re: 2018 Football Recruiting Thread -- Final OP Update Edition

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“This week, I am going to Auburn with Justin on the 13th and throw in the stadium,” Jackson told Mansell. This will be Jackson’s fourth trip to Auburn in 2017.

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Justin Fields is the new No. 1 player in the class of 2018. He headlines a wholesale rankings update that follows The Opening Finals and an exhaustive camp and 7on7 circuit that is finally starting to wind down in preparation for the season. While The Opening Finals event was the primary driver for this update, all corrections and re-evaluations were on the table for what is likely our last major shakeup for the class of 2018 before pads are donned.

The internal debate about No. 1 was unique. In discussions, there was near unanimous agreement that Fields, a quarterback from Kennesaw (Ga.) Harrison High School, looks like the best player in this class. The question was more specifically was 'has he earned No. 1?'

Put another way, is it right that Fields, after a camp performance — a camp season — with no pads and no real football snaps, overtake a quarterback in Trevor Lawrence with 10,000 career passing yards, two state championships and one career loss as a starter? Lawrence is 6-foot-6 with a huge arm, all of the physical tools and is the most accomplished active high school quarterback in the country. And now he's lost the pole position after a camp circuit?

Yes. Here is why.

Fields looked like the best player in the country this spring and summer. He certainly looked like the best quarterback. In fact it wasn't close. That's not a commentary on the other quarterbacks. We actually think this is a strong crop of arms. It's a commentary on Fields. He's just that good.

As good as Fields has been this offseason, he hasn't even been able to showcase his speed (4.51 40 yard dash) and strength (6-3, 221 pounds). He's also been moonlighting on the baseball field for much of the offseason with his high school team so what we've seen will only get better in the future when he's focused strictly on football and will only be tougher to defend when his legs are a factor.

But this No. 1 ranking isn't just about what he's done in camps. Let's talk about what he's done in pads and compare it to what Lawrence has done.

Lawrence has led Cartersville to a 30-0 record the past two seasons. His only career loss as a starter came in the state semifnals as a sophomore. As a junior, Lawrence threw for 3,900 yards in Georgia 4A football.

Fields, against 6A competition in Georgia, threw for 2,770 yards but also rushed for 1,176. He doesn't have quite the immaculate win-loss record of Lawrence but neither does the team he inherited.

As a sophomore Fields started his team's first 7 games, leading Harrison to a 5-2 record. He missed the last three with injury and the team went 0-3. As a senior, Fields led Harrison to its first 10-win season since 2002 and its first playoff win since 2008.

Lawrence's Cartersville team had gone 26-2 in the two seasons preceding his arrival.

These are two great quarterbacks but don't call Fields a camp guy. He has already transformed his high school team and he's got every No. 1 trait we could ask for.

Three-man race for No. 1

The focus of the race for No. 1 has justifiably been centered around the quarterback position but don't leave out Clemson defensive end commit Xavier Thomas. This is effectively a three-man race for the No. 1 spot heading into the season and Thomas has put himself right in the hunt.

We've seen some amazing defensive linemen at The Opening Finals in recent years. Just two years ago we saw a D-line roster that included Ed Oliver, Dexter Lawrence and Rashan Gary, all future first-round picks. Thomas would have fit right in with that group. His strength and edge power, his maturity and competitiveness are No. 1 worthy and in a different year he'd be sitting comfortably at the top of the rankings. Playing at IMG Academy this fall, Thomas will have every opportunity to prove that himself.

The new five-stars

Patrick Surtain Jr. – We've yet to encounter a setting in which Surtain didn't dominate. He's the best big corner in a class full of big corners and he's now ranked No. 5 in the country.

Justin Shorter – Shorter needs to cut out the concentration drops but the Penn State commit is the most physically talented wide receiver in this class and he dominated The Opening like he should with those traits. For that he's now the top ranked wide receiver and No. 7 nationally.

Jordyn Adams – 247Sports is going hard against the grain of the rest of the industry with Adams' ranking as the No. 9 player in the country but we're not even that nervous about the move. The UNC commit is so fluid, so smooth, so polished as a receiver and yet he doesn't even play the position full-time.

Jamaree Salyer – Though he plays a non-premium position at offensive guard, there's still usually one or two guards that get drafted in the first round and Salyer is without question the top guard in this class and in our opinion he's the clear top offensive lineman regardless of position. He's now ranked No. 10 overall.

Jeremy Ruckert – Ruckert's dominating performance at The Opening was on par with some of the other top tight end efforts we've seen in the history of the event. At 6-foot-6, he's got unique size, he's athletic, his film pops and he's a young senior at only 17 years old. Ruckert is now ranked No. 11.

Talanoa Hufanga – Hufanga is a three-sport athlete that flashed at The Opening but his showing there was more of a cross-check of what we've seen on film. That film is five-star worthy and his in-person performance was good enough to verify that. We love his competitive demeanor and athleticism.

Just missed

- OT Jackson Carman and wide receivers Kamryn Babb and Terrace Marshall are all on the cusp of five-star status. Carman's polish has moved him up to the top offensive tackle spot and he's shown the ability to line up at offensive guard, too. Babb and Marshall round out a phenomenal wide receiver group and both are likely to land that fifth star with a good senior season.

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Been hearing that for seems like forever.

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What's up with Fox? I thought he was expected to move up as the process went along?

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#1 - 5* QB Justin Fields (+1)

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They just don't seem to like him as much at 247. I can't figure it out.

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LINK ]FSU fan, adult film star Mia Khalifa makes pitch for No. 1 QB

Mia Khalifa tweeted at No. 1 quarterback prospect Justin Fields, who later deleted his reply.

Adult film star and big Florida State fan Mia Khalifa is no stranger to interacting with athletes on Twitter - even exposing a few like former Ole Miss quarterback Chad Kelly that slid into her direct messages.

Khalifa welcomed Cam Akers to the FSU family after he committed to the Seminoles, and now it appears she is trying to help land the top quarterback in the country.

Khalifa tweeted at Justin Fields, the No. 1 overall player in the 247Sports rankings for the 2018 class. You can see her tweet below.

Mia Khalifa ? @miakhalifa
You up? @justnfields

Fields initially responded and said, "yeah i am ... what's up?" but later deleted the tweet.

Fields is a former Penn State commitment who is being recruiting heavily by programs like Georgia, FSU, Florida, Auburn, Penn State and others. He is the No. 3 overall player in the country according to the industry-generated 247Sports Composite.

The Crystal Ball predictions are a bit all over the map for Fields, but Florida State is currently the leader.

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