Early Recruiting Surge For TN2027 Class

<!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">As college coaches hit the road last week, they visited some of the best prospects in the state from the 2027 in-state recruiting class. Some of those prospects saw their stock rise by adding new offers, including a few big Power Four opportunities. Look for these players below to continue seeing their profile explode with a few of them jumping onto the national scene.</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>- The first full official week of off-season recruiting for the 2027 class kicked off strong here in the Volunteer State with multiple prospects watching their stock rise and their offer list grow. Our rising senior class may prove to be one of the best yet to come out of Tennessee after everything is over as I think this is just the start for the 2027 crop when it comes to obtaining Power Four or D1 offers.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Possibly nobody had a better week than Edge Rusher <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1310642' first='Antwan' last='Jackson']</strong>. This 6 '6, 235 pound pass rushing specialist has all the physical traits and tools college coaches want off the edge and he is still scratching the surface on his potential. Currently from White Station but that may change soon, Jackson picked up several strong offers from Arkansas, Boston College, Memphis, Mississippi St. and Texas to further solidify Jackson as one of the best defensive prospects to come out of the TN2027 class.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Murfreesboro product <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1103038' first='Brylan' last='Oduor'] </strong>was already considered a top receiver prospect from our rising senior class but college coaches are beginning to see it as well, especially after his impressive week of gathering big time offers from the likes of Arkansas, Memphis, N.C. State, Wake Forest and Wisconsin. Sporting great size and some of the best hands in the state, Oduor is on the verge of breaking out into a national prospect as I expect the offers to continue flowing in.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Recently transferring to Knox. Catholic to play his senior season, defensive back <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1260316' first='Loia' last='Valade'] </strong>has been on a steady rise since last summer where he is quietly establishing himself as one of the best corner prospects in the state. Valade has already picked up several strong offers but added several others last week in Boston College, Memphis and Virginia Tech. Expect many more suitors to get on board with this guy soon.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Maybe the hottest recruit from last week's action was Upperman tight end <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1679806' first='Colton' last='Johnson']</strong>. A two-way player for his Bees team that could be viewed as a linebacker by some college staffs, Johnson is beginning to become a much wanted recruit based on his recent offers from Colgate, Duke, Florida Atlantic, Memphis and Tulane. Bigger programs are sniffing around, doing their scouting and seeing if Johnson fits. I foresee this Mid-Tennessee product continuing to see his stock soar over the coming months and further establish himself as a top in-state tight end prospect.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":2113527,"width":"319px","height":"auto","sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepredzone.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2026/01/coltjohnson2-crop-1435x943-1769466213.jpg?w=800" alt="" class="wp-image-2113527" style="width:319px;height:auto" /></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Keep eyes on Brentwood offensive tackle <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1286232' first='Kyle' last='Nabrotzky'] </strong>when it comes to adding more and more offers because college staffs are starting to see the potential he brings to the field. Sporting great size and length, the Bruins big man has the tools warranted to compete on the outside in college and Nabrotzky is still far from a finished product, which speaks towards his long term potential. Schools are noticing as he recently landed offers from Colorado St., Jacksonville St., Memphis Oklahoma St. and Penn. They won't be the last to offer as Nabrotzy presents a lot of tools that should appeal to big time college programs.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The depth from our TN2027 quarterback class got even deeper last week with the surge of offers for Brentwood Academy signal caller <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='834810' first='Crews' last='Jenkins']</strong>. Coming off a productive junior year where he was a first time starter, Jenkins is a cerebral quarterback with clean mechanics that fits well within a college offense and that shows from his recent offers. New schools to get on board with Jenkins include Central Arkansas, Charlotte, Jacksonville St., Memphis, Ole Miss and Texas State.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>You can officially put <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1285495' first='Tae' last='Walden, Jr'] </strong>on the national radar now after picking up an offer last week from Ohio State. The Buckeyes got on board with this Memphis area prospect and you have to think the Big Ten power sits at the top of the board now for his services. Another Big Ten school in Wisconsinextended an offer last week along with the hometown Memphis Tigers getting on board as well. The pursuit to sign Walden will be fun to watch as I expect top tier programs to be chasing after him. