Ask Farrell: Why does Bryan Bresee deserve to be No. 1?
NEW RELEASE: A new No. 1 in Rivals100
There was a lot of debate and discussion about naming a new No. 1 in the 2020 class rankings especially because D.J. Uiagalelei has had such a fantastic senior season at Bellflower (Calif.) St. John Bosco.
But after working through all the top prospects high on the list, five-star defensive tackle Bryan Bresee is the new top-ranked player heading into the all-star events coming up in a couple weeks.
The Damascus, Md., standout is certainly deserving of the top spot after dominating the offseason events like the Rivals100 Five-Star Challenge presented by adidas and then having a big-time senior season as well.
There have been some questions whether Bresee, at 6-foot-5 and 280 pounds, would play defensive end or defensive tackle in college since he’s shown the ability to be excellent off the edge and definitely powerful enough to be a gap-shooting tackle as well.
Over the summer, Bresee did both at the Five-Star Challenge and he was nearly unstoppable against some of the best offensive linemen in the country.
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Committed to Clemson since the spring, Bresee is following in a long line of outstanding defensive linemen who have come through that program in recent years. That history was at least one reason why he chose the Tigers and he could develop into the next superstar on the defensive line.
But Bresee is unique because of his versatility along the defensive line, his speed at the end position and his overwhelming power up the middle. A player that special who has been so dominant at every stage has every argument for being No. 1 in the 2020 class even with some tremendously talented players right behind him.
The all-star season at the All-American Bowl and the Under Armour game should be especially interesting.
FARRELL'S TAKE
We ask Rivals National Recruiting Director Mike Farrell why Bresee deserves to be the new No. 1 in the class and to make a comparison to someone Bresee reminds him of so Clemson fans - and college football fans in general - know what’s coming to the sport next season.
“It comes down to talent and motor and they are equally important at the defensive tackle or defensive end position. And Bresee has it all. He’s a no-brainer in this class because he’s so big and athletic and he loves football so much.
"When you watch him play he takes no plays off and he’s always going so in that respect he reminds me of J.J. Watt a bit at the NFL level. Out of high school, I’d say he reminds me of Rashan Gary because of his versatility. I could see him playing standup linebacker at the NFL level if a team wanted him to.
"We debated on which quarterback was the best and we were split, so how could we make one of them No. 1 this time around? Bresee could fall from No. 1 in the end or stay at the top, but either way he’s an amazing prospect.”
