Five Unranked Prospects Eying the ‘27 Rankings

Santino Bernal February 17, 2026 @ 05:55 AM

There's some news I wanted to share with the Prep Redzone Kansas community. The evaluation process for the next Class of ‘29 rankings update has begun, and folks can expect it to be completed within the next week.    For now though, I wanted to breakdown some prospects from the next senior class. With offseason showcases beginning to ramp up, the Class of ‘27 is going to be generating a lot of buzz. Here are five unranked defensive prospects to keep an eye on at these offseason events.    [player_tooltip player_id='2129799' first='Cash' last='Warren'] - Olathe West, 6'1”, 220, LB   One thing about these five prospects is that they each have a compelling case to join the ‘27 rankings. However, for Warren of Olathe West, he's poised to join some elite company. Warren had a phenomenal season in 2025 and was one of the top linebackers in the state. His breakout junior campaign earned him 6A All-State honors, as well as a Sunflower League DPYO selection. He's a backer that should be on every recruiter's watch list this year.   [player_tooltip player_id='2129800' first='Terence' last='Belcher'] - Olathe South, 6'5”, 205, Edge   On the other side of Olathe is a rising edge prospect with loads of upside. Belcher of Olathe South looks to be a pass rusher that could potentially draw some high-level interest. He's capable of quickly winning reps against opposing tackles because of his length, and he's stronger than what he looks too. Belcher has this offseason to add size as well, which will make him more of a matchup nightmare.   [player_tooltip player_id='2129801' first='Tyler' last='Hook'] - Shawnee Mission Northwest, 6'0”, 175, LB   If I were to give this next prospect a nickname it would be “Mr. Fundamental”. Hook of SMNW is a textbook tackler, he does a great job of setting the edge when lined up outside, and he excels at flowing to the ball without overpursing. He concluded his ‘25 campaign with 99 total tackles, eight tackles for loss, and 2.5 sacks. The SMNW product is likely to be one of the top LB's in the Sunflower League this fall.   [player_tooltip player_id='2129802' first='Rowan' last='Minnick'] - Shawnee Mission South, 6'2”, 200, DB   A few collegiate programs have recently invited this next prospect to camp competitions. Which is understandable because Minnick is a stud. The Shawnee Mission South product fits the mold of a prototypical run-stuffing safety. He's solid in coverage as well. His size and athleticism allows him to match up well with most tight ends in coverage. Minnick is a prospect primed to make some noise during camp season.   [player_tooltip player_id='2129803' first='Caleb' last='Wingerd'] - Lawrence, 6'1”, 185, DB   This final prospect is another promising safety from the Sunflower League. Wingerd of Lawrence looks like he'll be a problem for opposing offenses next season. He showed glimpses of this during his junior campaign, as the hard-hitting safety forced multiple fumbles, and recorded multiple pass breakups in 2025. In addition, he also piled up 83 total tackles, which was the team lead for Lawrence High.

There's some news I wanted to share with the Prep Redzone Kansas community. The evaluation process for the next Class of ‘29 rankings update has begun, and folks can expect it to be completed within the next week.