Rivals' No. 9 WR Elias Pearl down to six schools

Port Charlotte (Fla.) four-star wide receiver Elias Pearl has emerged as one of the top pass-catchers in the 2027 cycle and he’s drawn the attention of myriad Power Four programs.

The rising Sunshine State standout quickly stacked offers this spring, and ahead of official visit season, he’s officially down to six schools. He told Rivals’ Hayes Fawcett on Tuesday evening that LSU, Florida, Ole Miss, North Carolina, Georgia and Florida State are his top programs.

Pearl is the No. 95 overall prospect and No. 17 WR in the nation, according to the Rivals Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all major recruiting media companies. He’s also the No. 11 player in Florida.

Rivals ranks the 5-foot-11, 185-pounder higher than other recruiting services. He checks in as the No. 55 recruit, No. 9 WR and No. 4 player in the state, per the updated Rivals300.

Pearl took some spring visits and has set official visits to Florida, Georgia and Ole Miss thus far. UNC is a new contender, having officially offered less than a week ago on April 30.

The Gators currently hold the edge in the Rivals Recruiting Prediction Machine. Pearl is yet to lock in a decision timeline, though his process has moved fast ahead of his senior season at Port Charlotte. As a junior, he tallied 24 touchdowns for the Pirates, who won 13 games and finished as the No. 39 team in Florida, per the Rivals Composite Rankings.

Scout’s Take on Elias Pearl

Rivals’ Director of Scouting and Rankings Charles Power previously wrote this of Pearl, who shot up the Rivals300 earlier this year:

“Pearl turned in a breakout showing at Rivals Camp Miami. He was the top wide receiver on the day, in what as the deepest position group at the event. Pearl was fantastic in every facet throughout Sunday’s workout. He was a crisp route-runner in drills and consistently showed strong, reliable hands at the catch point. Pearl also strung together some of the more dominant 1-on-1’s we saw from any pass-catcher on the day. He shook a defensive back out of his shoes with a nasty out-and-up for an easy touchdown and later scored on a vertical route during the best-on-best period at the end of the camp. Pearl is a smooth, natural mover with a high level of coordination and route-running ability. He’s coming off a big junior season at Port Charlotte (Fla.) High that saw him account for 1,305 yards and 24 touchdowns from scrimmage.”