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With the 2026 recruiting cycle moving lightning fast from a commitment standpoint, some are beginning to take a harder look at the top talent that resides at the top of the board in the 2027 class. There’s already been plenty of pledges made by incoming juniors. Many more are already eyeing decisions this fall, too. […]

With the 2026 recruiting cycle moving lightning fast from a commitment standpoint, some are beginning to take a harder look at the top talent that resides at the top of the board in the 2027 class.

There’s already been plenty of pledges made by incoming juniors. Many more are already eyeing decisions this fall, too. With the recruiting landscape ever-changing, there’s no time to waste when it comes to acquiring blue-chip commitments.

As of Aug. 10, 14 of the top 100 prospects in the 2027 cycle — per the Rivals Industry Ranking — are already committed. That includes EDGE LaDamion Guyton, the nation’s No. 2 recruit, who pledged to Texas Tech on Aug. 7.

Below are those 14 prospects that are off the board before the beginning of their junior campaigns:

EDGE LaDamion Guyton — Texas Tech

School: Benedictine Military School (Ga.)
Rivals Industry Ranking: No. 2 NATL. (No. 1 EDGE)

Scouting Summary: “Explosive, powerful pass rusher with elite bend around the edge at an early stage. Flashes high-end first-step quickness. Stays very low while running the arc, dipping his shoulder to shirk offensive tackles. Converts speed to power with ease. Also shows early signs of good hand usage, quickly disengaging on contact. Plays with a high motor and pursues plays from sideline to sideline. Productive in his first two varsity seasons at Savannah (Ga.) Savannah Christian, totaling 33 tackles for loss while playing alongside Five-Star Plus+ defensive lineman Elijah Griffin. Transferred to Savannah (Ga.) Benedictine Military for his junior season. Can improve his finishing ability in the backfield, as his ability to disrupt doesn’t always manifest in dominant stats. Length and frame are average for the position.”

WR Jamier Brown — Ohio State

School:Wayne (Ohio)
Rivals Industry Ranking: No. 7 NATL. (No. 1 WR)

Scout’s Take: Ohio State commit Jamier Brown leads the group of 2027 wide receivers. Brown is coming off a big sophomore season at Wayne High, as he hauled in 63 catches for 1,035 yards and 15 touchdowns. He doubles as a track star, winning a national title in the 60 meters. He’s a skilled pass-catcher who can threaten every level of the field and turned in strong showings at Rivals Five-Star and the OT7 Playoffs.

RB Kemon Spell — Penn State

School:McKeesport (Pa.)
Rivals Industry Ranking: No. 9 NATL. (No. 1 RB)

Scout’s Take at OT7: “In a setting that rarely allows running backs to shine, Kemon Spell looked the part of the No. 1 back in the 2027 cycle. The Penn State pledge was borderline dominant on Saturday. Spell immediately flashed early on in his team’s first game, showing natural hands and a great burst with the ball in his hands. We saw him come down with two touchdown grabs on the day. Spell shook a defender and came down with a slant for a score, and later got behind the defense for a long touchdown. The showing in this pass-only setting is a big positive for Spell, who is a dominant tackle-breaker on Friday nights. It’s easy to see why, given his palpable burst and powerful build.”

OT Layton Von Brandt — Penn State

School:Appoquinimink (Del.)
Rivals Industry Ranking: No. 36 NATL. (No. 6 OT)

Scout’s Take: “Layton von Brandt stacks up pretty well in that (OL) group. He’s got good length and I think he’s got a lot of room to continue filling out. I really liked his movement skills at the position. I thought he was a nimble mover, fluid and a guy who looks pretty athletic. So, when you’re looking at him long-term, I like where he stacks up … Going into last season, he was 255. I think he could easily be a 300-plus pounder and maintain that athleticism. A lot of the offensive linemen we’ve watched so far, and certainly at tackle, are developmental types. I think he has a nice runway there physically, especially with how well he moves. I liked his sophomore film, and while it’s not against the strongest competition, he plays the way you would expect from a blue-chip prospect at that level.”

