A new high school season leads to introduction to the 2027 top 50

On3 has released its initial 2027 class rankings. This is the first update for the 2027 recruiting cycle, and the list rolled out 50 names.

Initial 2027 On3 Top 50

This is the fourth full class that On3 has worked from start to finish, with the 2024 class completed and both the 2025 and 2026 cycles already expanded to a full 150 names. Our national basketball team has spent the past several weeks diving into film and taking in live viewings over the past couple of months from major events like USA Basketball, Nike EYBL, Adidas 3SSB, Under Armour Next, Puma Pro16, June Scholastic Live Periods, Pangos All-American Camp, NBPA Top 100 Camp, and more to evaluate the top 2027 prospects across the full recruiting landscape. 

Player evaluations never stop, and that is especially true as players are just entering their sophomore years of high school. Everyone develops at a different pace, and that is taken into account. On3’s national team will get updated viewings of each player throughout the course of their recruiting cycle and be able to document each viewing to truly encapsulate a player’s developmental arc. 

On3 heavily prioritized how players finished their high school and travel seasons, looking at their career’s developmental arcs and how their games project forward. We also looked strongly at each player’s performance during the spring travel ball seasons and how they competed against their peers at elite spring camps. Every viewing of a player plays a role in their evaluation, and it is advantageous to get eyes on a player in multiple settings.

On3 basketball rankings

The basketball player rankings scale is as follows: five-star prospects have grades 98-100, four-star recruits have grades 90-97, and three-star recruits have grades 80-89.

There are no players with five-star grades in this initial ranking, players with a rating of 98 or higher. Players ranked No. 1 to 45 are classified as four-stars with grades from 90 to 97. The remainder of the position rankings are considered three-star prospects.

Our goal is to assess a prospect’s long-term potential, ultimately manifested by the NBA Draft. The goal of the ranking is not to assess who had the best high school career or who will be the best college player. This is why we will shoot to have 14 five-star prospects following the lead of the NBA Draft Lottery. The vision is draft night.

Here are some of the storylines surrounding the initial 2027 On3 top 50. 

Ryan Hampton debuts at No. 1

Ryan Hampton debuted as the No. 1 player in the initial 2027 On3 top 50 that debuted on Tuesday. He is the only player in the class to carry a 97 rating.

Hampton is a quick-twitch guard, comfortable with the ball in his hands and able to break a defense down, and aggressively put two feet in the paint. The long-armed 6-foot-5 shooting guard averaged 17.5 points this summer on the Adidas 3SSB Circuit with his aggressive self-creation.

Hampton is the younger brother of former five-star prospect first-round NBA Draft pick RJ Hampton. He was an invitee to the USA Basketball October and Final Four Mini Camps. Second in the rankings debut is Evansville (IN) Reitz High Jaylan Mitchell. The 6-foot-7 forward averaged 13.0 points, 4.5 rebounds, 2.9 assists, and 1.2 steals en route to an EYBL E16 Championship with his Brad Beal Elite team. Mitchell, who played up in grade this travel season, has also been invited to a USA Basketball Mini Camp.

The remaining top five in the 2027 top 50 debut are Gilbert (AZ) Perry High shooting guard Bruce Branch, Napa (CA) Prolific Prep center Obinna Ekezie Jr, and Florence (SC) Wilson High small forward Josh Leonard.

This update has no five-stars

Going through each ranking is a process, a cycle for each class where each update is built upon the last. The one thing that we do not want to do throughout any process is volatility. Not only are we not looking to have any significant drops, but we also do not want to get in the habit of taking fifth stars away from players. This does not mean that we are hesitant to drop a player if necessary, but what it does mean is that we do significant leg work ahead of time to ensure the players we do give five stars to deserve the rating and are capable of staying there for the long haul.

In the 2026 cycle, we debuted the class with two five-star prospects, AJ Dybantsa – who has since reclassified to 2025 – and Tyran Stokes. With that, in this initial 2027 update, this class will need some more time to marinate. While the depth of this class is shaping up to be very good, the top of the class will need some time to sort itself out. The plan for each class is to update around nine or ten times from now until the end of the all-star season following their senior year. The next 2027 class update will come in season. These next few months will be very interesting to watch how each of these players grow.

Florida leads the way with 6 players in the 2027 top 50 debut

Florida debuted with six players in On3’s 2027 top 50 rankings. The highest-ranked player from Florida is 6-foot-7 forward Henry Robinson from Palm Coast (FL) Matanzas High at No. 19. In total, seven states have three or more players in this ranking.

Florida – 6
Arizona – 5
California – 5
Texas – 4
South Carolina – 3
Missouri – 3
North Carolina – 3

Dash Daniels top PG in the class

Dash Daniels debuts as the top-ranked point guard in the 2027 class. The 6-foot-4 Daniels is a part of the NBA Global Academy in Australia and the younger brother of Atlanta Hawks wing Dyson Daniels. Where Daniels excels is with his point-of-attack defense and in taking care of the basketball. He will need to continue working through his jump shot, but he has a crafty handle and gets to his spots on the court using great pace and a strong base. Daniels came in at No. 13 overall in the 2027 On3 top 50.

Behind Daniels, at No. 17, is Indianapolis (IN) Fishers High’s Jason Gardner Jr. Behind Gardner is Juneau (WI) High’s Dooney Johnson at No. 22, Shreveport (LA) Calvary Baptist’s Tyrone Jamison at No. 24, and Boilingbrook (IL) High’s Davion Thompson at No. 25.

Athletic Bloodlines throughout the top 50

This class has numerous players with strong bloodlines of family members who played either professionally, or high-level college basketball. It starts at the top of the list. Ryan Hampton is the younger brother of former first-round pick RJ Hampton.

At No. 4 Obinna Ekezie Jr. is the son of former NBA center Obinna Ekezie. No. 13 Dash Daniels is the brother of Atlanta Hawks wing Dyson Daniels. No. 20, Dawson Battie, is the nephew of former NBA center Tony Battie. No. 38 Reese Alston is the son of former NBA point guard Rafer Alston (Skip-to-my-Lou). Quincy Douby Jr is the son of former NBA guard Quincy Douby.

Some players in this class have strong NFL bloodlines as well like No. 18 ranked Marcus Spears Jr is the son of former NFL d-lineman Marcus Spears. No. 43 overall Demarcus Henry is the son of former NFL wide receiver Chris Henry.

Even players like Baba Oladotun, CJ Rosser, and Jason Gardner Jr. have parents who played high-level Division 1 basketball.