Breaking down the top ACC commits in the 2027 Rivals300 rankings

On the recruiting front, the ACC — Miami aside — has not been as prevalent as the SEC or Big Ten. The Hurricanes are the only ACC team with a top-15 class in the 2027 Rivals Industry Team Recruiting Rankings.

Of the 300 prospects featured in Rivals’ latest update of the Rivals300 for the senior cycle, 51 of them are currently committed to an ACC school. Twelve of the 17 league members have at least one Rivals300 pledge in their 2027 class, as of Aug. 20.

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Miami and its No. 3 class, of course, headlines with 15 Rivals300 commits. Clemson isn’t far behind with 11, while Virginia Tech is next with five. Six other programs have two or more coming out of a jam-packed summer.

So, who are the top prospects in the Rivals300 that are also committed to an ACC school? Rivals breaks down the top 10 in the conference as high school football gets underway across the nation this week, with the college season not far behind:

Rivals300 Ranking: No. 4 NATL. (No. 1 CB)
School: Long Beach Poly (Calif.)
Committed Since: May 9

Scouting Summary: “Versatile defensive back who has shown the ability to play anywhere in the secondary. Was more of a safety early on in his career and plays a physical game with a nice edge to him. Moved to corner full time halfway though sophomore season and has the kind of size and twitch that projects really well to the next level. Boasts an athletic 6-foot-1, 175 pound frame with plenty of length. Really strong in press coverage and has the long speed to turn and run with anyone.

…Has a track background with personal best times of 10.66-100m and 21.80-200m. Explosive getting in and out of his breaks and is an excellent run defender. Can be overly handsy at times and will need to temper his aggressiveness but has all the physical traits and compete level to play on Sundays.” — Greg Biggins, Rivals recruiting insider and scout

Rivals300 Ranking: No. 24 NATL. (No. 2 CB)
School: Columbus (Fla.)
Committed Since: July 31

Scouting Summary: “Two-way star at the high school level who is the top cornerback prospect early on in the 2028 cycle. Has good stature at 6-foot-1 and will need to continue adding weight to his lean frame. One of the best high school football players to come from South Florida in the last few cycles. Very polished in coverage, showing natural ability to stay in-phase with receivers on downfield routes. Has high-level ball skills, as seen in his ability as a wide receiver.

…Had a very strong sophomore season, catching 42 passes for 942 yards and 11 touchdowns along with three interceptions and 11 pass breakups. Will need to continue getting bigger and stronger while improving his top-end speed.” — Charles Power, Rivals Director of Scouting and Rankings

Rivals300 Ranking: No. 28 NATL. (No. 4 WR)
School: Miami Carol City (Fla.)
Committed Since: March 5

Scouting Summary: “Tremendous ball tracker with natural hands that possesses savvy body control in order to put himself in the best positions to attack the football. Smoother than twitchy athlete with natural route running ability to create space at every level of the field. A clean-hands catcher of the football, he rarely allows the football to get into his frame. Will need to continue physically developing and add mass to his leaner, athletic frame.

…Should be able to add explosiveness to his game as he adds strength to his lower half. Would like to see more from him after the catch, but he has the hands, route-running, and ability to reel in contested catches at an extremely high level. High floor prospect that can step into an immediate complementary role at the next level.” — Cody Bellaire, Rivals National Scout

Rivals300 Ranking: No. 30 NATL. (No. 4 EDGE)
School: Irmo (S.C.)
Committed Since: June 3

Scouting Summary: “Violent disruptor off the edge who plays with immense strength at the point of attack and is one of the best block shedders in the country. Tenacious defender who consistently pursues to the football. Verified 6-foot-3, nearly 260 pounds, that is extremely impressive against the run and is an elite edge setter. Has great play recognition and the foot speed to change direction and hawk down ball carriers in space. Has some hip stiffness and lacks ideal bend when rounding the corner in his pass rush. Will need to continue developing his pass-rush arsenal, but wins consistently as a power rusher due to his understanding of leverage and play strength.

…Threw a personal best 47’11 in the shot put in his junior track and field season. Has the ability to walk in and immediately make an impact on first and second down on day one of his collegiate career. Will need to continue developing his pass-rush moves to reach his ceiling, but he has the physical ability and understanding of leverage to maximize his physical and athletic gifts.” — Bellaire

Rivals300 Ranking: No. 39 NATL. (No. 7 CB)
School: Dothan (Ala.)
Committed Since: May 17

Scouting Summary: “Competitive, quick-footed cornerback with the ability to quickly redirect and stay attached in coverage. Has unverified size but listed at around 5-foot-11, 190 pounds. Has plus speed on the track, running a personal best of 10.88 seconds in the 100 meters as a sophomore. Aggressive and plays with outstanding pace and tempo. Quickly triggers on quick routes. Instinctive and plays faster than he runs on the track. Able to quickly shift gears to stay in-phase.

