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Posted on 12/12/18 at 10:53 am to TideSaint
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WR Rakim Jarrett
“Jarrett’s game has grown by leaps and bounds this year. He’s really filled out his frame and bigger cornerbacks can’t push him around anymore. Jarrett runs superb routes, which help him create separation and his speed allows him to pull away from anybody he comes across. St. John’s really counted on him in clutch moments this season and he came up big, showing off consistent hands. Alabama, Ohio State and now Maryland with Mike Locksley as head coach are a few programs that stand out.” – Adam Friedman, Rivals.com Mid-Atlantic Recruiting Analyst
Posted on 12/12/18 at 10:53 am to TideSaint
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WR Julian Fleming
“Fleming is a phenomenal overall athlete that could play on either side of the ball in college. His excellent hands and ability to make plays when he catches the ball on short, intermediate, or deep routes is outstanding. We love the way he breaks pressure and gets into his routes quickly. Fleming’s nose for the end zone makes him a threat to score from anywhere on the field. "Ohio State and Penn State seem to lead the way in his recruitment while Alabama is of interest as well.” -- Friedman
Go get him Gattis.
Posted on 12/12/18 at 10:54 am to TideSaint
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TE Darnell Washington
"I don't often use this term when describing a prospect because I think it's drastically overused in our business, but Washington is an absolute freak at tight end. I had first heard about how special he was last offseason and after seeing him in person multiple times I knew I was looking at something special. Then he carried it over with a dominating junior season.
"He's all of 6-foot-7 and 260 pounds but he moves so well, he has excellent hands and he has breakaway speed when he gets to the secondary. There have not been many five-star tight ends in Rivals.com's history, but Washington is so special it was hard not to give him that classification because of his physical abilities alone.
"Alabama, Tennessee, Georgia, USC, Michigan, Minnesota and Texas stand out early for Washington.” -- Gorney
Posted on 12/12/18 at 10:54 am to TideSaint
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RB Marshawn Lloyd
“Lloyd’s consistency throughout the season really help boost his stock our eyes. He’s always been one of the more explosive running backs in the nation, able to beat any defender to the edge. What we loved this year about him was his improved strength and he’s become more effective running between the tackles.
"Penn State and Maryland are two programs that will likely be there until the end but he’s wide open.” -- Friedman
Holy hell the DMV area is loaded for 2020. No wonder Maryland hired Locksley.
Posted on 12/12/18 at 10:56 am to TideSaint
Mind of Mike: The updated 2020 rankings and more thoughts
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The Mind of Mike is a scary place and with a new Rivals100 release for the class of 2020 there are plenty of random thoughts. Here they are:
Posted on 12/12/18 at 10:56 am to TideSaint
Rusty pumpin sunshine. Where’s that CB pick for Sanders
Posted on 12/12/18 at 10:57 am to TideSaint
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In many other years, running back Zachary Evans and even linebacker Justin Flowe could easily be No. 1 in the country but with D.J. Uigalelei in the 2020 class it’s an uphill battle for both. How often do 6-foot-4, 235-pound quarterbacks come along with a huge arm, great pocket presence and excellent field vision? No, Uiagalelei isn’t Trevor Lawrence, he’s not quite on that level, but he’s impressive enough.
Evans could be the best running back prospect since Najee Harris and possibly as far back as Adrian Peterson, but he’s still stuck behind Uiagalelei and Flowe is one of the most physical and active linebackers I’ve ever seen. But based on positional importance and rarity at his position. Uiagalelei remains No. 1 and could go bell-to-bell for us as other quarterbacks have done. Elias Ricks is emerging as one of the best cornerbacks in recent years as well but it will be tough for anyone to surpass Uiagalelei.
Posted on 12/12/18 at 10:58 am to TideSaint
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Paris Johnson Jr. leads the new five stars and I break down what I like about each here:
OT Paris Johnson Jr. – He has great size and a tremendous frame and he’s added power to his game to handle bull and power rushers. He’s clearly emerged as the No. 1 offensive tackle in this class and it’s a deep class at the position.
