Class of '28 Rankings: Opposites by evaluation and Class Rank

2028 Positional Rankings (with National Rank)

Based on PPV Evaluations

Opposites

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Diamond Level

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Megan Hodges - T Street Volleyball California - Position 1, Class 3 

Not sure if the “mystery athlete” is the right word for Hodges, but she is sure adding a lot of scenarios to this 2028 riddle (at least if you are a recruiting nerd). First and most importantly, she is healthy, and that is awesome news, and if you have seen any of the reels her club has posted the last few weeks…” The defense rests its case, your honor.” My goodness, you can see what a machine Hodges is on the court, and that is the OPEN Level. She sticks out like NO ONE else in this class, so that should be the case for #1. She is simply playing with power and strength that I’m not sure anyone else has (Rautenberg in convo for sure). Then you have the position conversation, and I have always thought how amazing it is to say you can dominate as the first or second best MB in the country or dominate as the first or second best Opp in the country. There would only be one possible recruiting scenario where that might not be the case, but that is a matter for people much more important than me to figure out.  

Talent aside, Hodges is scary good, and I do know on the court, not only does she compete for the Anna DeBeer Game Face Award, she might scare even the namesake herself. The girl wants to win, period. She doesn’t do much for interviews or media, and I hope that changes because she is going to be one of the faces of volleyball in our country, possibly for 15 years. This athlete is next level and showing now that she is back healthy.

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Taylor Freeland - SCVC Utah - Position 2 Class 5

Freeland and Hodges are very different people and athletes, but both produce dominating results. I simply want the country to realize that if you truly follow recruiting, coaches don’t care the size of the club you play at or the population of your state, or how many people from your club subscribe to their website, they honestly do recruit on TALENT and COLLEGE POTENTIAL. Freeland is loaded with both of those, and that is why she HAS BEEN, DESERVES TO BE, and WILL REMAIN this high on our rankings despite as many nasty grams from larger clubs in larger states. She is powerful and does everything the other top players at her position do. She has every shot, and she reads the court amazingly well. She is also on a National Team and will perform terrifically on the big stage. Now, does she maybe seek a smaller environment or culture at the next level? Possibly, but that has nothing to do with talent or “ranking”; that is a choice. Like I said, a different player on film than Hodges or our #3 OPP, but absolutely just as lethal and actually fits into many cultures better. 

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Gold Level 

Sarah Floyd - TAV Texas - Position 3 Class 8

Floyd has moved around the Top 15 this season, from #1 when we saw her at NTDP 18 months ago, and around. Regardless, she is going to go to one of the top programs in the country, and many predict she won’t leave her home state. Again, we get no connection with TAV, so it’s a little hard to know the real, fine points about some of the players' games, but Floyd’s length and the height she has always played at have been strengths. Her passing would be second to Freeland in the Top 3, but very good. Her athleticism allows her to hang and adjust to sets off-target and turn them into scoring opportunities. You have never seen Floyd in anything but a starring role on a team, and coming into a fight for time at an elite program could be different for her. I really enjoyed the little I was able to talk with her last summer at Dream Team camp, and she seems to play with a ton of energy on the court when I was able to watch her live at NTDP.

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Silver Level

Mesa Jameson - Northern Lights, Minnesota - Position 4 Class 26

Jameson came off a great summer and a lot of hype, leaving camps and nationals. She is another Opp with power and explosion. A very talented player who starts off the Silver Level prospects. She has a lot of skill and talent offensively, but needs work defensively to be elite at the high P4 levels consistently. Still would have probably been #1 in the 2027 class.

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Faith Gandy - TAV Houston, Texas - Position 5 Class 30

Gandy is another with many options, but is being looked at by several schools equally right now. The mid-tier opposites are bunched heading into June, as many are very even PPV-wise and on a similar recruiting level. Gandy starts off that trend, a Texas player who has plenty of open level competition and is another physical and explosive Oppo, like we have mentioned before here in the class. She has made quite the move up this season already and put herself in a great spot for a top-tier program.

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Lana Frelix - SG Elite California - Position 6 Class 39

Frelix plays a little more quickly, and you can see a bit more flair in her game as she is a bit freer and less powerful than everyone else we have mentioned so far. She passes the ball very well and again is a shot maker.

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Charlotte Patton - Tri-State Elite Indiana - Position 7 Class 44

Patton comes right at you! 6’3” and touches 10’5”, so yeah, she doesn’t mess around, and it’s a heck of a punch when she attacks. Patton is that old school Big Ten MB/Pin type with a very heavy arm. She will find a crease or swing off your block, and it will take a chunk. She seems like the perfect type to stay right in her own backyard for a regional power.

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Elite Red

Molly McGovern - Adidas Dynasty Missouri - Position 8 Class 50

Long and lethal approach, this KC area prospect is terminal when set in the system. Molly has been a popular target of many top programs (of Plains Region programs and Nationally). She uses the entire court and wastes no time in her release; the ball is gone. There are the obvious local suitors and then some very interested Top 10 programs calling as well. This is one of the hotter prospects at this time of the year. Look for McGovern to possibly make another jump before June 15!

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Piper Pease - Alamo Volleyball Texas - Position 9 Class 56

Pease is the Lone Star version of Patton, powerful with a heavy arm. Her movement has gotten much better this season, and she is quicker with her approach and can move much better as she gets more used to the Open Level. She is also more explosive (approach touch). As I mentioned, there is a “bubble” in this Opp position group that starts at Gandy, and I think you can stretch that to Pease, where there isn’t a huge talent gap, and I’m guessing several teams have multiple names from this group on their final War Room boards.

