Tennessee, LSU Battling for Top 2027 Class

On the recruiting trail, Tennessee and LSU have already separated themselves at the top for the 2027 class.

There are other teams putting together strong classes, as well. In the ACC, Florida State and Clemson both have strong groups of 2027 commits, with four top 100 players each. In the SEC, Arkansas, Mississippi State and Texas each have five top 100 players committed, including two in the top 11 for Mississippi State.

But LSU and Tennessee are in a class of their own, as each have double that with 11 top 100 commits apiece.

Of course, a lot can change between now and the day those 2027 high school players are scheduled to report to campus. The obvious factor is the 2027 MLB Draft, as we don’t know how many of these players will sign pro contracts out of high school and never play in college. There is a correlation between where a player is ranked at this time of year and his likelihood of signing with an MLB team out of high school, but this far out from the draft, the odds of even the top-ranked players getting to school might be higher than a lot of people realize.

Players can still change their commitments (Tony Vitello leaving Tennessee is a factor, though Josh Elander sticking in Knoxville should help). Players will move up or down in the rankings depending on their development. And there are still 27 uncommitted players in the top 100, most notably lefthander/outfielder Jared Grindlinger, the younger brother of Tennessee freshman catcher Trent Grindlinger.

Whatever changes happen, Tennessee and LSU both stand out above the rest right now for their 2027 recruiting classes. Which team has the best class right now? To help answer that, we’ll go position by position—infielders, outfielders, catchers and pitchers—to see which program has the edge in each group before offering a final verdict on whoâ€s ahead overall right now.Â

INFIELD

Tennessee

Tennessee is loaded in the infield with four shortstops ranked among the top 50 players in the country, including three of the top 10 players. The best of the group is Dylan Seward, a switch-hitting shortstop from California.

For as much as we’ve talked about how even the top players in a class at this point in the process still do sometimes make it to campus, it seems more likely that Seward being committed to Tennessee will be more of an interesting trivia question one day years down the road than it will be that he gets to school. Heâ€s arguably a better prospect right now than Nationals switch-hitter Eli Willits, who was the No. 1 overall pick out of high school this year. Seward hasnâ€t had the chance to compile the offensive track record that Willits did in high school, but he has performed at a high level, is faster, has more bat speed and power potential and projects as a true shortstop thanks to his crisp, clean actions and advanced instincts.Â

Even if the Volunteers lose multiple infielders to the 2027 draft—the way they did this year with Billy Carlson and Steele Hall—they should still be in good shape.

Shortstop Max Hemenway is a polished lefthanded hitter with a compact swing, a sharp eye for the strike zone and some of the best contact skills in the class thanks to his ability to recognize pitches and manipulate the barrel. Heâ€s another instinctive shortstop with good body control and a nose for the ball.

Leo Nockley, a shortstop from Pennsylvania, is another advanced lefty bat with instincts well beyond his years in all facets of the game. He takes a quick, direct path to the ball and drives the ball with surprising impact for a 5-foot-8 hitter. He has the hands, footwork, quick release and internal clock to stick in the middle infield both in college and pro ball.

Shortstop Banks Addison, an in-state recruit, is coming off a great summer at the plate. A lean 6-foot-1, 180 pounds, Addison was consistently on time and on the barrel throughout the summer, driving the ball well in the air to all fields with the physical projection remaining for more home run juice still to come. He should continue to get the opportunity to develop at shortstop, but his bat would fit well at second or third base both in college and in pro ball.

LSU

Graham Houston from Florida has the defensive skill set to project as a true shortstop all the way up to the major leagues. The younger brother of Marek Houston, Minnesotaâ€s first-round pick out of Wake Forest this year, Graham is an above-average runner whoâ€s both fundamentally sound and can make acrobatic plays at shortstop, where his actions are smooth and his instincts are advanced. Heâ€s an aggressive switch-hitter with a hit-over-power game and good bat-to-ball skills.

Shortstop Sebastian Castillo elevated his profile throughout the summer with an impressive tool set and offensive performance. At 6 feet, 185 pounds, he is a righthanded hitter who rarely struck out regardless of who he was facing while showing the strength and bat speed needed to drive the ball with impact. Heâ€s a tick-above-average runner with a strong arm to play on the left side of the infield.Â

Koa Romerois an in-state recruit with a strong build (5-foot-10, 215 pounds), good bat speed and lefthanded power that he showed with two home runs this month at the Perfect Game WWBA World Championship in Jupiter, Fla. Shortstop Ricky Lopez committed to LSU three years ago when he was 14. Heâ€s a 5-foot-10 righthanded hitter with a pull approach and a steady player on both sides of the ball who homered at the Area Code Games underclass event this summer.