CB Kenton Dopson — Miami

School:Miami Norland (Fla.)
Rivals Industry Ranking: No. 44 NATL. (No. 6 CB)

Scout’s Take: “Dobson has put himself in the top tier of cornerbacks early on in the cycle for several reasons. He has quality size and speed combination — he’s over 6 feet and 180 pounds, runs sub-11 seconds in the 100M and had a really good sophomore season while facing strong competition. You see him make a lot of plays on the ball. He has shown high-level ball skills and the ability to locate and find the football. His cover skills are natural, and his ability to quickly redirect and stay in phase, we saw that on film as a sophomore and also in person this offseason.”

WR Khalil Taylor — Penn State

School:Pine-Richland (Pa.)
Rivals Industry Ranking: No. 50 NATL. (No. 9 WR)

Taylor on his commitment: “My commitment to Penn State is strong,” Taylor told Rivals’ Chad Simmons at the end of June. “I am locked in and my recruitment is really shut down. Tennessee texts me, Notre Dame just offered me, Clemson is inviting me to visit and some other schools recruit me, but I am only visiting Penn State. They have shown so much love. It is close to home and I love what the team is about.”

WR Kesean Bowman — Oregon

School:Brentwood Academy (Tenn.)
Rivals Industry Ranking: No. 51 NATL. (No. 10 WR)

Bowman on his decision: “I’m really big on my faith. It’s kind of crazy how it all happened,” he told Scoop Duck’s Max Torres. “Two nights before I committed, I prayed. Those final two teams I was gonna bring it down to were Tennessee and Oregon. So I prayed to God. I went to sleep, the next day Coach (Ross) Douglas called me. We had a great conversation, the best conversation I’ve had with a coach throughout this whole process … The next day at practice I just got this overwhelming feeling of just like, Oregon. I don’t what it was, Oregon just kept running through my mind.”

QB Jayce Johnson — Texas A&M

School:Lowndes (Ga.)
Rivals Industry Ranking: No. 64 NATL. (No. 3 QB)

Johnson on his decision: “It just felt right. The love they showed — not just to me, but to my mom, dad, and little sister — it meant a lot. I’m big on love and loyalty, and being around the people and the town in the summer really sealed it,” he told Rivals’ Chad Simmons. “The environment reminds me of home. It’s a football town, it is a country town — just like Valdosta. And I really connected with the staff. I love their spiritual side, their discipline, and how they bring people together.”

EDGE JaBarrius Garror — Alabama

School:Vigor (Ala.)
Rivals Industry Ranking: No. 69 NATL. (No. 8 EDGE)

Garror on his commitment: “Florida State and Auburn are both pushing really hard,” Garror told Rivals’ Chad Simmons on June 27. “Coach Norvell is a great person and everyone is genuine there. Auburn has a genuine coaching staff too … both schools are still on my list, but my commitment ot Alabama is still strong. I grew up an Alabama fan, I love the program and my feeling about Alabama is the same.”

QB Brady Edmunds — Ohio State

School:Huntington Beach (Calif.)
Rivals Industry Ranking: No. 77 NATL. (No. 4 QB)

Edmunds on his decision: “The family connection that I have to Ohio helped Ohio State stand out to me,” Edmunds told Rivals. “Then, the culture of Ohio State football, coach Day and coach Chip Kelly played important roles in my decision. They have the best receiving corps in the nation, so it’s a quarterback’s dream to be there right now. I think there’s no better option for me … I was ready. At this point, it was like, ‘Why not?’… I see myself as having a drama-free recruitment. Tavien St. Clair is a perfect example. He knew he wanted to go to Ohio State, he committed to Ohio State and he hasn’t looked back. He hasn’t gone on any visits to schools besides Ohio State. That’s what I see myself doing.”