Al Pops’ Class of 2027 Prospect Evaluations – 1/11

<!-- 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":["584705"],"_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":"It's popular on social media these days for kids to post a picture of an X-ray with the face of a dog placed over where the heart would be, all to signify that they u0022got that dog in themu0022. Ve'e is a kid that certainly has that dog mentality in him from the second he steps on the field. He started at both Guard and Defensive Tackle, on a talented Gridiron AIGA team out of Washington, that made it to the AYF National tournament this past season. Physically he's there and everything you want in an interior guy at this levelu002du002dspecifically on the defensive side of the ball. He plays with natural strength that's easy to see. Quick off the snap with active hands and a good twitch for a bigger, inside guy. He's an emotional player that will hopefully learn to harness that emotion and aggression as he continues to grow and mature. If he's locked in and his temperament stays up, he's a lot for Offensive Linemen at this level to handle.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_1_player":["532359"],"_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":"A Defensive Lineman that I'd take on my squad in a heart beat for a myriad of reasons u002du002d for both on the field and what he brings from an accountability standpoint. On the field he's a versatile prospect that can play Defensive End or Defensive Tackle if asked. At 6-foot-1 and 215-pounds he's a little bit of a u0022tweeneru0022 right now, but that's all why he's a plus. As an Edge defender he has a great get off; Watching and replaying his most recent film, he gets in a four point stance and by my eye, I've seen him explode and gain up to three yards with his first step off the snap. He uses that quick get off to get into, and around, Offensive Tackle's who are tryin to kick step back to beat him. If moved inside to play Defensive Tackle, he has really good strength and can more than handle his own by creating separation and disengaging with blocks. Comes with intangibles of work ethic, leadership and intelligence too. I'm a big fan.","_player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_2_player":["584953"],"_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":"Off that same Gridiron AIGA team as [player_tooltip player_id='584705' first='Adonal' last='Ve'e'] listed above, Kennedy is another terrific prospect coming out of Washington in the Pacific Northwest. I had the pleasure of watching AIGA play twice at AYF Nationals and both times I wrote down and underlined the kid in jersey no. 9. He is speed personified and has to be one of the fastest 2027 kids in the country at this point. Played both Running Back and Wide Receiver on the offensive side of the ball, but his home looks to be at Defensive Back. He has long arms he uses to hand fight as Wide Receivers attempt to run by him, but that simply doesn't happen. While I can't find any official track numbers, I know what my eyes saw. His acceleration, explosion and ability to turn on the afterburners in the open field are in the 1%.","_player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_3_player":["591191"],"_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":"In my opinion, Jones is the top pure Wide Receiver in the class of 2027 class coming out of Arizona u002du002d that I've seen so far. At an unverified 6-foot and 160-pounds he's exceptionally twitchy and gets in-and-out of his routes with excellent speed. His short range quickness is borderline elite. When looking at his physique, he obviously spends a lot of time working and training to be in the shape he's in. Can also flip over and play Defensive Back well at a high level too. His hands are strong and dependable; couple them with great hand-eye coordination and it's a recipe for a really talented player. Get ready for him in the dessert.","_player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_4_player":["557065"],"_player_evaluations_4_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_4_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_4_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_4_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_4_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"Ahead of the AYF National tournament, I heard rumblings of this kid of Las Vegas that had moved over to play with the OG Ducks this past season. I saw Kim on social media and was interested but needed to see his ability with my own eyesu002du002dand I'm glad I did. At 6-foot-1 and 240-pounds, he's somewhere between a Defensive End and Defensive Tackle right now but can light up at both. He plays fearlessly and silently, but has the ability to make Offensive Tackle's want to pull their hair out. Good body control rushing off the edge and does an excellent job using his hands to get the opposing linemen off balance, before getting skinny and bending to get a step on them.","_player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_5_player":["591279"],"_player_evaluations_5_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_5_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_5_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_5_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_5_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_5_evaluation":"Heading back out to the dest for another 2027 prospect to know of, in Running Back [player_tooltip player_id='591279' first='Tristan' last='Williams']. In talking to some of his coaches, they agreed he checks a lot of the boxes. He's a three-down back with a deep skillset; the type of you player you need to take off the field in any situation. With the rock in his arms he has vision and elusiveness to escape would-be tacklers, and then the speed to pull away from them in the open field. Runs low to the ground is very slippery when running up the gut between the tackles. Williams also has to be accounted for in obvious passing situation. Has shown the ability to chip a rushing defender with his shoulder before getting into his route. Can easily turn a quick screen into a big play if he gets going. Has pretty decent (unverified) size right now at 5-foot-8 and 145-pounds, too.","_player_evaluations_5_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_6_player":["492354"],"_player_evaluations_6_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_6_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_6_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_6_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_6_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_6_evaluation":"Jones was part of an absolutely lethal offense for Stillwater Junior High in Oklahoma this past season. The combination of Jones and fellow 2027 teammate [player_tooltip player_id='492379' first='Bradford' last='Mitchell'] were simply too much for other defenses to try to contain on the outside. While Mitchell certainly looks to be the part of a bonafide future D1 prospect, the 6-foot, 160-pound Jones was equally as impressive. A three-sport star (track and basketball) he displayed great body control and the ability to track the deep ball in all types of situations. On the other side of the coin, also got the ball on end-arounds and was able to run and create like a Running Back too. With Quarterback u003cstrongu003ePeyton Campbell u003c/strongu003epassing dimes to his playmakers on the outside, Stillwater looks to be rich for years to come.","_player_evaluations_6_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":7,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-63bc1bbb817cf"} /-->