One of the most impactful playmakers in the 2027 class will commit Thursday when Jaxon Dollar announces live on the CBS Sports College Football YouTube channel at 5:30 p.m. E.T.
Dollar ranks as the No. 2 tight end and No. 32 overall player in the country, per 247Sports. Dollar is listed at 6-foot-5, 222 pounds and is considered the modern prototype for a tight end who can split out in the slot, line up in the backfield or attach along the line of scrimmage.
“This is one of the best players in the class — hands down,” 247Sports Director of Scouting Andrew Ivins reported.
“He’s a modern slot tight end. He’s a matchup hunter. He’s got elite coordination, elite catch radius, all that stuff. He’s listed at 6-foot-5 but might actually be closer to 6-foot-2. But I don’t think it matters with this kid. He is just a guy who can be a featured individual in any passing attack.”
Dollar isn’t just a playmaker on the football field. He was a hooper growing up in North Carolina.
Were he not an elite football prospect, Dollar would have been a Division I basketball player. He picked up an offer from Illinois-Chicago as a high school sophomore. More would have likely rolled in if not for his obvious future in football.
Dollar’s basketball skills are evident on the football field. He’s a jump ball fiend, catching 20 touchdowns in 12 games as a junior. But he shows plenty of burst after the catch, too, navigating traffic like a guard on the way to 1,190 yards on 54 catches last season.
Whether he’s 6-foot-5 or 6-foot-2 doesn’t really matter much to Ivins.
Dollar is a rare athlete for the tight end position, combining jumbo size with an elite receiver skillset, which makes him a matchup nightmare.
“He’s one of these Swiss Army Knives that’s going to give people fits,” Ivins reported. “We see it in the NFL. People want these guys in college as well, and there’s not a ton of them.”
The decision
There really aren’t many players like Dollar in college football, and that’s why Dollar is in the midst of a truly national recruitment that’s been a bit all over the place over the last 12 months.
You’d figure nearby NC State would have the edge for Dollar, especially with top QB Gunner Rivers already in the boat for the 2027. But the Wolfpack, who hosted Dollar last fall, have seemingly fallen out of the race amid a sea of national contenders.
Dollar is down to five ahead of his decision: Clemson, Georgia, Miami, Notre Dame and Texas.
The five-star tight end visited all of those schools on unofficial visits this spring.
Ahead of his commitment, 247Sports national analyst Anna Adams sees two teams in the best position for the five-star tight end.
“Dollar’s top five could be more specifically trimmed into a top two: Georgia and Notre Dame,” Adams reported. “The Dawgs and Irish entered the spring with the greatest odds, and that remains the case entering into his announcement decision. Dollar kicked off his spring tour of schools in Athens, and he finished it there, too. That wasn’t coincidental. Notre Dame had the most momentum last fall, and there was buzz among some in the industry that a commitment decision was imminent. But he stayed the course and carried things into 2026. Now he feels like he’s seen and heard enough to make a confident call on a school. It’s difficult to pick against the Irish when they key in on a top tight end target, but Georgia’s pitch, culture, and relationships have supremely resonated with Dollar.”
