The

Rivals.com football recruiting rankings for the Class of 2004 continue to roll

out with the latest release of five more players to earn five-star status. This

edition marks players that are ranked from 16-20 in the nation and is

highlighted by two more studs from the Sunshine State, a hard-nosed linebacker

from Pennsylvania, a budding line prospect in California and one of the Lone

Star State’s best prospects.

Starting

off this edition of the rankings at No. 16 in the nation and earning five-star

status is

Verdana">Jacksonville

10.0pt;font-family:Verdana"> (Fla.)

Mandarin cornerback Tony Carter. Carter isn’t

the tallest corner in the nation and only stands 5-foot-10 and 170 pounds, but

he sticks to his men like glue and has amazing speed at 4.35 seconds in the

40-yard dash.

color:black">“He's so quick and fast that he can recover if he gets beat on a

move,” said Mandarin coach Richard Brunoski. “If you throw the ball in the air

it's 50-50 whether he's going to catch it or the receiver.

color:black">“Tony Carter is the real deal. He’s going to be playing on Sundays

someday. We had Fred Weary and Kevin Booker, and he’s more skilled than those

guys were at this stage.”

color:black">That’s quite a mouth-full, but it’s easy to believe after you see

Carter on film.

There is

just something about players from Pennsylvania in the Class of 2004. With two

players – Anthony Morrelli and Chad Henne – already earning

five-star status, next in line is

font-family:Verdana">Wallingford

(Pa.) Strath Haven outside linebacker Dan Connor.

Connor

gets the nod as the nation’s No. 17 player and at 6-foot-3, 215 pounds and a

4.55-second time in the 40-yard dash, he already looks ready for college

football Saturday’s. What makes Connor an amazing prospect is that he ran really

move and has no problems getting to the ball with his motor running. Heck, he’s

good enough that he could probably play some fullback or running back in

college.

“Dan

will play where ever you ask him to play, but he really sees himself as a

linebacker,” Strath Haven coach Kevin Clancey said.

color:black">“He just has explosive power and an awful lot of athletic ability.

On my desk I’ve got the copies of his offers from an unbelievable number of

schools. I’ve never seen a kid get so many. I’ve been here 12 years, and we have

guys playing a number of places. But he seems to be the most highly recruited

kid we’ve had.”

At No.

18 on the list and also earning a five-star ranking is Daytona Beach (Fla.)

Seabreeze dual-threat quarterback Xavier Lee.

Lee, who is 6-foot-4, 200 pounds, is a highlight reel waiting to happen. Just

check out his

scouting video on Rivals100.com if you have any doubts.

Seeing

is believing with Lee.

And

after you see Lee’s ability to kill you with pin-point passing accuracy and the

ability to scramble and dodge defenders, it’s easy to see why he’s one of the

most sought-after players in the entire nation.

color:black">"Xavier is one of the finest all-around kids I've been associated

with,” Seabreeze coach Marc Beach. “He's probably a better kid than he is a

football player, and that's saying a lot because he's a great football player."

color:black">Lee was a first-team all-state selection as a junior and earned 3A

player of the year honors. He is the half-brother of 2003

Florida State

signee Anthony Kelly, so you know that playing big time football is in his

blood.

Every

once in a while there is a player that comes along with raw, untapped football

ability but has the desire and most importantly the body to turn himself into a

future NFL player one day. This year’s edition is

Thomas Herring of Los Angeles Freemont.

Herring

is a 6-foot-6, 292-pound beast that has been clocked at – yes this is correct –

4.8-seconds in the 40-yard dash and some teams are even recruiting him as a

tight end and defensive end. But it’s at offensive tackle that this five star

selection and No. 19 player in the nation should see his future at.

Herring

is also an outstanding basketball player, but he does realize that his future is

on the gridiron.

“Thomas

doesn’t know how good he is yet,” said Freemont coach Peter Duffy said. “He’s

just beginning to go full speed. When Thomas learns to play he’s going to be

unstoppable. When he turns it on and lets his physical ability take over, there

is no one better.”

The

recruiting analysts agree. Herring is one of those special players that

if he stays focused on the football field and continues to develop, the sky is

the limit.

When

Lake Highlands, Texas, defensive tackle Franklin

Okam was first evaluated on tape by Rivals100, it was met with mixed

emotions. Sure there was no doubting that he was an incredible physical specimen

at 6-foot-5 and 295 pounds, but he didn’t seem to make a ton of plays.

Guess we

must have picked his worst game of the season. Because after further review of

game footage, Okam almost can’t be blocked and even if you put two or three men

on him, he seems to find a way to the quarterback. One district game last season

was the perfect example. Instead of running right at Okam, his opponent decided

to roll out or run away from his side the entire game.

It

didn’t matter.

Okam

used his 4.9-second speed to run down the quarterback or ball carrier on almost

every play, and even if he didn’t make the play he disrupted things so badly

that the damage was done and the game plan had to be thrown out the window.