Infielder/righthander Devyn Downsis an in-state recruit who also committed to LSU nearly three years ago. He shows a strong arm from the left side of the infield and on the mound, where he has been into the low 90s. Zowen Watson from California was another early commit to LSU when he was 13. Heâ€s a 5-foot-10, righthanded-hitting shortstop with good hand-eye coordination and a high-contact bat with a line-drive approach and gap power.

RECRUITING EDGE: Tennessee

OUTFIELD

Tennessee

Sebastian “Sushi” Wilson, who is from Illinois and a high school teammate of Max Hemenway at IMG Academy in Florida, committed to Tennessee three years ago and has maintained his status as one of the top outfielders in the 2027 class. A lefthanded hitter, Wilson has a strong build (6 feet, 190 pounds) with big power. Heâ€s built like a corner outfielder, but heâ€s athletic and can run well with plus speed underway and has a strong arm that would fit anywhere in the outfield.

Caden Dawsonis another strong, lefthanded-hitting outfielder in Tennesseeâ€s 2027 class. Heâ€s 6-foot-2, 210 pounds with a smooth swing, a good sense of the strike zone and the strength to drive the ball out of the park when everything is synced up. He has experience in all three outfield spots and likely fits best in an outfield corner in college.

An in-state recruit, Jayden Pearl is 6 foot, 195 pounds with high-end bat speed from the right side of the plate. Itâ€s not a textbook swing and a power-over-hit profile, but he has the strength and bat speed to annihilate mistakes and do damage at the collegiate level. Pearl is likely a corner outfielder in college but moves surprisingly well for his size with above-average speed underway.Â

LSU

It would be an extraordinary win for the Tigers to get Jacob Seamonto school, as the North Carolina outfielder has the combination of youth, athleticism, physical projection and elite lefthanded power upside that will have MLB teams all over him as the draft nears.

Seamon turned 16 in August, so heâ€s one of the youngest players in the class. Heâ€s also one of the best athletes in the class as a plus runner who is 6-foot-5, 200 pounds with a smooth lefthanded swing. There is some swing-and-miss with Seamon that he’ll have to keep in check—not uncommon for a young, long-levered hitter—but itâ€s a fluid stroke with big power already and the chance to grow into plus-plus raw power.

If it all comes together, the upside is there for Seamon to develop into a player along the lines of Nationals outfielder James Wood.

As the son of former Rockies outfielder Brad Hawpe, Drake Hawpeis another outfielder in LSUâ€s recruiting class who will have a lot of eyes on him as the 2027 draft approaches. The Texas native performed well throughout the summer, both in terms of getting on base and hitting for power, and there is projection in his 6-foot-3 frame for above-average or better raw power to come from the left side. Heâ€s a corner outfielder with a plus arm that would play in right field.Â

Center fielders Bryan Ravelofrom Florida and Jordin Griffinfrom Louisiana have both been committed to LSU for nearly three years. Both have remained two of the better outfielders in the class but are very different players.

Ravelo is 6-foot-3, 180 pounds with a long-limbed build featuring broad shoulders and tons of room left to add strength and muscle. The physical projection is there to develop above-average or better raw power from the right side with a potential power-over-hit offensive game. Griffin, meanwhile, is 5-foot-8, 170 pounds with the lefthanded bat speed to generate startling power for his size. He uses his smaller strike zone to his advantage with a patient approach to pile up walks. His plus-plus speed is another standout tool, and his defensive instincts in center field are sharp. His experience at second base adds additional flexibility to his game.Â

RECRUITING EDGE: LSU

CATCHER

Tennessee

Lundy, an in-state recruit, is the No. 3 catcher in the 2027 class and was a summer ball teammate of Sebastian Wilson and Max Hemenway on the Wow Factor National team. Lundy had a monster spring season and is 6-foot-3, 220 pounds with a pair of standout tools between his righthanded power and plus arm. He’s big for a catcher but moves well behind the plate and has the catch-and-throw skills to stick there.Â

LSU

The Tigers do not currently have a catcher committed in their 2027 class.

Now that Will Brick, a Tennessee native, is reclassifying to 2026, there isnâ€t an uncommitted catcher remaining among the top 100 players for 2027. Part of that could be related to an underwhelming state of high school catching more broadly, but the Tigers could always boost this part of their class later with players who rise later in the process by flipping a player from another school—current Tigers catcher Cade Arrambide was once a Florida commit—or pushing harder in the transfer portal later on.

