Rivals Rankings Week: Key position storylines in the 2027 class

The initial top 100 for the 2027 class was released this week and so now it’s time for Rivals national recruiting director Adam Gorney to give his thoughts on each position in this weeks’ Tuesdays With Gorney:

Dual-threat quarterback is strongest at the top with five-star Elijah Haven leading the way followed by Peyton Houston, who could very well be under five-star consideration in future rankings updates.

Those two Louisiana quarterbacks lead the way – and that has to be great news for LSU as the Tigers could lead for Haven and are in the running for Houston – but there are also some elite pro-style quarterbacks as well led by Huntington Beach, Calif., standout Brady Edmunds, who has Ohio State high on his list.

The main one to watch through this season is Gunner Rivers at Fairhope (Ala.) St. Michael Catholic as his father, Phillip, was a first-round pick and played nearly his entire career with the San Diego Chargers. He is now the coach at his son’s high school.

The analyst team flirted with the idea of making Ezavier Crowell an early five-star because he’s so talented and physically gifted but we opted against it since it’s still so early in the 2027 class and because of the position being downgraded in the NFL Draft.

Still, the Jackson, Ala., standout who likes Alabama, Auburn, Texas and others a lot is clearly the top running back at this point.

Tyson Robinson is a solid No. 2 followed by undersized speedster Landen Williams-Callis who is tough to tackle in a phone booth. Penn State commit Kemon Spell from McKeesport, Pa., might be a little underrated right now at No. 4 and reminds me – dare I say – of the next Nicholas Singleton.

It could end up being a Texas battle for the top receiver in the 2027 class.

We give the edge to Ethan “Boobie” Feaster right now who emerged on the national scene two summers ago working out at receiver at the Elite 11 and then only has dominated from there. Trenton Yancey is smaller and shiftier and provides a different kind of top receiver as he’d be No. 1 in the slot category. The regional powers – LSU, Texas, Texas A&M, Oklahoma – are all over those two.

Las Vegas (Nev.) Arbor View’s Damani Warren could end up in the five-star discussion. A player with that level of playmaking ability and athleticism along with great hands is really hard to find. There is a good mix of taller, rangier receivers and smaller slot guys who could make an impact as there could be numerous five-stars among this group.

There was very little debate about who was the No. 1 tight end in the 2027 class as Santa Ana (Calif.) Mater Dei’s Mark Bowman was the clear favorite. Mater Dei doesn’t throw a ton to its tight ends but Bowman catches everything, is a smooth athlete, a very willing blocker and loves Georgia early on because of its success with Brock Bowers and others. It would be almost shocking if Bowman didn’t have a successful career.

But Ruston, La., standout Ahmad Hudson is knocking on the door as Texas A&M and LSU stand out most for the physical specimen at 6-foot-7 and 220 pounds. There is also a strong contingent of standout Midwest linebackers and we like Luke Brewer the most but Holden Niemi and Anthony Cartwright are both very impressive as well.

There are no five-star offensive linemen yet but Donquavieus Ford is a great-looking prospect who as a sophomore has tons of potential as the Texarkana (Texas) Texas standout has Oregon, Oklahoma, Texas and many others involved early on. He’s big, powerful and moves well plus he physically dominates even as a 2027 prospect.

At offensive tackle, Jake Hillebrand and Maxwell Hiller can move people at will and physically dominate so they could be in the five-star discussion as well. Kelsey Adams and Caden Moss with more national exposure could move even higher.

Both defensive end positions are loaded.

At strongside, Richard Wesley leads the way and he has the potential to be No. 1 overall. The Chatsworth (Calif.) Sierra Canyon standout could end up being that dominant. I don’t want to say Myles Garrett-esque because he’s still a 2027 prospect but the physical dominance could be there. Muskegon, Mich., standout Recarder Kitchen is special as well and has shown elite athleticism playing offense as well.

At weakside defensive end, it’s a Georgia fest as four of the top five prospects there are from that state led by Savannah (Ga.) Savannah Christian School’s LaDamian Guton, the teammate of five-star defensive tackle Elijah Griffin. Guyton leads the way and while Roswell (Ga.) Blessed Trinity’s David Jacobs is third at the position, he could move even higher with more exposure.

Defensive tackle is still a position that’s in flux. Leading the way right now is Ackerman (Miss.) Choctaw County’s Ben’Jarvius Shumaker (Alabama commit Caleb Cunningham’s teammate) but Fontana (Calif.) Summit’s George Toia is an impressive prospect and many others should emerge.

The linebacker spot could still see a ton of movement. Right now, the top two outside linebackers are Kaden Henderson from Tampa (Fla.) Jesuit and Ellis McGaskin out of Mobile (Ala.) Williamson but others will emerge and those top two might flip-flop as well.

At the inside linebacker spot, Arlington (Texas) Lamar’s Braylon Williams is No. 1. But Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy’s Amarri Irvin can thump. This is just a position this early on that we frankly don’t have a great read on yet.

The cornerback battle for No. 1 could end up being between two California prospects in Havon Finney Jr. from Chatsworth Sierra Canyon and Duvay Williams out of Gardena (Calif.) Serra but Kenton Dopson III from Miami Norland and others will be in the discussion. Larry Moon from Aliquippa, Pa., who has Ohio State, Penn State, Miami and others high, could move even higher because he’s a lockdown defensive back.

Safety is definitely loaded. Waxahachie, Texas standout Jayquan Snell has length and he’s a big hitter with five-star potential. But two Georgia prospects are also very high on the list in Corey Hadley Jr. and Adryan Cole. Nashville (Tenn.) Franklin Road Academy’s Omarii Sanders could be moving way up when he gets on the scene more as he just landed a Georgia offer.

As the 2027 rankings get fleshed out, many players will move to specific positions and many others will be added so there is always significant fluctuation in the athlete rankings.

Huber Heights (Ohio) Wayne’s Jamier Brown leads the way and he could eventually move to the receiver spot. Others to watch include two sons of famous people in Cooper Witten, Jason’s son, and Jaxx DeJean, famed Iowa player Cooper DeJean’s brother.