The 2028 class is breaking onto the national scene, and Rivals has released its first full Rivals300 rankings for the cycle.
Previously a watchlist of 100 prospects was put out last May, highlighting some early names to watch ahead of their sophomore seasons. But hundreds of prospects have emerged since then, with many of them playing their first season the varsity level this fall. That leads to the initial rankings update for this class, which will culminate in December 2027 with National Signing Day.
Early in the cycle, three players have earned five-star ratings, a number that will steadily increase to 32 by the end to match the first round of the NFL Draft. As we kick off rankings release day, Rivals is counting down the top 15 prospects in the class with insights from the scouting and rankings team:
10. EDGE Cassell Cruickshank
School: E E Smith (Fayetteville, NC)
Scout’s Take: “Cassell Cruickshank is a long and lean athletic edge rusher with immense get-off and burst off the line of scrimmage. Listed at 6-foot-6, 220 pounds, Cruickshank has excellent body control given his stature and age. His ability to bend and turn the corner without losing speed allows him to close the space between him and ball carriers in a flash. Plus, he has the body control and fluidity to comfortably play in space. He shows great hand usage and willingness to take on blocks and set the edge against the run. Cruickshank is only going to continue getting bigger and stronger and will grow into a more complete edge defender throughout his career.” — Cody Bellaire, Rivals National Scout
11. OT Austin Attalah
School: Cajon (San Bernardino, CA)
Scout’s Take: “Natala is a big framed, very explosive offensive tackle prospect. When we were going through the offensive tackle group, we felt like his film stacked up among the best that we watched just at this early stage. He is a twitchy mover, has outstanding reactive quickness, and looks to have the frame to continue filling out and packing on good weight.” — Charles Power, Rivals Director of Scouting and Rankings
12. CB Nasir Richardson
School: Malcolm X Shabazz (Newark, NJ)
Scout’s Take: “Nasir Richardson is a talented twitchy two-way player for Newark (N.J.) Shabazz high school that excels at receiver and corner. He has a long and lean 6-foot frame with room to fill out and develop. Richardson scored five touchdowns on the offensive side of the ball and collected four interceptions as a defensive back during his sophomore season. He has the long speed to run with most receivers paired with phenomenal short area quickness and fluidity. Even for a longer defender, he has the hips and mirror ability to lock down underneath and intermediate routes. Richardson is also one of the younger prospects in the 2028 recruiting cycle.” — Cody Bellaire, Rivals National Scout
13. SAF Gaige Weddle
School: Rancho Bernardo (San Diego, CA)
Scout’s Take: “Weddle is one of the most prolific athletes in the cycle and he puts all of his talents on display on Friday nights. As a two-way weapon for Rancho Bernardo (Ca.) high school, Weddle plays quarterback and defensive back for his program and is one of the stronger processors in the class. His ability to diagnose and scan the field is evident on both sides of the ball and allows him to play faster than most everyone on the field. He’s a playmaker and one of the most gifted prospects in the country.” — Cody Bellaire, Rivals National Scout
14. WR Jaylen Addai
School: Shadow Creek (Pearland, TX)
Scout’s Take: “Addai is an explosive, well-rounded receiver prospect. He is a fluid, functional mover, has the ability to get open at all levels of the field, turned in a very productive sophomore season while playing top competition in the Houston area, and of course is one of several prospects in the top 15 who have NFL bloodlines with his father being a long-time NFL running back.” — Charles Power, Rivals Director of Scouting and Rankings
15. QB Christopher Vargas
School: St. John’s Preparatory School (Lawrence, MA)
Scout’s Take: “Vargas sits in pole position among the quarterback group. He is an advanced arm talent with the ability to drive the ball to all levels of the field. He has a loose, fluid, live arm. He has primarily been used as more of a dropback passer at this stage, but had a productive sophomore season building on his freshman season. He led his team to a state title berth in the state of Massachusetts. It’s still very early in the development process for so many of these quarterback prospects, but Vargas is setting the pace as we enter the offseason and, most importantly, move towards the junior season.” — Charles Power, Rivals Director of Scouting and Rankings