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":1616298,"width":"283px","height":"auto","aspectRatio":"1.2132701421800949","sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepredzone.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2025/02/twalden.jpg?w=933" alt="" class="wp-image-1616298" style="aspect-ratio:1.2132701421800949;width:283px;height:auto" /></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The breakout star from last week and possibly from the TN2027 class is Rockvale defensive end <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1675717' first='Dallas' last='Pauldo']</strong>. This Mid-Tennessee product is someone I've been high on since last summer when I started talking about him on our site and it appears college coaches are starting to take notice. Vanderbilt offered first back a little over a week ago then last week, Pauldo landed new offers from Georgia, Missouri and Tennessee. That's four SEC offers and I expect many others to follow very soon. I still think Pauldo has some development to go but coaches recognize the potential and want to get on board early before he officially breaks out into a national prospect.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Other Recruiting Notes ……</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>- New Stone Memorial offensive lineman <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1566197' first='Parker' last='Cox'] </strong>added his first two offers last week from Colgate and Princeton and I expect many others to follow suit. Cox has a ways to go before he fills out into the player he will be but the Panthers big man might be one of the better athletes from the O-line position coming out of the TN2027 class that has a chance to play tackle in college.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>- Top safety prospect <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1294979' first='Jarrell' last='Chandler'] </strong>received two big offers last week from Clemson and Florida and I wouldn't be surprised to see both those schools become big players for his services. This Knox. Halls defender is a bigger safety that might fit the “Star” position in college but that depends on the defensive scheme and who he signs with. Chandler is destined for the Power Four stage that will have plenty of strong options to choose from, including the Tigers and Gators.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>- I've been high on Brentwood Academy receiver <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1410131' first='Lexton' last='Baskin'] </strong>for some time now and it appears he is beginning to break out on the recruiting scene. The Eagles pass catcher landed new offers last week from Arkansas, Liberty and Memphis and they won't be the last as I'm expecting more Power Four programs like the Hogs to get involved. Baskin is already a top five ranked wideout by PRZTN but he is potentially moving his way up into the top three.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>- Another Brentwood Academy prospect had a good week of recruiting in linebacker <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1318538' first='Roman' last='Jennings']</strong>. This 6'2 middle backer saw his offer list expand with new additions from Memphis, Princeton and Wake Forest. New players should get involved soon, even possibly more Power Four programs that see Jennings as a fit within their defensive scheme.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>- Rising senior defensive tackle <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1648682' first='James' last='Stewart'] </strong>was already receiving strong recruiting attention but could be headed to a new level based on last week's action. The new Riverdale big man picked up several good offers from the likes of Jacksonville St and Memphis to go along with previously gained opportunities the prior week from Boston College and MTSU. Stewart is an active, physical interior lineman that showed vast improvement his junior year that now has him squarely on the college radar.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>- Germantown two-way athlete <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1641243' first='Malik' last='Dean, Jr'] </strong>is a name to watch over the coming months as a popular prospect within our TN2027 class that officially breaks through as a Power Four prospect. During last week's recruiting action, the Red Devils rising senior landed offers from Arkansas and Memphis and I expect several others to follow as college coaches flooded Germantown High School last week to see Dean Jr. and others. I'm still not sure what position fits best for Dean Jr. in college but I do believe an impact at either receiver or safety.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":1952711,"width":"270px","height":"auto","sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepredzone.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2025/10/Photo-Oct-12-2025-5-25-05-PM.jpg?w=642" alt="" class="wp-image-1952711" style="width:270px;height:auto" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Photo: tai.flicks on Instagram</figcaption></figure> <!-- /wp:image -->