The recruiting spotlight shines bright at certain times of the calendar year and the beginning of the season is one of those times. We take a look at which prospects will be in the spotlight, beginning the series with five prospects from the Midwest region.
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CLASS OF 2025 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Team | Position | State
CLASS OF 2026 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Team | Position | State
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There aren’t many prospects in the 2025 recruiting class that are physically bigger than Brooks. The lineman stands at 6-foot-8, 285 pounds and he’s on the move. Brooks told Rivals that he’s transferring to Grayson High School in Georgia for his senior year.
There was already a spotlight on him as one of the top offensive linemen in the Midwest. Now he’ll head south where few programs get as many eyeballs as Grayson. The team produces multiple Power Four prospects every year and Brooks will be one of the next ones.
Now the question is: Does a move to Georgia make him a lock to end up in Athens playing for coach Kirby Smart?
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Cure has been fairly vocal that he should be considered among the nation’s elite offensive players this offseason. While he hasn’t done any national football events, it's easy to see the athleticism in track and how it translates to the football field. He’s still growing as a prospect but Cure has the potential to be the complete package at tight end if he reaches his potential.
Cure won’t be outworked and he’s going to put on a show this season. The tough thing will be judging his performances against the level of competition he faces in Goodland, Kan. It’ll be fun to watch unfold this fall.
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There may not be a 2027 quarterback that had a better offseason than the Illinois native. Taylor has a monster camp season adding offers from around the country after throwing in front of coaches.
Ohio State, Ole Miss, Oklahoma and Michigan are just a few of the programs that have come through with an early offer.
Now with the focus turning to games on Friday nights, Taylor will have a huge target on his back. The expectation will be that he goes out and performs at the level of other national-level recruits at quarterback. He’s likely up for the challenge but this will be a big test. He hasn’t been the full-time starter at his school yet but there is a big opportunity ahead.
Will he announce himself as one of the top players in the country early on?
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The Peculiar (Mo.) Ray-Pec four-star running back has mostly kept a low-profile during his recruitment. That’s despite being rated as the top running back in the Midwest and one of the best players in the country.
He didn’t really fill up the stat sheet as a sophomore and has posted inconsistent times on the track. Questions were starting to rise on if he was ranked too high but then I saw him at a 7-on-7 event in Kansas. His skill set is farther along than other running backs in this class. He’s got a good frame, good straight-line speed and his ability to catch the ball jumped out at me. Walker could put up some big numbers early to show everyone why the Rivals staff is so high on him.
