Rivals250 Update: Position-by-position breakdown of 2027 ranking

Yahoo

12-05-2025

Rivals national recruiting director Adam Gorney breaks down his thoughts position-by position as we release the new Rivals250 for the 2027 class.
NEW 2027 RIVALS250: Ranking | Biggest decisions
CLASS OF 2025 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Team | Position | State
CLASS OF 2026 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Team | Position | State
CLASS OF 2027 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Team | Position | State
TRANSFER PORTAL: Full coverage | Player ranking | Team ranking | Transfer search | Transfer Tracker
QUARTERBACK
There is only one five-star quarterback so far in Baton Rouge (La.) Dunham's Elijah Haven, who is heavily leaning toward LSU with others involved, but over time we will move others to five-star status because the position is so valuable in the first round of the NFL Draft.
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After Haven, though, there could still be a lot of movement. Considering college and draft trends where teams are looking for more mobile quarterbacks who can also throw there might be a ton of changes as well.
Ohio State commit Brady Edmunds and Nebraska pledge Trae Taylor lead the way among four-stars and Taylor is the more mobile of the two but Edmunds has a ton of pocket talent.
Colton Nussmeier, Garrett's brother, is a talented lefty. Gunner Rivers, Philip's son, is a really intriguing prospect for obvious reasons. Jayce Johnson, Kavian Bryant and Peyton Houston are three of the most interesting quarterbacks in the class because of what they can do with the ball in their hands.
RUNNING BACK
There is an abundance of talented running backs at the top but not one that has absolutely separated themselves from the pack. That means there could still be a good deal of movement as we see more of them to close out the offseason and into their junior years.
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Brandon, Miss., standout Tyson Robinson leads the way but Chandler (Ariz.) Basha's Noah Roberts is incredibly smooth with the ball in his hands. The most interesting one to see in the coming months is Penn State commit Kemon Spell, who recently got offered by Ohio State, and could quickly shoot up the ranks.
Dallas Rivals Camp position MVP Lathan Whisenton is a new four-star and moving up fast. The more coaches see of Gainesville, Ga., standout Nigel Newkirk the more offers he receives.
WIDE RECEIVER
There is a Midwest flavor to the top of the receiver rankings as Huber Heights (Ohio) Wayne's Jamier Brown is a new five-star. Brown has all the athleticism, speed, separation and playmaking ability of any receiver in the class.
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But Harper Woods, Mich., standout Dakota Guerrant is not far behind and is now the No. 2 receiver in the class with definite five-star potential. New Orleans (La.) Brother Martin's Easton Royal moves to the third spot, another shorter receiver who produces, gets open and has game-breaking ability.
Julian Caldwell and Quentin Burrell are two that have moved up quickly after big offseasons and Las Vegas (Nev.) Arbor View's Damani Warren is someone who could still shoot up the rankings once he's on the field more regularly.
Dontay Tyson, Osani Gayles and Quentin Hale are three others on the watch list to move up for various reasons. Other than a freakshow like Tetairoa McMillan, the draft has favored smaller - and quicker, more sudden - receivers higher in the draft. Our rankings will consider that as we look at the best receivers in the class.
TIGHT END
We have been spoiled by some high-level tight end classes in recent years and while the 2027 class is excellent as well, it doesn't have the depth of others - yet.
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Ruston, La., recruit Ahmad Hudson and Libertyville, Ill., standout Brock Williams lead the way but Milton, Ga., prospect Grant Haviland is moving up quickly and while he's third at the position it might not be high enough.
Like the 2026 recruiting class, there is an incredibly strong Midwest presence for tight ends who could move even higher as Cleveland (Ohio) Villa Angela St. Joseph's D'Angelo White, Detroit (Mich.) Country Day's Anthony Cartwright, Norwalk, Iowa's Luke Brewer, Dexter, Mich., recruit Holden Niemi and Pierre (S.D.) Riggs' Cooper Terwilliger could all make moves higher
OFFENSIVE LINE
There is a new No. 1 offensive tackle in Kingwood, Texas, standout Kennedy Brown followed by Qua Ford, Mark Matthews, Kaeden Scott and Jake Hildebrand, a solid top five but no five-stars yet. When it comes to draft trends and offensive tackles, it almost doesn't matter about height as much as wingspan and that will be a massive consideration moving forward as we look at the position. It's not the most loaded class ever but there are always some first-round offensive tackles so we'll have to look deep.
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We're still trying to figure out the interior offensive line as well. Santa Ana (Calif.) Mater Dei's Lex Mailangi is the new No. 1 inside as he almost never loses a rep. Gilmer, Texas standout Ismael Camara has moved up to the second spot after a great showing at the Rivals Camp Series in Dallas but there could still be a ton of movement here.
DEFENSIVE LINE
No. 1 overall LaDamion Guyton is the lone five-star defensive lineman but that is almost guaranteed to change because there are so many talented edge rushers and interior guys with tons of potential in the class.
New Orleans (La.) Jesuit's Zyron Forstall has some of the best film in the 2027 class regardless of position. Stone Mountain (Ga.) Stephenson's KJ Green along with Chris Whitehead, Justin Weeks, Alabama commit Jabarrius Garror and others. It's a loaded edge group.
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At defensive end, Roswell (Ga.) Blessed Trintiy's David Jacobs leads the way and we still like Recarder Kitchen from Muskegon, Mich., a whole lot but we just wish he would show up to a regional or national event so he can gauge himself against better competition.
There is a lot to like at defensive tackle as the list is led by Jalen Brewster and Elijah Brown. After seeing Kasi Currie at a few events recently, the Chatsworth (Calif.) Sierra Canyon standout has the potential to be a future star.
LINEBACKER
Cooper Witten, Jason's son, is the new No. 1 linebacker in the country and there is a lot of talent at the top end here but the difficulty is that this position has been significantly downgraded in the NFL Draft. That means it will become even more difficult to achieve five-star status and to earn that level of ranking, the player almost definitely has to come down and blitz a lot as well.
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Texas commit Taven Epps and Chicago (Ill.) Mt. Carmel's Roman Igwebuike are two that moved up.
DEFENSIVE BACK
The cornerback spot is so loaded it might be the best group in the 2027 class. Gardena (Calif.) Serra's Duvay Williams is the lone five-star so far but that will almost definitely change with John Meredith, Joshua Dobson, Kenton Dopson, Aaryn Washington and others leading the way. Ace Alston is a mid-level four-star who could surge much higher as well.
Safety is an interesting group but still unsettled. Jayquan Snell leads the way and he's a special-looking kid followed by Corey Hadley Jr., Kamarui Dorsey and Jerry Outhouse, Jr., who could move even higher after a great offseason.
ATHLETE
As the 2027 class settles out, more of these players will be moved to a specific position but many of these players are legitimate two-way threats as well. Long Beach (Calif.) Poly's Juju Johnson has tons of speed and Sequel Patterson has had a great offseason. DeSoto, Texas standout Myson Johnson-Cook still leads the way.