'27 WR Jabari Watkins Names Louisville to Top Six

Watkins is a four-star prospect in the Class of 2027.

Thomasville (Ga.) Thomas County Central wide receiver Jabari Watkins | Instagram

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The Louisville football program is on an incredible hot streak in the Class of 2027, and that wave of momentum has a great chance to continue into the summer months.

Thomasville (Ga.) Thomas County Central wide receiver Jabari Watkins announced his top six schools on Thursday, with the Cardinals making the cut. Arkansas, Florida State, Kentucky, Georgia Tech and Wake Forest are also still in the running for his commitment. Watkins also held offers from Florida State, Georgia, Kentucky, Ole Miss, Texas A&M and others before deciding his top six.

Despite Watkins being briefly committed to Nebraska last fall, Louisville has been heavily invested in his recruitment since offering him last June. Wide receivers coach Deion Branch came to visit him at his school in late January, and he is set to take an official visit to campus during the weekend of May 29.

The 6-foot-2, 180-pound wideout is a highly regarded prospect in the 2027 cycle, ranking as high as the No. 161 prospect in the nation, per Rivals' in-house rankings. Watkins comes in as the No. 26 wide receiver in the cycle and the No. 224 overall recruit in the Class of 2027, per the 247Sports Composite.

Watkins has been incredibly productive for Thomas County Central over the past two years. This past season as a junior, he caught 55 passes for 847 yards and 11 touchdowns, helping the Yellow Jackets go a perfect 15-0 and win the Class 5A state championship. The year before as a sophomore, he hauled in 39 receptions for 692 yards and five touchdowns, with Thomas County Central going 11-2 overall.

While it is still relatively early in the 2027 recruiting cycle, it's shaping up to be the best class in the modern recruiting era for Louisville. They already hold nine commitments in the cycle, with their class ranking as high as No. 7 in the nation.

Five of their prospects in the fold at this point are regarded as four-stat prospects by the 247Sports Composite: Louisville (Ky.) Trinity cornerback Allen Evans IV, Cleveland (Oh.) Villa Angela-St. Joseph tight end D'Angelo White, Cincinnati (Oh.) Withrow wide receiver Chuck Alexander Jr., Lexington (Ky.) Bryan Station safety Jordan Haskins, and Louisville (Ky.) Christian Academy wide receiver Ja'Hyde Brown.

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(Photo of Jabari Watkins via Instagram)