re: 2020 FB Recruiting & Roster

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SIMMONS' VIEW: GRIMES


Reggie Grimes

"Grimes is a jumbo-athlete that has made big plays on each side of the ball, but his home is on defense long-term. You see him win jump-balls and run past defenders on offense — both are very impressive — but then you watch the defensive film and see him rush the quarterback and play the run — and know that is where his upside is.

"I love his junior film, but I got to see him at the Future 50 live, and I loved him even more there. How he moves at his size really stands out. It is easy to see why he is a big-time target for Alabama, Clemson, Tennessee and others. He can be a stand-up linebacker or an end with his hand in the dirt on the next level." — Chad Simmons, Southeast analyst

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The latest Rivals100 for the 2020 class is now released with some big changes outside the Top 10 and four new 5-star prospects. Here’s a Top 10 breakdown and analysis of the new five-stars.

The top four remain the same, led by quarterback D.J. Uiagalelei who remains No. 1 in the country and will be tough to knock off the top spot. Running back Zachary Evans, linebacker Justin Flowe and defensive back Elias Ricks round out the top four while offensive tackle Paris Johnson Jr. moves up two spots to No. 5. Ricks is a verbal commitment to LSU while Johnson Jr. is committed to Ohio State.

Rounding out the Top 10 are defensive end Bryan Bresee, athlete Arik Gilbert, defensive end Sav’ell Smalls, defensive back Kelee Ringo and offensive guard Justin Rogers. Rogers, who was dominant at defensive tackle at the Under Armour Future 50, moved up four spots into the national Top 10.

Some of the biggest moves were made outside the Top 10 when it comes to the five-stars, especially among the new fives. Jordan Burch, a defensive end from South Carolina, Demarkcus Bowman, a running back from Florida, Chris Braswell, a linebacker from Maryland and Reggie Grimes, a linebacker from Tennessee are new five stars in this release. Our analysts break down what makes them special.

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Chris Braswell, SDE, Baltimore, MD

“Braswell normally plays defensive end for his team but his natural athleticism makes him a perfect fit as an outside linebacker in a 3-4 scheme. The Alabama commit's frame is still very lean but he plays with excellent physicality and moves very well in the open field. At the Under Armour Future 50 combine Braswell really impressed with his coverage skills in the one-on-one and 7-on-7 setting. We already know how he can destroy offensive game plans by being a constant presence in the backfield, but the added benefits of him being able to cover in space earned him his fifth star.” – Adam Friedman, Mid-Atlantic Recruiting Analyst

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The Mind of Mike is a scary place. Here are his thoughts on the latest release of the Rivals100 for the 2020 class.


D.J. Uiagalelei

The battle for No. 1 in the class rages on with quarterback D.J. Uiagalelei from California holding on for another rankings cycle. Is this a Trevor Lawrence situation where no one will be able to touch Uiagalelei for the entire rankings cycle? I don’t see it that way at all. While he is a special quarterback with good size who can make all the throws, Lawrence was a rarity and there is a lot of competition behind Uiagalelei.

Texas running back Zachary Evans is one of the best backs I’ve seen in recent years and reminds me a bit of Najee Harris, who finished No. 1 in the 2017 class. California linebacker Justin Flowe is a freak at his position with a motor I haven’t seen at the position in all my years and has great size. California cornerback Elias Ricks has great size and has a knack for making big plays while Ohio offensive tackle Paris Johnson Jr. is an elite candidate as well. In fact, anyone from Julian Fleming on up could make a case for No. 1 this year. While I liked the 2019 class, the 2020 class seems to have many more elite prospects at the top.

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Broderick Jones

The highest ranked player who didn’t get his fifth star was Georgia offensive lineman Broderick Jones, who looks like a million bucks and had a great Future 50 but is still raw on film. Jones needs to work on his technique and balance, but is a guy with one of the highest ceilings in this entire class. If he continues to develop, watch out.

Another Georgia prospect I like a lot is linebacker Phillip Webb, who has really good size and moves very well. This appears to be a very good year at linebacker overall with a lot of tall ‘backers who have great frames to fill out.

The battle for the No. 1 wide receiver position this year is going to be a good one just like in 2019. Pennsylvania wide receiver Julian Fleming took over the No. 1 spot from Washington, D.C. wide receiver Rakim Jarrett, but there are others in range as well. IMG wide receiver Michael Redding made a huge jump up to No. 41 in the country and is a kid to keep an eye on while Louisiana wide receiver Michael Redding also made a big jump. Last year’s wide receiver class was loaded and a little better than this year’s class, but the talent at the position isn’t going away anytime soon.

The biggest move into the Rivals100 was by safety Chris Thompson Jr. who was outside the Rivals250 last time and is now No. 48 nationally. Thompson has very good size and his instincts are excellent. He could even end up being a big cornerback in college because he has excellent hips and can turn and run with anyone.

The Texas Longhorns should be thrilled with Teriyon “Mookie” Cooper, who moved up 25 spots to No. 67 overall. He may lack great size, but he’s so sudden in his movements it’s hard for anyone to stay with him in solo coverage. He is made for the Big 12.

Keep an eye on Utah linebacker Noah Sewell who jumped into the Rivals100 at No. 66. He is absolutely huge for a linebacker and could end up playing along the defensive line down the road. He’s one of the biggest linebackers we've seen in recent years.

It’s a good year at offensive tackle with Paris Johnson Jr. leading the way. Myles Hinton is a five-star and I’ve already mentioned Broderick Jones. But keep an eye on Massachusetts lineman Kevin Pyne and I really like Andrew Gentry from Colorado. Tosh Baker from Arizona made a huge move into the Rivals100 as well as needs to be on everyone’s radar.

I thought this class would be a bit better at quarterback than it is so far as there is a big drop off from Uiagalelei down to Harrison Bailey and others. Someone else could emerge as a five-star like last year when I didn’t see one early in the 2019 class, so we will see. Last year at this time I felt we’d have zero five-stars at quarterback but Spencer Rattler and Bo Nix won me over.

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