2027 Watchlist: Best In Class (So Far)
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This week on Prep Redzone Oklahoma, we’re putting a spotlight on some of the top 2027 prospects in the state. This is the freshmen class we’re talking about so needless to say, it’s still incredibly early in their high school career. On Monday, we released our initial 2027 watchlist. The first prospect rankings for this class will come out in January. Throughout the week, we’ll be breaking down different position groups and overall standouts in the state’s 2027 class so far. In this post, we’re putting the spotlight on five of the best 2027 prospects that have stood out to us so far this fall.
rnDefending champion Washington is the best team in Class 2A and that might not be changing anytime soon. The Warriors have some outstanding young players coming up in addition to their talented senior class. One of those young players is freshman Case Alexander Case Alexander 6’2″ | 170 lbs | LB Washington | 2027 State OK at the linebacker position. Alexander is one of the team’s leading tacklers this season and is part of a Washington defense that has been absolutely dominant this season. Alexander was a freshman that we had our eye on coming into this season for a few reasons. He’s the younger brother of Iowa State commit Cooper Alexander Cooper Alexander 6’4″ | 205 lbs | TE Washington | 2024 State OK and he was arguably the best overall prospect at our PRZ-Next camp back in April. Whether it was offense or defense, Alexander shined bright.
After a fantastic offseason with Sooner 7 in various 7v7 tournaments, we were confident that Stillwater wide receiver Deakon Jones Deakon Jones 6’1″ | 170 lbs | WR Stillwater | 2027 State OK would be an impact player sooner rather than later. And Jones finally had his breakout moment last week in a big district win over Sand Springs. Jones had five catches for 75 yards and a touchdown. We think that defending champion Stillwater has their best football in front of them and Jones is in a great position to get better. The Pioneers have a really good running back and a pair of outstanding wide receivers ahead of Jones. So Jones doesn’t have to be “Superman” yet but he certainly looks like he has the potential to be that in the future. His progression this year will be something we keep an eye on.
It’s an interesting time at Booker T Washington right now. The Hornets have struggled on the scoreboard this season and have a surprising 1-5 record. But the Hornets have some outstanding talent in their 2026 and 2027 classes so the future is bright. It shouldn’t be a surprise that the Hornets have some outstanding coming up that could be among the best in their respective classes. In the 2027 class specifically, we’re putting a spotlight on Joseph Graves Joseph Graves 6’2″ | 285 lbs | DL Booker T Washington | 2027 State OK along the defensive line. From the first few weeks of the season, it was immediately evident that Graves was going to be one of the more impactful players on this Booker T Washington defense. He shined bright in some of the early games and it’s clear that he has an even brighter future.
Highlights
Coming into this season, if we had to pick a 2027 prospect that would be at the top of any ranking, it would be Semaj Stanford Semaj Stanford 5’10” | 165 lbs | ATH Jenks | 2027 State OK out of Jenks. Stanford proved very early on that not only was he good enough to earn playing time, but he would be playing on both sides of the ball. Stanford is splitting carries with one of the best running backs in the state and he’s also being used in several other ways on the offensive side of the ball. Stanford then turns around and is an impact player on the defensive side of the ball. Stanford is the younger brother of Jalyn Stanford, who is now a freshman at Houston. Semaj is following in older brother’s footsteps and becoming a two-way star for the Trojans. And Stanford is already in the running for top prospect in his class.
Another 2027 prospect that dominated our PRZ-Next camp back in April was Mustang’s Taven Brown Taven Brown 6’1″ | 200 lbs | RB Mustang | 2027 State OK at the running back position. Just like Alexander, Brown was one of the top campers in attendance and he has gotten a fair amount of playing time for a Mustang team that is loaded with young talent. Brown has performed well already this season and he appears to have a bright future. Brown also has a twin brother that’s going to be an impact player for Mustang in the future. We’re excited to see Brown and this Mustang team in person this week when they hit the road to face Union. Brown appears to be the marquee running back of the future and we’re looking forward to seeing how many carries Brown gets this week and moving forward.