When we released our first Class of 2027 watch list in May, I was already impressed with the level of talent – especially at the top – from the rising juniors in this class. But since then, it’s gotten even better.
As I put together this August update, I was blown away by the depth in this class. I wrote down more than 25 names who warranted some level of consideration to make the latest cut of the top 10 college prospects. The decisions were incredibly difficult.
It was a critical spring and summer for this class. June 15 represented the first college contact period, which gave us a good sense of the level of interest this group is getting. There were, naturally, more eyes on them throughout this grassroots season. While they are still two years away from going to college, this is a time – with two full high school seasons behind them – where there’s enough of an evaluation sample size to get a really good idea of what impact they can project to the next level. There’s obviously plenty of time to develop, but before they know it, they’ll be starting to make decisions at this time next year. The recruiting cycle works quickly.
As I have explained in previous watch lists, my decisions come from a variety of factors. A combination of consistency, winning impact, translatable skills, physical tools and intangibles are the main separators I look for. With another grassroots season behind them and bigger team roles coming with that, I’m starting to place a larger emphasis on production and specific transferrable skills that could be separators within this group, which has so much talent.
