Final 2018 Position Rankings: Who moved up - and who slid?
The final positions rankings for the 2018 class are locked in. And while this update does not see as many changes as the postseason update did, there was some jockeying for position that occurred in this final update.
MORE: Who made the biggest jumps up the Rivals250? | Updated Rivals250 |
New five-stars | Movers in Rivals100
PRO-STYLE QUARTERBACK
2018 PRO-STYLE QUARTERBACK RANKINGS
NOTABLE RISER: Matthew Baldwin, Austin (Texas) Lake Travis (Up 5 spots)
NOTABLE DROPPER: Jack West, Saraland, Ala. (Down 6 spots)
COMMENTS: Clemson Tiger Trevor Lawrence goes wire-to-wire as the No. 1-ranked overall prospect in the 2018 class, and one of the strongest contenders at the end was USC commit JT Daniels, who was the No. 1 overall ranked prospect in the 2019 class before he reclassified to 2018. Daniels takes over the No. 2 spot in this position ranking. Ole Miss Rebel Matt Corral moves back up to a 6.0 Rivals Rating and rounds out the top three.
DUAL-THREAT QUARTERBACK
2018 DUAL THREAT QUARTERBACK RANKINGS
NOTABLE RISER: Joey Gatewood, Jacksonville (Fla.) Bartram Trail (Up 4 spots)
NOTABLE DROPPER: Emory Jones, Franklin (Ga.) Heard County (Down 4 spots)
COMMENTS: Although the hand injury he suffered late in his senior season kept him from any winter action, Georgia Bulldog Justin Fields was not overtaken for the top spot in the 2018 rankings. There was plenty of movement behind him, though, with Florida Gators signee Jones dropping from the No. 2 spot, while Gatewood, who is already enrolled at Auburn, climbs into the top three joining Fields and UCLA commit Dorian Thompson-Robinson.
ALL-PURPOSE BACK
2018 ALL-PURPOSE BACK RANKINGS
NOTABLE RISER: Anthony Williams, Boutte, La. (Up 5 spots)
NOTABLE DROPPER: None
COMMENTS: Formerly No. 1 in this ranking, Jaelen Gill did not drop so much as be passed over by Penn State signee Ricky Slade and Georgia signee James Cook, who moves over from the running back position in this update and takes over the No. 1 spot as the lone five-star in the group. Williams, who is signed with Kansas, lands at No. 6 on this list after his bump, and Clemson signee Lyn-J Dixon adds his fourth star.
RUNNING BACK
NOTABLE RISER: Maurice Washington, Cedar Hill (Texas) Trinity Christian Academy (Up 20 spots)
NOTABLE DROPPER: None
COMMENTS: It was a quiet final update for the class of running back position ranking. Cook moving over to all-purpose back, and Washington’s jump up to No. 16 in this ranking accounts for the only movement in the top 25. You have to go all the way down to the No. 33 spot, where Arizona State signee Brock Sturges jumped 10 spots before you get any more changes. Future Georgia Bulldog Zamir White finishes No. 1 overall in this ranking.
WIDE RECEIVER
NOTABLE RISER: Jaylen Waddle, Houston Episcopal (Up 8 spots)
NOTABLE DROPPER: Nikko Hall, Calabasas, Calif. (Down 14 spots)
COMMENTS: Wide receiver already boasted the most five-star players of any position, yet it still adds three more in this update to finish with seven five-stars overall. The highest-ranked of those new five-stars is Penn State signee Justin Shorter, who climbs to No. 3 in this ranking. The other two new five-stars in this ranking are Clemson signee Derion Kendrick and Houston native Jaylen Waddle, who both impressed at the U.S. Army All-American Bowl.