RB Kendall Milton – Milton has great size and runs with speed and power. He can bounce it outside, run between the tackles and run over opponents or past them. He’s also a pretty good pass receiver out of the backfield. He’s a complete back for sure.
WR Rakim Jarrett – He’s not the biggest receiver in the world but has adequate size and is sneaky strong and hard to check at the line of scrimmage. He’s an excellent route runner, very explosive in and out of his breaks and he’s a threat to score from anywhere on the field.
WR Julian Fleming – Fleming is a tall, rangy receiver with good speed and is an absolute nightmare in the red zone. He can run precise routes, has good hands and is good at going up and getting the football. Like Jarrett, he will be a star at the next level and the battle for the No. 1 receiver slot in this class will be a good one.
TE Darnell Washington – Massive tight ends with good speed and hands are hard to come by but when they do arrive, everyone wants them. Washington is a freaky athlete who can stretch the field and is a serious red zone threat as well.
RB MarShawn Lloyd – Lloyd has a low base and runs with natural leverage and he can easily break arm tackles. He’s very effective up the middle and between the tackles but also has the speed to break things outside and run away from opponents. He shows great balance and is hard to bring down.
• Tennessee linebacker Reggie Grimes has emerged as a five star candidate with his size and length as an outside linebacker candidate. He could easily grow into a defensive end if needed but is more likely to be a dominant hybrid guy at the next level. He jumped 46 spots to No. 28 in the nation and keeps getting better each time we see him.
• Although he slid a bit due to the addition of new five stars, keep an eye on Colorado offensive tackle Andrew Gentry for five star status down the line. Take a look at his film and watch how he just wants to punish the opponent in front of him every time.
• Wide receiver Leonard Manuel has great size but lost his fifth star because he’s just not as dominant as he should be at his position. Speed is a bit of a question as is his desire to be great. He could earn it back, but he needs to be much more consistent moving forward.
Posted on 12/12/18 at 10:59 am to TideSaint
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• South Carolina defensive end Jordan Burch is a kid who is rising on this list because of his size and quickness. He’s a legit 6-foot-6 and 255 pounds with a great first step and good pass rushing moves. He’ll have 30 offers by the end of the spring but it wouldn’t surprise me if he stayed in state at either Clemson or South Carolina.
• Kansas offensive tackle Turner Corcoran made a nice jump of 41 spots and continues to be a hot commodity in his region. He’s already become a bit of a national recruit with offers from Georgia, Clemson, Auburn, Michigan and others. He is now No. 46 in the country.
• California wide receiver Jermaine Burton is becoming a national recruit as well as Georgia has made him a priority. He jumped 58 spots from outside the Rivals100 to No. 58 overall. Florida, Auburn and others have offered from the east coast. Another California wide receiver, Jalen McMillan, jumped into the Rivals100 and is being targeted by Alabama, Oklahoma and others as well as the expected Pac-12 teams. The west region in the 2020 class is exceptional, perhaps the best I’ve seen in all of my years covering recruiting.
• The biggest jump into the Rivasl100 was by offensive tackle Omari Thomas who has nearly 30 offers. The 6-foot-5, 301-pounder is nasty and is nasty run blocker at the next level. Everyone is coming after him and he’s a must keep for Tennessee when it comes to in-state prospects.
• Alabama cornerback commitment Malachi Moore jumped over 100 spots to No. 97 in the Rivals100 and could continue rising. He has adequate size but his closing speed is off the charts.
• Aside from Uiagalelei, I’m not thrilled with this quarterback class overall as a lot of guys have issues whether it’s lack of size, arm strength or consistency. This was supposed to be a better quarterback class than 2019, but I’ll take 2019 any day of the week right now. A lot of these quarterbacks are already committed as well and need some work to rise in the rankings. Guys like Hudson Card and Luke Doty might have the best potential for growth as they haven’t played as much quarterback as some of the others.
• The wide receiver class in 2020 is nasty, but that’s not unexpected. I also like the offensive tackle class in 2020.
