a very high ceiling with obvious D1 upside that you can see flashes of in his game film. We'll see if he can carve out a role on varsity this season as a sophomore among a loaded skill group at Huntington with potential to be a factor on defense, too.      2028 Capital EDGE [player_tooltip player_id='1309678' first='Trevaun' last='Tyson'] is on a high upward trajectory as a pass rush prospect for the Cougars. We saw that in person at our Combine Series camp earlier this year, where he earned DL MVP as a freshman. Tyson is ahead of the game compared to most pass rushers with his technique and is quickly and steadily improving. He has quality size and athleticism with good fundamentals at this early stage of his career, to continue to build on over the next three years.      2028 Parkersburg WR [player_tooltip player_id='1077100' first='Brady' last='Thorn'] flashed as a freshman on varsity for the Big Reds last season and was their best offensive weapon. We're expecting him and the offense as a whole to take a step forward in 2025 and showcase his potential even further. Thorn can develop into a big-time playmaker for them, which you saw glimpses of as a freshman against a tough schedule. He has the physical traits to eventually garner D1 attention in the future if he continues on this development path.      Rounding out our 2028 Top 15 as the #3 running back in the class is Riverside's [player_tooltip player_id='1309691' first='Malakhi' last='Hope']. He broke out as a freshman for the Warriors, rushing for just under 1,000 yards and 8 touchdowns last season. We're expecting him to take a step forward as a sophomore after a year of becoming bigger and stronger, which could allow him to be a stock riser in the rankings after the season. Hope was the Rookie of the Year in the Kanawha Valley in a very talented area and is another name that D1 programs are going to want to know.      A small school player capable of future D1 looks is 2028 Pendleton County LB/ATH [player_tooltip player_id='951269' first='Colton' last='Roberson']. He may be underrated at 16th overall in the rankings with what he's shown to this point as a young athlete. Roberson is someone we've seen in person multiple times and is always impressive every time. As expected, he produced at a high level in Class A last season as a freshman as a do-it-all athlete on both sides of the ball. Depending on how his body develops over the next three years, linebacker feels like his future position at the next level, but Roberson also has the athleticism to stick at safety, as he showed as a freshman.      North Marion big man [player_tooltip player_id='1624409' first='Evan' last='Miller'] is going to be a name to know in the 2028 offensive line class moving forward. He was a freshman varsity starter for the Huskies last season and did some good things in year one. Miller has obvious size that colleges will love, and he moved well for his age and size. If he puts in the work in his development over the next three years, Miller could earn D1 looks in time with the potential he's shown to this point.      Capital's top playmaker at receiver last season was 2028 WR [player_tooltip player_id='1309676' first='Turay' last='Rush'], who flashed a lot of potential and upside as a freshman. Expect him to take a step forward as a sophomore if they can find a new quarterback to get him the ball consistently. He has D1 bloodlines and will have the opportunity to be the next in line to earn offers from that level if he continues to progress from the early signs that he's shown to date.      This is a pure bet on 2028 Martinsburg ATH [player_tooltip player_id='1314875' first='Ka'ila' last='Villa'] to become a future standout for the Bulldogs, with very little information and film to evaluate at this point. An injury set him back last season as a freshman, but we've heard very good things about him as an athlete. Villa was a star at the middle school level in Utah before relocating to West Virginia and has the size and athleticism to produce at a variety of positions. He's a big TBD to us without having the chance to see him in person or watch much film, but tuck away Villa's name for later once he gets his name out there more.     Expect 2028 Chapmanville QB/ATH [player_tooltip player_id='1315124' first='Dakota' last='Dalton'] to take a big step forward as a sophomore for the Tigers this season after showing flashes as a freshman. He was thrown into the fire as QB1 as a freshman, and you could see that it was his first year at the high school level at times. However, Dalton has the size and athleticism to develop nicely either as a quarterback or an ATH. He's a two-sport star for the Tigers and is well known on the basketball court as well. Dalton is the type of athlete who could play a few different positions at the next level, depending on how he develops as a passer, with D1 potential either at quarterback or another skill position.   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://youtu.be/jAA7IAbVLJo?si=dR5HnoJjXQ35QxR4 </div></figure>

The 2028 West Virginia rankings have made their long-awaited debut as an up-and-coming rising sophomore class begins to make their names known. This class has the potential to be one of the most talented groups of prospects in recent memory in the state, given what they have shown so far, with many more expected to emerge in the years to come. Here are the 11-20 ranked 2028 prospects at this point in their young careers in our eyes.