Rivals released its initial rankings for the 2029 recruiting cycle on Monday, tabbing 100 top prospects. The high school football season is getting underway across the country and many notable sophomores are garnering recognition heading into the fall.
Old school recruiting timelines are practically relics. Nearly all of the top 400 prospects in the 2027 cycle are already committed coming out of the summer. That’s partially leading to some early decisions for some of the best in 2028. That has already trickled down to the 2029 class to some degree, too.
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Four of the 100 prospects featured in Rivals’ new rankings are already committed. That number will likely jump throughout the fall. Below is a look at those four sophomores who are already off the board, as of Aug. 17:
WR Sip Cooper — SMU
School:Panther Creek (Texas)
Rivals Ranking: No. 5 NATL. (No. 3 WR)
Cooper is a dynamic Swiss-Army knife playmaker at the prep level. He played his freshman season at Life Oak Cliff and did a little bit of everything. He rushed for 634 yards and 10 touchdowns, caught 11 scores, had 856 receiving yards and even threw for 677 yards and four scores. He’ll now suit up for Panther Creek this fall. Cooper committed to Rhett Lashlee and in-state SMU on June 30.
“Every time I go over there, it’s like the same, really family over there,” Cooper told On The Pony Express about his decision. “I got a good relationship with coach (Rob) Likens, (Ryan) Jenkins and coach Lashlee. I’ve been knowing them since 8th grade and they’ve never changed up or nothing. It was like the same every time.”
QB CJ Cypher — Miami
School:Carrollton (Ga.)
Rivals Ranking: No. 13 NATL. (No. 1 QB)
Rivals’ top passer early on in the 2029 class, Cypher took the Peach State by storm last fall, guiding Carrollton, a top HSFB program in Georgia, to 14 wins and a state title appearance as a freshman. He completed over 70 percent of his passes, hurling for 2,178 yards and 26 touchdowns to just three interceptions. Reclassification to 2028 could certainly be on the table, but for now, he’s an elite sophomore QB. Miami prioritized him from the jump and landed his commitment on June 24.
“It’s really Coach Cristobal and Coach Dawson that put Miami up there for me,” Cypher told Rivals’ Chad Simmons. “They do a great job recruiting. Coach Cristobal is a very stand-up guy. He tells you what’s what, and that’s what I’m looking for in a college.”
CB Kiingbaraka Kizzee — UCLA
School:Mission Viejo (Calif.)
Rivals Ranking: No. 83 NATL. (No. 12 CB)
One of the best sophomores in the Golden State, Kizzee notched 15 tackles, three pass deflections and an interception as a freshman for Orange Lutheran. He’s now transferred to Mission Viejo for his sophomore campaign this fall. After visiting UCLA and spending time around the new staff in Westwood, Kizzee opted not to waste any time and made a pledge to the in-state Bruins on June 21.
“I went on a visit and I saw how UCLA was and how coach Bob Chesney was and how he’s trying to build it and make UCLA great,” Kizzee told Rivals’ Adam Gorney. “The best place is California so why wouldn’t the best athletes stay? I like how the coaching staff is all-in. I wanted to be a part of that journey. Instead of hopping on the train, I wanted to be one that started the train.”
WR Austin Miller — Ohio State
School:Bellflower (Calif.)
Rivals Ranking: No. 95 NATL. (No. 11 WR)
Miller burst onto the scene as a freshman last fall, rushing for 883 yards and 13 touchdowns while also catching 35 passes, turning them into 609 yards and eight more scores for Bellflower. Ohio State always hones in on top pass-catchers early and it made Miller a priority. The 6-foot-5, 200-pounder made his commitment to the Buckeyes on June 22.
“The way me and my family approached my recruitment, we weren’t going to sit back and let schools recruit us and have them give us their pitches. We were going to go and recruit schools we were interested in and find the right place for us. This was our last stop and it ended up being the best stop,” Miller told Rivals’ Adam Gorney. “The way they put everything in place for me, it checked all my boxes for what I want in a college and what I would like to see for a college I’d like to attend on the field and off the field, academically, the place and plan for me to be successful, the NFL lineage.”