Posted on 12/12/18 at 11:01 am to TideSaint
Updated 2020 Rivals250: Analysts discuss toughest decisions
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The updated Rivals250 for the class of 2020 has been released. A few weeks back, the analysts met and ranked the top players from the junior class after evaluating high school games across the country. They discuss the process here.
Posted on 12/12/18 at 11:02 am to TideSaint
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1. Who did personally go to bat for in the latest rankings that will make you look very wise down the road?
Rob Cassidy (Southeast): I really like Lakeland (Fla.) High School running back Demarkcus Bowman. He had a monster junior season and deserves his lofty ranking. There’s a chance we may still have him under-ranked, even in the top half of the Rivals100. Bowman is a back with a five-star ceiling.
Adam Friedman (Mid-Atlantic): I pushed for for wide receivers Rakim Jarrett and Julian Fleming to be made five-stars and wasn’t met with much resistance. Both are elite talents with well-rounded skill sets. Having seen both of them this season, moving both to five-star status was a complete no-brainer.
Mike Farrell (National): I like John Humphreys a lot out of California and am glad he made a big jump into the Rivals250. It’s a loaded year at wide receiver out west, so he gets overlooked a bit, but he has great size, good speed and he catches most everything thrown his way.
Adam Gorney (West/National): For some time, I was considering moving up Kendall Milton to five-stars because he has been phenomenal for so long even though he’s just a junior in high school. I can remember Milton years back when he was at a camp with Najee Harris and Stephen Carr and Milton was not that far behind those guys in terms of drill work and overall performance. He opted not to participate in the Rivals Camp in Northern California in the spring, which could have given him a five-star ranking, but after his junior season, it was impossible not to move him up. He rushed for 1,337 yards and 27 touchdowns averaging 7.7 yards per carry this season and everybody knew he was getting the ball. Milton is special and I’m happy we made him a five-star.
Josh Helmholdt (Midwest): We started Kansas offensive tackle Turner Corcoran off in the Rivals100 right off the bat, but he moved up even further in this update after rising from a 5.9 to a 6.0 Rivals Rating. The state of Kansas is getting its respect on the national scene, with quarterback Graham Mertz receiving a Rivals100 nod in the 2019 class, and Corcoran is going to continue to further the state's reputation.
Chad Simmons (Southeast): EJ Williams is a prospect who was evaluated some last season and over the summer, but after moving into the starting line-up this season, he really emerged as one of the top receivers in the south. He played behind five-star Justyn Ross in 2017, but this was his breakout season, and he helped his team win a state title. Most of the schools in the south have offered, including Alabama, Auburn, Clemson, Florida and Georgia. He will have a real chance to crack the Rivals100 in the future.
Posted on 12/12/18 at 11:03 am to TideSaint
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2. What was the most interesting/difficult debate to sort out in this rankings update?
Rob Cassidy (Southeast): The conversation between Elias Ricks and Kelee Ringo at the top of the cornerback rankings was nuanced. Ricks is probably the more developed prospect and makes more plays as things stand now. Ringo, however, has a higher upside and his size-speed combination is truly rare. Personally, I wanted to give Ringo the edge, but both are truly elite prospects that deserve this lofty ranking.
Mike Farrell (National): There aren’t that many debates when you get down into the 101-250 range, at least not heated debates, but defensive end Tyler Baron slid a bit and some people felt he should and some felt he shouldn’t. Thirty-eight spots isn’t a catastrophic fall, but he fell out of the Rivals100 and he could have been a kid who could have stayed in.
Adam Friedman (Mid-Atlantic): It has been and probably will continue to be which player should be No. 1 in the Rivals100. D.J. Uiagalelei, Zachary Evans, and Justin Flowe all have the skill sets to be No. 1 overall, but the only thing that is really giving Uiagalelei right now is the fact that quarterbacks are more valuable than running backs or linebackers. All three are exceptional players and I expect the debate between the three to continue.
