The Runway: 2027 Prospects Ready to Take Off 8/4

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>As we head into a new season of youth and middle school football around the country, below is a look at some class of 2027 prospects (athletes beginning their eighth-grade school year) that have come across my desk. As football recruiting and evaluating continues to change, the eighth-grade season is becoming a pivotal time for young athletes to garner early attention from Universities. Here's a look at some prospects that are on the trajectory to be playing a high level of football for years to come.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"id":"block_62ea6593d0f5c","name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["403635"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"At 6-foot and 185-pounds, the Mississippi athlete is certainly one to keep an eye on early on. Shack looks to have a busy eighth-grade fall season on tap, as he's set to be at the helm for both Brookhaven Academy and the Mississippi Wolfpack. The latter being one of the top competitive youth travel programs in the country. Also a talented baseball player as well, Shack looks more like a rocked up Middle Linebacker than a Quarterback. Size, strength and dual-threat ability leads me to compare his style to that of Tim Tebow, when he was at Florida.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_1_player":["377390"],"_player_evaluations_1_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"South Florida is known for turning out skill position athletes at a high clip, but somebody has to get all those playmakers the ball ...enter Katz.  At 6-foot-2 and 180-pounds, he is a very promising pocket passer that should be making his way on to recruiting lists at every major university in the country. There's already a video on his social media launching a 60-yard pass in the air, in front of coaches from Michigan. He's advanced physically with a 9.5-inch hands and a wingspan of 74u0022. Don't be surprised to see him get Varsity time very early.","_player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_2_player":["403631"],"_player_evaluations_2_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_2_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_2_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"I love the way this Kansas native plays the game. At 5-foot-11 and 130 pounds, it's obvious he's been coached/trained to adopt the mentality of u0022if the ball is in the air, it's mine.u0022 Regardless of what side of the ball he's on, Johnson plays an attacking style of football. He technically could be listed as an Athlete since he's a talented receiver as well, but I think he's a future Safety. In my favorite clip of him, he tracks a ball from the hashes and high-points an interception on the sideline for an interception. Keep an eye out here.","_player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_3_player":["378834"],"_player_evaluations_3_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_3_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_3_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"There's no truer testament to respect and ability, then when an athlete earns the admiration and praise of his teammates. Justice, who was a top performer earlier this summer in the annual Kentucky vs. Tennessee Future Stars Game, wow'd his teammates from that week. At least three other members of the Kentucky Future Stars took to social media to express just how much they thought of Justice, one of them going as far as saying, u0022he's the best I've played with.u0022 On top of his football talent, the 5-foot-8, 165-pound Justice is also a two-time state finalist in wrestling. Eighth-grade season loading.","_player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_4_player":["261907"],"_player_evaluations_4_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_4_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_4_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"Louisiana, and specifically Calvary Baptist Academy, is home to one of the hottest 2027 Quarterbacks in the entire country in Houston. Instead of using a bunch of football speak to explain his ability, the results speak for themselves. He's about to start his eighth-grade season and he already holds offers from Grambling, Louisiana Tech, Ole Miss and Texas Tech. The schools that have offered Houston are interesting for a few reasons. First off, Grambling has offers out to a few 2027 prospects alreadyu002du002dso they're obviously keeping an eye on the future. Texas Tech was also not shy about offering younger athletes, as they offered multiple 2026 and 2027 prospects this summer. Finally, Louisiana Tech sticks out to me because it is the current home of Landry Lyddy. Lyddy was the Louisiana Gatorade Football Player of the Year a year ago and was also the Quarterback at Cavalry Baptist Academy. Quarterback Pipeline in the making?","_player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_5_player":["403868"],"_player_evaluations_5_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_5_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_5_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_5_evaluation":"I first saw Mayo two years ago at a camp in Colorado and was shocked to find out he was only in sixth-grade. Now, he's getting ready to enter his eighth-grade season in Texas and he's looking more and more like a u0022sure thingu0022 on the field. There aren't many 6-foot-3, 178-pound Safeties walking aroundu002du002dforget the fact of what class he is in. He has unbelievable length, extremely long legs and the ability to cover a ton of ground in just a few strides. Being that long and young, he obviously has some room to improve strength and straight-line speed. However, he's going to be a P5 guy if he stays the course and continues to improve.","_player_evaluations_5_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_6_player":["378824"],"_player_evaluations_6_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_6_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_6_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_6_evaluation":"They don't make Middle Linebackers only entering the eighth-grade, that look like Williams, every day. He is absolutely rocked up and plays the game with a punishing downhill style, that most high school coaches wish they could get upperclassmen to play with every Friday night. Hailing from the 757, Williams is in one of the best pockets of football country and he still sticks out. I'm yet to see him play much offensively, but he told me he's also a Running Back. Obviously a weight room animal, I'm excited to see what this upcoming year looks like.","_player_evaluations_6_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":7,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"align":"","mode":"edit"} /-->