Two drafts out · published July 2026
The 2028 way-too-early board.
Two Augusts from now, most of this list will be wrong. We publish it anyway, because the way-too-early board is where every draft argument starts — and nobody else shows you the uncertainty. No analyst has ranked this class. No one has run a 40. Most of these players have not taken a college snap. What honestly exists is the high school recruiting composite, the strength of the program each player signed with, and — for a handful — a freshman season. So that is the whole board: those signals, in the open, with the range each rank swings across defensible weightings printed next to it.
This is not the Draftanomics model. Our model needs consensus boards, measurements, and college production to say anything worth trusting — for 2028 it has none of the three, and we checked: its output on this class is noise. Ranking by noise and calling it a model would be fake precision. The composite is the honest signal, so the composite gets the byline.
What drives every rank
- Recruiting composite — the 247-style national recruiting rating, printed on a 0-100 scale in the table; it sets the order. Present for all 1,866 players.
- Program talent — the school's roster-talent index (2025 season). It breaks composite ties and drives the rank range.
- Early production — freshman-season per-play impact, when a played season is on file. Currently on file for 243 of 1,866.
What's missing — and why the ranges are wide
- Analyst consensus: zero boards cover this class yet.
- Measurements: nobody has run a 40 for scouts yet — the composite is carrying that weight.
- Film that matters: the class is the high school class of 2025 — true sophomores this fall. Their draft-relevant seasons have not been played.
- Declarations: anyone in the 2027 pool belongs to the 2027 conversation and is excluded here; if they stay in school, they join this board next spring.
Read the rank range first. It is the span of ranks a player takes when program strength is allowed 10–40% of the weight instead of only breaking ties. A tight range means every reasonable weighting agrees on him; a wide one means the argument is real.
| # | Player | Rank range | Recruit grade | Program | Yr-1 impact |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elijah Griffin★★★★★ | #undefined | 99.9 | Powerhouse | hasn’t played yet | |
| Isaiah Gibson★★★★★ | #undefined | 99.6 | Powerhouse | hasn’t played yet | |
| Justus Terry★★★★★ | #undefined | 99.4 | Powerhouse | hasn’t played yet | |
| Lance Jackson★★★★★ | #undefined | 98.8 | Powerhouse | hasn’t played yet | |
| Amare Adams★★★★★ | #undefined | 98.7 | Loaded | hasn’t played yet | |
| Zayden Walker★★★★★ | #undefined | 98.7 | Powerhouse | hasn’t played yet | |
| Isaiah Campbell★★★★ | #undefined | 98.3 | Loaded | hasn’t played yet | |
| Jahkeem Stewart★★★★ | #undefined | 98.3 | Solid | hasn’t played yet | |
| Iose Epenesa★★★★ | #undefined | 98.2 | Solid | hasn’t played yet | |
| Riley Pettijohn★★★★ | #undefined | 97.9 | Powerhouse | hasn’t played yet | |
| Nathaniel Marshall★★★★ | #undefined | 97.9 | Loaded | hasn’t played yet | |
| Javion Hilson★★★★ | #undefined | 97.8 | Solid | hasn’t played yet | |
| Jared Smith★★★★ | #undefined | 97.8 | Loaded | hasn’t played yet | |
| Malik Autry★★★★ | #undefined | 97.8 | Loaded | hasn’t played yet | |
| Justin Hill★★★★ | #undefined | 96.9 | Powerhouse | hasn’t played yet | |
| Madden Faraimo★★★★ | #undefined | 96.6 | Loaded | hasn’t played yet | |
| Elijah Barnes★★★★ | #undefined | 96.6 | Solid | hasn’t played yet | |
