Best Available: Top 5 TEs still on the board
Nearly 75 percent of the Rivals250 in the class of 2019 were committed to college programs entering their senior year. That leaves a very small pool of potential prospects as programs gear up for the Early Signing Period, which starts on Dec. 19. This week we take a position-by-position look at the top prospects still on the board.
BEST AVAILABLE: QBs | RBs | WRs
MORE: Farrell's Three-Point Stance | Helmholdt's Midwest commitment predictions | Wommack's Five-Star Checkup
It is a deep year at the tight end position and each of the five listed here are four-star prospects. Henry, though, is the top-ranked prospect at the position and an important target for several schools. After a busy spring on the road, Henry released a top five in May that consisted of Arkansas, Clemson, Penn State, Stanford and Wisconsin that remains intact. Two of his older brothers, including current NFL tight end Hunter Henry, chose to stay home and play for the Razorbacks, but there has been a lot of Stanford buzz around this recruitment as well.
After some months of speculation about which teams were the most legitimate contenders, Foskey released his top five last week. That group consisted of Cal, Michigan, Notre Dame, Ohio State and Washington. Foskey took his first official visit of the process in June when he flew cross country to see Penn State, but the Nittany Lions do not make the cut. Those final four official visits have not yet been scheduled, but are expected to be taken before Foskey declares his college destination.
Four months ago, few knew who Strange was. The West Virginia native did not pick up his first FBS scholarship offer until May, but then the floodgates opened. Strange now stands at 18 total scholarship offers and he named a top eight of Louisville, North Carolina, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Penn State, Purdue, Rutgers and Wake Forest in late July. He used his first official visit of the process to see Purdue in June, but still has four remaining spots open to check out schools this fall.
Listed (generously, some would say) at 6-foot-3, Zipperer does not possess the prototypical tight end frame, but his ability to flex out and create mismatches in the passing game make him a coveted target nevertheless. His offer list is a who’s who of ACC and SEC schools, with a smattering of top programs from the other Power Five Conferences sprinkled in. Zipperer appears wide open with no rush to make a decision, though Alabama, Florida, Miami and Oklahoma are considered legitimate top contenders here.
Contrary to Zipperer, Wydermyer does have prototypical tight end size and can line up in the slot or on the line. A top eight released in early August included Alabama, Baylor, Georgia, Ole Miss, LSU, Miami, Texas A&M and Ohio State. An official visit to Miami has been scheduled for the Nov. 2 weekend, but Wydermyer could hold his decision until February. He has made unofficial visits to both Ole Miss and Texas A&M in the last two months and has recently stated plans to take two of his official visits to those schools at dates to be determined in the future.