2028 class: Who will have a solid season?

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>There wasn't much movement in the latest update to the 2028 Tennessee player rankings. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The regular season is approaching, and once the basketball goes up in the air, many eyes will be on the talented prospects in the class. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>So, which ones will have a solid 2026 campaign?</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>It's a question that will be answered over the course of the season, but I have 5 prospects in mind that will give their teams solid production.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2736538' first='Cannon' last='Hudson'], Cordova: Hudson showed improvement over the spring and summer with Hoop City. He should take the next step in his junior season and become a vocal leader. Hudson's production will come. He's under a head coach - Terrance Scales - that's going to put him in great scoring situations and use Hudson to his strengths. He's going to be a double-digit scorer. By season's end, Hudson, who moved up 11 spots to No. 52, should be on one of the TSSAA Division I Class 4A District 15 regular season teams.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2194605' first='Cadence' last='Collins'], Chattanooga Prep: Collins is one of the most talented guards in the class. He has Division 1 programs on his radar. He's a pest on the defensive end. Collins is the type of defender that's not going to give the offensive player much space to operate. He's going to make any guard work on each possession. On the offensive end, Collins is a 3-level scorer. He's patient and takes quality shots. Collins will be productive after missing a lot of action last season due to injury.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2958967' first='Landon' last='Caldwell'], Notre Dame: The 6-foot-1 combo guard is under the right head coach - Reggie Tucker - that's going to get the best out of him. Caldwell shoots the 3 ball well. He doesn't have a problem getting past his defender. Caldwell's ball handles and IQ are good enough to be the team's point guard, and he scores the basketball well to play off the ball. Caldwell will be an asset to the Fighting Irish's success this season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2523934' first='Carter' last='Smith'], Notre Dame: Smith is an athlete that's going to be a matchup nightmare for many teams. At 6-4, he thrives in transitions. Smith lives at the rim. His upper body strength allows him to finish through contact. Smith can make shots from the perimeter. Containing him will be difficult because of how efficient he can be and how easily he can get to this spots. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2610400' first='Ezra' last='Nieves'], Brentwood: Nieves will have to provide consistent scoring to take attention off of senior forward [player_tooltip player_id='2376260' first='Davis' last='Cochran']. Here's the good thing: Nieves can score. He has the tools to provide steady offense for the Bruins. Nieves can make the wide open shot. He's not afraid to take shots in key moments. Nieves showed glimpses of what he can bring to Brentwood during the AAU season. This could be a big year for Nieves if he's locked in. His opportunity will be there.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->