PRZ Next 2027 Watchlist Vol. 2 – Kansas Updated Watchlist

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The PRZ Next 2027 Watchlist has officially been updated as of March 29th, 2023. To view the entire list, click&nbsp;<strong><a href="https://prepredzone.com/next/players-to-watch/2027-watch-list/">here</a></strong>.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Volume 2 of the biggest pre-high school prospect list in the nation contains nearly 1,100 class of 2027 prospects. Following the release of Volume 1 on October 31st, 2022, PRZ Next has continued to do our best to find the top middle school prospects in each state across the country.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Let us be 100% crystal clear: This is NOT the final list.</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We are adding new prospects every day, behind the scenes. The list will be updated&nbsp;<strong>TWO MORE TIMES</strong>&nbsp;this off-season, with new athletes becoming visible on the Watchlist in late June and August. The final list will be released in mid-August, as these athletes are set to begin their high school careers.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Unlike the high school level, there are no official stats or national database of middle school football players or teams, like MaxPreps does for high school. There is also no obligation to film games or post them to film-sharing platforms, like Hudl. While we stand firmly by our Watchlist, it is important to understand that these very early looks can &amp; will change drastically.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>We aren't sleeping on you. We may not have even seen you, yet.</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>With the explosion of social media and recruiting efforts ramping up earlier than ever before, there are literally tens of thousands of middle school prospects out there to evaluate.&nbsp;<strong>We're never going to see every prospect</strong>–but we we will do our best as always. The Hall of Fame misses on NFL greats. GMs in the NFL miss on college prospects. Colleges miss on high school All-American's. We may miss on the eighth-grade level — it happens. However, we use our years of expertise and judgement on eighth-grade talent we see live and on film. We do our homework by talking to coaches and researching the ability of athletes.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>“But I'm ranked on ABC site &amp; I got invited to play in the XYX camp/game</strong>.<strong>&nbsp;How am I not on your list?</strong>“</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>On the pre-high school level, if you're willing to pay enough money, you will find someone to call your 2027 prospect an “all-American” or get “invited” to some event. Prior to high school, football as a whole, is not set up well enough to truly find all the top kids. There will always be invites and all-American games, but that does not factor into our decision-making at all. Film and in-person scouting will trump any invites or titles a prospect may receive/earn/buy.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>So why does the Prep Redzone Next 2027 Football Prospect list matter?</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Just look at the previous results. This list matters because it is the deepest, most-heavily scrutinized and far-and-away most accurate national list you will find anywhere, on the middle school level. National Scouting Director, Al “Pops” Popadines has been evaluating talent on the middle school level since 2010 and has been on the forefront of early-prospect identification. Pops' list of athletes identified as middle schoolers, includes dozens of athletes that are now in the NFL and several thousand that have gone on to play/are currently playing at the college level. Names like Bryan Bresee of Clemson and Quinn Ewers of Texas, made the list as eighth-graders and both eventually became the No.1 player in their recruiting class.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Finally, Here's a look at the Updated Kansas Class of 2027 Watchlist</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["563273"],"_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":"[player_tooltip player_id='563273' first='Blake' last='Thomas'] is a wideout who has put together some very consistent statlines early on in his career. In his eighth grade season, Blake produced over 500 recieving yeards and 10 touchdowns. From what I have seen, Blake is trending toward a slot-type receiver who has sneaky speed and big playmaking ability. With his caliber of talent, Blake has the potential to be a game changer with any offense he competes for.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_1_player":["557424"],"_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":"[player_tooltip player_id='557424' first='Brian' last='Smith'] is a BIG dude who can play on both sides of the line of scrimmage. With him splitting time between offensive and defensive line, Brian has shown that he can dominate the trenches. On the defensive side of the ball, Brian has a strong get-off and moves well enough to close the gap on a ball carrier while he is in pursuit. With him seeming to be stronger on the defensive side of the ball, I would not be surprised to see him begin to specialize as a defensive linemen and watch him truly grow into his playmaking potential.","_player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_2_player":["693877"],"_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":"[player_tooltip