2027 Rankings Debut: The Top 10

For a discounted subscription to view all of our content, use Code PRZWV30 at checkout for 30% off!   The 2027 rankings have made their long-awaited debut with an initial list of the Top 60 rising sophomores in West Virginia. While these rankings will greatly change over the next three years as more athletes emerge and more information and film becomes available, these are the 2027 prospects who have proven to be some of the best at this time. Here are the Top 10 prospects in the 2027 class in our eyes at this early stage.   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">THE TOP 10</h2>    Choosing the #1 overall player in the 2027 class at this early stage was an easy choice as Princeton OL [player_tooltip player_id='864598' first='Landyn' last='Moore'] debuts as our top prospect. The 6'5 295 rising sophomore looks to be the next great offensive line prospect out of West Virginia in the making and produced a very good freshman season for the Class AAA state runner-up Tigers in 2023. Outside of his elite size for a young athlete, Moore also has the athleticism to develop into a P4 prospect by the time he's a senior which we've predicted he will do in time. He has gotten in front of coaches from that level this off-season and is getting on their radars early which is a great sign for his future outlook. With that said, there are still areas of improvement needed for Moore to eventually get there, but he has all of the tools to do so. He'll be pushed hard in practice every week by highly ranked 2026 Princeton Edge prospects [player_tooltip player_id='1200316' first='Daniel' last='Jennings'] and [player_tooltip player_id='894897' first='Kalum' last='Kiser'] over the next two seasons which will only make Moore a better player in the long run.   Moore has the talent and ability to play at the P4 level if he wants to put in the work needed to get there over the next three years.      2027 University WR [player_tooltip player_id='1154937' first='Kaleil' last='Lewis'] was ranked as the #1 basketball prospect in the class by our sister site Prep Hoops WV and makes his debut as a football prospect as the #2 overall player and #1 WR in the class. Lewis is a freak athlete with tremendous size who may one day outgrow the WR position and become a TE depending on how his body develops over the next three years. An effortless dunker on the basketball court, Lewis' leaping ability translates to the football field with a high catch radius and ability to outjump defenders for the ball. He has the speed to run away from defenders in the open field and will only continue to get faster as he gets older. Lewis' size, athleticism, and natural playmaking combination give him a P4 ceiling capable of big things over the next three seasons.   Check out the second clip below against Brooke last season as a freshman to see the type of playmaking ability Lewis is capable of.      The Huntington Highlanders have themselves a special player in the making with 2027 ATH [player_tooltip player_id='1260046' first='Donte' last='Newsome'] who has a very high ceiling as a prospect. Newsome came out and put the state on notice at our Combine back in May earning DB Top Performer honors as a freshman against some talented and older receivers and defensive backs. He's only scratching the surface of what he can one day become and you see flashes of it any time you get to watch Newsome play. He's a natural athlete with innate playmaking ability that will be scary once he develops his technique and fundamentals and fills out his frame. Newsome has high potential as a WR or DB but will make his debut in the 2027 rankings as the #1 ATH in the class.   Don't be surprised if Newsome earns similar notoriety as 2026 Huntington WR [player_tooltip player_id='894642' first='Tayveon' last='Wilson'] sooner rather than later if he keeps developing.   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/DonteNewsome/status/1790494576580403230 </div></figure>     The 2027 defensive back class is shaping up to be a deep and talented one as Hurricane's [player_tooltip player_id='1155315' first='Kno'sean' last='Hampton'] debuts as our initial #1 DB in the class. Hampton has the family pedigree to develop into a high-ceiling prospect with older brother Shalik being a top-ranked 2025 DL with D1 offers. He has the speed and quickness to stick to receivers in man coverage and did so as a freshman on varsity on a talented Redskins team. Hampton attacks the ball like a veteran and played above his size and age for a young DB last season while showing no hesitation in his first year at the high school level.   If Hampton can continue to get bigger and keep progressing each year, he has P4 potential and is a definite future D1 prospect.      2027 Riverside DB [player_tooltip player_id='1155320' first='Tavion' last='Woods'] earned some accolades as a freshman for the Warriors which included WVSWA Class AAA Honorable Mention All-State, Special Honorable Mention All-MSAC, and All-Kanawha Valley. Woods totaled 86 tackles, 12 TFLs, 3 sacks, and 2 forced fumbles in 2023 as primarily a box safety who was very good near the line of scrimmage as a freshman. He attacks with good pursuit speed and is a consistent open-field tackler for a young DB prospect. Woods is a physical and hard-hitting safety who likes to come downhill and pop ball carriers. He showed potential as a back-end safety and is a work in progress in pass coverage but his ability in the box is impressive at this early stage.   