TIGHT END
NOTABLE RISER: George Takacs, Naples (Fla.) Gulf Coast (Up 4 spots)
NOTABLE DROPPER: None
COMMENTS: After an impressive performance at the Under Armour All-American Game, future Miami Hurricane Brevin Jordan jumped Ohio State signee Jeremy Ruckert for the No. 2 spot in the final update of this position ranking to finish behind Georgia Bulldgos signee Luke Ford. Further down the list, Mississippi State signee Geor’Quarius Spivey and Alabama commit Michael Parker earn their fourth stars and find spots in the top 20.
OFFENSIVE TACKLE
2018 OFFENSIVE TACKLE RANKINGS
NOTABLE RISER: Nick Petit-Frere, Tampa (Fla.) Berkeley Prep (Up 6 spots)
NOTABLE DROPPER: None
COMMENTS: It is a rare occurrence when a prospect jumps from outside the top 5 to assume the No. 1 overall spot in the final ranking update for a class. But that is what Petit-Frere, a Tampa native, did with his strong showing at the Under Armour All-American Game. Behind Petit-Frere Big Ten prospects made strong moves, with Minnesota signee Daniel Faalele earning a spot in the top 10 and Michigan signee Jalen Mayfield and Maryland signee Jaelyn Duncan earning fourth stars.
OFFENSIVE GUARD
NOTABLE RISER: Chris Murray, Santa Ana (Calif.) Mater Dei (Up 6 spots)
NOTABLE DROPPER: Luke Matthews, Missouri City (Texas) Elkins (Down 21 spots)
COMMENTS: The Georgia duo at the top of this ranking gets broken up as Florida native William Barnes takes over at No. 2 and Texas signee Junior Angilau lands at No. 3 after moving over from the tackle ranking. Georgia signee Jamaree Salyer remains No. 1 and stays in the top 10 overall for the class, but his future Bulldog teammate, Trey Hill, takes a tumble out of the top 100 and down to No. 4 in this ranking. Murray, a UCLA commit, sits just outside the top 10 after his bump.
CENTER
NOTABLE RISER: None
NOTABLE DROPPER: None
COMMENTS: For the second straight update the order of the center rankings remains unchanged. Although there was little drama in the position order, the fact that four center prospects finish as four-stars is unique and has not happened since the 2015 class. Future USC Trojan Justin Dedich finishes the class as the No. 1-ranked prospect at his position, while Stanford signee Trey Stratford rounds out the top five as the only non-four-star in the ranking.
WEAKSIDE DEFENSIVE END
2018 WEAKSIDE DEFENSIVE END RANKINGS
NOTABLE RISER: Eyabi Anoma, Baltimore St. Frances (Up 3 spots)
NOTABLE DROPPER: None
COMMENTS: This position loses its former No. 1, but that allows Alabama commit Eyabi Anoma to ascend to that top spot, up from the No. 4 in the last update. He is followed by fellow five-stars Adam Anderson and K.J. Henry to round out the top three. Another future Crimson Tide defender, Jordan Davis, ends up rising one spot in this ranking despite dropping from a 6.0 to a 5.9 Rivals Rating and falling in the Rivals100.
STRONGSIDE DEFENSIVE END
2018 STRONGSIDE DEFENSIVE END RANKINGS
NOTABLE RISER: Malik Langham, Huntsville (Ala.) Lee (Up 19 spots)
NOTABLE DROPPER: None
COMMENTS: Future Georgia Bulldog Brenton Cox earns his fifth star in this update, but remains No. 2 in this ranking behind Clemson signee Xavier Thomas. The order does not change until you get to Nos. 7 and 8 where Army Bowl standouts Ronnie Perkins and Aidan Hutchinson land after big jumps. Langham and South Carolina signee Kingsley Enagbere are new four-stars who find spots in the top 25.
