PRZIA 2027 Rankings Update | Breaking Down WRs

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>Get 30% off your first billing cycle with code:&nbsp;OscarGalindo30&nbsp;in the coupon code area.</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Class of 2027 rankings received a winter update this week, with our list of prospects nearly doubling. In the latest update, the rankings went from a top 15 to a new “Sophomore 75.”</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Below is my breakdown of the sophomore wideouts!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Check out the full 2027 list&nbsp;<a href="https://prepredzone.com/iowa/rankings/2027-rankings/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">HERE</a>.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:separator --> <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity" /> <!-- /wp:separator --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>[player_tooltip player_id='1197458' first='Landon' last='Blum'] <a href="https://x.com/landon_blum" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">(@landon_blum)</a>, Woodbine - 6'4" 190 lbs</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>Overall: 3 | WR: 1</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Woodbine's [player_tooltip player_id='1197458' first='Landon' last='Blum'] continues to trend up after an excellent sophomore season. The Tiger's wideout hauled in 40 receptions for 802 yards and 18 touchdowns, averaging 20 yards per reception and a touchdown nearly every other catch. Blum is a super athletic receiver who can create mismatches with his tall 6'4", 190-pound frame. He is an absolute terror in the redzone where he can tap into his basketball background to win jump balls and elevate over defenders. What separates Landon from other big-bodied receivers is his speed and wiggle after the catch. Landon has a long stride that allows him to gain ground and get downfield quickly. He also showed nice shiftiness with the ball in his hands and has the contact balance to stay upright through contact. Landon has already received Power 4 offers from Iowa, Iowa State, and Kansas State with more likely to come this offseason.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/hudl {"name":"acf/hudl","data":{"embed_code":"u003ciframe src='https://www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/16568301/672b8056612a2a6625d81ee8' width='640' height='360' frameborder='0' allowfullscreenu003eu003c/iframeu003e","_embed_code":"field_62daf7995fd8c"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-67b6b8443895c"} /--> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>[player_tooltip player_id='1197446' first='Wyatt' last='Valenta']<a href="https://x.com/WyattValenta27" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"> (@WyattValenta27)</a>, Dallas Center-Grimes - 6'1" 205 lbs</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>Overall: 14 | WR: 2</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Dallas Center-Grimes' [player_tooltip player_id='1197446' first='Wyatt' last='Valenta'] is an interesting prospect with high upside at receiver and linebacker. Wyatt was the Mustang's leading receiver with 47 catches for 460 yards and four receiving touchdowns. Watching Valenta's tape, I was impressed with his physicality both at the catch point and when fighting for extra yardage after the catch. He has strong hands that seem to pluck the ball out of the air and can hold on through contact. Valenta also showed that he can find and exploit the soft spots in coverage, giving his QB a reliable target who can find ways to get open. Solid blocker on the perimeter. Valenta also posted 36.5 tackles and 4 TFLs on the defensive side of the ball. Watch for this guy this offseason!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/hudl {"name":"acf/hudl","data":{"embed_code":"u003ciframe src='https://www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/19644597/67226fa1fd10be7e12eb0fc8' width='640' height='360' frameborder='0' allowfullscreenu003eu003c/iframeu003e","_embed_code":"field_62daf7995fd8c"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-67b6b844389ab"} /--> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>[player_tooltip player_id='1204437' first='Jordon' last='Green'] <a href="https://x.com/jordon07797172" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">(@jordon07797172)</a>, Waukee Northwest - 5'10" 170 lbs</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>Overall: 46 | WR: 3 </em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Waukee Northwest's [player_tooltip player_id='1204437' first='Jordon' last='Green'] was one of the top breakout players in the 2027 class after racking up over 1,000 total yards. The Wolve's sophomore ended the year with 670 receivng yards, 396 return yards, 9 receiving touchdowns, and a return touchdown. Jordon is a dynamic playmaker with 4.56 speed that helps him stress defenses vertically and can take short receptions for big gians. One aspect that really stood out about Jordon was his concentration and ability to track the ball all the way through the catch. He made some spectacular catches that required him to adjust his body on the fly or had defenders in his face. He was still able to haul these passes in while still finding a way to stay in bounds. Top-tier player who is only starting to scratch the surface! </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/hudl {"name":"acf/hudl","data":{"embed_code":"u003ciframe src='https://www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/18391569/671fcf01f611e8920ef5ec28' width='640' height='360' frameborder='0' allowfullscreenu003eu003c/iframeu003e","_embed_code":"field_62daf7995fd8c"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-67b6b844389e0"} /--> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>[player_tooltip