BRADENTON, Fla. — Kennedy Brown was on the verge of being called up to the varsity at Kingwood High School in Humble, Texas, as a freshman when he tore the ACL in his right knee trying to make a tackle.
“I was running across the field and when the player with the ball cut back, I planted my knee and it got twisted,” the towering 6-foot-5, 285-pound offensive tackle said. “I got turf-monstered.”
Brown said he considered quitting football. He’s glad he didn’t.
Brown started every game last fall as a sophomore for Kingwood’s varsity team at right tackle and punctuated his comeback by squatting 495 pounds during spring workouts.
Now, he’s the No. 2 overall prospect in the Class of 2027 in the 247Sports Composite. He received his first offer from Texas Tech in September, and the list of suitors continues to grow.
Kennedy Brown is the top-ranked OT in the Class of 2027. (Manny Navarro / The Athletic)
Oregon and Texas are among his early leaders, he said Friday at the Under Armour Next Future 50. But Georgia, Alabama, Clemson, Nebraska, Notre Dame, Tennessee, Ole Miss, Penn State and USC are all high on his list, too.
College coaches were first allowed to initiate contact with rising juniors on June 15.
Brown said he made unofficial visits to Oregon, Nebraska, USC, Georgia, Clemson and Alabama this spring. He would like to get to Notre Dame soon. He lived in Indiana for six years before moving back to Texas, where he was born.
“I’ll probably commit next summer,” Brown said. “I plan to start (right away in college). I want to go to a place that I’m needed and not wanted.”
He was asked about the role NIL compensation will play in his final decision.
“I’m not necessarily into money,” he said. “I’m not a materialistic type of person. Tattoos, watches and grills, and all that, I’m not into that. I grew up in a great environment. My mom, I appreciate her significantly. I don’t have to do all that.”
Brown was one of eight five-star prospects in the Class of 2027 who is participating in this weekend’s events at IMG Academy.
Here are some updates on a few of the top QBs in the class.
• Elijah Haven, the only five-star quarterback, for now, in the Class of 2027 in the 247Sports Composite, recently completed a two-week tour where he hit seven schools. The Baton Rouge, La., native started at Georgia and then hit Clemson, Auburn, Michigan, Alabama and Ohio State before completing the trip at Florida.
Haven said LSU, Ohio State, Michigan and Alabama are high on his list, but the Gators appear to be standing out a little more than others for the 6-5, 220-pounder who plays at The Dunham School. Haven said his conversation with Gators sophomore DJ Lagway — the No. 2 QB recruit in the Class of 2024 — on his recent visit to Gainesville was eye-opening.
“(Lagway) said the relationships he built in his recruitment process with the coaches is what separated them for him,” Haven said. “They didn’t fake it or anything, and they were always welcoming to him and to his family. That’s a big thing for me. It’s just about fit for me, whether it’s LSU or if it’s their rival.”
Haven said his mother likes Florida and his dad, who was born in Atlanta and raised a Georgia fan, is in lock-step with whatever he decides. Haven said he rooted for Joe Burrow and LSU as a child. The Tigers won the national title when he was in fifth grade.
Haven said early playing time is something he covets in his college choice, but he’s also “not opposed to learning from a guy like DJ Lagway for a year or two.”
Is there a program Haven would like to visit before making a final decision?
“Miami, I’ve never been up there,” Haven said. “They were one of the schools that contacted me on June 15, but as far as making it out there, we haven’t planned it. Seeing what Cam Ward did last year, it’s definitely one of those schools I could see myself playing at with the playing style he had.”
Does playing for a national championship contender matter to Haven?
“That’s definitely something I want to strive for,” Haven said. “But I’m not going to go to a school just because they won a lot.”
• Peyton Houston, the eighth-ranked quarterback and No. 85 overall recruit in the 2027 class, said Clemson, Oklahoma, Texas A&M and Texas have made him feel like a priority early in the process. USC is also high on his list.
Houston, who plays at Evangel Christian in Shreveport, La., said Texas was the first team to call him at midnight on June 15. Houston said it’s meaningful to him that he was also the first quarterback in the class who Clemson and USC offered.
He would like to commit sometime this fall before the end of his junior year.
“The reason is because there’s a lot of schools that just got onto the boat,” Houston said. “You’ve got to really know the school, the people and just being able to build the relationship. The longest relationship I’ve had has been with (Texas assistant A.J. Milwee). I’ve known him since the seventh grade.”
• Four-star quarterback Keegan Croucher, who plays at Cheshire Academy in Connecticut, said Oregon, Ole Miss, Miami, Penn State, Indiana, Virginia Tech and Syracuse have been recruiting him the hardest thus far.
He visited Oregon, Clemson, Penn State, Notre Dame, Miami and Ole Miss in June. The Ducks and Nittany Lions appear to be early leaders, with the Hurricanes and Rebels slightly behind.
Which visit blew him away?
“Oregon, for sure, I really liked it. First time being out there,” the New York native said. “I was a little skeptical being that far away from home. It didn’t feel that far away.”
He’s been to Penn State four times. What attracts him to the Nittany Lions?
“It is the closest to home,” Croucher said. “What do I like? The relationships I’ve built, what they’ve done with Drew Allar, the fact they’re constantly winning. Everything coach Franklin says is true. He really cares about his players. He said it’s the best place to put people in the league. We’ll see.”
• Bobby Coleman Jr., the younger brother of Auburn sophomore star receiver Cam Coleman, said Auburn, Alabama, Georgia, Louisville and UAB are the schools that have shown the most interest to this point.
The 6-1, 180-pound quarterback at Phenix City (Ala.) Central is 74th in the ESPN Top 300 but is unranked in the 247Sports Composite. Coleman was the backup last season to Tulsa signee Andrew Alford. He’s completed 57 percent of his 42 pass attempts for 475 yards, seven touchdowns and three interceptions so far at the varsity level.
(Top photo of Elijah Haven: Manny Navarro / The Athletic)