Adam Gorney (West/National): We had long discussions about where to place certain wide receivers, who would lead the rankings, where some would fall and whether some of them who didn’t necessarily have huge junior seasons should remain five-stars. The wide receiver position is always one that takes a long time because so many of them are ranked and there are always numerous changes, but this took longer than usual. Leonard Manuel was discussed a lot and so was Johnny Wilson. It was tough figuring out which player should be No. 1 at the position. I suspect as we go through this 2020 class that we’re going to be moving around receivers often and someone new could claim the top spot.
Josh Helmholdt (Midwest): With Kelee Ringo moving to cornerback in this update, we have a really interesting question before us with who should be No. 1 at the position. Ringo is such a unique athlete for the position having the size of safety, but possibly being the fastest prospect in this class. Elias Ricks, meanwhile, is one of the best, pure cover corners I have seen at his age and he has great size as well. This debate will rage on into the off-season.
Chad Simmons (Southeast): We had some talks about the top offensive tackle this cycle. Paris Johnson made the move up to five-stars, and he took over the No. 1 spot at that position. Myles Hinton was the other prospect in that discussion. Johnson had a strong season, while Hinton missed a few games with a minor injury. This will be a battle to the end. Johnson is committed to Ohio State and Michigan and Stanford lead for Hinton.
Posted on 12/12/18 at 11:04 am to TideSaint
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RB Marshawn Lloyd
...
Holy hell the DMV area is loaded for 2020. No wonder Maryland hired Locksley.
Correct... And Maryland just hired Lloyd's high school coach to coach running backs.
Posted on 12/12/18 at 11:04 am to TideSaint
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3. Who do you think we might have too high?
Rob Cassidy (Southeast): We may have gotten a little carried away with running back MarShawn Lloyd. He’s a fine player with a bright future, but jetting him to five-star status so early seems risky. There are players ranked below him that had much better seasons against similar competition and more impressive games against common opponents.
Mike Farrell (National): Linebacker Derek Wingo fell in our latest rankings, but I still think he might be too high. He’s a good player, don’t get me wrong, but he’s not very long and I’d like to see a bit more from him when it comes to consistency and work in space.
Adam Friedman (Mid-Atlantic): He should be a Rivals250 prospect but No. 141 is a bit high for linebacker Martavius French. During the camp season he didn't look quick enough in open space to warrant such a lofty ranking. I expected him to come in closer to No. 200 or so.
Adam Gorney (West/National): McKinnley Jackson is a phenomenal talent and could be the best interior defensive lineman in this class, but from all reports he has great showings and less-than-stellar showings, so consistency could be an issue moving forward. Rated No. 20 nationally, Jackson is not exactly playing elite-level competition every week in rural Mississippi, so he should be dominating and doing whatever he pleases on every play. He’s still a very talented player and he could be one of the best defensive tackles in the last few years, but I’d like to see him consistently take over to back up his ranking.
Josh Helmholdt (Midwest): The top-ranked prospect in Illinois, A.J. Henning, stays in the Rivals100 after this update, but there was some thought about dropping him out. Henning struggled through injuries this season and even when he was playing did not look as sharp as we had come to expect from the versatile athlete. We will need to see a return to form quickly for him to remain at that lofty level.
Chad Simmons (Southeast): McKinnley Jackson is a prospect in my own region that I feel is a tad too high. Maybe it is because I have seen him more than the rest of the team, but I want to see a little more from Jackson. He is a five-star, and he does make some five-star type plays, but I want to see more of those. He plays a premium position, and that definitely plays into his ranking, but for me, he could be a little on the high side.
Posted on 12/12/18 at 11:07 am to TideSaint
Interesting. Moore didn't really impress me too much in the couple of TV games I saw HT play this year. I guess his size is what was most glaring to me. Really slight. I'm sure he's got skills, though.
This post was edited on 12/12/18 at 11:12 am
Posted on 12/12/18 at 11:10 am to Bham Bammer
Rivals Rankings Week: Who should be the top CB in 2020?