player_id='1616408' first='Chase' last='Razor'] <a href="https://x.com/chase_razor" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">(@chase_razor)</a>, Glenwood </em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>Overall: 65 | WR: 4</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Although the sample size is small, I was still very impressed with Chase's sophomore tape. Chase showed that he can make quick work of defenses when you can get the ball in his hands, displaying nice shiftiness in the open field that can make defenders miss. Good burst after the catch allows him to turn upfield to pick tack on extra yardage after the catch. Look for some more opportunities to open up for Razor next season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/hudl {"name":"acf/hudl","data":{"embed_code":"u003ciframe src='https://www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/19428227/67033259a173638559268fb5' width='640' height='360' frameborder='0' allowfullscreenu003eu003c/iframeu003e","_embed_code":"field_62daf7995fd8c"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-67b6b84438a15"} /--> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>[player_tooltip player_id='1617718' first='Brennan' last='Swanson'] <a href="https://x.com/BrennanSwanson6" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">(@BrennanSwanson6)</a>, Ames - 5'10" 150 lbs</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>Overall: 67 | WR: 5</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Little Cyclones return what could be one of the top receiving duos next season with sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='1617718' first='Brennan' last='Swanson'] and junior [player_tooltip player_id='1241492' first='Jeffrey' last='Roberts']. Brennan emerged as a legit threat alongside Roberts, accounting for 33 receptions, 540 receiving yards, and four receiving touchdowns. Swanson is a monster in the slot where he showed he can win on underneath routes and has the speed to blow the top off a defense. He does an excellent job attacking his opponents leverage before breaking off and creating separation at the top of his route. Very good hands, body control, and football IQ. Don't think it will be long before we see some offers from Brennan.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/hudl {"name":"acf/hudl","data":{"embed_code":"u003ciframe src='https://www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/16877557/671f0d264c20845194a42e7d' width='640' height='360' frameborder='0' allowfullscreenu003eu003c/iframeu003e","_embed_code":"field_62daf7995fd8c"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-67b6b84438a46"} /--> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>[player_tooltip player_id='1506387' first='Carson' last='Schmitt'], West Sac - 5'10" 150 lbs</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>Overall: 70 | WR: 6</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Here's a bit of a small school hidden gem in East Sac's [player_tooltip player_id='1506387' first='Carson' last='Schmitt']. Carson had a productive sophomore season in which he caught 27 passes for 258 yards and rushed for an additional 135 yards. Carson showed that he has a knack for exploiting the small pockets in coverage and can take short dump-off passes for big gains. The East Sac coaches seemed to have taken advantage of his versatility, by finding ways to get the ball to Schmitt in the form of hand-offs and putting him in open space. Carson isn't the biggest receiver out there, but he did display some nice toughness and physicality. Don't sleep on this guy!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/hudl {"name":"acf/hudl","data":{"embed_code":"u003ciframe src='https://www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/19857360/67320fcfb32319cc18ed7331' width='640' height='360' frameborder='0' allowfullscreenu003eu003c/iframeu003e","_embed_code":"field_62daf7995fd8c"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-67b6b84438a78"} /--> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>[player_tooltip player_id='1617065' first='John' last='Fitzpatrick'] <a href="https://x.com/johnfitz1114" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">(@johnfitz1114)</a>, Western Dubuque - 5'11" 165 lbs</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>Overall: 72 | WR: 7</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Western Dubuque's John FitzPatrick is a player I will be watching closely this season as I think he's primed to have a big year. FitzPatrick mostly played at the JV/Reserve level, but he still managed to flash an impressive skillset. John projects as a slot receiver who can carve up slot corners and linebackers with his shifty playmaking. He is very twitchy coming off the ball with solid sharpness coming in and out of his breaks. What really stood out to me was what John can do after the catch. He has the agility and swift change of direction to make defenders miss in open space, with speed to separate from defenses.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/hudl {"name":"acf/hudl","data":{"embed_code":"u003ciframe src='https://www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/19646163/6731322cf464532f032d1823' width='640' height='360' frameborder='0' allowfullscreenu003eu003c/iframeu003e","_embed_code":"field_62daf7995fd8c"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-67b6b84438aa9"} /--> <!-- wp:separator --> <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity" /> <!-- /wp:separator --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Make sure to follow&nbsp;<em>@PRZ_OscarG</em>&nbsp;for more news on Nebraska and Iowa HS recruiting.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->