2027's Ready To Challenge This Fall - Prep Redzone (2024)

With some exposure to the Friday night lights of high school football a year ago, coupled with a busy off season of other sports, training, 7v7, camps, clinics, and still more training; the drive to earn more playing time and help their teams win a championship burns even brighter.

And, it isn’t just the ranked players and the guys who were fortunate enough to make a name for themselves last fall who are looking to carry the torch. There are countless others laboring in obscurity but burning just as red-hot to put their stamp on high school football in the Sunflower state

In this report I wanted to highlight a couple of ranked players getting ready to shine and then swing the spot light out and catch some low-flying outliers from the class of 2027 who are not ranked and are just getting started making a name with scouts and coaches.

So, without further adieu, I bring you the“The Mid-Week Five”representing the class of 2027:

Cooper Ohnmacht Cooper Ohnmacht 6'0" | 155 lbs | ATH Great Bend | 2027 State KS ,6’0”,155, ATH, Great Bend, is currently ranked #25. He is already off and running on a legendary high school sports career and he hasn’t yet showed his greatness on the gridiron. Not yet at least…in the off season he kept his name in the headlines by winning the state championship in the triple jump as a freshman, leaping 47+ feet. He is also the school record holder in the vertical, with a jump just under 40″. On the football field he got his foot in the door last year with nine catches for 119 yards, but will be counted on take his game to the next level as both a wide receiver and/or defensive back this year. With his speed, explosiveness and overall athleticism look for him to make some serious noise this fall.

Ayden Koehn Ayden Koehn 6'2" | 185 lbs | DL Cheney | 2027 State KS , 6’2, 205, OLB/DL, Cheney, is currently ranked #61. Another stud Cheney player in the making who is coming off an excellent season a year ago as a part of the Cheney state championship team with a 13-0 record. This year he will be counted on to play a significant role in the trenches on both sides of the ball. He has been busy on the camp-clinic circuit and is primed to put his thumb print on Cheney football. He has a strong frame with agile feet and weaponized hands that he uses effectively coming off the edge. He has the speed and length to cut off the wide game on the perimeter but strong enough to piledrive the run game between the tackles. He is going to blow things up this fall, get out and see him while you can.

Kai Kirchhoff-Jones Kai Kirchhoff-Jones 5'10" | 175 lbs | DB Rose Hill | 2027 KS , 5’10, 175, RB/LB, Rose Hill is currently unranked. He has been busy in the off-season training with teammates and finetuning his game via the camp-clinics in the region. He is a versatile, multi-positional rising star who shows potential as a running back on offense and as a defensive-back on defense. He is just starting to make a name for himself as a shutdown corner who can get in the receiver’s grille at the line of scrimmage and uses his top-end hands, fluid hips and quick feet to mirror the wide receiver’s route and smother the pass game. He can also float in zone as a safety and with next-level anticipation, fly to the pass or collapse on the running game with standout closing speed. This kid is getting ready to shine this fall.

Damian Nicholson Damian Nicholson 5'9" | 155 lbs | WR Belle Plaine | 2027 KS , 5’9, 155, WR, Belle Plaine, is currently unranked. Is coming off a solid start to his high school career and this off season has shown coaches and scouts his significant potential via 7v7 for the Kansas Colts. As a versatile wide receiver in the Belle Plaine passing attack he can line up split wide or moved in to operate out of the slot. He has reliable, soft hands and is fearless catching the ball over the middle or making the big catch in traffic. He runs good routes, gaining early separation with a combination of agility and quickness off the line of scrimmage. He can be used as a consistent possession receiver in the short-to-medium passing game, but is also capable of tracking the long ball down the seams. He is getting ready to come into his own this fall.

Brock Martin Brock Martin 5'10" | 210 lbs | OL Wichita Northwest | 2027 KS , 5’10, 210, OL/C, Wichita Northwest is currently unranked. He is coming off a good start to high school football Wichita Northwest style and is making great strides for a top-notch program. Although he can probably play anywhere along the line of scrimmage, he is making a name for himself as an excellent center. With a powerful base, low center of gravity and active feet, he can bulldoze defenders in the trenches, as well as chip off to the next level and take out linebackers. He blocks well in space, whether pulling or in pass pro, using his effective mechanics and positioning to get leverage and lock down the defender. He has a good first step and with his read and react skills is able to make adjustments as the game progresses. Get out and see a player on the rise this fall.

In conclusion, get out and see these guys in action or get them on your watchlist. And, as always, keep me posted on anyone flying under the radar. Send any deserving prospects my way via DM on X.