| Christopher Burgess Jr.★★★★ | #undefined | 96.5 | Loaded | hasn’t played yet | |
| Bryce Davis★★★★ | #undefined | 96.4 | Building | hasn’t played yet | |
| Hayden Lowe★★★★ | #undefined | 96.3 | Loaded | hasn’t played yet | |
| Mariyon Dye★★★★ | #undefined | 96.0 | Loaded | hasn’t played yet | |
| Zion Grady★★★★ | #undefined | 95.8 | Powerhouse | hasn’t played yet | |
| Kevin Wynn★★★★ | #undefined | 95.7 | Solid | hasn’t played yet | |
| Darren Ikinnagbon★★★★ | #undefined | 95.2 | Powerhouse | hasn’t played yet | |
| DJ Sanders★★★★ | #undefined | 95.0 | Loaded | hasn’t played yet | |
| Zaydrius Rainey-Sale★★★★ | #undefined | 95.0 | Solid | hasn’t played yet | |
| Chad Woodfork★★★★ | #undefined | 95.0 | Solid | hasn’t played yet | |
| Matai Tagoa'i★★★★ | #undefined | 95.0 | Building | hasn’t played yet | |
| Smith Orogbo★★★★ | #undefined | 94.8 | Powerhouse | hasn’t played yet | |
| Myron Charles★★★★ | #undefined | 94.5 | Powerhouse | hasn’t played yet | |
| Chase Linton★★★★ | #undefined | 94.5 | Powerhouse | hasn’t played yet | |
| Dawson Merritt★★★★ | #undefined | 94.4 | Solid | hasn’t played yet | |
| Zahir Mathis★★★★ | #undefined | 94.4 | Building | hasn’t played yet | |
| Noah Mikhail★★★★ | #undefined | 94.3 | Loaded | hasn’t played yet | |
| Duke Johnson★★★★ | #undefined | 94.2 | Powerhouse | hasn’t played yet | |
| Charles Ross II★★★★ | #undefined | 94.0 | Loaded | hasn’t played yet | |
| Jaiden Braker★★★★ | #undefined | 94.0 | Loaded | hasn’t played yet | |
| Ty Jackson★★★★ | #undefined | 93.9 | Loaded | hasn’t played yet | |
| Jalen Wiggins★★★★ | #undefined | 93.9 | Loaded | hasn’t played yet | |
| Marco Jones★★★★ | #undefined | 93.8 | Loaded | hasn’t played yet | |
| Jayden Woods★★★★ | #undefined | 93.8 | Loaded | hasn’t played yet | |
| TJ Alford★★★★ | #undefined | 93.8 | Powerhouse | hasn’t played yet | |
| Nathaniel Owusu-Boateng★★★★ | #undefined | 93.7 | Loaded | hasn’t played yet | |
| Tyler Lockhart★★★★ | #undefined | 93.6 | Solid | hasn’t played yet | |
| J.J. Faulk★★★★ | #undefined | 93.5 | Loaded | hasn’t played yet | |
| Jourdin Crawford★★★★ | #undefined | 93.2 | Loaded | hasn’t played yet | |
| Jaedon Harmon★★★★ | #undefined | 93.1 | Loaded | hasn’t played yet | |
| Christian Garrett★★★★ | #undefined | 93.0 | Solid | hasn’t played yet | |
| Trent Wilson★★★★ | #undefined | 93.0 | Loaded | hasn’t played yet | |
| Elijah Melendez★★★★ | #undefined | 93.0 | Loaded | hasn’t played yet | |
| Tavion Wallace★★★★ | #undefined | 92.8 | Solid | hasn’t played yet | |
| CJ Nickson★★★★ | #undefined | 92.8 | Loaded | hasn’t played yet | |
| Gavin Nix★★★★ | #undefined | 92.7 | Loaded | hasn’t played yet | |
| Nasir Wyatt★★★★ | #undefined | 92.6 | Loaded | hasn’t played yet | |
| Jarquez Carter★★★★ | #undefined | 92.5 | Loaded | hasn’t played yet | |
| London Merritt★★★★ | #undefined | 92.5 | Loaded | hasn’t played yet | |
| Christian Gass★★★★ | #undefined | 92.4 | Loaded | hasn’t played yet | |
| Damien Shanklin★★★★ | #undefined | 92.3 | Loaded | hasn’t played yet | |
| Ari Watford★★★★ | #undefined | 92.2 | Loaded | hasn’t played yet | |
| Jaquavious Dodd★★★★ | #undefined | 92.1 | Solid | hasn’t played yet | |
| Donovan Darden★★★★ | #undefined | 92.1 | Solid | hasn’t played yet | |
| Josiah Sharma★★★★ | #undefined | 92.0 | Powerhouse | hasn’t played yet | |
| LA Jesse Harrold★★★★ | #undefined | 92.0 | Solid | hasn’t played yet | |
| Ethan Utley★★★★ | #undefined | 92.0 | Loaded | hasn’t played yet | |
| Landon Rink★★★★ | #undefined | 92.0 | Loaded | hasn’t played yet | |
| Mason Posa★★★★ | #undefined | 91.9 | Solid | hasn’t played yet | |
