2023 Rankings Stock-Risers

Football rankings are a structure that is designed to be adjusted, meaning that a player's status within the ranking structure is subject to change. A player's rank can increase or decrease as a result of numerous factors, including changes in positions, on-field performances, and the addition of new players. Each stock-riser and newly add player put on a breakout junior performance that earned them a spot in <a href="https://prepredzone.com/colorado/rankings/2023-rankings/">the 2023 rankings.</a> This article covers 14 players who have seen a jump in their positional standings and their overall state rankings. [caption id="attachment_254899" align="alignright" width="300"]<img class="wp-image-254899 size-medium" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2021/12/D522AD64-9D5A-4345-AF3F-F39C77332299.jpeg" alt="" width="300" height="200" /> [player_tooltip player_id="62229" first="Caden" last="Lettis"] (right)[/caption]One of the more impressive jumps in the rankings is wide receiver [player_tooltip player_id="22761" first="Ismael" last="Cisse"] who elevated his status from seventh among the position group to first. The Cherry Creek receiver earned his first Division I scholarship from USC during the season, followed by offers from UNLV and CSU shortly after. Cisse finished the season as a 5A state champion and the fifth overall-ranked player in the state. Denver South's [player_tooltip player_id="242109" first="Rashad" last="Caldwell"] moved into the second spot in the position due to the outstanding performances that kept him as one of the nation's top receivers during a good portion of the season. Caldwell's dominant season is what moved him from third to second in the receiver rankings, 12th overall. Staying with receivers, another player who made a significant elevation in the ranks is Erie's [player_tooltip player_id="62229" first="Caden" last="Lettis"]. Lettis entered the season as the 18th-ranked wideout, but he finished as the eighth-ranked receiver and a runnerup for the 4A state championship. Lettis led his team in receiving yards and touchdowns through the regular season despite having fewer targets than most of the other starting receivers on the squad. [caption id="attachment_253328" align="alignright" width="300"]<img class="wp-image-253328 size-medium" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2021/12/0FEAF12A-CCA4-4B52-B4A1-73BB7C192EF3-300x169.jpeg" alt="" width="300" height="169" /> [player_tooltip player_id="62213" first="Logan" last="Brantley"] (left) and [player_tooltip player_id="62241" first="Blake" last="Purchase"] (right) celebrate winning a third-straight 5A state championship[/caption]A couple of the changes in the running backs category is Palmer Ridge's [player_tooltip player_id="150219" first="Nathaniel" last="Robinson"] moving from sixth to first, while Columbine's [player_tooltip player_id="150207" first="Tyree" last="Trusty"] jumped from 11th to third in the position. Robinson has garnered significant attention from a few DI programs like Colorado, Kansas, and Texas Tech. For linebackers, Cherry Creek's [player_tooltip player_id="62213" first="Logan" last="Brantley"] has moved from third to second, while Mullen's [player_tooltip player_id="150075" first="Ishmael" last="Aceves Jr"] has gone from sixth to third. Loveland's strong safety [player_tooltip player_id="150074" first="Hudson" last="Voggesser"] has moved from being the fifth-ranked linebacker to the first-ranked defensive back. Depending on the defensive scheme, strong safeties are often time used as extra linebackers. This puts players like Brantley and Voggesser in hybrid roles that can qualify them for roles as linebackers and defensive backs. Voggesser moving over to the top of the defensive backs list puts him in place of Cherry Creek's [player_tooltip player_id="43802" first="Christian" last="Hammond"]. <img class="size-medium wp-image-80708 alignright" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2020/12/Nathaniel-Robinson-Palmer-Ridge-300x280.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="280" />Hammond was listed as the top defensive back heading into the season but quickly went through a position change that put him at the helm of a state-winning offense. Hammond followed in his brother's footsteps and became a state champion quarterback who now sits as the sixth-ranked player in the position. There was quite a bit of moving around among the quarterbacks after this season. Denver South's [player_tooltip player_id="150187" first="Joseph" last="Capra"] moved from eighth to second, Fossil Ridge's [player_tooltip player_id="150189" first="Tyler" last="Kubat"] jumped from 14th to third, Summit's [player_tooltip player_id="22748" first="Jack" last="Schierholz"] has climbed from 24th to fifth, Golden's [player_tooltip player_id="215284" first="Jazel" last="Riley IV"] went from 17th to eight, and Evergreen's [player_tooltip player_id="149357" first="Tommy" last="Poholsky"] has leaped from 27th to tenth. Every player has the opportunity to improve their standings within the rankings by putting in work during the offseason and excelling on the field during the season under the lights of Friday nights. 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