Evaluating Maryland's 2027 recruiting class: Defensive Tackles

Prep Redzone Maryland looks at five more defensive players currently listed in our Class of 2027 football rankings. These articles feature five players at a time. Keep checking them out to see if your favorite Class of 2027 football prospect from Maryland is in it.    Ampofo displays versatility as an edge rusher and defensive tackle for his team. His strength is noticeable when he pushes the pocket and collapses the line. Ampofo disrupts plays consistently. His lateral agility and ability to maintain a good pad level allow him to shed blocks quickly. Ampofo overpowers offensive linemen with a strong bull rush. I'd like to see him work on becoming even more explosive and improve his first-step quickness. He already penetrates the gaps     Whitting is a defensive lineman who excels at shedding blocks and creating disruption in the backfield. It doesn't matter if it's against the run or pass. Whittington's powerful hands and feet make him effective at disengaging from blockers quickly and chasing down a running back or quarterback. He does a great job of consistently using his hands to keep offensive linemen off his body. Whittington's explosiveness and quick first step allow him to shoot gaps effectively. He's a powerful pass rusher who can drive blockers backward with power. I'd love to see him in a camp setting to see what his pass-rush move arsenal looks like.     Travers highlights show someone who gives relentless effort and has a motor on the field. Even when he doesn't immediately penetrate the backfield, he stays active and still gets push to make impact plays. Travers' strong base allows him to hold his ground against offensive linemen and barely give up any ground. He's a solid tackler who delivers big hits with good form. Travers is already disruptive, but I think he can also work on becoming even more explosive off the ball.     Reilly has an impressive combination of size, length, and power. His bull rush allows him to overpower offensive linemen with ease. His highlights showcase him effectively setting the edge against the run. Reilly also has a forceful punch and establishes control early in plays. His physicality at the point of attack stands out. That's one of the reasons why he's a reliable run stopper and an effective pass rusher. I think he has solid power moves, but I would like to see him work on getting quicker with his first step.     Fleur is a powerful and disciplined lineman who has good upper-body strength and plays with good leverage. His solid base strength makes it difficult for him to push back. Fleur consistently holds his position against double-teams and still manages to make or help make tackles against the run. His effort and secondary rush capabilities stand out; he constantly creates pressure even when initially blocked. Fleur's highlights also show him consistently closing out plays from the backside, a testament to his effort and motor. He's another one whose pass rush arsenal I'd love to see in a camp setting.    HIGHLIGHTS RANKINGS   I rank the highlights from No. 1 to No. 5 (No. 1 being the best). The rankings are based on the highlight video's first 5-8 plays.   1. [player_tooltip player_id='945014' first='Josiah' last='Ampofo']: His highlights feature the most turnovers and high-impact plays. The versatility stands out as well. 2. [player_tooltip player_id='1628786' first='Xzaiver' last='Whittington']: His highlights showcase his explosiveness and power and ability to penetrate gaps and shed blocks quickly. 3. [player_tooltip player_id='1313273' first='Jayden' last='Travers']: His highlights show great awareness and effort. He does a nice job of disengaging off blocks to make tackles. Travers also collapses the pocket. 4. [player_tooltip player_id='1129052' first='Owen' last='Reilly']: His highlights spotlight his physicality and power. His strengths include setting the edge and maintaining control of blocks. He's powerful and overpowers blockers. 5. [player_tooltip player_id='1628506' first='Sean' last='Saint Fleur']: He consistently gives an effort and plays with good leverage and strength. He also has solid secondary rush capability.   <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2025/03/marylands-class-of-2027-in-depth-analysis-of-the-top-5/">Maryland's Class of 2027: In-Depth Analysis of the Top 5</a>   <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2025/03/evaluating-the-ranked-2026-md-linebackers-in-the-top-10/">Evaluating the ranked 2026 MD linebackers in the Top 10</a>   <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2025/03/wcac-ranked-as-a-top-10-toughest-high-school-football-leagues/">WCAC ranked as a Top 10 toughest high school football league</a>   <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2025/03/scouting-the-maryland-2027-class-running-backs/"> Scouting the Maryland 2027 class: Running Backs</a>   <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2025/03/scouting-marylands-2027-class-wide-receivers/">Scouting Maryland's 2027 class: Wide Receivers</a>   <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2025/03/scouting-marylands-2026-class-defensive-backs/">Scouting Maryland's 2026 Class: Defensive Backs</a>

Prep Redzone Maryland looks at five more defensive players currently listed in our Class of 2027 football rankings. These articles feature five players at a time. Keep checking them out to see if your favorite Class of 2027 football prospect from Maryland is in it.