June 15 Analysis Class of 2027 vs. Class of 2028

And we're off! June 15 has come and gone and the 2028s are already making a splash in the recruiting world.  We'll take a look at who committed, how does this compare in other years, and other odds and ends on what we say on day one for the Class of 2028.    The Commits   <figure class="wp-block-table"><table class="has-fixed-layout"><tbody><tr><td>Rank</td><td>Name</td><td>State</td><td>Height</td><td>Position</td><td>High School</td><td>Club Team</td><td>Commitment</td><td>Commitment Date</td></tr><tr><td>3</td><td>Shayla Rautenberg</td><td>Nebraska</td><td>6'4"</td><td>MB</td><td>Milford</td><td>Nebraska One</td><td>Nebraska</td><td>June 15</td></tr><tr><td>4</td><td>Josalyn Samuels</td><td>South Dakota</td><td>6'0"</td><td>S/RS</td><td>Harrisburg</td><td>Kairos Elite Volleyball</td><td>Nebraska</td><td>June 15</td></tr><tr><td>5</td><td>Cala Haffner</td><td>Indiana</td><td>5'8"</td><td>DS/L</td><td>Carroll</td><td>Pineapple High Performance</td><td>Texas</td><td>June 15</td></tr><tr><td>7</td><td>Chloe Burbage</td><td>North Carolina</td><td></td><td>S</td><td>Green Hope</td><td>NC Academy</td><td>Louisville</td><td>June 15</td></tr><tr><td>10</td><td>Sydney Whisenton</td><td>Texas</td><td>5'9"</td><td>OH/S</td><td>Cornerstone Christian</td><td>Alamo Volleyball Association</td><td>Baylor</td><td>June 15</td></tr><tr><td>13</td><td>Mesa Jameson</td><td>Minnesota</td><td>6'3"</td><td>MB</td><td>Eagan High School</td><td>Mizuno Northern Lights</td><td>Pittsburgh</td><td>June 15</td></tr><tr><td>33</td><td>Chelsea Torrence</td><td>Georgia</td><td></td><td>S</td><td>East Forsyth</td><td>A5</td><td>Georgia</td><td>June 15</td></tr><tr><td>34</td><td>Averi Bridges</td><td>Nebraska</td><td>5'8"</td><td>DS/L</td><td>Ashland-Greenwood</td><td>VCN </td><td>Penn State</td><td>June 15</td></tr><tr><td>35</td><td>Jada Skinner</td><td>Texas</td><td>5'9"</td><td>OH/RS</td><td>Fulshear</td><td>Houston Skyline</td><td>South Carolina</td><td>June 15</td></tr><tr><td>37</td><td>Sara Gonzalez</td><td>Texas</td><td>5'5"</td><td>DS/L</td><td>Cornerstone Christia</td><td>Alamo</td><td>LSU (Louisiana State)</td><td>June 15</td></tr><tr><td>41</td><td>Rilynn Wingenbach</td><td>Missouri</td><td>6'4"</td><td>MB/RS</td><td>Union</td><td>HPSTL</td><td>Creighton</td><td>June 15</td></tr><tr><td>45</td><td>Tegan Loechler</td><td>Wisconsin</td><td>6'3"</td><td>S/RS</td><td>DSHA</td><td>MKE Sting</td><td>Louisville</td><td>June 15</td></tr><tr><td>56</td><td>Chloe Ritchie</td><td>Indiana</td><td>5'7"</td><td>DS/L/OH</td><td>Yorktown</td><td>Munciana Volleyball Club</td><td>Louisville</td><td>June 15</td></tr><tr><td>80</td><td>Olivia Maciel</td><td>Missouri</td><td>6'1"</td><td>OH/RS</td><td>Blue Springs</td><td>MAVS</td><td>Omaha</td><td>June 15</td></tr><tr><td>82</td><td>Brooke Codey</td><td>Kentucky</td><td>5'8"</td><td>OH/DS/L</td><td>Assumption</td><td>KIVA</td><td>Kentucky</td><td>June 15</td></tr></tbody></table></figure>   How We Measure When An Athlete Commits?    When they post on their Instagram.  That seems to be the standard.  I'm sure plenty of calls are made, people know, but until that athlete makes the social media post I don't consider it official. I'm not a “Breaking News” guy and want to respect the athlete and make sure before we update or report, the athlete gets the chance to announce the news.  I also quit end the day by 10 PM CT before taking a look at what's been updated the following morning.    The First Commit!    Chloe Burbage was the first one to commit in the Class of 2028 with an Instagram post right around 9:00 AM Eastern Time.  She is the third ranked setter nationally in the Prep Dig Class of 2028 rankings and the 7th ranked overall prospect.  Less than a month ago she was on the U17 Girls Youth National Team who won the Pan Am Cup.  Burbage plays for North Carolina Academy 16 Diamond.  She brings length and athleticism to the court where everything runs through her.  I remember seeing her at nationals as a 15s last year and was so impressed her presence and physicality.  She just fits the Louisville brand.     How Does This Compare To The Class of 2027 in 2025?   We're starting to track commitment dates of the nationally ranked athletes  when the athletes are giving their verbal.  