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Five to watch for 2018: Mid-Atlantic region

RELATED: First Rivals100 rankings release for 2018 class | Five to watch Midwest | Five to watch Southeast

KJ Henry
KJ Henry
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Top-end talent is plentiful in the Mid-Atlantic’s 2018 class. There are 18 players from the Mid-Atlantic in the initial Rivals100. Here are five to keep an eye on as the recruiting process goes forward.

Recruiting wrap: Jurkovec holds offers from some of the nation’s top programs. Notre Dame, Pittsburgh, Ohio State and Penn State seem to be in the best position for him right now, but his Alabama offer is intriguing.

Why we should watch: Western Pennsylvania has such a rich quarterback history going back to Hall of Famers like Joe Montana, Dan Marino and with more recent guys like Terrelle Pryor. Keeping that in mind, Jurkovec is only the third quarterback from the Western Pennsylvania area to throw for more than 2,000 yards and rush for more than 1,000 yards in the same season. His talent is undeniable and his potential is seemingly limitless.

Who he’s up against: The only two quarterbacks ranked ahead of Jurkovec as five-stars are Matt Corral and Trevor Lawrence. Highly rated dual-threat quarterbacks like Joey Gatewood, Emory Jones, Dorian Thompson-Robinson and Jalen Mayden are nipping at Jurkovec’s heel, trying to claim his top spot in the dual-threat quarterback rankings.

Recent recruit comparison: Blake Barnett, Alabama, 2015

Recruiting wrap: Only N.C. State, Duke, East Carolina and Charlotte were smart enough to offer Person early. Duke and N.C. State are at the top of his list right now but many more offers are in his future, so things could change.

Why we should watch: With only four offers in hand, Person’s offer sheet is bound to blow up. There could be days when he is pulling in three or four offers a day. Person is dominant with the ball in his hands and could be an excellent defensive player in college. It should be fun to see which side of the ball he ends up on in college.

Who he’s up against: Classified as an athlete, there are a lot of players competing with Person in the rankings. Jaiden Woodbey, L'Christian Smith and Houston Griffith all have a Rivals Rating of 6.0. If Person moves to all-purpose back, he would be rated ahead of Ricky Slade and Stanley Hackett. If he were to move to outside linebacker, Person would be ranked ahead of Merlin Robertson, Teradja Mitchell, Quin Williams and Zakoby McClain.

Recent recruit comparison: Joe Mixon, Oklahoma, 2014

Recruiting wrap: The offers have been rolling in for Dotson. Within the last week, Alabama, Auburn, Georgia, Virginia Tech and North Carolina have offered. USC is his dream school, but the Trojans haven’t offered just yet. Dotson has yet to really do much research into any school that has offered him.

Why we should watch: Have you looked at this kid’s film? It’s outstanding. Dotson isn’t the biggest kid but he flies around the field, makes leaping catches look easy and defenders are tripping over themselves just trying to get a hand on him. He could shoot up the rankings this offseason.

Who he’s up against: Nine of the 14 receivers to make the initial Rivals100 are taller than 6-foot-1. Dotson, Kamryn Babb, Amon-Ra St. Brown, Camron Johnson and Quandree White are all 6-foot-1 or shorter and all have a 5.9 Rivals Rating. If Dotson wants to be considered one of the top receivers in the 2018 class he’ll have to compete with taller receivers like Justyn Ross, Brian Hightower, Sean Shaw and five-star Jalen Hall.

Recent recruit comparison: Trevon Sidney, USC, 2016

Recruiting wrap: Henry’s recruitment has been rolling along very nicely. He’s steadily picked up close to 15 scholarship offers and more are sure to come. Clemson, North Carolina, Tennessee and N.C. State are in good position with Henry, but a decision is a long way off.

Why we should watch: Henry is a former basketball player and is really just beginning to scratch the surface of his potential. North Carolina is a hotbed for defensive line talent, so Henry’s recruitment will be a fierce contest.

Who he’s up against: Currently listed as a weakside defensive end, Henry is looking up at Micah Parsons in his position rankings and is rated the same as Tennessee Pututau and Justin Mascoll. Already 6-foot-5 and 220 pounds, Henry could develop into a strongside defensive end. If that happens he’ll be competing against players like Tyler Friday, Alfred Thomas, Xavier Thomas and Max Wright.

Recent recruit comparison: Jalen Dalton, North Carolina, 2015

Recruiting wrap: Maryland, Rutgers, Boston College and Temple have offered Sitkowski. More will definitely come in as he continues to make take more visits and get in front of most coaches.

Why we should watch: Everybody loves tracking the quarterback dominoes and Sitkowski is a big one. His recruitment has started off slowly because of the offense his high school runs and the competition in his league isn’t great. Once coaches get a closer look at him, the offers will start flowing and he will become one of the most coveted quarterbacks in the country.

Who he’s up against: The competition at pro-style quarterback is tough. Five-stars Matt Corral and Trevor Lawrence sit atop the rankings. Sitkowski, Brevin White, Cameron Rising, Jacob Sirmon and Jack West follow them with a Rivals Rating of 5.9.

Recent recruit comparison: K.J. Costello, Stanford, 2016

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