Tennessee Future Stars Breakdown: 8th Grade Wide Receiver (2027)

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Since 2010 the Kentucky/Tennessee Future Stars Game has been an institution in the middle school football space, where many of the best kids from the bordering states have put an exclamation point on their pre-high school careers. Countless numbers of Tennessee and Kentucky Future Stars have gone on to big time college careers at major programs and some have gone even further. This event is certainly a special one and is a staple in my summer travels. The evaluators and coaching staff that put together the Tennessee Future Stars do a great job of balancing skill sets and showcasing what the future of football will look like. Here's a look at the Wide Receiver's on this year's eighth grade (class of 2027) Tennessee Future Stars.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["378855"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"u003cspan style=u0022font-family: ui-sans-serif, system-ui, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Segoe UI, Roboto, Helvetica Neue, Arial, Noto Sans, sans-serif, Apple Color Emoji, Segoe UI Emoji, Segoe UI Symbol, Noto Color Emoji;u0022u003eA 6'1 lengthy route runner with great hips and jump ball ability. Has distinct moves in his tool box at the top of his routes to gain separation. u003c/spanu003eDoes not panic u003cspan style=u0022font-family: ui-sans-serif, system-ui, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Segoe UI, Roboto, Helvetica Neue, Arial, Noto Sans, sans-serif, Apple Color Emoji, Segoe UI Emoji, Segoe UI Symbol, Noto Color Emoji;u0022u003eversus press. Uses violent swipe and hand over hand technique that rarely gets him slowed up at the line of scrimmage during releases. Was named Top Performer at our Rising Prospect Tour and turned heads at both WR and DB. This helps makes sense why he has solid ball skills. Knoxville Catholic has a dog coming in this young man next year. Kesean has examples in his family who has made it all the way up to the professional level and I see him following suit when it's his time. u003c/spanu003e","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_1_player":["853952"],"_player_evaluations_1_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_1_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_1_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"Find a way to get this athlete the ball in key situations. RJ is a 5'9 receiver with a “Do It All” mentality. He shines on double move routes, quick screens, and has a knack to find the sticks on jet sweeps to keep the chains moving in the right direction. Speed is his advantage along with seeing the field well with ball in his hands, especially at the second level. Watching his footwork during returns, as he glides to allow things materialize, then poof he accelerates down the sideline making it look easy is worth the price of admission at his games. I feel confident saying he can be affective at lining up inside as well as out.","_player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":2,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-647f90fe47a14"} /--> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Jaylen Graves | 5'5, 130 lbs. </strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>On a team full of wide receivers listed at the 5-foot-11 mark, or taller, Graves brings a different style of play to the Tennessee Future Stars receiving corps. Listed at 5-foot-5 and anywhere between 130 and 145 pounds depending on where you look, he's going to bring some wiggle and make-ya-miss in a telephone booth quickness. Look for him to line up in the slot and try to make things happen in space.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Eric Ginther | 5'11, 150 lbs.</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Athletic genetics make a big difference and I refuse to ever waiver off of that. Ginther is the younger brother of current Vanderbilt pitcher, Ryan Ginther. The Commodores' lefty was the No.77 overall prospect in the nation coming out of HS. Little brother Eric is already listed at the same height as the SEC pitcher, so perhaps it will be football for the 2027 Ginther. We look forward to watching him work.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Shelvey Clark | 5'11, 170 lbs.</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Clark is 1 of 6 athletes selected from Kate Bond Middle School on this Tennessee Future Stars 8th Grade Team this year. All of Kodiak's had quite the emotional season, unfortunately sparked by their head coach/athletic Demond Fason suffering a torn aorta in late September which forced him to have a 7-hour surgery and recover away from the team. However, the Memphis-based school persevered and wound up winning the 2022 Large School State Championship.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='854473' first='Tyler' last='Tummins'] | 5'10, 150 lbs.</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Like Eric Ginther above, Tummins is another 2027 prospect with promising family genetics. He's the younger brother of 2024 prospect [player_tooltip player_id='149164' first='Sam' last='Tummins'], a 2024 prospect who was All-State as a junior and currently holds offers from Charlotte and Eastern Illinois. While Eric is a defensive standout, Tyler is very much cut from the same cloth with an aggressive playing style, just a wide receiver. I'm willing to bet he stiff arms at least three kids into the dirt between practice and the actual game itself.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Tyric Thomas | 5'8, 120 lbs.</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>With Jaylen Graves being at one extreme and [player_tooltip player_id='378855' first='Kesean' last='Bowman'] being at the other of the size spectrum of these eighth-grade Tennessee Future Stars, Tyric Thomas settles in somewhere in the middle at 5-foot-8 and 120 pounds. Also runs track at Northwest Middle School in Knoxville.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1662944' first='Dallas' last='Johnson'] | 5'11, 135 lbs.</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>An exciting athlete I openly admit, I don't know a tremendous amount about. I like the size he's listed at (5'11, 135 lbs.) and he comes with some documented athletic ability, as he finished 12th in the high jump at the Tennessee Middle School Athletic Association (TMSAA) D2 State Championships.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Nick Hunter | 5'11, 155 lbs.</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Hunter is a brand new prospect to me. Rather than speculate, I look forward to seeing what he brings to the table during the Future Stars event.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->