re: 2020 FB Recruiting & Roster

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Chris Braswell

The 2020 recruiting cycle is just beginning to heat up, but several college football programs around the country are already off to a strong start with their respective classes.

While the Division I Early Signing Period is still more than nine months away, we’ve decided to check in on the nation’s top 25 recruiting classes, according to the 247Sports Composite Team Rankings.

The SEC leads all conferences with nine of the current top 25 recruiting classes in the country, followed by the Big Ten with six. The ACC and Big 12 each have four classes ranked among the top 25, while the Pac-12 has one.

With that in mind, scroll down to take a closer look at the nation’s top 25 recruiting classes for the 2020 cycle as of March 11, per the Composite. (more)

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No. 1 overall traits


Haynes King

You may see more spectacular camp showings for a quarterback than what Haynes King put together in Dallas but the Longview High state champion did everything we wanted him to do.

King showed a strong arm, there’s nothing concerning in his delivery, he exceeded the athleticism expectations with a 4.50 40 and he has a big strong frame. From a profile standpoint, he’s what we like at quarterback and we think he’s just starting to scratch the surface developmentally.

The move: King is up from No. 43 nationally to No. 31, shortening the distance between himself and other top quarterbacks Bryce Young and DJ Uiagalelei.

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Ground Zero takes home the Adidas West Coast Invitational Championship with an impressive win over FSP Blue Chip in the Final. After losing to FSP Blue Chip in overtime in the semi-finals two weeks ago at the Las Vegas Pylon 7v7 event, Ground Zero got some revenge with a dominant 35-12 win to take home the Adidas West Coast Invitational.

It wasn’t just that Ground Zero took home the tournament championship on Sunday that surprised some people, they were expected to make a long run in the event. The surprise was how dominant they were in taking out a loaded FSP Blue Chip squad that was just about everyone’s tourney favorite heading into the event. Ground Zero was led by a dominant defense and an efficient offense en route to the tourney title.

Below is a rundown of the top performers from Sunday's loaded Adidas West Coast Invitational. . .

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TOP FIVE OFFENSE

WR Jalen McMillan

Despite playing with Seattle-based FSP Blue Chip, the Northern California star receiver didn’t skip a beat and was consistently getting open down field. McMillan is a smooth route runner that sets up his defenders nicely to break free and has the top-end speed to get a couple yards of separation. His hand-eye coordination was superb, making a number of impressive catches in the end zone while fighting off contact. He scored both of FSP’s touchdowns in the championship game and is only scratching the surface of how good we think he can in a few years when he gains size and strength after spending time in a college strength program. Washington, Oregon and Notre Dame have been generating the most buzz for the four-star prospect from Fresno (Calif.) San Joaquin Memorial.

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NEWS AND NOTES:

Although his Premium squad went out in the quarter finals, there wasn’t a better quarterback in the event than Bryce Young. The Santa Ana (Calif.) Mater Dei signal caller and USC commit showed why he’s a top 25 player nationally and threw some of the best balls in the tournament. His arm is live and accurate and his touch and feel on the deep has really improved in the last year.

Seattle (Wash.) Gardield athlete Sav'ell Smalls is another player who, assuming he stays healthy, should be able to play football for as long as he wants. He’s not just a great physical talent but loves to compete and plays with a ton of energy and emotion. He has the versatility to play multiple spots at the next level, defensive end or outside linebacker and would be among the nation’s top tight end prospects if he wanted to be a full time player on the offensive side of the ball. Oregon and Washington are hoping to keep Smalls out West but Alabama, Clemson, Florida State, Miami and Texas are just a few national programs making a big push.

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From a pure physicality and speed standpoint, no receiver was more impressive than Calabasas (Calif.) standout Jermaine Burton. He has the ability to run past any corner and get vertical and the physicality to bully an opposing corner as well. You can’t press him or play him too tight and those corners who did try and get physical usually ended up on the ground. He said LSU, Georgia and UCLA remain the schools on him hardest and Miami and Oregon are pushing hard as well.

Upland (Calif.) linebacker Justin Flowe told us recently he might be done playing 7v7 this off-season but there he was in the middle of the defense for Premium making plays. Flowe is known for his toughness and physicality and he’s a scary sight, even in short and shirts but he’s very quick, solid in coverage and can really close on the football as well. Clemson and Georgia made big impressions on his recent visits and USC remains a local favorite. Texas and LSU should get visits later this off-season as well.

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Fresno (Calif.) San Joaquin Memorial wide out Jalen McMillan showed why he’s among the nation’s top pass catchers at the Adidas West Coast Invitational over the weekend.

McMillan was very impressive over the weekend and was able to get deep against every team his FSP Blue Chip squad lined up against. He’s a smooth route runner and his speed can be deceptive. There is little wasted motion in his running style and before you know it, he’s two yards behind you.

This was our evaluation of McMillan, who made our Top Five Offensive Performers following the tournament...

On the recruiting front, McMillan has a pair of unofficial visits coming up and is close to another cut to his college list. He cut his list of schools down to 10 in February. “I’m going to cut it down to 5-6 on May 1st,” McMillan said. “I have some visits coming up and then I’ll be ready to do that. I’m going to Oklahoma next week and then I’ll be at Notre Dame for their Spring Game...

McMillan said Ohio State and USC are a couple of schools he’s hoping to visit as well and a handful of SEC schools remain on his list. “Alabama, Georgia and Florida are still up there too,” McMillan said. “I like the SEC and I think all those programs have great coaches and great people associated with them. I have no problem leaving home to play college ball and that’s big time football out there.

“My plan is after I cut my list to 5-6, I can start thinking about some of my official visits. I’ll take those during the season and then I’m planning to commit on December 7, which is my birthday.”

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Scouting Report, 9/7/18, John Garcia Jr.

Powerfully-built prospect who can damage defense from multitude of positions. Prefers running back, and thick lower-half lends towards the position at the next level. Natural runner with great lean and body control despite great size. More of an accelerator than sprinter but plenty elusive and crafty in the open field with good vision, change of direction and natural instincts. Can play space game or power game from running back position. Scheme versatile. Extremely effective pass-catcher with route-running ability and ball skills to make contested catch. Strong stop-start ability in traffic. Gritty runner with workhorse qualities. Weight has fluctuated some through last year of high school but Power Five strength and conditioning program should help find the right balance. Candidate for playing time right out of the gates at high-end program with three-down potential at the highest level.

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