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 fourth batch, led by five-star defensive end Christopher Hinton.

The prospects listed are grouped by their Rivals Rating from 6.1 to 5.9 but are in no particular order otherwise.

“Hinton can take over football games on the defensive or offensive line. What is hard to believe is he could project as a five star on either side of the ball,” said Rivals.com Southeast Recruiting Analyst Chad Simmons. “Some schools like him as a strongside end, you could see him growing into a defensive tackle or some look at him as an elite offensive tackle down the road. He moves very well for a prospect at his size. He is a natural bender, he is an advanced technician and he has a great coach there 24 hours a day in his father, former NFL offensive lineman Chris Hinton.”

Right now his top four includes Clemson, Georgia, Michigan and North Carolina even though his dad went to Northwestern.

Wide receiver, safety, linebacker and running back are also well represented in this group of 20.

Amite, La. wide receiver Devonta Lee has good size and flashes terrific speed and route-running as he’s emerged as one of the top wideouts in the country.

“Lee is one of the players who just narrowly missed on five-star status and will surely be in the mix as the ranking cycle for his class moves along,” said Rivals.com Southeast Recruiting Analyst Woody Wommack. “He already is an elite route-runner and has excellent hands and speed. LSU and Alabama appear to be in for another long battle.”

Dallas (Texas) Bishop Dunne safety Brian Williams is making a case for the best player at his position in this class and has offers from Texas, Oklahoma, Texas A&M, Auburn, LSU, USC and others. His brother, Rawleigh Williams, is at Arkansas so expect the Hawgs to be in it until the end.

“College programs caught on to Williams long ago, and he's earned the attention,” said Rivals.com Texas Recruiting Analyst Nick Krueger. “He's a decisive playmaker in the secondary that rarely isn't in position to make a play on a pass or a big hit on a ball carrier.”

At linebacker, perhaps the most well-known name in the entire class of 2019 is Loganville (Ga.) Grayson standout Owen Pappoe, who has been on the radar of colleges since seventh grade.

“Pappoe is an athlete first and foremost. He can do so many things well on the football field, and although he has shined on defense the first two years, some think he could even be a better running back,” said Simmons. “He really flies to the football while playing under control. He has been on the big stage at a top program starting since his freshman year and the moment has never been too big for him. He is that new-age linebacker who can run, cover, blitz, and most importantly, stay on the field all three downs.”

Pappoe has offers from almost everyone and has visited Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Florida State, LSU and Miami.

At running back, a very crowded Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy backfield will include former Texas high school star Noah Cain.

“Cain is more of a proto-typical running back that his Rivals100 teammate, Trey Sanders, but lacks the same long build,” said Rivals.com Florida Recruiting Analyst Rob Cassidy. “He is more explosive and quicker, however, and has a long list of offers for a reason.”

While Cain has offers from Georgia, Michigan, Ohio State, Texas A&M and others, LSU could be the team to beat as he is originally from Baton Rouge.

A few others to watch from this group include a wide receiver, a cornerback and a defensive end.

St. Louis (Mo.) Trinity Catholic receiver Marcus Washington has many in pursuit early and that list should grow.

“Washington is part of a loaded 2019 class out of Trinity Catholic and earns his spot on the list by being one of the smoothest young wide receivers we have covered,” said Rivals.com Midwest Recruiting Analyst Josh Helmholdt. “Usually it is upperclassmen who have that effortless look to their game, but in his sophomore year Washington was a smooth and productive receiver with a high ceiling.”

Washington has early offers from Missouri, Nebraska Michigan State, Wisconsin and others.

Meanwhile, cornerback Max Williams from Gardena (Calif.) Serra has elite quickness that helps make up for his lack of size.

“Williams has tremendous cover skills and he does an excellent job of sticking with receivers on every single route to make a play on the ball or to make it extremely difficult for receivers to come down with it,” said Rivals.com National Recruiting Analyst Adam Gorney. “My one concern with Williams is his size, since he's listed at 5-foot-10, but it really has not stopped him from dominating as a cover corner or dealing with bigger receivers, either. If he continues to develop physically, he has all the ball skills to be something special. USC, LSU and others are involved as Williams remains wide open.”

Rounding out the group of players our analysts will discuss in this batch is New Jersey defensive end Antonio Alfano. The Oradell (N.J.) Bergen Catholic standout has been on the radar for quite some time.

“Alfano has been a widely publicized prospect for a few years now and rightfully so. Physically, Alfano casts a long shadow and has never been shy about throwing offensive linemen around,” said Rivals.com Mid-Atlantic Recruiting Analyst Adam Friedman. “His hand technique is getting better every time we see him. Penn State, Ohio State, and many other programs have made a big impression on Alfano.”

Here are the others that made the initial 20 for today’s release: