MD/DC/DE 2029: The best prospects outside the private pipeline

Private schools still run the 2029 Prep Redzone Maryland/District of Columbia/Delaware rankings. That is not an argument. The argument is which public school kids are making early noise and deserve recognition. A few of them are already close enough to make the next update interesting.   START IN THE TRENCHES    [player_tooltip player_id='2118341' first='James' last='Harding'] is the one who should make people sit up. Per his X account (formerly Twitter), he's actually 6-5 and 290 pounds. Per his X account, he allowed only two sacks and zero pressures in 10 games. He's already a Top 25 prospect on this list, and I can see him climbing up even further and picking up offers with a solid sophomore-year season.     [player_tooltip player_id='1893219' first='Sheldon' last='Ashford'], at 6-5, 310, is the heaviest player in the entire top 100. He's at a school with a low profile from a recruiting standpoint, but with him being identified early as one of the top linemen in his class, things should change in that regard sooner rather than later.    After those two, the list gets shorter but doesn't end. [player_tooltip player_id='1601912' first='Johnmichael' last='Kalule II'] at Blair is a 250-pound interior lineman. [player_tooltip player_id='2160498' first='Joey' last='McCarthy'] from Smithsburg is a 6-1, 220-pound lineman who hasn't received much statewide attention. [player_tooltip player_id='1649700' first='Ziyren' last='Sarkodie'] at Milford Mill is a rusher at 6-1, 200 pounds, ranked No. 50, and he's the highest-ranked edge player not connected to St. John's, Gonzaga, Gilman, or St. Frances.   QB [player_tooltip player_id='1894417' first='Brayden' last='Watson'] HAS ALREADY PUT HIMSELF ON THE MAP   The public QB conversation starts and, for now, ends with [player_tooltip player_id='1894417' first='Brayden' last='Watson'].   Patuxent. No. 29. 5-10, 165. As a freshman, he went 199-of-274 for 2,600 yards, 31 scores, seven picks in 13 games.   [player_tooltip player_id='2098503' first='Bryan' last='Peters'] (Liberty), [player_tooltip player_id='2160432' first='Nicholas' last='O'Connor'] (Easton), and [player_tooltip player_id='1923584' first='Simon' last='Norkitis'] (Bel Air) are next. None of them have Watson's freshman tape. All of them can move if the sophomore year is clean.   OLD MILL HAS THREE IN THE MIX, OTHERS   [player_tooltip player_id='1514717' first='Tahkil' last='Hinton'] (Old Mill) is the one. No. 27. 5-10, 160, ATH. He has already heard from the FCS level (has an offer from Tarleton State). [player_tooltip player_id='2160416' first='Kamari' last='Johnson'] (Old Mill) is No. 68 and gives them an edge. [player_tooltip player_id='2160461' first='Jayvon' last='Pratt'] (Old Mill) is No. 64 and a 6-4 tight end/defensive line hybrid.   DELAWARE REPRESENTING [player_tooltip player_id='1605502' first='Isaiah' last='McCray'] (Howard) is the long version of that idea — 6-3, 175, still growing into a wide receiver or defensive back. [player_tooltip player_id='2160467' first='Kai' last='Johnson'] (Middletown) is the highest-rated public wideout on the board at No. 32. He is not alone there. Teammate [player_tooltip player_id='1228435' first='Riley' last='Robinson'] (Middletown) is a top-35 DB.   THE BEST OF THE REST [player_tooltip player_id='1965751' first='Abi' last='Archibong'], Fallston, No. 30, 5-9, 175, RB [player_tooltip player_id='2160224' first='Wyatt' last='Posey'], Thomas Stone, No. 44, 6-1, 155, DB [player_tooltip player_id='1894085' first='Levi' last='House'], Fort Hill, No. 49, 6-1, 190, LB [player_tooltip player_id='1906072' first='Jorden' last='Dooms'], Northeast, No. 53, 6-3, 205, TE [player_tooltip player_id='1506355' first='Romelo' last='Wilson'], Kent County, No. 58, 5-10, 145, DB [player_tooltip player_id='1902938' first='Kadel' last='Guerra'], Wise, No. 67, 6-3, 170, ATH [player_tooltip player_id='1892555' first='DJ' last='Webster'] and [player_tooltip player_id='2160409' first='Noah' last='Hall'], Aberdeen, Nos. 69 and 72   THREE PLAYERS WHO COULD CRACK THE TOP 25 IN THE NEXT UPDATE   Harding, if the 2026 film shows a tackle who can bend and finish, not just a big freshman. Ashford, if McKinley Tech gets him enough quality snaps to prove the 310-pound can move. Watson, if the completion percentage holds against better fronts than he saw as a ninth-grader.   Hinton is already 27th. A strong sophomore year on both sides of the ball puts him in the same conversation as the second-tier St. Frances DBs.   The private schools still own this class. That is not changing in one update. However, there will be a few public school prospects that will have something to say.

Private schools still run the 2029 Prep Redzone Maryland/District of Columbia/Delaware rankings. That is not an argument. The argument is which public school kids are making early noise and deserve recognition. A few of them are already close enough to make the next update interesting.