A.J. Williams has turned the 2027 recruiting race into an even bigger heavyweight fight.
The 6-foot-7 shooting guard, who had been ranked as the No. 1 overall player in the 2028 class, told ESPN’s Paul Biancardi that he will reclassify into 2027. That pushes him into the updated SC Next 100 at No. 7 overall and instantly drops another elite name into a cycle already packed with major college programs.
Williams is considering nine schools right now: Duke, North Carolina, Auburn, BYU, UConn, Georgia, Illinois, Georgia Tech and Mississippi State. He plans to set official visits in the fall, and with no reported favorite yet, those trips are going to matter.
The pull of that group is obvious. Duke and North Carolina are both in the mix for another possible one-and-done star.
UConn brings the appeal of one of the sport’s strongest modern programs. Auburn, BYU and Illinois have also proven they can land top talent and build serious teams around it.
Then there are the local angles, with Williams playing at Eagles Landing Christian Academy in Georgia, giving Georgia and Georgia Tech a chance to sell staying close to home. Mississippi State remains another SEC option on the table.
Williams’ rise isn’t just about moving faster on paper. He backed it up against older competition. After going from the 16U level to 17U with CP3 on the Nike EYBL circuit, he was the only player at Peach Jam to average at least 20 points and eight rebounds while shooting 80 percent from the free-throw line, according to Cerebro Sports data cited by ESPN.
That production helped shape his decision.
“I put in the hard work, and felt ready to accelerate the process,” Williams told ESPN.
He also said playing against members of the 2027 class showed him he wasn’t just able to hang with them - he believed he had already established himself as one of the best prospects in that group.
The move also speeds up his NBA clock. Williams turned 17 on June 28, and with the reclassification he is now eligible for the 2028 NBA Draft. ESPN projects him as a potential lottery pick.
There’s real reason college programs are treating him like a priority. Williams has the size of a wing, the scoring touch of a guard, and enough physicality and maturity to suggest he could help right away at the next level.
His jump into 2027 doesn’t just change his own path. It adds another premium target to a class that is already drawing huge attention, and it forces schools that thought their boards were settling down to go back and make room for one more major name.
It also shakes up the 2028 rankings at the top. ESPN reported that 7-foot-1 center Yann Kamagate will move from No. 2 to No. 1 in that class.
For now, though, the spotlight belongs to Williams. What looked like a recruitment with time to breathe now has a sharper edge, and nine programs will spend the fall trying to make the strongest case for one of the most coveted guards in the country.
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