If Woods continues this trajectory and develops in pass coverage, he'll be a D1-level safety prospect by the time he's a senior.      We've yet to see any game film of 2027 Cabell Midland DL [player_tooltip player_id='1272160' first='Malachi' last='Brown'] but he's impressed on the camp circuit this off-season and looks like a future D1 prospect. In the 6'4 235 range, Brown has the size and athleticism to one day reach that high level of play. Considered a Top 15 prospect by our Prep Hoops WV site, Brown is a natural athlete in any sport with a very high ceiling as a football prospect. He'll have the potential to climb inside of the Top 5 once we see some game film from him and still debuts as the #1 DL in the class without it.   We'll be watching Brown closely this season for that film to back up our high acclaim of him and expect him to do some big things over the next three years.   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/GordonCohagan/status/1790942896582996193 </div></figure>     [player_tooltip player_id='1154923' first='Nymir' last='Bryant'] is an exciting and intriguing football prospect with a very good basketball background as well who debuts as a Top 10 2027 prospect and the #1 TE in the class. His best football is way ahead of him and is still a raw prospect right now, but his ceiling is immense if he puts in the work to get there. Bryant is another athletic freak with great size at 6'6 205 who is ahead as a basketball player compared to football but has the athletic base to develop into a D1 football prospect. Bryant is a big-time leaper on the court who can throw it down with the best of them and he'll learn how to use that elite athleticism to his advantage on the football field over time. He's another 2027 prospect who is ranked highly by our basketball site Prep Hoops as the #7 prospect in the class and that's where he'll begin on the football side too.   Bryant could have a high ceiling as a DE too depending on how his body transforms over the next three years and is a prospect to follow closely as he further develops as a football athlete.      South Charleston OL [player_tooltip player_id='1154943' first='Elijah' last='Bausley'] debuts as our #2 offensive line prospect in the 2027 class and is another high-ceiling player to watch over the next three years. This is a bet on him to continue getting bigger and developing over time just like his older brother Xavier who is now on scholarship at WVU. We think the younger Bausley will get there in time after a quality freshman campaign for the Black Eagles which saw him earn Second Team All-MSAC honors in 2023. Bausley has the athleticism to build on and develop to increase his ceiling as he gets bigger and stronger.   Bausley is a developmental prospect who has the potential and upside to be one of the top prospects in the 2027 class and should make strides in his game by the time he's a senior.      Another 2027 prospect with limited game film but flashed obvious high-level potential is George Washington WR [player_tooltip player_id='1154939' first='Kai' last='Martin']. Martin is a long and athletic receiver with natural playmaking ability which you could see in the few clips available to us. He should be one of the Patriots' go-to receivers this season as they'll be searching for some to step up after some losses from last season's team. Martin is one of many prospects inside of the Top 10 with basketball backgrounds and athleticism that you're born with. We're betting on Martin to make strides over the next three years and take on a bigger role on the varsity team sooner rather than later with the #2 WR ranking and inside of the Top 10 overall.   Below is a glimpse of the playmaking ability mentioned above and a look at what you could see a lot of in the future.      Speaking of 2027 WR prospects with high ceilings, Oak Hill's [player_tooltip player_id='1306758' first='Carson' last='Treadway'] is another one that we expect to have a breakout season in 2024. Treadway ran a 4.48 40 this off-season and you can see that next-level speed on film from his freshman season. He's also a well-built athlete with that kind of speed at 6'2 195 which gives him a very high ceiling as a prospect in the future. Once he gets a crease and a step on the outside, there aren't many athletes in West Virginia who can catch him which is saying something for just a rising sophomore. You got a small glimpse of that from him last season and expect to see much more of it in year two with a reloaded offense that can get him the ball more.   If Treadway can develop as a route-runner with the lateral mobility to pair with his straight-line speed, he has the potential to be another D1 prospect in this class by his senior year.

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