Al Pops’ Class of 2027 Prospect Evaluations – 12/28

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>It's now full steam ahead to the showcase, camp, combine and 7-on-7 part of the year, as the football futures of many prospects are getting ready to hit the accelerate button. 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 year 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 {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["571382"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"-Dynamic athlete that can be moved around to make it a long day for an opposing defense. Equally as tough to stop taking hand off's as he is split out wide, or running routesrnrn-Put together very well and spends obvious time working out. Not just a good looking athlete in football; Also plays basketball and lacrosse in Michiganrnrn-Younger brother of 2026 prospect [player_tooltip player_id='402060' first='Marcello' last='Vitti'], who lit it up at our Midwest camp last spring. The older brother currently has two offers after his freshman season","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_1_player":["571405"],"_player_evaluations_1_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_1_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_1_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"-He suffered an arm injury in the practices leading up to AYF Nationals in early December, so didn't get to watch him live. However, he was there and locked in with his teammates and was an obvious leader on the sidelinesrnrn-Much like Vitti above, he's a player that you can move around with out hesitation. He hits the hole hard when exploding from the Running Back position, and at the same time can put a Cornerback on skates when running routesrnrn-Comes from the Worcester Cowboys program in Massachusetts, which has produced a ton of very talented kids in recent history. He comes battle tested","_player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_2_player":["571451"],"_player_evaluations_2_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_2_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_2_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_2_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_2_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"-Absolutely massive human being for just being in the eighth-grade, at 6-foot-4 and 270-poundsrnrn-With size being the obvious plus, for a big man he also has some pretty good feet as well. Not exactly a ballet dancer, but he can pick his feet up and down at a pretty good raternrn-A three-sport athlete with an obvious love for basketball. Has some room to get in better shape as he gets ready to hit high school, but there is a ton of potential here","_player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_3_player":["489574"],"_player_evaluations_3_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_3_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_3_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_3_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_3_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"-Intriguing athlete from the greater Philadelphia area that I think is sitting on a ton of untapped potential at this pointrnrn-A very good looking athlete that looks like a future standout at Linebacker if he continues to grow. If not at Linebacker, I could see him being a nice Safety and/or Running Back as wellrnrn-On top of his ability on offense and defense, I'm told he's a former soccer player and watching him kick the ball without any formal coaching, is something to surely take in","_player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_4_player":["476115"],"_player_evaluations_4_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_4_override_profile_image":["override_image"],"_player_evaluations_4_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_4_player_featured_image":476218,"_player_evaluations_4_player_featured_image":"field_62f141137ead9","player_evaluations_4_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_4_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"-A confident play-maker as a Defensive Back, specifically at Cornerback, that I really like on the outside and in the back halfrnrn-I'd go as far as saying he loves to come up in run support, which isn't the norm with the majority of Defensive Backs out therernrn-Really promising size in the neighborhood of 5-foot-10 and 140-pounds (unverified) right now. The overall height and weight are a plus because even if he slips in coverage, he can extend an arm and still make a play on the ball","_player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":5,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-63ac63f0bf641"} /-->