Scouting 2027 Defensive Line Class: Stars, Sleepers, and Secrets

The junior season is perhaps the most important year for recruits to put a strong resume on tape for college coaches to see and evaluate their games and the level of prospect they project them to turn into at the next level. In this edition of the series, we take a look at some of the intriguing names to monitor in the state of Tennessee for the 2027 recruiting cycle at the interior defensive line position.   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">SCOUTING THE STARS</h2>    [player_tooltip player_id='1527497' first='Jamarkus' last='Pittman'] is a massive yet athletic interior defensive lineman that is very effective at working upfield and generating pressure behind the line of scrimmage.   He has the size and physicality required to push the offensive lineman back against his will and collapse rushing lanes in addition to the strength and quickness required to break through double and triple teams.   His size, athleticism, physicality, and ability to get upfield profiles a projectable game at the highest levels of college football.    <h2 class="wp-block-heading"> SCOUTING THE SLEEPERS</h2>    [player_tooltip player_id='902956' first='Justice' last='Pittman'] is a versatile defensive lineman with very good size and athleticism that can get upfield from anywhere along the defensive front no matter the front.   He is a lean 6'4 and 270 pounds and could pack on even more weight depending on the role his choice of college envisions for him, but likely will grow into a strong end in a 3-man front with his length and athleticism.   He plays with a strong upper half and active hands, which allows for initial pushback to free himself up to let his athleticism finish reps.   As he continues to improve his initial quickness, more and more interest will come his way and he could be in store for a breakout in his recruitment during the spring.     [player_tooltip player_id='866750' first='Keilan' last='Neal'] a defensive lineman that is solid across the board with his size, athleticism and IQ that plays with strong and assertive physicality.   He is a little undersized, but he makes up with it with a combination of power and athleticism, showing it works against even the best offensive linemen in the state that he faces.   He has shown the ability to win from a 3-4 end and 3-tech role, giving him at least some versatility in where he lines up in a defensive front.   He projects as a do-it-all strong end in a 3-4 man front the best that can set the edge with his harsh physicality and rush the passer with his athleticism, making an underrated prospect in Tennessee that deserves more attention.    <h2 class="wp-block-heading"> SCOUTING THE SECRETS </h2>    [player_tooltip player_id='1648682' first='James' last='Stewart'] is a junior interior defensive lineman that has taken as big of a leap forward as anyone in the state of Tennessee this season.   He has a solid frame that he has packed a lot of weight on to, but has not sacrificed the athleticism that he had before, allowing for him to make plays in the backfield more consistently.   He thrives at pushing offensive linemen back and working upfield to get into the backfield and make a play from the interior of the defensive line.   He will be an exciting player to watch develop even more over the rest of his high school career.     [player_tooltip player_id='1675717' first='Dallas' last='Pauldo'] is a defensive lineman with very good size and athleticism that allows for him to be a consistent disruptive force from a variety of positions along the defensive front.   He has a strong frame that should allow for him to add more weight and make him even more violent at the point of attack which should free up his length and athleticism to make plays on ball carriers.   He has been on my scene personally since the conclusion of his 8th grade season and he continues to take large steps forward every season despite being a sound player at every stage since then.   He is an exciting emerging prospect to keep a close eye on in the 2027 class as he could begin to see offers come his way.

The junior season is perhaps the most important year for recruits to put a strong resume on tape for college coaches to see and evaluate their games and the level of prospect they project them to turn into at the next level.

In this edition of the series, we take a look at some of the intriguing names to monitor in the state of Tennessee for the 2027 recruiting cycle at the interior defensive line position.