Elite 2028 quarterback, Texas Longhorns target claims No. 1 overall spot in initial Top 100 rankings
On Wednesday, 247Sports released its initial Top 100 rankings for the sophomore class of 2028. At the very top is IMG Academy (Fla.) five-star quarterback, Jayden Wade. Wade holds notable offers from Texas, Florida, Georgia, Ohio State, and Oregon, among several others.247Sports’ national recruiting analyst Gave Brooks gave his thoughts on Wade as he is, […]
On Wednesday, 247Sports released its initial Top 100 rankings for the sophomore class of 2028. At the very top is IMG Academy (Fla.) five-star quarterback, Jayden Wade. Wade holds notable offers from Texas, Florida, Georgia, Ohio State, and Oregon, among several others.
247Sports’ national recruiting analyst Gave Brooks gave his thoughts on Wade as he is, for now, the top player in the 2028 class.
“A tools-heavy, athletic signal caller from Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy by way of California, Wade’s sample size is small, but he enters a sophomore campaign that should showcase his breakout as a premier quarterback prospect in the national consciousness.”
247Sports’ director of scouting Andrew Ivins has seen Jayden Wade in-person several times.
“A top-notch athlete with a promising 6-foot-3 frame, Wade pairs snappy shoulders with a high-caliber arm,” Ivins said. “While the on-field context with Wade might be small, his workout at IMG Academy’s annual Pro Day this past winter was another eyebrow raiser as he hit different targets at all three levels with pace and precision.”
Sitting behind SMU signee Ty Hawkins, Wade played in eight games at IMG Academy in 2024. He finished the year with 362 yards and six touchdowns while also running for 217b yards and two more scores. He completed close to 68 percent of his passes as well.
In a game against St. Thomas More (Conn.), he completed 13-of-18 passes for 221 yards, three touchdowns, and one interception. On the ground, he scampered for 92 yards and another score.
Former Ohio State assistant turned IMG Academy head coach has high praise for Jayden Wade, too.
“Cerebrally, he reminds me of CJ Stroud,” Greg Studrawa said. “He always wants to study the game. I spent so much time with CJ talking about protections and all of those kinds of things. As a thrower, [Jayden] reminds me of him a lot too and then just how he wants to learn. He’s a young guy. We have to be careful about putting too much on him.
“Everyone wants to tell him how great he is and how he can do all these things. You put that all on his plate and it can be too much to carry,” Studrawa said. “So, what I want to do is put him in a position so that what we ask him to execute, he can do it at a high level. Then we can add … But talent wise – he can run, he’s smart, he’s a great leader, he’s got a good arm, and he makes really good decisions.”
Jayden Wade is confident but knows he has a long ways to go.
Ivins spoke with at length recently about his new role as starter and how he assesses his game.
“I’m a winner,” Wade said with a grin. “It has been a great little journey. I have had plenty of ups and downs. But I got tougher. I got physically better. I have grown a lot.
“I have matured. I feel like I’m taking things more seriously because I have had to wait,” Wade said. “I’m loving the game more, and I want to compete more.”
