Spring Rankings Update: Behind the Scenes of the 2027 Class

There's a lot of behind the scenes work that goes into each rankings update. Some of the process is the same for every update, but some things are unique to each class and time of year. We updated our rankings for the rising junior class this May, so here we're pulling back the curtain and letting fans in on what goes into the rankings.   In this special piece, I'm looking at what went into building the spring update, going behind the scenes of the 2027 class rankings. What themes and thoughts are developing and what is there still to learn as we approach the halfway point of the 2027 class?   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Behind the Scenes of the 2027 Class</h2>   We're always player-focused, so I'll never write a piece without including plenty of thoughts on the players themselves, but there are some themes developing and some insight I can add to the rankings process and the class as a whole. Here, I've got numbers, stats and thoughts to accompany our rankings update and always welcome thoughts and feedback.   <h3 class="wp-block-heading">The Purpose of this 2027 Spring Rankings Update</h3>   Every update period serves a different purpose. Sometimes, that's consistent across the classes, and other times (like the spring) it varies by age. May is our most unique rankings update. When we <a href="https://prepredzone.com/north-carolina/rankings/2026-rankings/">updated the 2026 class</a> a few weeks ago, we were mostly focused making what some of our scouts in other states call "market corrections" than adding new players (though we added plenty of new players).   Basically, as FCS and Division II schools begin to shape their recruiting boards for the next season, we can see which players are gaining traction there. It's not the most important or even second-most-important factor in the rankings, but our conversations with college coaches matter and we tend to see more huge jumps (>100 spots in the rankings) in the rising senior class in the spring.   For the 2027 class, however, the goal is completely different. These players are rising juniors. For many, that means a transition from junior varsity to varsity. When we don't rank many players without varsity film, spring conversations with coaches put these guys on our radar. We also do a ton of work to project fall depth charts, seeing which players who played minor roles last season could be team-leaders this fall.   That means there's a massive influx of new players: guys we weren't comfortable ranking earlier who we're ready to push.   All told, we added 110 players to move from 279 to 389 total players. That includes players like [player_tooltip player_id='1678635' first='Jalaythan' last='Mayfield'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1677119' first='Jayden' last='Broadie'] who flew into the top 35 as well as guys further down the rankings that we loved in person, like Cuthbertson QB [player_tooltip player_id='1662114' first='Austin' last='Davis'] and Lee County linebacker [player_tooltip player_id='1636768' first='Tyler' last='Buchear'], who each surprised at the recent Prep Redzone showcases.   Unfortunately, while we try to not rank guys too highly from the start, this is also one of our heaviest "move down" updates in the cycle. Due to the massive influx of new players, the vast majority of already ranked players dropped a few spots. Some, due to playing time, size, or a chance on our part to see other players, dropped somewhat significantly.   Often, it says little about what we think about those players and more about our attempts to create a holistic and fair rankings that college coaches can use to curate their recruiting boards. If you fell, prove us wrong and force us to correct next update!   <h3 class="wp-block-heading">The Numbers</h3>   Recently, I've started tracking stats on rankings updates and I dropped several on Twitter earlier on Tuesday, just before rankings dropped. Take a look at some of the numbers for this update:   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/whelms21/status/1927362974311710878 </div></figure>   To add some more context, 97 of the 110 new players went straight into the rankings (not the watchlist). We saw LOTS of new players this spring. Below, I'm putting players into categories that I may later expand upon in specific articles.   If you have other questions or want me to further break down some of the numbers, just reach out on Twitter (<a href="https://x.com/whelms21">@whelms21</a>).   <h3 class="wp-block-heading">From Unranked to Top 100</h3>   Who moved into the top 100 from completely unranked? Check out this list:   [player_tooltip player_id='1678635' first='Jalaythan' last='Mayfield'], LB, Lincolnton   [player_tooltip player_id='1677119' first='Jayden' last='Broadie'], EDGE, Millbrook   [player_tooltip player_id='1656785' first='Antwan' last='McCoy'], IDL, St. Paul's   [player_tooltip player_id='1617737' first='King' last='Kalama'], EDGE, Reagan   [player_tooltip player_id='1678650' first='Kadence' last='Pruitt'], EDGE, Reidsville   [player_tooltip player_id='1661632' first='Ta'Shaun' last='Walker'], DB, Clayton   <a href="https://prepredzone.com/player/jaden-hartsfield/">Jaden Hartsfield</a>, RB/LB, Southern Nash   [player_tooltip player_id='1665255' first='Kamren' last='Freeman'], WR, Northern Nash   <h3 class="wp-block-heading">Biggest Movers</h3>   While we write new evaluations on every player who moves up even one spot in the rankings, I want to give special recognition to our biggest movers. These stock-risers each moved up at least 25 spots in the rankings.   [player_tooltip player_id='1607843' first='Khalil' last='Hansley-McNair'], OL, West Charlotte (+131)   [player_tooltip player_id='1607810' first='Qualteau' last='Hawkins'], TE, Stuart Cramer (+83)   [player_tooltip player_id='1607779' first='Jaxon' last='Dollar'], Ath., East Lincoln (+75)   [player_tooltip player_id='379024' first='Memphys' last='Barb'], LB, Lake Norman (+58)   [player_tooltip player_id='1596853' first='Ryder' last='McClure'], WR/DB/, Bandys (+34)   [player_tooltip player_id='1328747' first='Lex' last='Sevilla'], QB, Middle Creek (+27)   <h3 class="wp-block-heading">Biggest Watchlist-To-Ranked Leaps</h3>   Finally, I love highlighting watchlist-to-ranked movement. To me, it's the best example of everyone winning. Many of our watchlist players get placed there as we wait for them to breakout. The guys who move from watchlist to well within the rankings often do that based on an outstanding camp performance or leave us otherwise impressed after an in-person or deep dive film evaluation. Here's a list of players who jumped from the watchlist into the top 200.   [player_tooltip player_id='1607799' first='Kamari' last='Holloway'], RB, Southern Durham   [player_tooltip player_id='1183823' first='Taylor' last='Martin'], OL, Lumberton   [player_tooltip player_id='1607754' first='Ian' last='Powell'], OL, Jordan   [player_tooltip player_id='1370536' first='Donnovan' last='Brown'], EDGE, Palisades   [player_tooltip player_id='1429539' first='Cooper' last='Moore'], LB, West Davidson   There's plenty to come from Matt Morrow and I on the 2027 rankings over the next two weeks. Stay locked in with Prep Redzone for more insights, evaluations, and rankings updates. Want to share Prep Redzone with a friend? Promo code Helms30 will get them 30% off their first billing cycle for any subscription.

There's a lot of behind the scenes work that goes into each rankings update. Some of the process is the same for every update, but some things are unique to each class and time of year. We updated our rankings for the rising junior class this May, so here we're pulling back the curtain and letting fans in on what goes into the rankings.