2027 Rankings Newcomers: The Quarterbacks

The Class of 2027 is full of talent from top to bottom, and it was fun taking a deep dive into some quarterbacks who did a great job of putting good stuff on film and playing their way into our Spring Rankings update here in North Carolina! Let's take a look at a few of these talented signal callers and tell you what impressed us about their overall game.    When I was studying the state for quarterbacks, I noticed Matthew put up some pretty good numbers last season, so I started to dig deeper into his game, and I really liked what I saw. Playing for one of the best programs in the eastern part of the state, Matthew really excels at throwing the ball very accurately deep down the field and in the intermediate areas of the field. He stands tall in the pocket and delivers the ball on time consistently. Matthew can also throw on the run with good touch and shows enough athleticism to evade the pass rush to make throws. I wouldn't call him a dual-threat quarterback, but he is a pocket quarterback with good enough ability to hurt you on the run and outside the pocket as a thrower first. I think he's got a really good upside to start jumping on some college radars with another strong start to this upcoming season.     Richard's size alone will have college programs interested in turning on the tape to see what he can do at 6'4 and over 200 pounds already. Watching the highlight tape, Richard has a cannon for an arm, and really excels in finding receivers downfield for big plays over the top of the defense. Even more impressive was his dual-threat running ability - I think he could show more from a designed quarterback run standpoint, but his scrambling ability was very impressive - there were plays he broke multiple tackles and delivered completions downfield for first downs. I think he's got some good potential, and he's a bit of a hidden gem at the moment.     An All-Conference player last season, Xavier is another player with ideal size who should intrigue college football programs. Watching Xavier's film was a lot of fun - partly because the Hillside offense asked him to do a lot of different things - dive option from under center, play action from I formation, Wing-T motion handoffs and fakes, those are HARD to execute consistently, and Xavier made it look fluid and easy on a consistent basis. Xavier has a good arm with a nice touch on downfield passes and shows some good athletic ability running the ball in the open field. I'd like to see how he operates out of shotgun and in some 7 on 7 settings to see how he can read the field in those settings, but he's got a ton of potential to continue to grow into a really good college prospect.     Rashad was an honorable mention for my Deep Dive series earlier this spring, and this was a good time to really dig deeper into a player that may not have the physical measurables that some of the other guys have in this ranking update, but he excels at getting the ball to a number of talented players in the Wolves' offense. First off, Rashad's scrambling ability is top-notch - his scramble runs were able to pick up some critical first downs. But, Rashad's scrambling ability to throw really opened up some big plays for the Wolves' offense, and the scramble rules work really well with his receiving core - you can tell it is something they work on consistently. Rashad can make some accurate throws from the pocket, and obviously he also throws well on the run. I think Rashad will have another strong season here for the Wolves.     Noah was a player I had a chance to see up close recently at the CFI Carolinas MEGA showcase, and he had a strong season on Junior Varsity last season for the Yellow Jackets. Noah has very good fundamentals and knows how to stand tall in the pocket and deliver the football. When I watch his film, I love his decisiveness in everything he does - if a read is not there, he's looking to scramble to make a play. If he is running a zone read, he will make the right read and run if that is what the play calls for. Catch & throw rhythm plays, the ball is consistently out on time and accurate to the receiver. Noah isn't a dual-threat right now in my opinion, but he is an effective runner that you can't discount on scrambles or in the quarterback run game. I like his future as a signal caller and leader - you can tell he has a really good command of his offense on film.     My colleague Will Helms is very high on Austin based on his performance at the recent Prep Redzone NC combine at Clayton High School. Taking a look at Austin on film, his running ability is what really stands out to me, as he shows some real dual-threat skill with good speed and agility with the football in his hands. As a passer, Austin shows good accuracy in the short and intermediate areas of the field. Austin, also expectedly, does a good job of making throws on the run and outside of the pocket. It appears that Austin will have a shot to lead the Cavaliers this season, and I am excited to see what he does with the opportunity.

The Class of 2027 is full of talent from top to bottom, and it was fun taking a deep dive into some quarterbacks who did a great job of putting good stuff on film and playing their way into our Spring Rankings update here in North Carolina! Let's take a look at a few of these talented signal callers and tell you what impressed us about their overall game.