RECRUITING EDGE: Tennessee

PITCHING

Tennessee

Righthander Quinn Fitzpatrick from Texas has one of the better fastballs in the 2027 class. Heâ€s 6-foot-2, 190 pounds and already up to 95 mph with more in the tank and athleticism that should help him make adjustments to dial in his control. Thereâ€s feel to spin multiple breaking balls, with his slider looking like a potential out pitch at the next level.Â

Brady Buenik, a righthander from Illinois, had an up-and-down summer, but heâ€s one of the better arms in the country with a physical build (6-foot-3, 215 pounds) and a fastball up to 94 mph from his low three-quarters slot. Tightening his control and secondaries will be key for his development, with his slider getting the most swing-and-miss among his offspeed stuff this summer.

Bubba Day is an athletic righthander from Nebraska with high-end physical projection remaining in a 6-foot-4, 190-pound frame that should help him add to a fastball that already touches 94 mph. Day pitches heavily off his fastball, though his slider showed promising signs as the summer progressed. He shows feel for a changeup, too.

Cooper Burtidoesnâ€t have as much size or power behind his fastball as Tennesseeâ€s other three pitching commits, but heâ€s a lefty from New Jersey with lively movement on his stuff. Heâ€s 6 feet, 170 pounds, touches 91 mph with his fastball and throws a high-spin breaking ball thatâ€s his most effective secondary weapon and should continue to get swing-and-miss against college hitters.Â

LSU

At 6-foot-5, 240 pounds, Florida righthander Samir Mohammed is an enormous presence on the mound with a fastball he can run up to 97 mph. Itâ€s an elite fastball for his age with a chance for another uptick in velocity on the way.

Mohammed, however, is much more than just a power arm. He showed touch and feel on the mound by throwing strikes at a high clip this summer, and he has one of the best changeups of any high school pitcher in the country, regardless of class. Itâ€s a pitch that flashes plus now and could end up a 70 on the 20-80 scale. His slider continues to evolve and got a high dose of empty swings throughout the travel circuit.

All together, Mohammed has the combination of stuff and pitchability to be an impact arm in LSUâ€s rotation.Â

Lefthander Connor Wells from South Carolina is a pitching coachâ€s dream. Heâ€s 6-foot-6, 210 pounds with huge upside and is just scratching the surface of his potential as he grows into his body and coordination. His fastball has been up to 93 mph and looks like it should eventually reach the upper 90s. Wells can also add and subtract from his slider, which shows nasty bite and sweep at its best to miss bats.

Righthander Sean Parrow from California is another physical pitcher (6-foot-5, 220 pounds) who pitches up in the zone with a fastball that reaches 94 mph. He flashes feel to spin a low-to-mid 80s slider thatâ€s his most advanced secondary weapon.

The Tigers have three in-state commits on the mound with lefthanders Kade Lukerand Lawton Littleton and righthander Jack Lee.

Luker, listed at 6-foot-2, 180 pounds, has an easy, athletic delivery. He fills the strike zone with a lively fastball thatâ€s up to 91 mph with good armside run from a lower release height. His feel for a changeup and breaking ball with slurvy action now that could eventually turn into a harder slider give him a starter look.

Littleton, a teammate of Jordin Griffinâ€s at Barbe High in Lake Charles, La., is 6-foot-2, 180 pounds with a fastball that can scrape the low 90s. His separator is a mid-70s curveball that has been a swing-and-miss pitch. Lee has a sound delivery, good arm action and good extension on a fastball up to 92 mph.Â

RECRUITING EDGE: LSU

OVERALL WINNER

Itâ€s close. LSUâ€s strongest edge is on the pitching side, particularly with Mohammed and Wells leading the way. But there are plenty of good pitchers still uncommitted and arms always pop up later in the process, so there is opportunity for Tennessee to continue to add pitching to its 2027 group.Â

And while LSUâ€s infield group for 2027 is off to a strong start with Houston and Castillo, itâ€s hard to top Tennessee having three of the top 10 players in the class, including the No. 1 player overall in Seward.Â

For now, weâ€re giving the slight edge to Tennessee.

One big LSU commitment tomorrow could change that, while another after that for Tennessee could tip the scales back the other way. Whatever happens, expect these two schools to continue to fight it out for the top recruiting class for 2027, with the 2027 MLB Draft playing a key role in determining who ultimately gets the top players to campus.

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