I thought Cory took some impressive steps this past season as a player and displayed some dominance against good competition. I think some people really wanted to see that, and in my mind, he’s cemented as our #1 defensive lineman in 2028 because of that. Cory has a nice get-off at the snap, and now he’s using his hands very well to tie into that get-off, to get into his pass rush moves and block shedding vs. the pass and the run, respectively. Recent offers for Cory have come from Missouri, Nebraska, and California.

Cory Cunningham Cory Cunningham 6'4" | 280 lbs | DL/EDGE Providence | 2028 State NC is the No. 1 edge in North Carolina’s Class of 2028, and at 6’4″, 280 pounds, he already looks like a next-level defensive lineman. He finished the season with 60 total tackles and an eye-popping 28 tackles for loss, numbers that scream dominance. Cunningham isn’t just big — he’s explosive, powerful at the point of attack, and consistently disruptive in both the run and pass game. Offensive lines struggle to handle his combination of size, strength, and motor. When you turn on the film, he absolutely looks like a monster on the field — overwhelming blockers and living in the backfield. The ceiling is scary high, and he’s only getting started.

Learn his name, as Cunningham is the next elite 2028 prospect from North Carolina, a guy who already has offers from just about every top program in the country. His explosiveness is rare and he has the frame to carry more weight. He’s plenty athletic to play on the edge, but he’s ranked on the interior for us because his combination of size and explosive first step are too much to pass up there. Make no mistake though, he’s going to rush the passer from a variety of alignments in college.

It wasn’t a hard decision to rank Cory #1 in the 2028 class in our initial rankings. A lot of analysis for younger prospects at this point is about physical traits and production on any varsity-level film we can find on a player. Cory checked both boxes in this instance. When I saw him live earlier this season, you could definitely see where the potential could meet the talent to make a highly recruited player. On film, Cory excels at getting quick penetration with a nice first step at the line of scrimmage from his defensive tackle position. Cory also affects plays by batting balls down with his long natural reach. From a recruiting perspective, Cory has already become a well-known name with Power 4 schools, holding early offers from Tennessee, Syracuse, Kentucky, Virginia Tech, Southern California, NC State, Ohio State, and South Carolina.