Recruiting for divers in the high school class of 2028 is already off to a strong start, with five of the 10 ranked recruits already announcing their verbal commitments. Roster caps on NCAA teams are in full effect for the second year, affecting the decisions made by coaches and divers alike. With this in mind, coaches may prioritize recruits who are well-rounded across the events, although some well-rounded divers and several event specialists have yet to announce their choice.
Methodology
Ranking top divers is much less black and white than ranking swimmers. While swimmers can be compared solely based on times, dive scoring is much more subjective and rarely paints a full picture of the diver. Thus, it was important while compiling this list to not only look at scores but also at videos and the dive difficulties for each recruit. It was important to consider potential as well when compiling this list, as success at the Junior National level does not always translate to the NCAA.
Within NCAA Division I, most dual meets only consist of springboard diving, with the platform event only coming into play for invites and championship meets. However, with the recent shifts within the NCAA to include roster limits, a diver who is able to compete on platform with an advanced list straight out of high school has become increasingly valuable. The versatility of a platform-ready diver has become increasingly important to diving coaches as it means they have more chances to score points – and a diver who can do all three events (one-meter, three-meter, and platform) makes it so that less roster space is taken up than if a team includes one diver who specializes in springboard and another who specializes in platform.
This list focuses solely on U.S.-based athletes, as it is difficult to predict which international divers will choose to compete in the NCAA and how their skills will fit into a college team. It is also important to note that this list is not exhaustive of all of the talented recruits in this class and it does not mean that any diver excluded from the rankings lacks the potential to make valuable contributions on a college team.
Honorable Mentions
Niko Kassaris – Marlins Diving Club – Greenwich High School – Greenwich, CT (Verbally committed to Duke)
Niko Kassaris is primarily a springboard diver, though he does have some platform experience. He has very clean entries, often making barely a splash. What keeps him off the top ten list is that he lacks the degree of difficulty across the events that some of his peers have. Kassaris has proven that he is capable of high scores, and with a higher degree of difficulty in his list he would be able to break into the top ten.
Marc Huang – Trojan Dive Club – Diamond Bar High School – Chino, CA
In recent videos, Huang has displayed multiple impressive upgrades on both the three-meter and tower (platform) events. At recent meets he has struggled with consistency in his dives, which has affected his scores. With a bit more work on improving his entries and takeoffs – especially on his newer dives – Huang could shape up to be a top recruit.
Top 10 DIVERS IN THE BOYS’ CLASS OF 2028
#10: Alexander Crosby – Stanford Diving Club – Los Altos High School – Los Altos, CA
Starting off our top 10 is Alexander Crosby of Stanford Diving. What makes Crosby so interesting is that he has only been diving for just over a year. In that short span, he is already performing some very advanced dives. Crosby is a good all-around diver, competing high-difficulty lists with clean entries on both springboard and platform. His limited time in the sport only makes his tower list that much more impressive. Crosby has upgraded his list at every meet he has competed at this past year, with his season culminating at nationals where he competed new 10 meter dives with ease, racking up great scores on many of them. Crosby could still definitely work to improve his difficulty, specifically on the springboard events. If his progress over the past year is any indication of what we should expect from Crosby in the future, I think he will be one to watch in the NCAA in a few years.
#9: Raito Detten – Montgomery Dive Club – Bishop O’Connell High School – Annandale, VA
In less than a year, Raito Detten went from having never performed on platform to competing in the event at Junior Nationals. A newer diver to the USA Diving scene, Detten started competing in USA Diving competitions in 2024, and his progress since then has been quite impressive. In two years, Detten has acquired a one-meter and three-meter springboard list that would already make him competitive at the NCAA level, but even more impressively, in the past year he has learned a whole tower list (mostly on 10 meter) that is already showcasing high difficulty dives. In recent training videos, Detten has shown constant upgrades on every event that would make him a top competitor in the NCAA. While Detten has shown that he is capable of some very advanced dives, he could definitely work to improve on his consistency and form in his dives, something that I am sure will come with more time in the sport.
#8: Andres Winterman – Ft. Lauderdale Diving Team – NSU University School – Aventura, FL
Andres Winterman is one of the most consistent divers on this list. He may not have the same difficulty as some of other ranked recruits, especially on the springboard events, but he makes up for his comparative lack of difficulty with particularly clean lines and sharp entries throughout all of his dives. In his first year as a 16-18 diver, Winterman has made some impressive upgrades to his dive list this year on platform. Winterman has revamped almost his entire platform list, and is already executing these newer dives with precision and ease. Winterman still needs to increase his difficulty on the springboard events, especially on the one-meter board, in order to contend with the top divers in the NCAA. Nonetheless, his clean lines and entries will make him a strong asset to any college team.
#7: Ethan Teague – North Star Dive Club – Stillwater Area High School – Lake Elmo, MN
Ethan Teague has improved so much in just the past year. While he does not have the highest difficulty on springboard just yet, he has greatly improved his difficulty on platform, including some promising new dives from ten meters up. In recent meets, Teague has shown that he is capable of finding a clean entry on almost any dive, but he has struggled with consistency. Teague’s knack for finding a clean entry is sure to take him far once he gets a bit more consistent with his harder dives.
