East Coast Spotlight: Toughest questions about the rankings
Only two rankings updates remain for the 2023 class and one of them is just around the corner. This week the national recruiting analysts give an overview of the toughest questions they faced in this rankings update. Up first is the East region.
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CLASS OF 2023 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Team | Position | State
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CLASS OF 2025 RANKINGS: Rivals100
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Which defensive lineman should be No. 1 in the East?
There are a bunch of defensive lineman in the East region that could be really highly ranked once the updated Rivals250 is released. Jason Moore is currently the top-ranked defensive lineman in the East followed by Jamaal Jarrett, Will Norman, Dashawn Womack and a few others.
New Tennessee commit Daevin Hobbs will surely be charging up the rankings but how high should he eventually land? Womack is a big-time prospect who had an excellent senior season as well. Moore and Jarrett don't deserve to fall in the rankings but other defensive linemen could have a case to pass them.
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Should Alex Birchmeier be a five-star
We’ve already got one five-star offensive guard in TJ Shanahan this year but Birchmeier could join those ranks. He isn’t playing in an all-star game so we’ve already seen the last of him at the high school level but we’re still learning more about him and his ceiling.
Birchmeier is a very athletic interior offensive lineman who does a great job pushing defenders around. He’s also a really good pass blocker but hasn't been tested much by top-end prospects throughout his career. It’ll be interesting to see how he is able to develop once he gets to the college level but for now we have some decisions to make.
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How to order the receivers from North Carolina?
This is a really impressive group of receivers from North Carolina. Noah Rogers has been the top-ranked receiver but he is getting pushed by some other outstanding pass catchers.
Nathan Leacock and Chris Culliver had amazing senior seasons and Christian Hamilton and Kevin Concepcion proved to be extremely talented as well. There are a few other notable receivers coming out of North Carolina this year but expect this smaller group to be at the top when the Rivals250 is updated.
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What to do with Jven Williams?
Williams is another Penn State offensive line commit that is generating a lot of conversation. He is a phenomenal run blocker that shows elite athleticism on film. He doesn’t play the best competition and he has very little experience as a pass blocker but what he shows on film is extremely impressive.
Hopefully he'll get tested before his high school career is over, which should give everybody a good indication of what kind of learning curve he'll face at the next level.