Al Pops’ Class of 2027 Prospect Evaluations – 11/11
In this article:
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…
Access all of Prep Redzone Next and Prep Redzone
Continue reading this article and more.
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.
QB1 for one of the South Philly Sharks, one of best youth football teams in the state of Pennsylvania, Benzio is exactly the type of signal caller a team with this much talent could ask for. The 6-foot-1, 170-pound Quarterback may even be an inch or two taller and executes at a very consistent rate. He’s a nice mix of athleticism and pure pocket passer that keeps defenses off balance trying to defend him. Benzio has no problem moving the pocket by rolling out, or tucking the ball and scrambling to pick up some yards with his long legs. I really like his arm and overall Quarterback mechanics. Possessing a strong build, he’s able to throw with a smooth, over the top motion that allows for accuracy no matter where he’s throwing the football. Surrounded by a ton of talent at the skill positions, he makes it easy by getting the ball where it needs to be quickly and accurately.
Highlights
Sometimes the job of evaluating middle school talent takes a lot of film study and research and other times you watch film of athletes like Evans, and the job is easy. The Texas prospect is a bolt of energy and excitement when he has the ball in his hands, and is a threat to go the distance from anywhere at any time. The 2027 Athlete played a lot of football this fall at various different positions. As a member of DEA travel ball team he left his mark as a Wide Receiver and as a weapon in the return game. During school ball he was Michael Vick-like at the Quarterback position for Huffines Middle School, leading them to an 8th Grade Division 1 championship. He’ll be off to Lewisville High School next year and should certainly see some continued early recruiting attention.
Highlights
Standing 6-foot-3 and 185-pounds, the potential in Chris Johnson Chris Johnson 6’3″ | 210 lbs | DL Cedartown | 2027 GA is oozing out his pores. For those who follow middle school football in Georgia, he formally had his name changed from Chris Coombs this past year and while his last name is different than last year, what he’s doing on the field is not. Playing this past season for the Cedartown Bulldogs, Johnson did a little bit of everything as a Tight End/Defensive End/Outside Linebacker. With his build and athletic ability he’s a perfect fit for the Edge position, that is becoming more and more popular on various levels of football. He has the length and strength to rush the passer and/or draw plays East and West as a Defensive End, however, at the same time he has more than enough speed to play Outside Linebacker. While I have him listed as a Defensive Lineman, I’m not totally convinced he won’t ultimately end up as a Tight End. Johnson has a huge pair of mitts that he uses to haul in passes he has no business catching. While he can certainly catch passes on the traditional intermediate routes, he can also go vertical and outmuscle Defensive Backs for 50/50 balls. Johnson is a ball player. Period.
Highlights
An eye-test passing Offensive Lineman right off the bat, Eubanks is an impressive looking prospect at 6-foot-3 and 260-pounds. While a lot of Offensive Linemen on the pre-high school level are effective due to simply being bigger than everyone else, Eubanks has some ability as well. He’s very well proportioned throughout his big frame and doesn’t appear to carry a lot of extra bad weight. He’s just a big dude no matter how you slice it. He has long limbs, a long torso and getting a look at his dad, he should continue to keep getting bigger. At first glance he’s built exactly like a future double digit-offer Offensive Tackle, however, after watching him play there are some foot-speed and agility questions right now. At this point he’s a better Guard than tackle based off his ability to move around in isolated situations while pass blocking in space. I have no reason to doubt his feet will continue to improve, and with his size, Eubanks holds all the cards to determine what level of football he’ll ascend to. Keep this young man on your radar because he could become a big time national prospect with furthered development.
While I was checking out the film of 2027 Tight End Anthony Cartwright III Anthony Cartwright III 6’4″ | 200 lbs | TE Detroit Country Day | 2027 State MI , it opened my eyes to a trio of his Orchard Lake Cardinals teammates. One of the three that really caught my eye was fellow 2027 prospect, Brandon Adams Jr Brandon Adams Jr 6’2″ | 200 lbs | ATH Orchard Lake St Mary’s | 2027 MI . Adams is a 6-foot, 155-pound athlete that plays this game with an attitude. I have him listed as an Athlete at this point because while he he makes most of his noise as a Wide Receiver, I can’t see how a kid with this much aggression stays on the offensive side of the ball long term. Offensively, he reminds me a ton of Super Bowl Champion, three-time Pro Bowler and 14-year NFL vet, Anquan Boldin. At 6-foot and 155-pounds, he’s a thicker Wide Receiver that isn’t afraid to mix it up to create separation. It’s that same fearlessness to mix it up, that makes him a a force as an Outside Linebacker/Edge/Strong Safety type of kid. Adams has no problem smacking a Running Back on a perimeter run play, nor does he shy away from blitzing and getting after the Quarterback. The one thing I’d like to see more consistency on–and this came from watching him on the highlights of other players on the team–is his motor. Staying engaged and keeping that pedal down at all times will only help this talented prospect reach the level he’s certainly capable of getting to.