…Looks to have polished technique, hitting speeds in his backpedal along with smooth transitions. Not afraid to mix it up with receivers at the catch point. Impresses with his overall effort level. Does not appear as big as originally listed and lacks some overall context relative to other top corners, but looks to be one of the more skilled cover men in the 2027 cycle off of film.” — Power

Rivals300 Ranking: No. 44 NATL. (No. 4 QB)
School: Montini Catholic (Ill.)
Committed Since: April 3

Scouting Summary: “Israel Abrams finished the weekend on fire at the Elite 11 Finals with a great pro day showing on day two and one of the better 7-on-7 sessions we saw on day three. Abrams rebounded from an up-and-down start to the weekend, and by the end of Sunday, he easily looked like one of the top quarterbacks on hand. The 6-foot-4, 190-pounder has a live, pliable arm with the ability to throw from multiple angles. He can threaten all levels of the field with his velocity and arm talent. He was confident and impressive in the competitive periods throughout the weekend. Abrams really impressed during 7-on-7 on Sunday, throwing seven touchdowns while making a number of high-level throws, going tit for tat with his high school rival, Trae Taylor.

…The release was arguably the quickest on hand. Abrams gets the ball up and out in the blink of an eye and he’s able to quickly diagnose defenses, pushing the ball downfield with authority. Abrams’ highlights were among the most impressive we saw at the Elite 11 Finals. This weekend backed up what we’ve seen from him on film at the high school level, where he’s highly-productive and talented.” — Power

Rivals300 Ranking: No. 57 NATL. (No. 5 LB)
School: Garner (N.C.)
Committed Since: May 21

Scouting Summary: “Toolsy defender who is one of the more physically-gifted linebacker prospects in the 2027 cycle. Listed at 6-foot-3, 210 pounds and looks to have a big frame with plus length. Lines up as an outside linebacker for his high school. High-end combination of size and speed immediately jumps out. Covers ground quickly and shows sideline-to-sideline range. Shows palpable burst as a pursuit defender. Oftentimes looks like the fastest player on the field. Hawks down running backs in the open field. Eliminates angles with his speed. Also shows potential as a blitzer and pass rusher off the edge. Saw snaps at quarterback and wide receiver as a junior, flashing playmaking ability and athleticism. A three sport athlete in track and basketball. A

… star hurdler who won a state title in the 300m hurdles (37.38 seconds) as a junior. Still developing true off-ball linebacker instincts and may need time to adjust to playing as an inside linebacker at the college level. Can continue improving pop as a tackler. Has athletic bloodlines with several members of his family as college athletes, including his mother who is in Clemson’s Hall-of-Fame as a track athlete. Size, athleticism, and budding skill set make him one of the higher ceiling defenders in the 2027 cycle.” — Power

Rivals300 Ranking: No. 60 NATL. (No. 6 LB)
School: Howell (Mich.)
Committed Since: March 8

Scouting Summary: “Multi-positional high school player with the physical tools to play defense at a high-major level as a linebacker, possibly on the EDGE or as a combination of the two. Physically built like a college player. Big and strong, but separates from others his size because of straight-line speed and athleticism. Comes from a running back background and is a good all-around athlete who is comfortable catching the ball and playing in space.

…Runs 11.1 in the 100-meter dash and shows that speed in closing on ball carriers but also running with receivers in coverage. Has only played one real season of defense in high school and will need to continue to learn to read keys and improve on technical aspects of coverage and shedding blocks. But from a pure physical talent perspective, he has rare upside and tools.” — Allen Trieu, Rivals recruiting insider and scout

Rivals300 Ranking: No. 66 NATL. (No. 11 WR)
School: Christian Academy of Louisville (Ky.)
Committed Since: March 30

Scouting Summary: “After a dominant showing in Beaverton, Oregon, Ja’Hyde Brown earned Rivals MVP at The Opening Finals. He has been a camp warrior during the offseason being virtually un-guardable on the camp circuit throughout the spring and summer. The production on Friday nights this past season was fantastic; putting up over 1,500 yards receiving on nearly 100 catches during his junior season as well as 24 touchdowns. This offseason, he’s proved that he has more than enough burst and wiggle in his game to separate from high-caliber defenders. Brown has legitimate top-end speed, fluidity and twitch in order to be one of the most dynamic pass catchers in the country.” — Bellaire

Rivals300 Ranking: No. 68 NATL. (No. 12 WR)
School: Chaparral (Calif.)
Committed Since: June 30

Scouting Summary: “Woodard is a well-rounded, productive, wide receiver prospect. He’s a guy who has a lot of the qualities we look for in receivers in that he’s a plus route runner, solid athlete, maybe not an overwhelming athlete, but a solid athlete. He is a guy who can win in multiple ways. Woodard is a good runner after the catch, can separate within his routes, and has just a good technical foundation with his skill set. When going through the receiver group, we felt like Woodard has a lot of ability and was worthy of the four-star status and upward mobility.” — Power

WR Charles Davis — Cal
S Ta’Shawn Poole — Florida State
S Jarrell Chandler — Clemson
EDGE Jayvon Dawson — Miami
S Andre Hyppolite — Miami

QB Peter Bourque — Virginia Tech
S Jernard Albright — Florida State
DL Seth Tillman — Clemson
S Jayden Aparicio-Bailey — Clemson
CB Evan Via — Stanford