Scouting the WCAC 2027's: Part 4

The WCAC is always stacked with talent every year. I'll be taking a look at Class of 2027 prospects that'll be returning for the 2026 season, Whether it's a highly rated prospect or a prospect that's under the radar, we got you covered.    Thomas looks like a reliable, versatile receiver who can line up anywhere and make tough catches. He wins with body control, awareness, and physicality. The physicality shows up when he makes catches that are contested, and the awareness shows up on the toe-tap catches he makes near the sidelines in his highlights. He has a big catch radius, giving his quarterback a window even when the ball placement isn't perfect.    As I mentioned before, he plays through contact. That shows up in the first two plays where he's tracking the deep ball. The quarterback underthrows both passes a little bit. Thomas still manages to catch the football despite heavy traffic.    Thomas also runs polished routes. There's a comeback route against zone coverage where he eats up the cornerback's cushion, gets separation at the top, and tiptoes the sideline with good body control. He's most effective in the short-to-intermediate passing game.    Kudos to him for showing him blocking. In this instance, he ends up pancaking the defensive back on a run play. That type of play usually helps running backs spring long runs on the outside.    I'd like to see what he looks like on true vertical routes before I make any real judgment on his speed. Thomas does have a smooth route-running style. I can't wait to see what he does this offseason to take his game to the next level.      Small is a big interior lineman who wins with strength, leverage, and a lot of effort. His highlights show him making most of his impact by controlling gaps, swallowing runners, and forcing plays to slow down.    Even when offenses try to double-team him, Smalls flexes his strength to beat that tactic. One of the first reps on his highlights show him beating a double-team, getting into the gap, and then chasing down the running back behind the line of scrimmage. Small is hard to move when he locks in; he's not getting pushed back.     Small excels at controlling the gap and stuffing run. You can tell he lives for being a force in the middle. There are multiple plays in his highlights where he stands up blockers, holds his ground, and forces the running back into traffic. When runners try to hit the hole near him, Smalls swallows them up and finishes the tackle. Small clogs up a lot of space.    Power and leverage, more than quickness, currently are the main reasons why Small wins at the line of scrimmage. He engages, locks out, and controls space. Smalls shows good awareness of where the run his going and keeps his shoulders square to the line of scrimmage.    Working on his initial burst of the ball will definitely make him even more fearsome on the defensive line.  As he adds more quickness off the ball and more pass-rush tools to go along with his strong run-stopping ability, Small will become an even more attractive college football prospect.      Williams is a vertical threat who wins with speed, stride length, and strong ball skills downfield. He's a versatile receiver who lines up at the X, Y, and Z positions in his highlights.   Deep speed and acceleration stand out to me in the first few plays of his highlights. On the first play, he catches the football in stride and goes into another gear to pull away from the defense for a long touchdown. Williams eats up cushion fast and makes defenders turn and run. He caught 15 passes for 300 yards last season. That's a lot of production with limited opportunities.   His highlights feature several plays where he tracks the deep ball and plays strong at the catch point. There are passes where the ball is underthrown, and he still wins what are essentially 50-50 balls. I like the way he high-points the football over defenders and doesn't let contact keep him from finishing the play with a catch.   This off-season will be one where he'll need to do whatever he needs to do to get his name on the radar. It's a small sample size, but there's no question about Williams' explosiveness and playmaking ability when given the opportunity. I'd like to see how he looks running other routes (outside the verts) too. He can certainly flip field position with one touch. Williams just needs the opportunities.     [player_tooltip player_id='1966738' first='Robert' last='Smith'] is a quick-twitch, explosive scat back who has a noticeable burst and surprising play strength for his size. He plays fast and shows the ability to turn small creases into big plays on his highlights. Smith's speed jumps off the screen. Whether it's the middle screen he takes to the house or the inside handoffs where he its the second level fast, Smith doesn't need much space to get going. Once he cuts and goes, defenders have a hard time keeping up.   I also like his change-of-direction skills and vision. There are a few plays where he presses the line and lets his blocks develop. Smith is small in stature and hard to see behind his offensive line. He does a nice job of setting up his blocks, cutting back when needed, and getting vertically immediately. No dancing at the line of scrimmage at all.   As I mentioned earlier, he runs stronger than you might expect for a running back of his size. Smith breaks arm tackles, runs through leg grabs, and keeps his feet moving through traffic in plays on his highlights.   Smith's big-play ability stands out as well. A lot of his runs turn into chunk gains because of how fast he reaches the second and third levels. Of course, the offensive line opening the holes is important to the whole question. But, there aren't too many backs getting through the hole as fast as Smith. He's hard to deal with in space, too. Screens, outside runs, and quick-hitting plays are perfect for his skill set.   If I'm Smith, I'm going into camp season with the mindset that I may have to play slot receiver at the next level. Showcasing his ability to catch the football will help out his recruiting tremendously.

The WCAC is always stacked with talent every year. I'll be taking a look at Class of 2027 prospects that'll be returning for the 2026 season, Whether it's a highly rated prospect or a prospect that's under the radar, we got you covered.