Four-Star Friday is back with six prospects who recently joined the elite ranks of four-star prospects. The national analyst team highlighted some recruits who were given a four-star rating just a little while back.
MORE: Ten prospects that will be watching Alabama-Georgia the closest
CLASS OF 2025 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Team | Position | State
CLASS OF 2026 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Team | Position | State
CLASS OF 2027 RANKINGS: Top 100
TRANSFER PORTAL: Full coverage | Player ranking | Team ranking | Transfer search | Transfer Tracker
"We love what we've seen midway through Braker's senior season at Snellville (Ga.) South Gwinnett High. At 6-foot-3 and 210 pounds working off the edge and also at linebacker, Braker has been a source of splash plays behind and down the line of scrimmage, including a ton of TFL and quarterback pressures along the way.
"The LSU commit flies to the football with force and is a sure tackler in space, and shines playing linebacker. With his frame and his length and disruptive play style, there's also upside to Braker rushing the QB off the edge.
"Both Alabama and Georgia are also in pursuit of the LSU verbal." - Sam Spiegelman, Rivals national recruiting analyst
"A newly rated four-star prospect in the 2026 class, Brown has been a breakout performer in the early weeks of his junior season. After just 11 receptions for 116 yards as a sophomore, he has already racked up 17 receptions for 470 yards and five touchdowns this fall.
"Primarily lining up in the slot, Brown has excellent burst off the line and is a twitchy route runner that can quickly create separation to make him an easy target for a quarterback. At 6-foot, 180 pounds, Brown has a well built frame that is built to take on hits. That comes in handy as Brown slashes defenses in the middle of the field and has no fear or reservations about making a play on the ball in crowded areas.
"Brown boasts 10.81 100-meter speed and he plays faster on the field. He is both quick in short spaces to evade tackles but also displays the ability to separate in the open field, leading to explosive plays often. He has skillset to be a threat both in the short passing game as well as a vertical threat." - Marshall Levenson, Rivals national recruiting analyst
“Higgins put together a great freshman campaign with 50 tackles. When you pop on the tape, it’s easy to see why the Ohio native has offers from around the country. He’s explosive off the edge and has already developed a couple pass rush moves at a young age. Higgins is also athletic enough to help in coverage so he can play some off-ball linebacker as well. He’s already got double-digit offers but his list is going to grow in a major way." - Greg Smith, Rivals national recruiting analyst
"Jones, who was a candidate for the initial Rivals top 100 for the 2027 class released this fall, continues to showcase legitimate playmaking skills at the safety position. Starting against premium South Florida competition since he was a freshman last year, the sophomore looks even more comfortable patrolling the back end in 2024. He can play the alley with leverage and support the run, but he makes his proverbial money in pass coverage not only as the last line of defense -- but as an impact player at the catch point.
"Jones snagged an interception in each of the last two in-person showings Rivals has taken in on him, the type of consistency that allows his offer list to balloon toward 20 programs.
"Georgia, Miami, Florida State, Auburn, Texas A&M and many others have already jumped in on Jones." - John Garcia Jr., Rivals national recruiting analyst
"O’Neil has the tools to be one of the best defensive linemen in the 2027 class. The 6-foot-5, 250-pound O’Neil should be lining up at defensive end right now but he’s playing defensive tackle this season. He’s getting the better of interior offensive linemen thanks to his quickness and ability to disengage from blocks.
"O’Neil plays a disciplined brand of football and can be routinely found chasing down ball carriers. He is strong at the point of attack and has plenty of room to improve over the next few years before he reaches the college level." - Adam Friedman, Rivals national rankings director
"His older brother, Christian, is already committed to Utah and the 2027 quarterback is well on his way to being a national recruit. The Las Vegas (Nev.) Arbor View standout has already thrown for more than 1,000 yards with 13 touchdowns not even halfway through his sophomore season and it's easy to see why he's having such a good season.
"Thatcher is comfortable in the pocket, can fire into tight windows, can layer it over defenders and he has a confidence to his game that shows he's the leader on the field, the offense is going to run through him.
"He's also way more athletic than what it looks since he can outrun defenders to the end zone, he can easily dunk a basketball and there's just a lot to like not only now but projecting into the future." - Adam Gorney, Rivals national recruiting director
