Meet the top rising sophomore and junior high school football players in NC
Last month, The Charlotte Observer took a look at the top rising senior high school football players in North Carolina.
Today, we look at the underclassmen.
We are not listing these by class, but instead by offering a listing of the top rising sophomores and juniors in the state.
Rising freshman, having not played high school ball yet, are not included.
North Carolina’s top high school football underclassmen
Rk., name, school, yr, pos., ht, wt
(Classes listed are what the player is currently)
1. Braylon Clark, Providence Day, soph, WR, 6-3, 190
2. Grayson Williams, Southeast Raleigh, soph, OL, 6-4, 280
3. Cassell Cruickshank, EE Smith, soph, DL, 6-6, 230
4. Nate Dollard, Charlotte Country Day, soph, DB, 6-0, 170
5. Ryan Peterson, Hough, soph, LB, 6-1, 220
6. Cory Cunningham, Providence, soph, DL, 6-4, 275
7. Kaden Craft, Lake Norman, soph, QB, 6-4, 210
8. Austin Ballou, Mallard Creek, soph, OT, 6-7, 330
9. Skylar Alston, Cardinal Gibbons, soph, LB, 6-2, 210
10. Trevorus Cooper, Hunt, 9th, LB/RB, 6-0, 205
11. Levi Kerr, Marvin Ridge, soph, QB, 6-5, 200
12. Tyson Williams, Shelby, soph, DL, 6-4, 230
13. Charles Ibe, Providence Day, soph, DL, 6-2, 285
14. Zion Malloy, Page, soph, DB, 5-11, 160
15. Dallas Richardson, Saint Paul’s, soph, DL, 6-4, 240
16. Darias Johnson, Broughton, soph, DL, 6-4, 220
17. Tee Hollifield, Shelby, soph, OL, 6-5, 255
18. Brody Lowe, Grimsley, 9th, QB, 6-0, 195
19. Mike McLean, Scotland, 9th, LB/RB, 5-9, 160
20. Jackson Jenkins, Northern Nash, 9th, OL, 6-3, 290
21. Weston Michalak, Ambassador Christian, 9th, 6-2, 190
22. Jymel Green, Grimsley, 9th, ATH, 6-1, 155
23. Xavier Frasier, Salisbury, 9th, 5-10, 150
24. Quasir Williams, Sun Valley, 9th, DB/WR, height/weight NA
25. Jayden Pipkins, TW Andrews, 9th, DB/WR, 6-2, 175
This story was originally published May 4, 2026 at 5:00 AM with the headline "Meet the top rising sophomore and junior high school football players in NC."
