To preview the 2026 high school football season, The Enquirer will take a look at some of the top returning players by class. After releasing top sophomores, now it’s time for the class of 2028.
These players made the cut by being ranked highly by recruiting services, making all-state honors, or getting district or Northern Kentucky honors by media or coaches.
Here are the top returning juniors in Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky football, sorted alphabetically by last name.
Cordell Ball, Oak Hills
Cordell Ball was the Greater Miami Conference’s top receiver in 2025 and an All-Ohio honorable mention, making 56 catches for 1,017 yards and nine touchdowns in 11 games. The 6-foot-2 receiver is a three-star recruit with offers from Cincinnati, Louisville and Iowa State.
Colten Barger, Lloyd Memorial
One of the area’s top wide receivers, Colten Barger hauled in 47 passes for 1,078 yards and 15 touchdowns for the 13-1 Juggernauts in 2025. Defensively, he snagged three interceptions.
Judah Blair, Lakota West
Judah Blair, a first-teamer in the Greater Miami Conference last season, is the state’s No. 4 player in his class, according to 247Sports, and the No. 4 linebacker in the country. In 12 games as a sophomore, he had 66 total tackles (30 solo), 16.5 tackles for a loss, three sacks and an interception.
Morgan Brown, Deer Park
Morgan Brown could do anything Deer Park asked of him last season. He threw for nearly 400 yards, ran for over 700 yards with eight touchdowns and caught 35 passes for 527 yards and 11 touchdowns. On defense, he had over 110 tackles and recovered a pair of fumbles.
Julian Dwyer, Moeller
Julian Dwyer only had time in three games as a sophomore for Moeller last season, but the 6-foot-4 defensive lineman is one of Ohio’s top recruits in the class with offers from teams like Cincinnati, Indiana and Penn State.
Brian Ferguson, Holy Cross
An All-Northern Kentucky quarterback, Brian Ferguson was a star for Holy Cross’ 11-1 team that averaged over 37 points a game. Ferguson was 72-for-122 passing for 1,128 yards and 19 touchdowns to just two interceptions. He also rushed for 705 yards and 15 more touchdowns.
Pete Fortkamp, Elder
One of two sophomores to be named first-team All-Greater Catholic League-South, Fortkamp had 81 total tackles, eight tackles for a loss, three sacks, three fumble recoveries, a forced fumble and an interception.
Garrett Frederick, Holy Cross
Another 2028 standout for Holy Cross that got an All-NKY honor, Frederick accumulated 67 tackles, 17 for a loss, nine sacks and two fumble recoveries for Holy Cross last season.
Thomas Huckleby, Cincinnati Country Day
Thomas Huckleby picked up a second-team All-Ohio selection after hauling in 48 receptions for 881 yards and nine touchdowns. He also rushed 71 times for 526 yards and 13 more scores. He had over 80 tackles and a pair of interceptions on defense.
Malachi Kennedy, Dayton
In 10 games, Malachi Kennedy ran for over 1,500 yards and scored 18 touchdowns for the Greendevils while scoring five more touchdowns in the passing game. He also made 58 tackles as he was named All-Northern Kentucky by the Northern Kentucky Football Coaches Association.
Cory Kidd, Blanchester
Cory Kidd secured a first-team all-district honor and was honorable mention All-Ohio for his 95 tackles (66 solo) as a sophomore linebacker in 2025.
Windon Lowe, Talawanda
The linebacker was a first-teamer in the conference, city and district and was a second-team All-Ohio selection with over 70 total tackles and 10 tackles for loss in 2025.
Andrew Lynn, Walton-Verona
Andrew Lynn was the top scorer for Walton-Verona last season scoring 15 touchdowns, including 14 rushing, while running for 744 yards. The next-highest rusher on the team had 249 yards.
Chase McCracken, East Central
Chase McCracken was East Central’s leader with 66 total tackles, including eight tackles for a loss. He also had a sack and an interception, which he returned for 59 yards.
