First Nebraska 2028 Watch List Released

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The future is here. We have a <a href="https://prepdig.com/nebraska/rankings/2028-rankings/">Nebraska 2028 watch list</a>.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Every set of rankings is a journey, and this one is just getting started. Our time with the 2028s is mostly encompassed by one high school season and a pair of showcases. We have a long way to go.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>That's the primary message to reiterate as this first watch list drops. Still, even with a small sample size, we managed to churn out an initial group of nearly 100 players. The list will expand exponentially once we start covering the 15s club season, but we already have some trends and observations to discuss.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In-depth features are coming soon, but here's our brief introduction to Nebraska's Class of 2028.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline">The Positional Breakdown</span></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>These introductory features usually come with a positional breakdown, so let's do it with our first 2028 list. 90 athletes are broken up into these positional counts:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Setter - 19</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Defensive specialist - 23</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Outside hitter - 24</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Opposite - 5</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Middle blocker - 19</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>One trend stands out right away: we already have a lot of setters. We know how difficult it is for freshmen to start as varsity setters, so the high school season only accounts for part of the setter wave here. Our past showcases have brought several setters to our attention, and we'll expand on this point later.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We can also characterize many of these 2028 setters as multi-position athletes. This could also explain the small number of opposites for this release, as many setters double as frontcourt opposites in high school or club. The upcoming club season will offer plenty of insight into defining the "primary" position for many of these 2028s.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Defensive specialists are also carrying a lot of weight in this initial watch list. We're used to seeing outside hitters leading the way, but liberos are effectively tied with left sides on the current list. Keep an eye on how this ratio progresses in future updates.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline">Schools with Youth Movements</span></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We're always fascinated to see which schools deploy a disproportionate number of freshmen from year to year.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Gretna comes to mind right away. The Dragons deployed a star-studded cast of 2028s, including [player_tooltip player_id='566265' first='Leighton' last='Froehlich'], [player_tooltip player_id='575235' first='Logann' last='Dostal'], [player_tooltip player_id='575223' first='Claire' last='Luthi'], and [player_tooltip player_id='575234' first='Koco' last='Janssen']. This quartet of dynamic athletes will re-enter the spotlight with Premier Nebraska 15 Gold, and we can't wait to watch the year-round chemistry flourish.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":731178,"width":"271px","height":"auto","sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none","align":"right"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image alignright size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepdig.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2024/12/48-Reese-Timmerman.jpg?w=966" alt="" class="wp-image-731178" style="width:271px;height:auto" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Timmerman</figcaption></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Ashland-Greenwood boasts a pair of future defensive stars with [player_tooltip player_id='737370' first='Averi' last='Bridges'] and [player_tooltip player_id='575218' first='Avery' last='Whaley'] carrying the torch for the 2028s. Bridges had already been on our radar after competing with [program_tooltip program_id='428743' first='VCNebraska' last='']'s top 15s group last year.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We're also watching Norfolk Catholic after the Knights leaned on [player_tooltip player_id='730564' first='Reese' last='Timmerman'] and [player_tooltip player_id='737410' first='Ava' last='Wemhoff'] en route to a state tournament appearance. Wemhoff is particularly versatile and can take over matches as an attacker and a setter.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline">Showcase Standouts</span></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>As we mentioned in the lead-in, we had a pair of past showcases to build our database in the Class of 2028. It started with our Freshman Showcase in the summer before transitioning to last month's Top 250 Expo. Both had large groups of 2028s who got an early jump on our scouting process.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>So, regardless of whether 2028s saw varsity reps, we still had enough notes to make a watch list entry. Players who capitalized on showcase opportunities include [player_tooltip player_id='575242' first='Sydney' last='Bartholet'], [player_tooltip player_id='730560' first='Norah' last='Beran'], [player_tooltip player_id='562301' first='Darriana' last='Damper'], <a href="https://prepdig.com/player/allison-liebentritt/">Allison Liebentritt</a>, [player_tooltip player_id='567542' first='Ava' last='Nowling'], and countless others.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline">Next Up</span></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Bring on the club season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The next few months will provide the basis for a revolutionary expansion of our watch list. An initial set of rankings is still a long way away, but this group of 90 athletes will soon have company. The club season will expose us to many more names and standouts who will soon be in our database.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Look for our next update through the midway point of the club season. By then, we'll already have a long enough list to justify another refresh. Until then, enjoy the beginning of the journey.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->