Future 2029 Stock-Risers: Defense

<p>While we're focused on the 2029 class in the here and now, there's a long way to go before we close the book on a class that is just beginning to enter the spotlight. During every rankings update, we highlight <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2026/02/2029-defensive-stock-risers/">stock-risers</a>, players who move up in the rankings. But we're always looking at the bigger picture. We don't simply decide five minutes before release who will move up. For many of the athletes on our board, we have an idea of what they'd need to do to move up or down in a future rankings update.</p>   <p>Here, we're looking at five defensive athletes in the 2029 class who could move up in a future rankings update.</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Future Stock-Risers: 2029 Defenders</h2>   <p>One final note: Our system displays one evaluation at a time on a player's profile. Since some of these players were evaluated in other pieces this week, I'm using an old-school paragraph format to highlight these five future rankings risers, so their more traditional scouting reports will display on their profiles.</p>   <h3 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='2110732' first='Kameron' last='Campbell'] | Edge | Hoke County</h3>   <p>Hoke County has several talented youngsters, and we felt comfortable adding multiple 2029s to the rankings this update. We'd seen some flashes from Campbell, but I wasn't able to fully dive into the film until after we updated rankings last week. The impressive part is that while he has some game-changing plays, a lot of his down-to-down work is mature, and he seems to use certain moves to set up others later in the game.</p>   <h3 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='1896729' first='Jayden' last='Pipkins'] | DB/WR | T.W. Andrews</h3>   <p>Pipkins hit our radar the old-fashioned way: through a strong start to his freshman season while playing at the varsity level. He ended even better, with half of his tackles for loss and three pass deflections in his last four games. In all honesty, he had a great opportunity to move up in the rankings in this most recent update, despite the addition of over 50 players and the fact that only five defenders rose in the rankings. Given his athletic profile and early production, we think he'll have a shot next update.</p>   <h3 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='2113386' first='Christian' last='Nesby'] | DB/WR | Asheville</h3>   <p>I missed Nesby in the first update, adding him to the back end of the rankings just days after releasing our initial list midway through the 2025 season. He then improved week by week, playing his way into a niche offensive role down the stretch. This class isn't lacking in lengthy corners who have early production, but Nesby looks like one of the best.</p>   <h3 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='2067755' first='Braylon' last='Whitley'] | LB | Nash Central</h3>   <p>Whitley was a <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2026/01/freshman-all-state-team/">Freshman All-State</a> selection, and he's likely destined for a higher ranking in the future. He's built his game on being physical and using his instincts, but he's still undersized. He was so good last year, though, that he more than held his own, even while playing linebacker, looking like a defensive back. That also means that if he was that good at 185, imagine what he can do with another year in the weight room.</p>   <h3 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='1148571' first='Caden' last='Smith'] | LS/LB | East Gaston</h3>   <p>Smith is actually one of the only guys in our rankings without much varsity film. Why did we rank him so early? In addition to being an instinctual linebacker, he's a nationally recognized long snapper. If he continues to add strength, he's going to be a hot commodity at a position that more college teams are prioritizing, thanks to new roster limits.</p>   <p><em>This is the time of year when we have the most time to dive into film, reevaluate prospects, and change our minds about players. Send your film on Twitter/X (<a href="https://x.com/whelms21">@whelms21</a>), so I can evaluate you. Want to share Prep Redzone with a friend? Promo Code Helms30 is good for 30% off your first billing cycle.</em></p>

While we're focused on the 2029 class in the here and now, there's a long way to go before we close the book on a class that is just beginning to enter the spotlight. During every rankings update, we highlight stock-risers, players who move up in the rankings. But we're always looking at the bigger picture. We don't simply decide five minutes before release who will move up. For many of the athletes on our board, we have an idea of what they'd need to do to move up or down in a future rankings update.