2027 Rankings Update: Stock Risers

The Prep RedZone Class of 2027 gave us the benefit of the early portion of the season to help evaluate further before releasing the rankings in this cycle.   And, yet, we're still so early in the overall process that we feel we've only scratched the surface.   Case in point: 12 players made significant upward movement from the spring. These are all names that are well known in their particular communities.   They should be well known on a statewide level soon.   NEW TO THE TOP 10    Two players now inhabit our overall Top 10 following a strong summer and start to their sophomore seasons.    Catawba Ridge defensive back [player_tooltip player_id='1422524' first='Josh' last='Dobson'] is tearing up the recruiting circuit and should continue to see a number of offers as the season goes on. That's because what those colleges are seeing is the same thing we are: Dobson isn't perfect, but his base level as a cover corner is that much higher than others his age. We think the sky's the limit with him, and he's now the No. 10 overall player in the class.    [player_tooltip player_id='309825' first='Grayson' last='Clary'] (pictured) is now Prep RedZone's No. 4 player in the class (up from No. 40) after waiting his turn last fall. The 6-foot-2, 215-pound quarterback threw for 492 yards and seven touchdowns and rushed for a couple more scores in his first three games. He's completed 61 percent of his passes and has only one interception in 64 pass attempts. Clary has a big arm but knows when to scale it back. And he's also got an ability to change arm angles when need arises.    MOVERS AND SHAKERS   Daniel's [player_tooltip player_id='1172351' first='PJ' last='Chancellor'] was already inside our top 20, so there's only so much room for improvement. But he gained five spots up to No. 15 overall by jumping out of the gate with 23 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, two pass break-ups, an interception and 114 early kickoff return yards so far this year. He hasn't been asked to play much offense yet, but we already know he's a reliable receiver for this offense, too.   In the Midlands, White Knoll defensive lineman [player_tooltip player_id='1172366' first='Tyrone' last='Jennings'] jumped 10 spots to No. 17 overall because of how much he's taken on to his plate this year. Despite a number of influential graduations, Jennings is averaging better than 10 tackles and a tackle for loss per game.    Three players moved up exactly 15 spots to their new rankings a bit up the charts. Cross tailback [player_tooltip player_id='1172364' first='Mah'ky' last='Green'] (No. 23 overall) is averaging 9.3 yards per carry and scored a touchdown in each of his first two contests. Dillon linebacker [player_tooltip player_id='1172360' first='Kelvion' last='Manning'] (No. 13 overall) is part of a large collection of Wildcat standouts on that side of the ball. However, he's taking care of his share is already on pace to shatter his tackles and tackles for loss figures from last year. South Pointe linebacker [player_tooltip player_id='1271263' first='KJ' last='Burg'] (No. 44 overall) is on an early pace to flirt with triple digits in tackles, something that he can help happen with a Stallions' postseason run.   We knew that Ridge View receiver [player_tooltip player_id='1172363' first='Khristian' last='Jackson'] (up 24 spots to No. 12) would see his targets increase since everyone would be blanketing [player_tooltip player_id='233146' first='Jordon' last='Gidron'] (No. 3 overall in Class of 2026). Sure enough, it took all of three games for Jackson to match or exceed all of his 2023 production. He's already put up 13 receptions or 228 yards and three touchdowns.     FROM UNRANKED TO TOP 40 OVERALL   In addition to Catawba Ridge's Dobson, four other players went from the realm of unranked directly into the Top 40 overall.    Summerville tailback [player_tooltip player_id='1215391' first='Jayven' last='Williams'] was earmarked as the varsity starter after rushing for 200 yards a game on the junior varsity last year. So we knew he'd have opportunities. So far, he's made them count. He's scored at least one touchdown in all three games he's played and went over 100 yards in each of the last two games (the first game was called at halftime due to an off-field incident). A 1,000-yard season feels almost inevitable.    Down at Calhoun County, offensive lineman [player_tooltip player_id='1223929' first='Markest' last='Davenport'] is stirring up some commotion. The 6-foot-4, 330-pound left tackle is an obvious load who has helped the Saints during a major restoration project on that side of the ball. Calhoun County will be building around him for the foreseeable future.    [player_tooltip player_id='1422535' first='Jayvin' last='Risher'] has already proved how flexible he can be for Hampton County. Already expected to get offensive carries entering the season, he immediately had to step in and pick up an early start at linebacker, too, when [player_tooltip player_id='809743' first='Mandrell' last='Sanders'] was out. That same night, Risher finished with 11 rushes for 117 yards and a touchdown.    Irmo's [player_tooltip player_id='1422528' first='Maleek' last='Miller'] has exploded onto the scene opposite star 2026 [player_tooltip player_id='377560' first='Donovan' last='Murph'] - and the duo looks to be among the most productive receiver tandems in the state. The highly recruited Murph is leading the way with 24 receptions for 314 yards and a pair of touchdowns for the 3-0 Yellow Jackets. Miller isn't far behind, as he's already put up 17 catches for 287 yards and three scores. He recorded at least five receptions in each of his first three games.

The Prep RedZone Class of 2027 gave us the benefit of the early portion of the season to help evaluate further before releasing the rankings in this cycle.