PRZ Next 2027 Watchlist Vol. 2 – Michigan 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 Michigan Class of 2027 Watchlist</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["642774"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":["override_image"],"_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_player_featured_image":642775,"_player_evaluations_0_player_featured_image":"field_62f141137ead9","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"Armani is an edge-type defensive lineman to look out for as he heads into his freshman year of high school. With him being a sneaky playmaker, Armani is natural pass rusher who nows how to disrupt any passing offensive passing attempts. Armani is blazing fast off the snap and has a knack for dipping an ripping through pass blockers when as he makes his way to the quaterback. Just from what I have seen, Armani is a defensive weapon that is going to make some noise at the next level. I am very excited to see what he can do in the future.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_1_player":["666202"],"_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":"Chase is another defensive end who already has some impressive size for his age group. With a big performance at the recent AYF National All-Star game, Chase is beginning to gain some national recognition, along with the rest of the best in his class. At the defensive end, Chase is a tenacious ball player with a nasty edge. Chase is a natural edge-setter in the run game and is a sure tackler whenever the ball carrier is remotely close to him. Overall, Chase is a very bright future and is likely going to become one of the most sought-after defensive athletes in the class of 2027.","_player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_2_player":["668478"],"_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='1157446' first='Collin' last='Sumpter'] is a middle linebacker to keep on your radar for the future. Standing at 6'1, Collin has a lot of room to grow into his frame as he develops in high school. At linebacker, Collin plays physically, which makes hime a phenomenal tackler and block destructor. Collin also moves very well from side to side, which allows him to make plays inside the box and outside the box. Overall, Collin is a very  exciting athlete to watch out for in the coming years.","_player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_3_player":["547391"],"_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":"De'Mari is a shifty and elusive running back that can be an absolute game-changer on the football field. Coming out of the backfield, Hendrix can get the job done on the ground or through the air as a receiver. With the ball in his hands, De'Mari is a downhill runner who makes a habit out of running through defenders on long runs. Overall, De'Mari is an explosive athlete with big play ability. If he keeps this up, he is going to end up being one of the better running backs to come out of Michigan in the class of 2027.","_player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_4_player":["571382"],"_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":"Giancarlo is a rare breed who can get the job done on the football field, basketball court, or lacrosse field. With him being such a dynamic athlete, it is no surprise that he can cause problems for defenses when he is coming out of the backfield, or lined up as a wideout. Giancarlo is truly a human swiss-army knife who can make plays anywhere on the field. If he continues on this path of success, it won't be long until he stacks up some big time offers like his older brother, [player_tooltip player_id='318570' first='Marcello' last='Vitti'].","_player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_5_player":[1111090],"_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":"[player_tooltip player_id='666275' first='Jayden' last='Evans'] is a very athletic wideout to keep an eye on in this stacked 2027 class. With a big-time performance at the AYF All-Star Game, Jayden has shown that he shines even when he is surrounded by some of the best in his class. With his elite talent, I wouldn't be surprised to see him end up playing for a powerhouse program on Saturday afternoons down the road. I am very excited to watch him grow and develop throughout his early high school career.","_player_evaluations_5_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_6_player":["528082"],"_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":"Lorenzo is an athletically gifted ball player who can play both wideout and defensive back at a very high level. With his quick twitch speed and change of direction ability, Lorenzo can be a nightmare at receiver. Barber also has phenomenal ball skills that allow him to be any quarterback's favorite target. Lorenzo has a very bright future ahead of him. With him already visiting several big-time programs around the state of Michigan, there is no telling where he might end up.","_player_evaluations_6_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_7_player":["547453"],"_player_evaluations_7_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_7_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_7_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_7_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_7_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_7_evaluation":"[player_tooltip player_id='547453' first='Trevor' last='Dhue-Reid'] is a big bodied defensive linemen that has shown to be a force in the trenches. Trevor comes from a football family with his older brother being Christian Dhue-Reid, who seemingly re-wrote michigan record books at quarterback not too long ago. At the defensive line, Trevor is an unblockable force who has a knack for stuffing running lanes and gaining leverage on his opponents. Overall, Trevor has an incredible upside and is going to do big things at the high school level very soon.","_player_evaluations_7_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":8,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-64355fc364553"} /--> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">The prospects listed above, join the Michigan 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='474868' first='Anthony' last='Cartwright III']</strong> | Tight End</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='489281' first='Brandon' last='Adams']</strong> | Athlete</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='489268' first='Chad' last='Willis']</strong> | Defensive Back</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='466870' first='Dallas' last='Moody']</strong> | Athlete</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='427440' first='Djuan' last='Edwards']</strong> | Running Back</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='489263' first='Jabin' last='Gonzales']</strong> | Athlete</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='483197' first='Lundon' last='Hampton']</strong> | Athlete</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='427417' first='Vincent' last='Botello']</strong> | Offensive Line</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='424593' first='William' last='Tobin']</strong> | Offensive Line</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->