Grimaldo plays with a different level of urgency, with controlled aggression and violence. He diagnoses plays quickly and closes with intent, whether he’s at inside linebacker or attacking off the edge.

The versatility is key, he can function as a traditional linebacker or a pressure piece. His first step and acceleration create problems immediately.

Projection: Defensive chess piece with Power 4upside

Trait: Play speed + physicality translate early

Madill standout Kristopher Grimaldo Kristopher Grimaldo 6'0" | 220 lbs | LB/EDGE Gunter | 2028 State TX rounds out the top five and honestly, he has another good argument for being the top overall prospect in the class right now. Before Grimaldo’s freshman season even began, Grimaldo was picking up multiple D1 offers, including an offer from an SEC program. This happened in early August. So needless to say, Grimaldo already passes the eye test and college coaches believe that his overall ceiling is through the roof. Now, out of the five prospects on this particular breakdown, Grimaldo continues to be somewhat of an unknown for us. We just haven’t seen as much of Grimaldo compared to the other guys on this breakdown but the potential is still very clear. He has strength, size and could end up lining up in a few different positions over the next three seasons.

Out of the five prospects on this breakdown, Madill freshman Kristopher Grimaldo Kristopher Grimaldo 6'0" | 220 lbs | LB/EDGE Gunter | 2028 State TX is the most unknown to us at this point. We haven’t seen him in person and the film so far is somewhat limited. But when we combine the film we have seen with the opinions of others in the know, along with his handful of D1 offers before his freshman season even started, Grimaldo belongs on this breakdown. It’s very possible that when the first ranking comes out in January/February that Grimaldo finds himself on top of those rankings. We have Grimaldo listed as an athlete because he plays several positions for the Wildcats but he definitely looks the part already at the linebacker position. As with all of these 2028 prospects, there is a lot of room to grow but Grimaldo checks a lot of the boxes already.