player_id='693877' first='Cameron' last='Kruse'] is beginning to make a name for himself in the recruiting world with some big time performances this spring. During the PRZ Seven on 7 event in Oklahoma, Cameron put on a clinic and earned a Top Performer recognition. Cameron is a gamer in the pocket who knows how to generate points when he is leading the offense. For as quickly as Cameron has jumped into the spotlight, I wouldn't be surprised to see him continue to turn heads has he tears up the Kansas high school football landscape.","_player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_3_player":["517090"],"_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":"[player_tooltip player_id='517090' first='Finn' last='Moore'] is not your typical quarterback. With him competing in football, baseball, and wrestling, it is obvious that he loves competing against his peers. His father Jim played for the Jayhawks and into the NFL for a bit, so bloodlines are promising here. On the football field, Finn is capable of lighting a defense up through the air or on the ground. With his fearless nature, there is not a defense out there that looks forward to facing Finn when the lights are on.","_player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_4_player":["563281"],"_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":563282,"_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":"Garret is another dynamic quarterback to look out for as he heads into his high school career. Grant is a tri-sport athlete who competes in football, basketball, and baseball. On the football field, Garret can get the job done standing in the pocket or on the move. With him being such a versatile athlete, I expect him to continue to have a dominant career in football.","_player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_5_player":["563267"],"_player_evaluations_5_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_5_override_profile_image":["override_image"],"_player_evaluations_5_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_5_player_featured_image":"","_player_evaluations_5_player_featured_image":"field_62f141137ead9","player_evaluations_5_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_5_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_5_evaluation":"Grant is a dominant wideout who has competed for one of the better travel teams in the KC Metro area, the KC Outlaws, during his middle school career. Grant has a unique set of skills that makes him a natural wideout who can generate chunks of yards at a time. At 6-foot-1 and 165 pound, he is also a dual sport athlete who has proven to be a stand-out on the baseball diamond. From everything I have seen from Grant, it is clear that he has the potential to be one of those rare dual-sport athletes at the collegiate level in the future.","_player_evaluations_5_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_6_player":["706192"],"_player_evaluations_6_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_6_override_profile_image":["override_image"],"_player_evaluations_6_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_6_player_featured_image":"","_player_evaluations_6_player_featured_image":"field_62f141137ead9","player_evaluations_6_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_6_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_6_evaluation":"[player_tooltip player_id='706192' first='Sheldon' last='Knight'] is a very impressive wideout to keep tabs on as he makes his way onto the high school football scene. Standing at 6'0, Sheldon looks to have the potential to grow into the prototypical Division1 frame for a receiver. Sheldon has a sneaky speed about him and has no problem grabbing the ball in traffic. Overall, Sheldon is one of those receivers that you need to have on your side if you want to be successful.","_player_evaluations_6_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_7_player":["557340"],"_player_evaluations_7_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_7_override_profile_image":["override_image"],"_player_evaluations_7_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_7_player_featured_image":670230,"_player_evaluations_7_player_featured_image":"field_62f141137ead9","player_evaluations_7_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_7_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_7_evaluation":"Warrick is a BIG offensive lineman to keep track of before it is too late. With his big 6'3 frame, Warrick has spent the majority of his time at tackle, but there is a strong chance that he could move to the interior offensive line at the college level. At tackle, Warrick is a very patient pass protector who does a phenomenal job maintaining posture when he is working against a pass rusher. Overall, Warrick is an explosive kid who is going to dominate at offensive line with his size and strength.","_player_evaluations_7_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":8,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-642aff122ae9f"} /--> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">The prospects listed above, join the Kansas 2027 prospects that were already on the 2027 PRZ Next National Watchlist from October.</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='491873' first='Arieus' last='Finley Jr.']</strong> | Running Back</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='403631' first='Cordale' last='Johnson']</strong> | Defensive Back</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='415448' first='Kayden' last='Augustus']</strong> | Athlete</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->