In 2025, there were 7 commits from day one:    2027 Commits From June 15 from the Prep Dig National Rankings   <figure class="wp-block-table"><table class="has-fixed-layout"><tbody><tr><td>Rank</td><td>Name</td><td>State</td><td>Position</td><td>High School</td><td>Club Team</td><td>Commitment</td><td>Commitment Date</td></tr><tr><td>11</td><td>Nejari Crooks</td><td>North Carolina</td><td>RS/S</td><td>Wesleyan Christian Academy</td><td>Triad Elite Volleyball Club</td><td>Penn State</td><td>June 15</td></tr><tr><td>16</td><td>Taylor Harrington</td><td>Virginia</td><td>MB</td><td>Wakefield</td><td>Paramount</td><td>Penn State</td><td>June 15</td></tr><tr><td>29</td><td>Susan (Allie) Hudgins</td><td>Texas</td><td>OH/RS</td><td>Austin Westlake</td><td>Texas Advantage</td><td>Creighton</td><td>June 15</td></tr><tr><td>57</td><td>Kaelyn Bjorklund</td><td>Minnesota</td><td>S/RS</td><td>Lakeville South</td><td>Mizuno Northern Lights</td><td>Clemson</td><td>June 15</td></tr><tr><td>62</td><td>Ellery DeBoer</td><td>Minnesota</td><td>S</td><td>Willmar</td><td>Minnesota Select Volleyball Club</td><td>Michigan State</td><td>June 15</td></tr><tr><td>102</td><td>Cora Bicknese</td><td>Minnesota</td><td>DS/L</td><td>Chatfield</td><td>Vital Volleyball</td><td>Michigan State</td><td>June 15</td></tr><tr><td>112</td><td>Sasha Cromer</td><td>Kansas</td><td>S/RS</td><td>Blue Valley West</td><td>KC Power</td><td>Auburn</td><td>June 15</td></tr></tbody></table></figure>   This year we saw double in commits from the national rankings.  Why is that? Great question.  Athletes are starting their recruiting process earlier.  They make their own Instagram volleyball pages, they join other recruiting platforms, there is more education, some will have their own personal recruiting coordinator.  I'd like to think athletes are better informed from a younger age.  Are there going to be athletes who transfer? Yes.  Are there going to be athletes who are misinformed? Yes.  Overall, from my perspective I see athletes starting their process much earlier.    Nebraska Cashes In On Top Local Commits   Seeing Nebraska grab two of the top five commits in the Class of 2028 is no surprise.  These two just make sense.  Shayla Rautenberg is homegrown all the way.  She has won state titles in volleyball and basketball for Milford High School just West of Lincoln, playing club volleyball for Nebraska One who also has future Husker in Malorie Boesiger.  Rautenberg's mom is a Hall of Fame Husker winning a national championship with the 1995 team.  Josalyn Samuels is one of the top setters from the Class of 2028 from Sioux Falls, South Dakota.  She plays for the same club as current Husker Bergen Reilly with Kairos right in Sioux Falls.  Kairos has grown into one of the premier clubs in the Midwest and the rest of the country sending top athletes to high level programs from coast to coast.    Who Is Still Available?   In the top ten from our Prep Dig Class of 2028 National Rankings, Texas will be a state to watch.    Available from the top ten of 2028   <figure class="wp-block-table"><table class="has-fixed-layout"><tbody><tr><td>1</td><td>Maya Ogbogu</td><td>Texas</td><td>TAV</td></tr><tr><td>2</td><td>Taimane Ainuu</td><td>Hawaii</td><td>Ka'Ulukoa</td></tr><tr><td>6</td><td>Megan Hodges</td><td>California</td><td>TStreet</td></tr><tr><td>8</td><td>Sarah Floyd</td><td>Texas</td><td>TAV</td></tr><tr><td>9</td><td>Leilani Lamar</td><td>Georgia</td><td>A5</td></tr></tbody></table></figure>   What Top Programs Could Be Targeting   I would think the likes of Maya Ogbogu and Sarah Floyd would be an early offer from Texas.  They've been to the camps there, they are the local products that the Longhorns have thrived off of, and it would all make sense.  However another program in their backyard would be SMU which Ogbogu has been to their camp.  And lets not forget about the reigning national champions in Texas A&M.    Wisconsin will most likely be looking for a setter from the Class of 2028.  Taimane Ainuu has been to camp at Wisconsin and the Wisconsin staff has been out to Hawaii as well.

And we're off! June 15 has come and gone and the 2028s are already making a splash in the recruiting world. We'll take a look at who committed, how does this compare in other years, and other odds and ends on what we say on day one for the Class of 2028.