DEFENSIVE TACKLE
NOTABLE RISER: Tommy Togiai, Pocatello (Idaho) Highland (Up 6 spots)
NOTABLE DROPPER: D’Andre Litaker, Murfreesboro (Tenn.) Riverdale (Down 12 spots)
COMMENTS: Togiai, an Ohio State signee, jumps to No. 4 after his rise, but his future Buckeye teammate Taron Vincent remains at the top of this ranking. Miami commit Nesta Silvera comes from outside the top 20 to find a spot in the top 10 following a strong Army Bowl performance. Auburn commit Coynis Miller also climbs into the top 10 at No. 8 after his bump from a 5.8 to a 5.9 Rivals Rating.
INSIDE LINEBACKER
2018 INSIDE LINEBACKER RANKINGS
NOTABLE RISER: Jack Sanborn, Lake Zurich, Ill. (Up 1 spot)
NOTABLE DROPPER: Ayodele Adeoye, Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy (Down 1 spot)
COMMENTS: Besides the small position groups of center and kicker, no position group saw less movement in the final rankings update than inside linebacker. Adeoye and Sanborn flipping Nos. 11 and 12 is by far the most notable change from the post-senior season update, and that is a very minor change. One player dropped out of the ranking, allowing Florida native James Miller to finish as the 35th and final member of this ranking.
OUTSIDE LINEBACKER
2018 OUTSIDE LINEBACKER RANKINGS
NOTABLE RISER: Quay Walker, Cordele (Ga.) Crisp County (Up 4 spots)
NOTABLE DROPPER: None
COMMENTS: USC signee Palaie Gaoteote rose slightly in the Rivals100, but lost his spot atop this ranking because fellow five-star Micah Parsons moves over from the weakside defensive end position to outside linebacker. Walker is the notable riser for the second straight update, and his four-spot bump puts him in the top three. Kentucky commit Xavier Peters, California native Merlin Robertson and Michigan signee Cameron McGrone also see positive bumps among the four-stars at the position.
CORNERBACK
NOTABLE RISER: Tyson Campbell, Plantation (Fla.) American Heritage (Up 7 spots)
NOTABLE DROPPER: Anthony Cook, Houston Lamar (Down 7 spots)
COMMENTS: The number of five-star prospects at the cornerback position grows, despite Cook losing his fifth star and dropping out of the top five. Moving into that five-star territory are California native Olaijah Griffin and Campbell, who settle into the Nos. 3 and 4 spots in this ranking. Future Clemson Tiger Kyler McMichael finds a spot in the top 10 after moving over from the Athlete position and seeing his Rivals Rating climb from 5.9 to 6.0.
SAFETY
NOTABLE RISER: DeMarvion Overshown, Arp, Tex. (Up 4 spots)
NOTABLE DROPPER: Isheem Young, Philadelphia (Pa.) Imhotep (Down 20 spots)
COMMENTS: After earning his fifth star, Texas signee Caden Sterns moves five spots up to No. 2 in this ranking. He stays behind fellow five-star Tyreke Johnson, however, who retains the top spot on the list. Ohio State signee Josh Proctor and Houston-area product Leon O’Neal make moves within the four-star range to earn spots in the top 10. Overshown, another Texas signee, lands the No. 12 spot in the ranking after his move.
ATHLETE
NOTABLE RISER: None
NOTABLE DROPPER: Kolbi Fuqua, Cordova, Ala. (Down 10 spots)
COMMENTS: Devon Williams loses his fifth star in this update, but remains No. 1 in this position ranking. Similarly, USC signee Talanoa Hufanga drops from a 6.0 to a 5.9 Rivals Rating, but stays at No. 3 here, as more prospects move out to other positions than move in. South Carolina commit Bryce Thompson moves in from the wide receiver position and takes over the No. 8 spot in this ranking, but overall there are few moves in the final update to the Athlete position.
KICKER
NOTABLE RISER: None
NOTABLE DROPPER: None
COMMENTS: The kicker rankings did not see any changes since they were introduced over the summer. Mississippi State commit Evan McPherson finishes as No. 1, followed by Clemson commit BT Potter, Georgia commit Jake Camarda, Nebraska commit Barrett Pickering and Indiana commit Charles Campbell.