| Tylon Lee★★★★ | #undefined | 91.9 | Solid | hasn’t played yet | |
| Nicolas Clayton★★★★ | #undefined | 91.8 | Solid | hasn’t played yet | |
| Chace Sims★★★★ | #undefined | 91.8 | Loaded | hasn’t played yet | |
| Andrew Maddox★★★★ | #undefined | 91.8 | Solid | hasn’t played yet | |
| Antonio Coleman★★★★ | #undefined | 91.7 | — | hasn’t played yet | |
| Daeden Hopkins★★★★ | #undefined | 91.7 | Solid | hasn’t played yet | |
| Tyshun Willis★★★★ | #undefined | 91.7 | Solid | hasn’t played yet | |
| Anthony Sacca★★★★ | #undefined | 91.7 | Solid | hasn’t played yet | |
| Herbert Scroggins III★★★★ | #undefined | 91.7 | Loaded | hasn’t played yet | |
| Kaleb Burns★★★★ | #undefined | 91.5 | Solid | hasn’t played yet | |
| Kellen Wiley Jr.★★★★ | #undefined | 91.4 | Loaded | hasn’t played yet | |
| Burke Gautcher★★★★ | #undefined | 91.3 | Solid | hasn’t played yet | |
| Epi Sitanilei★★★★ | #undefined | 91.3 | Powerhouse | hasn’t played yet | |
| Joseph Mbatchou★★★★ | #undefined | 91.3 | Loaded | hasn’t played yet | |
| Logan Anderson★★★★ | #undefined | 91.1 | Loaded | hasn’t played yet | |
| Jaylen Williams★★★★ | #undefined | 91.1 | Solid | hasn’t played yet | |
| Tobi Haastrup★★★★ | #undefined | 91.1 | Building | hasn’t played yet | |
| Malcolm Simpson★★★★ | #undefined | 91.0 | Solid | hasn’t played yet | |
| Javeon Campbell★★★★ | #undefined | 90.9 | — | hasn’t played yet | |
| Luke Metz★★★★ | #undefined | 90.7 | Powerhouse | hasn’t played yet | |
| Jayden Loftin★★★★ | #undefined | 90.7 | Solid | hasn’t played yet | |
| Bryce Jenkins★★★★ | #undefined | 90.7 | Building | hasn’t played yet | |
| Chaz Coleman★★★★ | #undefined | 90.6 | Loaded | hasn’t played yet | |
| Carson Cooney★★★★ | #undefined | 90.6 | Solid | hasn’t played yet | |
| Jarcoby Hopson★★★★ | #undefined | 90.6 | Solid | hasn’t played yet | |
| Matthew Johnson★★★★ | #undefined | 90.6 | Loaded | hasn’t played yet | |
| Jeremiah McCloud★★★★ | #undefined | 90.6 | Loaded | hasn’t played yet | |
| Kamauryn Morgan★★★★ | #undefined | 90.5 | Solid | hasn’t played yet | |
| Abduall Sanders Jr.★★★★ | #undefined | 90.4 | Powerhouse | hasn’t played yet | |
| Yvan Kemajou★★★★ | #undefined | 90.3 | Loaded | hasn’t played yet | |
| LaVar Arrington II★★★★ | #undefined | 90.3 | Loaded | hasn’t played yet | |
| Kevin Oatis★★★★ | #undefined | 90.2 | Solid | hasn’t played yet | |
| Alex Tatsch★★★★ | #undefined | 90.2 | Loaded | hasn’t played yet | |
| Travis Moten★★★★ | #undefined | 90.2 | Loaded | hasn’t played yet |
How the order is set: recruiting composite, descending. Where composites tie — and below the five-star line they tie constantly — the program-talent index, then freshman production, breaks the tie. The rank range is not a confidence interval; it is the span of ranks a player takes when program strength is allowed 10-40% of the weight instead of only breaking ties. A tight range means every reasonable weighting agrees; a wide one means the argument is real.
Who is in the pool: the 1,866 players who are first draft-eligible in 2028 — the high school class of 2025. Anyone already in the 2027 candidate pool is excluded, because a 2028 board headlined by this cycle's stars would be a 2027 board wearing a costume.
Once the fall season is in the books, freshman production joins the board automatically; when the first 2028 analyst boards appear (late next summer), this page retires in favor of a real 2028 class hub — the way /year/2027 covers the live cycle today. Until then: arguments, honestly labeled. See methodology for what the model does once real signals exist.