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During rankings meetings, not everyone agrees on everything. In this version of Rivals Views, National Recruiting Analyst Adam Gorney and Florida Recruiting Analyst Rob Cassidy debate which five-star cornerback prospect, Elias Ricks or Kelee Ringo, should be ranked highest in the 2020 class?
Posted on 12/12/18 at 11:10 am to TideSaint
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GORNEY'S VIEW: ELIAS RICKS
"I watched both players in person this season and it’s really close. It’s almost a choice where you cannot go wrong because both are so incredibly special and they are two of the most unique, physically-gifted cornerbacks I’ve seen in many years.
"I would give Ricks the slight edge, though. He had six pick-sixes against some of the best high school competition nationally, he’s an incredible shutdown cornerback with long arms, he’s physical, tough, a huge competitor and he was spectacular this season. With one game left against Concord (Calif.) De La Salle, Ricks has nine total interceptions.
"Ringo is no slouch himself. When I saw Saguaro play, he had a light day because he shut down every receiver and the opposing quarterback stopped even looking in Ringo’s direction because he didn’t want the ball to get picked off. The Saguaro recruit is really talented and special as well.
"But after seeing Ricks do what he did this offseason and through his junior season with those outstanding numbers, I’m going to give him the edge but this is going to be a back-and-forth battle in the rankings for the next couple years."
Posted on 12/12/18 at 11:11 am to TideSaint
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CASSIDY'S VIEW: KELEE RINGO
“Rankings are long-term projections so, when it's close, I’ll always bet on the guy with the qualities that can’t be coached.
“Both Ringo and Ricks have impressive length, but what sets Ringo apart is his speed. There simply aren’t many defensive backs of Ringo’s stature that still boast truly elite speed. Ringo took home the Fastest Man Award at this year’s Rivals100 Five-Star Challenge presented by adidas and did so despite being one of the larger prospects in the event. This is not a knock on Ricks, who is a no-doubt five-star. It’s just that Ringo has the chance to be a truly special player the likes of which doesn’t come around that often. As he becomes more polished, he’s likely to become a first-round talent.”
I really like Ringo's game FWIW.
Posted on 12/12/18 at 11:12 am to TideSaint
Ask Farrell: Should Alabama worry about recent recruiting losses?
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Alabama has had a vice grip on in-state prospects in recent recruiting classes, and basically for the entire history of Rivals.com, dating back to 2002.
There have been times when other programs, especially those in the SEC, could steal a prospect here or there at the top of the state rankings, but in coach Nick Saban’s tenure in Tuscaloosa that has been a rare occurrence.
Until the last two recruiting cycles.
There is no reason to panic for Alabama, especially since the Crimson Tide are expected to finish this recruiting class with a five-star flurry and be named the team recruiting rankings champion once again. But in-state recruiting the last two cycles has taken an unexpected downturn.
The latest surprise came Monday, when five-star center Clay Webb from Oxford, Ala., picked Georgia over Alabama and Clemson. It is the first time in Rivals history that the Bulldogs landed a top-two player from the state of Alabama.
As it stands now, the No. 1 and No. 3 prospects in the state - receiver George Pickens and quarterback Bo Nix, respectively - are committed to Auburn. Auburn had a nice run as well last recruiting cycle with in-state recruits, as it landed two of the top three players, and No. 1 Justyn Ross went to Clemson.
We ask Rivals.com National Recruiting Director Mike Farrell what’s going on in the state of Alabama. Do the Crimson Tide have anything to worry about at all?
FARRELL'S TAKE
“I think more and more schools are going into Alabama to try to beat Saban at his own game, which is stealing recruits from other home states, and it’s working a bit. You expect Auburn to get its share of Alabama players, but for Clemson to go in and land the top player last year and for Georgia to land Webb this year after he was supposed to be a ‘Bama lean for so long is a bit surprising.
"However, if there’s one program I don’t worry about when it comes to recruiting it’s Alabama under Nick Saban. While I do think the success that Clemson and Georgia have had will bring others into the state, it takes a special program like Dabo Swinney’s or Kirby Smart’s to win that type of battle.”
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