A Prep RedZone IA Welcome to the Class of 2027

’27 Iowa City Regina ATH Tate Wallace. (Photo: Rob Howe/PRZ)

Rob Howe March 14, 2024 @ 02:57 PM

After plenty of film review and discussion, we're pleased with how our first official <a href="https://prepredzone.com/iowa/rankings/2027-rankings/">Class of 2027 Rankings</a> turned out. There's a strong foundation to build upon as we follow this cycle during the next three seasons, while student-athletes pursue their dreams.   Evaluations are tricky at this age. These young people have 75 percent of their high school careers remaining. They will grow, on and off of the field.   OABCIG's [player_tooltip player_id='1197438' first='Jaxx' last='DeJean'] emerged as our No. 1 prospect. The younger brother of former Iowa Hawkeye All-American Cooper DeJean, [player_tooltip player_id='1197438' first='Jaxx' last='DeJean'] combines the high-end athleticism, size and fluidity college coaches seek.   [player_tooltip player_id='1197438' first='Jaxx' last='DeJean'] received plenty of competition for the top spot. Norwalk TE/DE [player_tooltip player_id='1198816' first='Luke' last='Brewer'] picked up an Iowa State scholarship offer in October in part because of his agility and frame.   Rounding out our Top 15 are [player_tooltip player_id='1197458' first='Landon' last='Blum'], [player_tooltip player_id='1198817' first='Carlos' last='Blount Jr']., [player_tooltip player_id='1204540' first='Jaxson' last='McIntire'], [player_tooltip player_id='1198829' first='Kason' last='Clayborne'], [player_tooltip player_id='1197453' first='Kyler' last='McNeal'], [player_tooltip player_id='1197446' first='Wyatt' last='Valenta'], [player_tooltip player_id='1197497' first='Tate' last='Wallace'], [player_tooltip player_id='1197479' first='David' last='William'], [player_tooltip player_id='1105154' first='Cameron' last='Bowie'], [player_tooltip player_id='1204423' first='Rome' last='Freeman'], [player_tooltip player_id='1204464' first='Brayden' last='Cowger'], [player_tooltip player_id='1105157' first='Christopher' last='Ford'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1197463' first='Nolan' last='Kriegel']. We really like all of these kids. And they all have potential for upward mobility in these rankings. The same can be said for the Watchlist.   As with many areas of life, the evaluation process is inexact and fluid. Where we're starting won't be where we end. It's about the journey.   As always, we welcome your contributions along the way. Plenty of deserving individuals are flying under our current radar. Others will develop and emerge.   It's really important that student-athletes and their supporters put together film. There's just two of us evaluating. It's impossible to see all of you in person as much as we wish we could. Help us help you. That's why we're here.   Prep Redzone is the most trusted resource for college football programs. More than 200 of them subscribe to Prep Redzone. The group includes schools from D-I, D-II, D-III, NAIA and JUCO.   The coverage for exposure starts with our rankings. It continues with detailed scouting reports for our Top 15 and beyond. They'll be posted on the site in the coming days. Updates to our rankings for the '25 and '26 classes will be arriving soon as well.   We'll get an up-close look at prospects from all three cycles at our <a href="https://events.prepredzone.com/e/1109/register/combine-series-iowanebraska">Prep Red Zone Iowa/Nebraska Combine</a> on May 5th in Council Bluffs. Film review never stops for us. All of the data points matter.   Speaking of that, we better get back to it.

After plenty of film review and discussion, we're pleased with how our first official Class of 2027 Rankings turned out. There's a strong foundation to build upon as we follow this cycle during the next three seasons, while student-athletes pursue their dreams.