Jayden McKinney, Winton Woods
Jayden McKinney has played two varsity seasons for Winton Woods and last season had 24 tackles (14 solo) as a defensive lineman with 5.5 sacks and three tackles for a loss. He’s ranked as Ohio’s No. 11 player by 247Sports.
Lorenzo McMullen Jr., Princeton
According to the 247Sports rankings, the Taft-to-Princeton transfer is the No. 2 player in Ohio and the No. 8 wide receiver in the country for the 2028 class. Using the site’s composite ranking, McMullen is the top player in Ohio and a five-star recruit.
Jace Montgomery, Moeller
A first-teamer in the Greater Catholic League-South and an honorable mention All-Ohio lineman, Montgomery is also ranked as Ohio’s No. 9 player in the 2028 class according to 247Sports.
Cash Myers, Covington Catholic
Cash Myers was the top defender for Covington Catholic last season with 112 tackles, 35 more than the next-highest Colonel. He also forced and recovered a fumble on defense.
Jacob Rieselman, Holy Cross
Holy Cross went 11-1 last season with a number of talented sophomores, including Jacob Rieselman. Making some plays on both sides of the ball, Rieselman stood out defensively with 52 tackles, 10 for a loss, eight sacks and an interception.
Tyce Rutledge, Waynesville
Tyce Rutledge had standout stats on both sides of the ball for Waynesville as a sophomore. On defense, he had 66 tackles, a fumble recovery and an interception. On offense, where he was honorable mention All-Ohio, Rutledge had 43 receptions for 792 yards and five touchdowns.
Kris Scott, Taft
As a sophomore in 2025, Kris Scott was instrumental on Taft’s strong offensive line, helping the team to an 11-0 start. In the recruiting world, Scott is a three-star prospect and the No. 14 player in Ohio, according to 247Sports.
Dallas Terrill, South Dearborn
Dallas Terrill had 77 total tackles as a sophomore, including 15 for a loss. In 10 games, he also had four sacks and a pair of forced fumbles.
Xavier Thornberry, Holy Cross
An All-Northern Kentucky defensive back, Xavier Thornberry forced a fumble and tied a team-high with three interceptions.
Lincoln Tomlinson, Lloyd Memorial
Lincoln Tomlinson was a vital two-way player as Lloyd Memorial went 13-1 last season. Tomlinson was the team’s second-leading rusher with 726 yards and 16 touchdowns. He was also the leading defender, scoring 149 total tackles, 16 tackles for a loss, 2.5 sacks, an interception and a forced fumble.
Key’Sean Torbert, Princeton
Another Taft-to-Princeton transfer, Key’Sean Torbert will join the Vikings after having 39 tackles, three interceptions (two returned for touchdowns) and a pair of forced fumbles last season for the Senators. His efforts earned him All-Ohio second team.
Owen Wells, Kings
On the Kings’ offensive line as a sophomore, Owen Wells was a first-team All-Eastern Cincinnati Conference, first-team Division II all-district and second-team All-Ohio selection.
Brogan Wynn, Lawrenceburg
Across 42 carries last season, Brogan Wynn had 302 yards rushing and seven touchdowns.
Logan Zembrodt, Covington Catholic
Logan Zembrodt was an honorable-mention All-Kentucky player, according to the Courier Journal, as a punter. He was also Covington Catholic’s third-highest scorer with 71 points, never missing a kick. He accumulated 59 extra points and four field goals.
Peyton Zinser, Scott
Peyton Zinser had a nose for the ball in the air, intercepting three passes as a defensive back while also hauling 28 passes for 466 yards and seven touchdowns in nine games played.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Cincinnati’s top returning juniors in 2026 high school football
Reporting by Alex Harrison, Cincinnati Enquirer / Cincinnati Enquirer
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Alex Harrison, Cincinnati Enquirer | USA TODAY Network