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Halima Watkins - NYC Jrs New York - Position 10 Class 68

I think it's safe to say that Watkins has the highest ceiling of anyone in the Top 20. 6’3” and touching 10’3” for sure, she is still raw in the fundamentals of the game, but you know what she does know how to do well….hammer the ball really hard and explode off the ground quickly and high. I can’t wait to see Watkins in a college program. Now it’s going to be a tough year one to train and learn, but you wait, she will come out of nowhere and put up huge #s.

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Sufia Grounds - Spike and Serve Hawaii - Position 11 Class 71

I have been a fan of Grounds since the first time I watched her in person, at NIT in February. She has the game and personality to be a fan favorite for a program from day 1. Talent-wise, she is 6’5” and length for days. Yes, her approach and swing need to speed up for the big leagues, but she has two years (and probably a third) to work and improve that. I’m going to reference back to Bryan Breaux of Metro a couple of seasons ago, another 6’5” or 6’6” Oppo that started picking up a lot of momentum this time of year and ended up signing at Kentucky. They are called “high-ceiling prospects,” and you also know how much Bryah improved by her 17th season. I can see some of that for Surfia as well. Really like this one on a school just ready to make a big move in a couple years (aka North Carolina, Michigan State, Kansas, TCU, or Creighton) or a program that has really been building and needs another really solid class and someone who could play young and build with (Clemson, South Carolina, Oregon)

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Camble Booth - Colorado Juniors Colorado - Position 12 Class 73

She’s been invited to 7 NTDP’s, wow, that’s quite a few. Booth is 5’11” and a solid player, and one of the top in Colorado in the class. She has an explosive vertical and is a good player. She has maybe got lost a little bit in this strong class of Opp this year, but is a quality volleyball player who naturally has some volleyball genes. She has had plenty of interest and will land a substantial offer with no problem come June.

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RED Level

Avery Minor - MN Select Minnesota - Position 13 Class 102

Minor is the exact opposite of every other girl we have already described at this position so far on this list. She is undersized at 5’10”, and she is a little powder keg that simply “goes off” on the ball every time she gets set. She holds nothing back anytime she swings or jumps. This girl is ALL-IN on every approach and every swing, and I love watching her film. Her takeoff to release is lightning fast and simply beats the block most of the time, making her lethal a high % of the time in club ball. Colleges will judge the height the way they judge the height. There is nothing that Minor can do about it; she is what she is. She will get opportunities somewhere, and she can be effective at the highest level.

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Zoe Fuquo - San Antonio Jrs, Texas - Position 14 Class 114

Fuquo is one of those players we love because she is truly “multi-positional,” but she may be most suited for Opp or DS at the next level. Fuquo does everything well, and at 5’11”, she needs to be a great defender. She is another with a very quick get-off, and her swing and release of the ball are immediate. She plays the position much differently than others on this list, but her versatility makes her an intriguing option.

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Ella Mosbacher - OTVA Florida - Position 15 Class 137

Whippy arm swing that is quick and terminal. Mosbacher tore up her Florida division of high school play this past year and is having a great season for OTVA. She contacts the ball at such a high point and maxes her approach touch. She also has a frame that screams that she is not done growing, and so her ceiling is high. There is a lot to like with Ella, and she should be getting plenty of looks in the SEC/ACC area.

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Kate Clegg - Skyline, Texas - Position 16 Class 138

Clegg touches over 10’ and can turn bad sets into kills with her body control in the air. She is also a very good passing Opp. She is an all-around solid player at the position, and when you start getting deeper into the depth of the classes, coaches are definitely looking for athletes who have multiple skills.

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Meredith Liles - NC Academy North Carolina - Position 17 Class 147

Liles plays for the club we like to refer to as “The Factory” now, around the office. NC Academy has been on a hot streak the past 4 years, just kicking out more and more P4 prospects, and after going back and double-checking our work as we got ready to post this, we can already tell you that expect Liles to be a few spots higher in June (or next week even), she is misranked and her PPV is simply incorrect where it is at. She is longer and plays higher than we originally thought. You watch her on film, and the way she attacks, and the power she does it with, simply blows about four of these athletes in this “bubble of proximity” out of the water. We will be on the phone tomorrow doing some research because our evaluation of her is not correct. She looks like a possible Top 10 and Top 100 prospect. Stay tuned.

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Loren Dorey - HPSTL Missouri - Position 18 Class 150

Uggg this is another one, she almost made me late for my flight the last day in Chicago I was having so much fun watching her and her HPSTL squad, but Dorey was awesome at the OPP. She gives you everything: a power arm that goes anywhere on the court and an effective block. She is an above-average passer from off the net, and oh yeah, she will slide in and set out of system if needed or when they run a 6-2. I really like Dorey as a volleyball player. You can find a spot for her in a program; she does many things well for you. We have to go back and take a deeper dive into her on Monday. She feels like she needs to have a better PPV and should be better than 150 in the class.

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Ana Woods - Metro Virginia - Position 19 Class 153

Woods is a little more of a standard opposite good on the block and effective at all phases, but not dominant at any one real phase. She touches over 10’ and is another solid player. Heavy arm.