Al Pops’ Class of 2027 Prospect Evaluations – 11/10
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We are officially into November and middle school football seasons are reaching the later stages, or in some states, has already wrapped up. The prospect landscape is starting to become clearer and below is a look at some class of…
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Continue ReadingWe are officially into November and middle school football seasons are reaching the later stages, or in some states, has already wrapped up. The prospect landscape is starting to become clearer and below is a look at some class of 2027 prospects (athletes in 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.
Dixon is a Running Back that forces other kids to make “business decisions” when he’s running at them one-on-one. The 5-foot-9, 185-pound Running Back played this past season for Burton Junior High and is one of the best Running Backs I’ve seen in the class of 2027, bar none. There are not many prospects out there, at any level of prep football, that have acceleration like Dixon. It takes him only a few steps before he’s at full speed, and it’s crazy to watch. On top of speed he’s absolutely chiseled for just being an eighth-grade Running Back. His instagram handle includes the word “man child” in it, and there’s no other way to describe a prospect like this. If I’m a college program, I’m getting Jakoby Dixon Jakoby Dixon 5’10” | 190 lbs | RB Brenham | 2027 State TX on campus as soon as possible.
Stillwater High School in Oklahoma is currently 10-0 on the season and ranked the No.4 team in the state, as of this write up. The rich will get richer next year when the Pioneers welcome 2027 prospect Bradford Mitchell Bradford Mitchell 6’1″ | 180 lbs | WR Stillwater | 2027 OK into the fold. Located just seven minutes from the campus of Oklahoma State University, Mitchell is a kid that a lot of programs (like the Cowboys) should start to look at early. At 6-foot-1 and 185-pounds, he has a very similar game to current Philadelphia Eagles standout, AJ Brown. He’s put together like a grown man and can do a bit of everything at the Wide Receiver position. Whether it be head-tapping a Defensive Back in the corner of the end zone or lowering his shoulder while gaining the edge on an End-around, Mitchell is a special athlete. In speaking with a middle school coach whose team squared off against Stillwater this year, that coach called him “a grown man playing against boys”.
While watching the film of Running Back Connor Pittman I kept seeing a big kid in jersey No.15 tossing kids out of the way, while the speedy back zipped by. The prospect in No.15 was 6-foot-2, 195-pound Sawyer Chafin Sawyer Chafin 6’2″ | 190 lbs | TE MS , a championship-winning Quarterback in seventh-grade, turned game-changing Tight End in eighth-grade. Chafin certainly looks the part of an athlete with big time potential, as he (along with Pittman) was moved up to the high school level in mid-October. Unquestionably physical and big, Chafin tells me that while he likes defense more, he just enjoys being on the field. He saw time at Defensive End as well, Also a basketball player with some pretty good feet.
If you’re familiar with Louisiana high school football and recruiting, then the last name Moses and the University Lab School shouldn’t be very foreign to you. First it was Dylan Moses who graced the cover of ESPN The Magazine as a 15-year old before going on to play at Alabama and signing an UDFA deal with the Jacksonville Jaguars. Next up is/was current 2025 prospect Keylan Moses Keylan Moses 6’2″ | 215 lbs | ATH University Lab | 2025 State LA , who holds 12 offers as a sophomore. The youngest of the Moses brothers is 2027 prospect Emmanuel Moses Emmanuel Moses 5’11” | 180 lbs | DB University Lab | 2027 State LA and he’s up next. While Keylan and Dylan were both the Linebacker/Running Back type, the kid they call “Man Man” is a 5-foot-9, 140-pound Defensive Back prospect. Despite not playing the same position as his older brothers, little brother can absolutely lay the wood just like his older siblings. He’s a very physical player who is a blessing in the box for his defense. Emmanuel is a bit shorter than his brothers were at this point, so seeing how much he stretches out could go a long way to determining his future on the gridiron.
Juliano is a Northern New Jersey kid that I am very intrigued to see how he develops. Right now, my best estimate is that he’s in 6-foot and 180-pound range and continuing to grow. Comparatively to other prospects I usually cover around the country, he has not been tested against other competition based off the league he plays in. With that said, by taking one look at him, you can tell he’s different than the other kids he plays against. In speaking with one of his coaches, he says he’s the best kid he has ever coached on the pre-high school level. Right now he’s an unreal run blocker as an Offensive Lineman. Does a tremendous job of getting a proper fit and overwhelms defenders until they’re pancaked into the ground. I’m not sure if he’s started lifting weights yet, but once he does that, he could turn into a totally different beast. Depending on how his body fills out and how big he gets, I could see him staying on the line or moving to Tight End on offense and Defensive End or Outside Linebacker on defense. With full disclosure, I haven’t had an opportunity to see him move in space so I’m not sure how he’d fair at Tight End or Linebacker. However, based off his film he has ability and the potential to be a very, very good prospect.
McKeesport High School sits only 30 minutes from Pittsburgh and has a rich tradition in both men;s and women’s athletics at the school. Currently, the most famous athletic alum is two-time NCAA champion, Olympic gold medalist and 15-year WNBA vet, Swin Cash. However, 2027 football prospect Landon Robinson Landon Robinson 5’10” | 150 lbs | ATH West Mifflin | 2027 State PA is attempting to earn that claim some day. At 5-foot-10 and 150-pounds, Robinson looks like he could be on his way to making a big splash on the high school level at the Running Back position. He possesses very good change of direction ability and pretty good feet. Not a burner at this point but certainly fast enough to win most foot races to the end zone. In my opinion, he can run a little too tall at times and allows defenders to throw unnecessary shots at him but out of the other side of my mouth, throws an absolutely nasty stiff arm. There’s some fine-tuning to do, but Robinson can absolutely tote the rock. Look for him to do some damage in the WPIAL (Wester Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League) over the next four years.