East Spotlight: Questions about the 2025 rankings
Rivals.com national recruiting analyst Adam Friedman takes a look at a few of the most burning questions regarding the upcoming 2025 rankings update in the East region.
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THIS SERIES: Questions about the 2025 rankings in the Mid-South | Southeast | West
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CAN DAVID SANDERS MAKE THE JUMP TO NO. 1 OVERALL?
Sanders had an amazing opening game for Providence Day this past weekend. At his left tackle position Sanders did not allow a sack and was dominant in the running game. He looked to be up to 270 or close to 280 pounds now and that really showed when he was driving defenders all the way to the sideline. Sanders even lined up a defensive end and recorded three sacks and a forced fumble.
With Elijah Griffin holding down the No. 1 overall spot in the Rivals250, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Sanders challenge him for that top ranking before the end of this ranking cycle. With a refresh of the 2025 rankings coming next week, it is a little difficult to see Sanders overtaking Griffin right now but this junior season will play a huge role in answering this question in the postseason rankings update.
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IS THERE ANOTHER FIVE-STAR IN THE EAST?
The East region looks a lot better in 2025 than it does in 2024, but there is still just one five-star heading into the rankings update next week. Could anybody join Sanders in the upper tier of the Rivals250? There are plenty of candidates, but keep an eye on players like safety Faheem Delane and defensive linemen, like Zahir Mathis and Bryce Davis.
Delane has a great build for a safety and could play a variety of roles are in the secondary. He is physical against the run, has great range in pass coverage and has a nose for the ball.
Mathis is a tall, explosive, and very lean defensive end who looks more like a stand up pass rusher than a hand in the ground defensive end.
Davis is a disruptive defensive lineman who could play tackle or end at the next level. At 6-foot-four and close to 240-pounds, Davis has the tools to be a pass rusher from the inside or outside and is very solid against the run. Physically, he looks to be much further along than some other defensive lineman in this class and this junior season could have a profound effect on his ranking.
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BEST CLASS IN THE EAST SINCE 2021?
The 2025 class in the East region has high hopes for the next level and should be a nice rebound from the last couple of classes that didn’t feature the depth that we are used to in the region. So far the East region has 35 prospects in the Rivals250, but that number will be changing as the rankings cycle continues.
The 2021 class featured 50 players in the East region in the Rivals250, led by household names like Caleb Williams, Drake Maye, Will Shipley, Marvin Harrison Jr. and Jeremiah Trotter Jr. It would be surprising to get to that number in this cycle but there is a decent chance that close to 40 players could end up in the Rivals250 before the rankings cycle is over.
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CAN BRYCE BAKER HOLD ONTO THE TOP QB SPOT IN THE EAST?
North Carolina quarterback commit Bryce Baker is the No. 1 quarterback in the region right now, but there are a number of challengers out there who are looking to unseat him from that position. Baker stands out about 6-foot-three and close to 180 or 190-pounds at this point. He just started his junior season at a new school with a win and is looking to build on that momentum while continuing to develop his game.
At No. 2 in the region, Clemson quarterback commit Blake Hebert is working on chasing down Baker in the rankings. Hebert has drawn a lot of comparisons to former TCU quarterback Max Duggan in the early stages of the rankings cycle. His junior season will go along way to determine whether or not he will be able to leap frog Baker in the postseason rankings update.
Keep an eye on Malik Washington out of Maryland as well. He has impressive measurables and is a stand out on the basketball court as well. If he has success the season and shows the progress we are hoping for, his recruitment blow up along with his ranking.