re: 2020 FB Recruiting & Roster

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Southeast Recruiting Analyst Chad Simmons: ROYDELL WILLIAMS

Williams is a prospect I saw a couple of times last season. I liked him then, but the more I saw his film, and after seeing him live in the spring, I like him much more than I did six or seven months ago. He looks a little quicker, he is in great shape and he is a back who can play all three downs at the next level. He has good vision, he has the body to play in the SEC and the Alabama commit has been rising up my personal list. He is a back I will definitely see again in the fall, and Williams could make that jump into the Rivals100 at a later date. There are not too many better than him in this class.

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Southeast Recruiting Analyst Rob Cassidy: LEONARD MANUEL and THAIU JONES-BELL

I could make a case for two different wide receivers. First, Florida commit Leonard Manuel, a former five-star with Rivals100-level talent, sits on the outside because he’s been spotty at best this offseason. Manuel looked dominant in 7-on-7, but missed spring workouts at his high school and seems to be in the process of getting back on track and in good standing with the football program.

The other is Alabama commit Thaiu Jones-Bell, who impressed this offseason and looks as explosive as any wideout in the country. We’d like to see how he fares in games this fall and expand his sample size, however, before thrusting him way up the rankings. Bell didn’t participate in many marquee events this year, so it’s simply a matter of seeing how consistent he is in the fall.

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2. Who do you fear we might have too high?

ROB CASSIDY (Southeast/Florida): Bryce Young is a fine quarterback and will have a great college career, so it’s not a knock when I say I think No. 56 in the country is maybe a bit high. The USC commit is certainly a Rivals100 prospect. Nobody is disputing that, but he struggled with consistency at times. When he’s good, he’s impressive, but there are times where his throws float or miss the mark completely. He’s a talented quarterback. I’m just not sure he’s the 56th-best player in America.

MIKE FARRELL (National): LB Antoine Sampah worries me a little bit because he's coming off injury and he hasn't added as much size and strength as we'd like to see. It will be interesting to see if he keeps his fifth star down the line as we continue to analyze and compare linebackers through the next three rankings.

ADAM GORNEY (National/West Coast): We dropped Johnny Wilson from five- to four-star based on his performances in his junior season and this offseason, and there are still wide receivers behind him who had outstanding showings over the last few months. In the West region alone, no player is as fast or as sudden as Gary Bryant. Maybe no receiver nationally has had a better offseason than Ohio State commit Gee Scott Jr. Four-star Jalen McMillan has been absolutely outstanding at numerous events as well. There might not be a receiver who looks better than Wilson but his production needs to go up to justify his lofty ranking.

JOSH HELMHOLDT (Midwest): Rakim Jarrett is a nice wide receiver, but I don't know that I see five-stars with him. With the depth of talent at the position, you need to be pretty special to be a five-star wide receiver. Jarrett is good, no doubt, but I do not see him in the elite tier with our other current five-star receivers.

CHAD SIMMONS (Southeast): Rico Powers is talented, very talented, and he has had a strong camp performance or two this off-season, but we just need to see him do it at wide receiver on a consistent basis. He has good size, he has good speed and he has shown the ability to make plays, but showing up at receiver on a consistent basis is something we will really look for this fall. He had a lot of explosive plays rushing the ball last season, but has transferred schools and will have the chance to showcase his skills more at receiver. Powers checks a lot of boxes athletically, but being a top 150 player, he needs to show more at his future position or wide receiver.

SAM SPIEGELMAN (Texas/Louisiana): Garrett Hayes is one of the biggest risers not only in Texas, but in the country. His film usually results in "Oohs" and "Aahs," and for good reason. Hayes is a one-man wrecking crew. He's an offensive tackle that is going to play on Saturdays and possibly Sundays for bull-dozing defensive ends and linebackers on a routine basis. At worst, he's a dangerous guard paving holes for his tailbacks. He could, however, be a bit over-ranked because there's not a lot of evidence that he's an elite pass-blocker. He'll be an interesting lineman to watch during camp season and in the fall to see if his pass-blocking is as outstanding as his run-blocking, but if it's anywhere close then Hayes has a very bright future.

WOODY WOMMACK (Southeast): I know Boston College has done a great job of producing offensive linemen in recent years, but I'm still dubious of Kevin Pyne being so high in the Rivals100. It looks like Pyne won't be able to play his senior season due to age restrictions and while he's tall and has his share of impressive plays on his film, I would have liked to see him in person more before placing him as high as he is in the rankings.

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Damion George committed to Alabama. Cmon down Zach Evans

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