Four-Star Friday: Six more prospects join elite ranks
Four-Star Friday is back with six prospects who recently joined the elite ranks of four-star prospects. The national analyst team highlighted some recruits who were given a four-star rating just a little while back.
“Dixon is yet another standout skill player that has emerged in Texas in the 2027 class. The stoutly built running back, 5-foot-10, 190 pounds, is a pinball on turf that is a strong runner with explosiveness in his lower half.
“Extremely shifty in a short area, Dixon is able to navigate traffic and seek out a hole, which he explodes through when he gets his chance. At his stature with a low center of gravity, Dixon has good contact balance and bounces off tackles, which he can turn into explosive plays. Although in limited numbers, Dixon has also shown the ability to use his hands in the receiving game, making him that much more of a weapon.
“Dixon is raking in the offers, most notably Oklahoma, Ohio State, Texas, Tennessee and Texas A&M.” – Marshall Levenson, national recruiting analyst
“Gautcher is a player that is a bit of a Swiss Army knife for his high school. He’s racking up stats as a quarterback for his team and plays there because he’s the best athlete on the team. Playing quarterback also helps his overall understanding of the game from a different point of view. His college future is on the defensive side of the ball where he has a unique mix of skills.
“He’s played some defensive back in the past but his frame is tailor-made for a hybrid linebacker role that allows him to stay on the field. That’s the plan for him at Iowa, to slide down to linebacker like Derek Weisskopf is doing currently. Gautcher is athletic enough to cover in space to cover backs out the backfield but physical enough to deal with tight ends.
“We really like his long-term projection as he develops in Iowa’s system and gets used to only focusing on one side of the ball.” – Greg Smith, national recruiting analyst
“Mizell was one of the top deep threats in the country as a junior in 2023, registering a gaudy 22 touchdowns in half as many games all while averaging more than 21 yards per catch. Somehow, Mizell has upped his production halfway through his senior season, averaging more yards per catch and north of 130 yards per game.
“While the Arizona commitment is known for his signature speed, verified by a 10.4-second 100-meter dash time, he has more explosive plays after the catch in 2024. Mizell has good vision, instincts and lateral ability in addition to the head-turning vertical game.
“The total package is part of the reason why his stock and his recruitment have increased of late. He just visited Notre Dame as the Irish look for a flip.
“Michigan, Florida and others have also pushed more for Mizell of late, as he looks more and more like an impact player at the next level.” – John Garcia Jr., national recruiting analyst
“I saw Roberts a couple of weeks ago as his Chandler (Ariz.) Basha team took on Mission Viejo, Calif., and there were numerous Power Four prospects on both sides of the field. Roberts was definitely one of the best ones out there – and he’s only a sophomore.
“The 6-foot, 190-pound prospect runs with toughness, confidence, a little bit of attitude and no one is shoe-string tackling Roberts, who presses the hole, bursts through and then keeps on going. He’s strong and dynamic at the same time and against an elite Mission Viejo defense he railed off a long touchdown run.
“That’s common for Roberts, who already has nearly 400 rushing yards and nine touchdowns on 46 carries so far this season. Oklahoma offered in recent days and that is not all that surprising since he can definitely play big-time SEC football.
“Arizona, Iowa State and Tennessee are the others involved but many, many more should be coming.” – Adam Gorney, national recruiting director
“Simien has emerged as a must-know name in Louisiana for the 2027 class. The 6-foot-4, 265-pound offensive lineman from Lake Charles (La.) Sam Houston High has made noise as a sophomore and is developing a reputation as one of the most physical offensive linemen in the region in his class.
“Simien is dynamic blocking out in space. His physicality and initial punch is a huge component of his game. As is finishing at the point of attack and the ability to reach blocks at the second level of the defense.
“Simien is someone we believe projects as one of the top offensive linemen in the nation for the 2027 cycle. LSU recently put an offer on the table and other SEC programs aren’t too far behind.” – Sam Spiegelman, national recruiting analyst
“Taylor is a tough runner who burst onto the scene last year as a freshman. He’s posted a 100m time of 11.05 seconds and clocked a 4.4 shuttle this offseason. On film Taylor routinely runs through tacklers and shows impressive balance. He has the speed and burst to outrun defenders who at first appear to have the angle on him. Taylor also shows reliable hands and often lines up out wide as a receiver instead of in the backfield. He has good vision with the ball in his hands, finding seams in the defense with regularity.
“Taylor’s offer sheet matches the early potential he’s shown, featuring Penn State, Pittsburgh, Rutgers, West Virginia, Maryland, Syracuse and others.” – Adam Friedman, rankings director and transfer portal analyst
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