Class of 2019: Star rankings revealed for 20 more prospects
While the focus of most is the class of 2018 as we dive deep into the spring evaluation period, members of the class of 2019 are getting offers as well on a daily basis. Rather than rush out a Rivals100 on prospects who have played two years of high school football, we thought we’d put stars on 100 of them and release 20 a day. Here’s our second batch led by five-star standout quarterback JT Daniels. The prospects listed are grouped by their Rivals Rating from 6.1 to 5.9 but are in no particular order otherwise.
RELATED: Monday’s 20 | Rivals100 for 2018
The stat-stuffing signal-caller from Santa Ana (Calif.) Mater Dei leads this group with his uncanny accuracy and pocket presence. Daniels can drop a dime anyplace on the field and does an amazing job with his downfield vision and going through his progressions.
“As a sophomore, Daniels is the best quarterback I've evaluated in more than seven years of covering West prospects and that includes Josh Rosen and Sam Darnold. He's that incredibly good in games, so poised that he calls the offense by himself and he has tremendous ability to make all the big throws,” said Rivals.com National Recruiting Analyst Adam Gorney. “Yes, he's been surrounded by super talented receivers led by Osiris St. Brown and Amon-Ra St. Brown but playing in arguably the toughest high school football league in the country and completing 74 percent of his passes for 4,849 yards with 67 touchdowns and six interceptions is definitely impressive. Stanford, Notre Dame and others are in the mix early.”
Two big offensive linemen also highlight this group with Belleville, Mich. offensive tackle Devontae Dobbs and Oxford, Ala. center Clay Webb.
“Early in his prep career Dobbs looked more like a defensive end than an offensive tackle physically, even though he was dominating upperclassmen in off-season events as an offensive lineman,” said Rivals.com Midwest Recruiting Analyst Josh Helmholdt. “In the last few months, Dobbs has filled out his frame while still maintaining the plus-athleticism that has earned him 20 offers including Ohio State, Michigan, Michigan State, Penn State, Alabama, Georgia, LSU and others.”
As for Webb, it’s not often we talk about a center this early in the process but his Underclassmen Challenge performance this past summer and excellent sophomore year put him squarely on the map.
“Webb is just nasty. He loves to drives his man off the ball and put his man in the dirt. He has moved around the offensive line, but on the next level, he will be a guard or center. He has that flat-back in his stance and he plays with good leverage and strength,” said Rivals.com Southeast Recruiting Analyst Chad Simmons. “He fires off the ball with great hips and when he locks his hands in, it is over. Webb is an intense competitor who loves to fight in the trenches.”
Stafford (Va.) North Stafford running back Devyn Ford is another early standout to keep an eye on.
“Defenses have come to fear Ford every time he touches the ball. He is a home run hitter and is equally effective at catching the ball out of the backfield as his is at taking handoffs,” said Rivals.com Mid-Atlantic Recruiting Analyst Adam Friedman. “More of an upright, north-south runner, Ford has taken a liking to schools like Ohio State, Clemson, North Carolina, Virginia Tech, and a few others.”
Houston (Texas) Mayde Creek defensive end Marcus Stripling is one of the best and most intimidating players in the state of Texas for 2019 and another player to watch on this list.
“Stripling is a textbook example of a 'raw' prospect, but he's primed to blossom in a big way,” said Rivals.com Texas Recruiting Analyst Nick Krueger. “He already possesses desirable physical attributes and is as strong as he is big. Texas, Texas A&M, Oklahoma, Georgia and others are already on board with offers.”
Heading back to the Southeast, Royal Palm Beach, Fla. cornerback Akeem Dent is an early Miami commitment and has size and range.
“Dent is a rangy cornerback that covers like a smaller prospect,” said Rivals.com Florida Recruiting Analyst Rob Cassidy. “He’ll only get better as he adds muscle and becomes more physical.”
Murfreesboro (Tenn.) Siegel defensive end Joseph Anderson is another in SEC country to watch early for 2019.
“Anderson has earned the nickname "Bird" thanks to both his height and his impressive wingspan,” said Rivals.com Southeast Recruiting Analyst Woody Wommack. “If he keeps adding weight, he can project to either a 4-3 or a 3-4 defense and his size and athleticism are why Tennessee, Georgia, LSU and others have already offered.”
And rounding out the group of players in this group is a familiar name from out west in athlete Luke McCaffrey from Highland Ranch (Colo.) Valor Christian. That’s right, Luke is the younger brother of 2017 Michigan QB signee Dylan McCaffrey and of course Heisman finalist Christian McCaffrey, who starred at Stanford.
“Listed as an athlete, McCaffrey mainly contributed at receiver and special teams this past season because his brother, Dylan, a Michigan signee, was under center for Valor Christian. McCaffrey is still worthy of this ranking because he showed off tremendous skills as an athletic and agile playmaker who could be used all over the offense to make a difference,” said Gorney. “Plus, it's never bad to bet on the McCaffrey family who could see Christian become a first-round NFL Draft pick in a couple weeks. Colorado, Michigan, UCLA and others are already involved.”
Here are the others that made the initial 20 for today’s release: