Friday Recruiting Rundown: Which Prospects Have Momentum?

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The college football transfer portal is closed, and February is a recruiting dead period, where players and college coaches are forbidden from in-person contact. But recruiting never stops. As visits resume next Monday, what's going on in the recruiting world in the state of North Carolina? A few prospects have momentum on the trail. We're breaking them down here.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">February 27 Recruiting Rundown</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>While we're first and foremost a scouting site, we don't live in a world isolated from recruiting. In these occasional pieces, we highlight offers, visits, and storylines on the college recruiting side of high school football.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":3} --> <h3 class="wp-block-heading">2027s With Momentum</h3> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Recruiting is often a momentum game. The hardest offers to earn are the first ones. Often, we'll see a player pick up steam on the recruiting trail, earning several offers in quick succession.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1154024' first='Namajay' last='Thompson']</strong> has long been one of our favorite receivers in the 2027 class, and he jumped into our top 20 in January. Since we last mentioned him, he's earned a flurry of high-FBS offers from teams like NC State, Florida, Auburn, and Alabama. The Crest speedster is particularly high on the Crimson Tide and has set an official visit for June 12, followed by an official visit to Michigan State the following week.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>He can play outside or in the slot, and has not just 40-speed, but the game speed to consistently get behind defenses.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Weddington center prospect <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='415457' first='Bryce' last='Johnson']</strong> earned an early Power Four offer over three years ago, then some Group of Five offers last offseason. The momentum has really built this year, with Memphis, Campbell, and Army stepping in to offer the 6'3", 300-pounder this month.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Speaking of players with momentum, Garner linebacker <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1397877' first='AJ' last='Randle']</strong> is on a roll. Originally ranked as a defensive back, he moved closer to the line of scrimmage and added some weight as a junior. That's rocketed him up recruiting boards, thanks to his instincts and sideline-to-sideline ability. He's earned a plethora of offers and plans to visit schools like South Carolina, Miami, and Pittsburgh, among other heavy hitters.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Providence athlete <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1301243' first='Keland' last='Shelton Jr'].</strong> is one of the few 2027s who could truly play on either side of the ball at the next level, though we lean towards defensive back. He's earned recent offers from Missouri, Nebraska, Georgia State, Army, and others. He's also set official visits to Wake Forest and Virginia as he starts to trim his list.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Grimsley defensive back duo <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2111006' first='Ramir' last='Harris-Dupree']</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2110745' first='EJ' last='Davis']</strong> each have plenty of recruiting momentum. Coastal Carolina, Elon, Georgia Southern, and Campbell have offered Harris-Dupree, a lengthy corner with ball skills, in the last two weeks. Davis recently announced offers from Cornell, Eastern Michigan, Coastal Carolina, Middle Tennessee State, Georgia Southern, and James Madison.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Jack Britt tight end <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1718784' first='Phoenix' last='Barnes']</strong> has virtually unlimited potential. He's raw, but has off-the-charts explosive metrics, and has flashed as a home run hitter at the tight end position. Youngstown State and Coastal Carolina stepped in with offers in the last two weeks. If you're looking for a late Power Four offer candidate, Barnes might be your guy, especially if the offseason work translates to consistency and big numbers as a senior.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":3} --> <h3 class="wp-block-heading">First Offers Going Out</h3> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>To get momentum, a player usually needs that one offer. Several impressive players recently received their first offers, something worth noting and celebrating.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Jordan OL <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1607754' first='Ian' last='Powell']</strong> has been a scouting favorite of ours for a while, and East Carolina reached out with his first offer last week. He has size, power, footwork, and quickness.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>High-upside 2028 defensive back <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='887866' first='Domonic' last='Williams Jr'].</strong> has been in our top 50 since last spring, and his recruitment is getting underway. He announced an offer from Wake Forest last month, just minutes after we posted our <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2026/01/friday-recruiting-rundown-floodgates-opened/">most recent recruiting update</a>. This month, East Carolina and Ole Miss stepped in to offer the sophomore.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Shelby receiver <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='483642' first='Immanuel' last='Collins']</strong> is one of the top pound-for-pound players in the state, and he was key during Shelby's state championship run. He earned a Gardner-Webb offer, and we don't think it will be the last, as he's well within our top 100 in the 2027 class.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Elsewhere, Seaforth quarterback <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2134913' first='Duncan' last='Parker']</strong> had a breakout junior season, and Chicago State, set to launch its inaugural football program in 2026, stepped in with an offer.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>North Lincoln running back <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1348404' first='Landen' last='Agee']</strong> played through injury this year, but still put up over 1,300 yards in his first season as a starter. He earned a high-academic offer from Cornell on Thursday.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Other News &amp; Notes</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Lake Norman offensive lineman <strong>Sammy Wooten</strong> earned an offer from East Carolina. He, too, has some momentum, especially with local Group of Five schools, as he's racked up several offers after Charlotte extended his first in mid-January.</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>2028 WR <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='651159' first='Braylon' last='Clark']</strong>, our top prospect in the class, announced recent offers from Kentucky and Notre Dame in the last week.</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>2027 safety <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='946850' first='Marquis' last='Bryant']</strong> is committed to North Carolina, but other teams aren't giving up, and he recently announced an offer from East Carolina.</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>This state is big, and it's easy to miss something. Want to keep us updated on your recruitment? Tag and/or DM me on Twitter/X (<a href="https://x.com/whelms21">@whelms21</a>) to make sure I know what's going on.</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->