Nation's No. 1 overall college football prospect strongly linked to two major programs

The No. 1 overall recruit in the class of 2027 has been heavily connected with two Power Four programs.

A view of a tv camera and the ESPN college football logo before the game between the Texas Tech Red Raiders and the BYU Cougars | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

The end of every season brings about an important time for roster management across college football.

December 3, 2025, was Early Signing Day, the day college football programs put their finishing touches on their 2026 high school signing classes. The NCAA transfer portal's two-week window ran from Jan. 2 to Jan. 16, and the last of the thousands of players in the cycle committed near the end of January.

The next group of players that college football programs can assemble for their future is their 2027 signing classes. A handful of key prospects have already announced their commitments, but the vast majority will not make their college decisions until the summer.

One of the top uncommitted prospects in the 2027 cycle is five-star cornerback John Meredith. The 6-foot-2, 175-pounder from Fort Worth is considered the No. 1 cornerback by all recruiting services. According to 247Sports and Rivals, he is the No. 1 overall player in the class of 2027.

"Tall, long, athletic prospect who possesses many of the high-end traits desired in the modern cover corner," 247Sports scouting analyst Gabe Brooks wrote. "Possesses the speed to stay with pass catchers at multiple levels and the physical willingness to tackle in the open field."

Meredith's five-star ranking has earned him 42 scholarship offers and attention from all across the Power Four landscape. Two schools are reportedly closing in on Meredith as the 2027 recruiting cycle continues.

Alabama

No. 1 overall prospect John Meredith returned to Alabama this weekend🐘

Rivals' @SWiltfong_ has the latest on where the Tide stand with the Five-Star Plus+ CB👀

(📸: @JOHN_MEREDITH2)

Intel: https://t.co/tpUsg4brCl pic.twitter.com/XVKf84w2Md

— Rivals (@Rivals) February 1, 2026

The first of the two leaders for Meredith on the recruiting trail is Alabama. Meredith has visited Alabama twice: first, for the Crimson Tide's game against Vanderbilt in October and most recently on Saturday.

Should Meredith commit to Alabama, he would be the Crimson Tide's fourth five-star cornerback commitment in as many cycles, following Jaylen Mbakwe (2024), Dijon Lee Jr. (2025) and Jorden Edmonds (2026). The Crimson Tide has one cornerback commitment in its 2027 recruiting class with three-star Nash Johnson III.

Texas A&M

Texas A&M Aggies head coach Mike Elko reacts to a call during the game between the Aggies and the Miami Hurricanes | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

The in-state draw could help Texas A&M with Meredith, as Fort Worth is a little over two hours north of College Station. He picked up his offer from the Aggies at a camp in the summer of 2024 and has visited Texas A&M three more times, including the games against Notre Dame in 2024 and Florida in 2025.

The Aggies' last five-star signee at cornerback was Terry Bussey in their 2024 recruiting class. Jamar Beal-Goines and Camren Hamiel were the highest-ranked cornerbacks in the 2025 and 2026 Texas A&M signing classes, both four-stars. The Aggies do not yet have any 2027 cornerback commitments.