Right now, Teague still needs a bit of refinement and added difficulty, especially on the springboard events, but if he continues to improve as he has been doing the past few years, he is sure to make a great addition to any NCAA diving team.
#6: Cullen Kemp – Dallas Metroplex Diving – Highland Park High School – Dallas, TX (Verbally committed to Stanford)
Cullen Kemp is equally impressive on both springboard and platform. He probably has the highest difficulty on the springboard events out of his class’ recruits, and he also competes a high-difficulty list on platform. The only reason Kemp is not ranked higher is that he struggles with consistency. If this list was based solely on his online training videos, there is no doubt he would be in the top three. Kemp has very good form in the air and on his entries, so when he is able to hit his dives, he is capable of very high scores. But at his most recent meets, he has struggled to stay consistent in his harder dives, especially on the three-meter springboard.
Kemp’s high difficulty in all events would make him an asset to any team. Once he is able to improve his consistency across his events, he has already shown that he is capable of great results.
#5: Connor Carson – Alpha Diving Club – Mercer Island High School – Mercer Island, WA (Verbally committed to Princeton)
Connor Carson is another diver on this list who excels at both springboard and platform. Where Carson shines the most is in his incredibly clean shapes and tight lines throughout all three events. Carson competes some very difficult dives on the tower and three-meter board. Though he seems to struggle with his consistency on some of these harder dives, he has shown in training videos online that every one of his dives can be lights out. Improving his difficulty on one-meter would also help him to compete with the top divers in the NCAA.
Carson’s clean shapes, tight lines, and sharp entries prove that he is capable of high scores and competing amongst the NCAA’s best. Once he is able to improve his difficulty on one-meter and his consistency on three-meter and tower, he will certainly be one to watch.
#4: Dathan Schramm – Indiana International School of Diving – Center Grove High School – Martinsville, IN (Verbally committed to Purdue)
Dathan Schramm is another diver on this list who is a bit newer to USA Diving, having only started competing about three years ago, which is what makes his diving, especially on platform, that much more impressive. Schramm is an impressive diver in all three events, consistently showcasing entries with little to no splash, but he really excels on platform. Schramm struggles slightly with his board timing on the springboard events and could improve his difficulty on those events as well, but because of his excellent form and entries he is still able to score well across the board.
Schramm is incredibly consistent on platform. While he is definitely still working to build a full 10 meter list, he is able to score very high scores on his current list – scores that would already be competitive with the best competitors on the event in the NCAA.
#3: Gage Sprintz – East Valley Dive Club – Campo Verde High School – Gilbert, AZ
Known for his clean entries and impressive form, Sprintz has quickly risen in the rankings since his first year in the 16-18 age group last year. While he proved he could hold his own against the best in the country at the 2025 USA Diving Junior National Championships, this past summer was truly his breakout season. Sprintz displayed his versatility in both the springboard and platform events over the summer, competing seven new dives this past season, and executing them for high scores at major meets such as the USA Diving World Junior Championships Trials and the USA Diving Junior Nationals.
As a junior in high school, he is already performing some of the hardest dives in the NCAA. He could benefit from increasing the DD of his tower and one-meter lists, but once he does, Sprintz should be able to solidify himself as a top NCAA competitor in a few years.
#2: Evan Kerim – Woodlands Diving Academy – Texas Connections Academy – Tomball, TX (Verbally committed to Tennessee)
The only thing that keeps Evan Kerim from the top of this list is that he does not compete on platform, slightly limiting his NCAA scoring potential. Kerim is no stranger to a USA Diving Junior Nationals final. Having finaled in at least one event at the USA Diving Junior Nationals each year since 2022 – including three top-four finishes this past summer – Kerim showed that he was one to watch at a young age and has kept his consistency going. Though it was his first time qualifying for the meet, Kerim competed with ease at the World Aquatics Junior Diving Championships in August, finaling in all three events he competed in to prove he can not only keep up with America’s best junior divers, but is among the world’s most competitive in his age bracket.
Kerim belongs in the No. 2 spot despite only competing on springboard because of his consistency and impeccable form, having already boasted score sheets on both boards that would be competitive at the top of D1. Kerim will surely be one to watch atop the NCAA stage in a few years.
#1: Rydan Russell – Coral Springs Diving – Spanish River High School – Boca Raton, FL (Verbally committed to Texas)
Arguably the most experienced diver on this list, Rydan Russell has been competing at the USA Diving Junior National level since he was just 10 years old. Russell tops this list because he is the perfect example of an all-around diver. At USA Diving Junior Nationals over the summer, Russell finaled in every event, even after a two-year hiatus from the one-meter event on the national stage. Russell seems to struggle a bit with consistency on some of his newer dives, but when he hits, his scores could contend with any high-level NCAA diver. Just a few days after Junior National Championships this past summer, Russell competed in the platform final at Senior Nationals, placing ninth and outscoring many divers already competing at the national level in the NCAA. Once Russell is able to be more consistent on his hardest dives, he will be unstoppable, potentially contending for an NCAA title on the platform during his college career.
