Class of 2019 State Rankings: News on Cali, Texas, Florida, more

UPDATED CLASS OF 2019 STATE RANKINGS

With junior seasons in the books for most of the nation’s elite football prospects, the Rivals rankings for the class of 2019 saw a major overhaul this week. There were plenty of ups and downs in the Rivals100 and Rivals250 as well as shifts and new additions among the three-star prospects.

But the moves also had a major impact on the individual state rankings. Today we break down some of the biggest storylines surrounding the updates and reveal the new rankings for each individual state.

2019 Rankings: Rivals250 | Position | Team | State

2018 Rankings: Rivals250 | Position | Team | State

California is known for having elite quarterback talent and even though it’s shaping up to be a thin year nationally in 2019, the Golden State still has its share of future stars at the position. The group is headlined by the country’s No. 1 overall player, USC commit JT Daniels, and features four-star Hank Bachmeier at No. 18 and three-star Ryan Hilinski at No. 36. If Daniels hangs on to the No. 1 spot it will be the first time since 2015 that a quarterback was No. 1. That year’s top spot was held by current UCLA quarterback Josh Rosen, who is likely to be a first-round pick in the 2018 NFL Draft. Other past quarterbacks to finish ranked No. 1 overall in the California state rankings include Matt Barkley (2009), Jimmy Clausen (2007) and Mark Sanchez (2005).

Of the top 10 players in the current Texas state rankings, just two players (Brian Williams, No. 5, and Demani Richardson at No. 9) are being recruited exclusively as defensive players. The state is known for producing elite offensive talent so it’s not a surprise to see so many playmakers top the list. The top two spots belong to five-star wide receivers Arjei Henderson and Theo Wease, but offensive linemen are also well represented in No. 3 player, LSU offensive tackle commit Kenyon Green and with the No. 8 player, offensive tackle Tyler Johnson. The last time the Texas top 10 featured so little balance between offense and defense was in 2014, when seven of the top 10 players were defensive prospects. That group included eventual No. 1 overall pick Myles Garrett, as well as future high draft picks Solomon Thomas and Jamal Adams.

Five-star Georgia wide receiver commit Jadon Haselwood has taken over the top spot in the Georgia state rankings and he’s followed shortly thereafter by fellow UGA commit Dominick Blaylock at the No. 4 spot. If Haselwood were to maintain the top spot throughout the final 2019 rankings, it would be the first time since 2010 that a true wide receiver prospect would have the top spot. That year it was eventual Tennessee signee Da’Rick Rogers than earned the honors. In 2016, five-star athlete Demetris Robertson was the No. 1 player and he is currently playing wide receiver at Cal. Obviously Dawgs fans are hoping Haselwood’s career follows Robertson’s more than that of Rogers.

The Sunshine State continues to be a hotbed for running back prospects and the state is loaded again in 2019. Newly-minted five-star Trey Sanders now holds the state’s No. 1 spot and is joined by fellow backs Daniel Carter (No. 3), Noah Cain (No. 9) and Nyquan Wright (No. 21) in the top 25. The four backs ranked in the top 25 would normally be quite the feat, but 2018 actually features five in the state’s top 25. With so many elite backs in consecutive years it might seem as if it’s an annual occurrence in the state, but a look back at 2017 reveals just one back, Devan Barrett (No. 16) in the state’s top 25.

Five-star defensive end Zach Harrison is now the No. 1 player in the state of Ohio and if he were to maintain that spot throughout the process it would snap a streak of three consecutive years that offensive linemen have held down No. 1 in the Buckeye State. A defensive end hasn’t finished as the top player in Ohio since 2007, when then five-star Ben Martin topped the list. Martin ended up signing with Tennessee, where he had a productive but non-spectacular career.