Analyst Roundtable: Looking ahead to the upcoming football season

The Rivals analyst roundtable returns as our team of experts gives their takes on the upcoming college and high school football season.

I'm interested in what Nate Craig-Myers does at Auburn. He has every physical tool a wide recover can ask for but wasn't the same absolutely dominant force he was following a leg injury that took place during his junior year. He's the type of prospect that can play early and play often. What's intriguing about him is the feeling that his college career could go either way. - Southeast analyst Rob Cassidy

Quarterback Jacob Eason for Georgia is the guy I’m excited to see this season. He’s filled out and looks college ready in the few videos I've seen from practice. I think he has a chance to be special, but there may be some bumps and bruises with such a big learning curve. He might not start with Greyson Lambert having experience, but you can bet he will see playing time this year. I can’t wait to see how he does. - National Recruiting Director Mike Farrell

The No. 1 and No. 2 players from last year will get a lot of playing time this year and it will be fun to compare the two throughout their careers. Rashan Gary and Dexter Lawrence were No. 1 and No. 2 in the nation, at their position, and both were from my region. Gary looks like he will start out playing defensive end at Michigan while Lawrence should see the field a lot for Clemson playing next to former five-star Christian Wilkins. - Mid-Atlantic analyst, Adam Friedman

I'm looking to see defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence at Clemson. The Tigers are rebuilding their defensive line so the former No. 2 prospect should have an opportunity to see the field early. He has a college-ready body, the work ethic to make a different early on and the talent to be something special. There was at least some conversation about Lawrence being No. 1 overall - that went to defensive tackle Rashan Gary at Michigan - and Lawrence should have the chances to prove his ranking was completely justified. - National recruiting analyst Adam Gorney

I would like to say Daelin Hayes here because I think when he does get on the field for Notre Dame he is going to be a joy to watch, but the Irish have him in a new position and the learning curve there is probably unreasonable to expect many significant snaps from him this season. So, my final answer will be Michael Jordan. No, not that Michael Jordan, but the freshman at Ohio State who has been running with the first-team offensive line. As a Rivals100 prospect we certainly never doubted Jordan's talent and I will be very interested to see how he fares if he gets the starting nod on opening day. - Midwest analyst Josh Helmholdt

Five-star athlete Demetris Robertson stunned everyone when he opted for Cal over the likes of Georgia and Florida and I'm really excited to see how he fits into the Bears' offense. I expect him to have an immediate impact in special teams and only contribute more offensively as the year goes along. - Southeast analyst Woody Wommack

Nigerian-born defensive lineman Kayode Oladele has an NFL body. Thing is, he's never played in an actually football game. That didn't stop him from collecting offers on the camp circuit, though. A number of majors school has already offered Oladele so, obviously. expectations are high for him on the filed. Oladele plays for Miami's Edison High, so he'll get a chance to go up against high level competition. - Cassidy

I can’t wait to see Dylan Moses at IMG Academy because I want to see if he can take that next step to be dominant at one position. Early on it looked like he’d grow into a defensive end and then it looked like he’d be a dominant running back. But so far this year I’ve seen him as a linebacker much more than anything and I’m not sure if he’s dominant. Playing around talent at IMG and against a tough schedule should allow us to tell if he’s living up to the early hype. - Farrell

Antonio Alfano is just starting his sophomore year but he has grown a few inches and really filled out his frame since last season. He looks like a monster right now and it will be fun to see how he responds to the challenge on playing in the ultra-competitive northern New Jersey private school league. - Friedman

For one reason or another, I always missed Grant Calcaterra on the 7-on-7 circuit and he missed the Rivals Camp Series Presented by Under Armour in Los Angeles because of a family emergency. But the Oklahoma commit was terrific at The Opening and I will surely see him and his Rancho Santa Margarita (Calif.) Santa Margarita Catholic team this season. Calcaterra is such an intriguing prospect because of his size, speed and athleticism and comparisons to Sooners' wide receiver Mark Andrews appear to be accurate. - Gorney

Belleville, Mich., 2019 offensive tackle Devontae Dobbs started making waves early in the offseason and has only improved since. His offer list has exploded and Dobbs is now handling FBS-caliber upperclassmen defensive ends like a veteran at every camp he attends. There is no reason to think he cannot translate that to the field, but it will be important to see the same level of domination during the season. - Helmholdt

At this point it feels like we've seen everyone, but five-star defensive back AJ Terrell has made a ton of strides this offseason. I really expect him to come into the year with a chance to dominate. - Wommack

The answer is always St. Thomas Aquinas. They have the depth of a college roster, as most players on the two deep will play football on the next level. Florida commit Jake Allen quarterbacks the team and wide recover Trevon Grimes, a five-star prospect, headlines the skill positions. Aquinas is accustomed to winning state titles and should roll to another this year. - Cassidy

I don’t have a region so I’ll pick a couple of teams regardless of geography and those teams are St. Thomas Aquinas in Florida and Bishop Gorman in Nevada. Both are loaded with talent, both have a few dynamic offensive players and they always play tough schedules. Anyone can pick IMG of course, but I want to see these two. - Farrell

It seems like the talent in the Virginia Beach region is more concentrated than ever. Nearly all of the exceptionally talented prospects, regardless of age group, have flocked to Bishop Sullivan. It will be cool seeing guys like Rivals100 Florida State running back commit Khalan Laborn, four-star Virginia Tech commit Tahj Capehart, 2018 Rivals250 linebacker Teradja Mitchell, Tennessee commits Brandon and Breyon Gaddy, and the countless underclassmen with tons of potential. - Friedman

I should see Las Vegas Bishop Gorman at least a few times and I'm excited about it. Gorman visits powerhouse Bellflower (Calif.) St. John Bosco in early September and then of course it hosts Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) St. Thomas Aquinas later than month in what should be one of the best high school games of the season. Ohio State commits Tate Martell and Haskell Garrett along with former USC pledge Bubba Bolden are just a few of Gorman's top players. There are plenty of others, too, so I can't wait to check them out numerous times. - Gorney

Once again it looks like it will be Detroit Cass Tech. Five-star wide receiver Donovan Peoples-Jones is the headliner, but his supporting senior cast is ridiculous and includes Rivals250 cornerback Donovan Johnson, 40-plus offer safety Jaylen Kelly-Powell and Michigan State offensive guard commit Jordan Reid. The underclassmen are just as impressive, led by Rivals100 2018 cornerback Kalon Gervin, three-star junior linebacker DeAndre Square as well as 2019 prospects Jaren Mangham and Xavier Goldsmith who each hold multiple offers already. - Helmholdt

A few teams in the Atlanta area have loaded up on talent via transfer, but the most high profile was probably Grayson High School. I'm not sure if fun is the word I would use to describe it, but it will be very interesting to see how they combine an influx of talent and unique personalities. - Wommack