Don't Sleep on these Class of 2027 West Michigan Athletes

Generally speaking, I see Division 1 colleges give the Detroit Area a lot more attention than the Grand Rapids / Kalamazoo areas. That said, the Detroit Area typically has the jump when it comes to exposure and rankings.   There's some talent in West Michigan, though. I expect at least four of these guys to be GLIAC prospects. Heck, I wouldn't be shocked if one or two picked up an FBS offer. Don't sleep on these West Michigan prospects!    Amani possesses a few extremely valuable traits. Although he wasn't quite a full-time Varsity player in 2024, I'm expecting him to have a nice full-time Varsity season this Fall.   <a href="https://www.hudl.com/video/3/19769233/670d477d37226bdf3adeb850">The tape</a> kicks off with a 20-yard catch near the left sideline. The DB actually had a solid jump on it, but the ball was too well-placed, and Amani did a great job high-pointing the ball with his hands before toe-tapping the sideline. The second highlight shows a punishing block, while the third highlight showcases a fade route. Plus, plays like 1:15 show solid IQ, and 1:50 demonstrates his potential as a kick returner.     Year in and year out, Grandville sports some of the best Running Back play in Michigan.   [player_tooltip player_id='1613647' first='Darrione' last='Hardiman'] is a north-south runner with solid contact balance, speed, and IQ. Against some great tackling defenses, Darrione is able to consistently run through arm tackles. Plus, he's sometimes able to sidestep a flat-footed defender or cut into more open space. He even sports an effective stiff-arm.   Not the twitchiest athlete, but a dang effective north-south runner. Some of the best contact balance in the class, unselfish play, and solid athletic traits. I don't see Darrione as a burner, and speed could be a limiting factor for him. Though with his skillset, it's hard to not predict a GLIAC floor for Darrione.     Technically not West Michigan, but I've wanted to give Dracyn another shout out for a while.   Has been a talented, highly-motivated QB since his freshman season. Now, it's obvious that he has his mechanics down. Dracyn has a consistent overhand throwing motion, and he does a solid job generating power from his lower body. When unpressured in the pocket, Dracyn throws a very good-looking ball. Most of the tape shows him getting the ball out in 3 seconds or less, which is also a great sign.   This is a talented QB who should be a college prospect in a year's time. Though Dracyn has some things to work on. For one, he struggles to drive the football with the same power and accuracy when he's off-balanced or rushed.   Excited to see what Dracyn is able to accomplish during his Junior season. In terms of rankings, he may earn a slight boost.     Braylon is one of several Class of 2027 QBs expected to break out this Fall. Considering this QB class is still pretty dang wide open, Braylon still has a legit shot to be in our elite tier of QBs.   I don't feel the need to say a whole lot about Braylon's abilities. In short, Braylon has the arm, he has the mechanics, and he isn't a bad athlete either. He's had an extremely productive offseason, and all signs point toward Braylon having a breakout season at Northview.   The biggest question mark, like SEVERAL of the "top QBs" in this class, is performance on Friday Nights. Braylon doesn't yet have much varsity experience. Perform lights-out, and Braylon could find himself in the top 5 of my rankings. Now, he's hovering around #9 - #12. In order to be an FBS guy, Braylon has to consistently make those high-level throws. Accuracy is the most important. Timing is important. It's also a little more uphill for Braylon from a recruiting standpoint, as It's pretty obvious to me that colleges don't have a magnifying glass on GR Northview as they might for select Detroit-Area schools.     This is a really, really good Running Back class. Jordan may drop a tad in the rankings, but that's just due to so many similarly great players being added.   I view Jordan as a fringe FBS prospect. He's one of the strongest RBs in this class, and I know he's been working hard on his speed. From a traits standpoint, Jordan is extremely promising. His tape is also solid, but a tad behind the D1-offered backs. I'd like to see better vision, and a bit more elusiveness/twitch. A lot of his shortcomings will be fixed with film study, a ton of practice reps, and some experimentation.   A GLIAC floor player. Simply too many positive traits for Shabazz to end up anywhere lower than D2.

Generally speaking, I see Division 1 colleges give the Detroit Area a lot more attention than the Grand Rapids / Kalamazoo areas. That said, the Detroit Area typically has the jump when it comes to exposure and rankings.