2019 Position Rankings Update: Athlete
Rivals Ranking Week rolls along with debut of the new position rankings. While most people pay close attention to the Rivals100 and the Rivals250, plenty of moves happen across the board, especially at various positions. Today, we take a look at the new rankings of the Athletes and look at some of the biggest storylines - and certainly none are bigger than the plot surrounding Quavaris Crouch.
CLASS OF 2019 POSITION RANKINGS: QB rankings | RB rankings |Offensive tackle | Offensive guard | Center | Wide Receiver | Tight End
FRIDAY: DL rankings | LB rankings | DB rankings | ATH rankings | Ask Farrell
TEAM WITH TOP COMMITS: TEXAS
Illinois and Texas both have two commits ranked in the top 10 of this position ranking, and with Jordan Whittington at No. 3 and Jake Smith at No. 6, Texas just edges out Illinois, which has No. 4 Isaiah Williams and No. 8 Marquez Beason. Ole Miss also has a good collection of early Athlete talent, with No. 11 Jerrion Ealy and No. 13 Diwun Black, both of whom are four-star rated prospects.
TEAM TO WATCH: FLORIDA STATE
The two five-stars in this ranking – Quavaris Crouch and Bru McCoy – reside on opposite coasts and do not have a lot of overlap in their recruitments, except for the Florida State Seminoles. Willie Taggart started recruiting McCoy when he was the head coach at Oregon, and continued when he took over in Tallahassee. Florida State, meanwhile, is consistently mentioned as one of the top contenders for Crouch. It does not seem particularly likely that the Seminoles eventually land the two top prospects in this ranking, but the possibility exists.
PLAYER TO WATCH: QUAVARIS CROUCH
The former No. 1 overall prospect in the 2019 class still tops the Athlete position rankings, but he is down to No. 5 in the Rivals100 and position uncertainty is playing a role in that. Your effectiveness as a football player can be diminished if you do not find the proper role in college. We are not saying Crouch will not find the proper role – if that were the case he would not be as high as No. 5 – but at this point we are not sure what that role will be and the uncertainty creates some doubt.
For some prospects position versatility can be a bonus, but with his skill set that is not likely the case for Crouch, and we would feel more confident about his future if he were to settle into one position.
Which position will that be? At times it looked like running back, but then his physical growth may dictate a move down to defensive line. Hopefully, the next few months will make that picture clearer. The next few months should also provide more clarity to Crouch’s recruiting process, which remains pretty wide open. There is some Tennessee buzz there. He has a brother at NC State, and Florida State and Clemson are also popular picks for the five-star.
RIVALS RANKINGS WEEK SCHEDULE
Rival Views: Who is the top QB? | Who is the top RB?
Monday: Top 10 players revealed | Who was the hardest to rank? | Making the case for the top 10 | A closer look at who is No. 1 | Adam Gorney's Take Two | Stingley's rise to No. 1 | Godfather & Gorney Podcast
Tuesday: New Rivals100 released | Five new five-stars | Farrell's Mind of Mike | Rival Views | Which prospect has the most important summer ahead?
Wednesday: New Rivals250 released | Who did each analyst go to bat for the most? | Five schools that should be most pleased with new rankings | Rivals Rankings Podcast | Rivals250 by the numbers | Should Gunnell have dropped that far? | Take Two
Thursday: QB rankings | RB rankings | WR/TE rankings | OL rankings | Ask Farrell: Which position group is the strongest? | Can Jimbo keep up fast recruiting start at A&M? | Commitment Issues Podcast
Friday: DL rankings | LB rankings | DB rankings | ATH rankings | Ask Farrell
Saturday: Team rankings breakdown
Sunday: Mid-Atlantic states rankings | Southeast states | Midwest states | Texas | Florida | West