Breaking down the top EDGE classes in the 2027 cycle so far

Just like last cycle, the EDGE position once again features one of the deepest group of blue-chip prospects.

According to the 2027 Rivals Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all major recruiting media companies, there’s a total of 37 four and five-star recruits at the position. That includes six five-stars and an additional five top-100 overall recruits.

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All 37 of those EDGE recruits are currently committed, as of July 13. Those commitments have dispersed among 23 different programs. That makes for some big-time hauls at the position for multiple schools.

Rivals breaks down which programs have acquired the best class of EDGE prospects thus far:

Texas A&M

5-star Zyron Forstall (No. 26 NATL., No. 5 EDGE)
4-star Frederick Ards III (No. 54 NATL., No. 9 EDGE)
4-star Kaden McCarty (No. 191 NATL., No. 21 EDGE)

Unsurprisingly, Texas A&M’s top-ranked class — per the Rivals Industry Team Recruiting Rankings — is filled with talent on both sides of the ball. Its trio of EDGE commits are among the best.

At the end of March, it landed Forstall, a New Orleans product who now plays for Florida powerhouse IMG Academy. He’s long been considered one of the top pass-rushers in the cycle and that remains the case ahead of his senior season.

The Aggies have been red-hot the entire cycle and that continued into official visit season. Ards III, another Sunshine State star, kicked off a big June by making his commitment. He’s the No. 7 player in Florida.

McCarty was one of the big early recruiting victories for Mike Elko and A&M. He made his pledge back in December and has maintained blue-chip status since.

Notre Dame

5-star Abraham Sesay (No. 21 NATL., No. 3 EDGE)
4-star Aidan O’Neil (No. 114 NATL., No. 13 EDGE)
4-star EDGE Jackson Vaughn (No. 149 NATL., No. 16 EDGE)

Notre Dame’s No. 2 recruiting class is loaded at just about every position — see Rivals’ top running back and offensive line classes. This EDGE group is certainly up there, too.

It starts with Sesay, a quintessential target for the Irish. The No. 3 player in Pennsylvania committed last month, choosing ND over LSU and Penn State, among others. He’s one of three five-stars in the class.

May brought commitments from both O’Neil and Vaughn, both of whom play their high school football in New Jersey. They are the No. 3 and No. 4 players in the Garden State, respectively. Like a majority of Notre Dame’s commits, the EDGE group was prioritized early and pursued heavily. Early relationships and big visits to South Bend helped seal the trio of commitments.

Ohio State

Five-Star Plus+ David Jacobs (No. 4 NATL., No. 1 EDGE)
4-star Wyatt Smith (No. 76 NATL., No. 11 EDGE)

In what remains likely the biggest surprise of the 2027 cycle thus far, Jacobs made a last-minute pivot ahead of his December commitment, choosing Ohio State instead of Miami. Many have since assumed that his recruitment will have another twist or two, but he’s been rock-solid with the Buckeyes since.

He remains the No. 1 EDGE prospect in the industry following Monday’s Rivals300 update. Smith, his fellow EDGE commit, made a 36-spot leap in Rivals’ rankings and is now the No. 9 player in Florida. He pledged to OSU in May.

The Buckeyes continue to boast a top-10 recruiting class and they now have six top-100 commits set to head to Columbus. The Jacobs-Smith duo is dynamic, to say the least.

LSU

4-star Chris Whitehead (No. 53 NATL., No. 8 EDGE)
4-star K.J. Green (No. 56 NATL., No. 10 EDGE)

Landing both Whitehead and Green headlined what was a 10-commit June for Lane Kiffin and LSU. They are both prospects pushing to get inside the top 50 nationally and could even push for five-star status this fall.

The latter jumped in the boat first on June 7. Green is the No. 3 player in Georgia and he chose the Tigers over Georgia, Alabama, Oregon and plenty other high-profile programs. He had over 120 total tackles as a junior and is primed for a monster senior season.

The former committed 10 days after Green. Whitehead is the top-ranked recruit in Virginia and has drawn comparisons to Clelin Ferrell by the Scouting and Rankings Team at Rivals. Ohio State, Penn State and South Carolina were among the other contenders in his recruitment, but he’s got his sights set on Baton Rouge.

Other top 2027 EDGE classes so far

Texas
4-star JaBarrius Garror (No. 110 NATL., No. 12 EDGE)
4-star Derwin Fields (No. 248 NATL., No. 26 EDGE)

Michigan
4-star Recarder Kitchen (No. 156 NATL., No. 18 EDGE)
4-star Ifeanyi Emedobi (No. 247 NATL., No. 25 EDGE)
4-star Jayce Brewer (No. 376 NATL., No. 37 EDGE)

Auburn
4-star James Pace (No. 137 NATL., No. 15 EDGE)
4-star Rion Jackson (No. 318 NATL., No. 29 EDGE)

Ole Miss
4-star Keysan Taylor (No. 310 NATL., No. 27 EDGE)
4-star Antwan Jackson (No. 328 NATL., No. 31 EDGE)
3-star Marvin Nguetsop (No. 403 NATL., No. 39 EDGE)
3-star Juelz Batiste (No. 446 NATL., No. 42 EDGE)
3-star Elijah Cox (No. 1,205 NATL., No. 103 EDGE)

Georgia Tech
4-star Justin Weeks (No. 337 NATL., No. 32 EDGE)
4-star Success Nwabude (No. 334 NATL., No. 33 EDGE)
4-star Braden Gordon (No. 362 NATL., No. 35 EDGE)
3-star Kalib Spivey (No. 678 NATL., No. 65 EDGE)