Georgia, South Carolina producing high number of 5-star DEs

Over the history of Rivals dating back to 2002, certain states have produced more five-star prospects than others at certain positions. Today, we move to defensive ends, which states have been most impactful and which ones have done surprisingly well.

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CLASS OF 2021 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Position | Team | State

CLASS OF 2022 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Position | Team | State

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The names: Carl Lawson, Brandon Miller, Ray Drew, Brenton Cox, Antonneous Clayton, Adam Anderson, Stephon Tuitt, Robert Nkemdiche, Myles Murphy, William Anderson, Tyre West

Overview: The state of Georgia has consistently produced top-notch defensive ends during the Rivals era, but in recent years there has been a ramp-up and that should continue through the 2022 class and beyond. Nkemdiche was the No. 1 player in the 2013 recruiting class and then Murphy and Anderson were five-stars in the 2020 class before going to Clemson and Alabama, respectively. West is the top-rated strong-side defensive end in the 2022 class with 25 offers and Georgia could be tough to beat in his recruitment.

Farrell’s take: Is it any surprise that the Peach State is on any list for rising talent? Across the board, Georgia has been improving when it comes to elite athletes over the last decade or so and DE is no exception. Oddly it’s other schools like Clemson, Auburn, Florida, Alabama and others who are benefiting more than the Georgia Bulldogs and that needs to change soon. Notice that there aren’t a ton of busts here either.

The names: Jaelan Phillips, Ronald Powell, Korey Foreman, Keisean Lucier-South, Aziz Shittu, Rasheem Green, Jeff Schweiger Jr., Kayvon Thibodeaux, Jackson Jeffcoat, Eddie Jones, R.J. Washington, DeMarvin Leal, Myles Garrett, Jarvis Moss, Tunmise Adeleye, Alex Okafor

Overview: California and Texas are two of the most talent-rich states in the country, so it’s no surprise that each have produced eight five-star defensive ends in the Rivals era. Foreman is the top-rated prospect in the 2021 class, Thibodeaux has emerged as one of the stars in college football and should even more once the Pac-12 stars playing again and that’s just from California players. Leal could be a star at Texas A&M, Garrett is an NFL star and Adeleye is a five-star in this recruiting class who recently narrowed his list to Alabama, Florida and Texas A&M.

Farrell’s take: Two of the three biggies when it comes to producing talent being on this list is certainly not unexpected and there are some good ones in here like Garrett and Okafor. But there are also a ton of busts for different reasons in both California and Texas and that puzzles me.

The names: Jadeveon Clowney, Ricky Sapp. Zacch Pickens, Daquan Bowers, Carlos Dunlap, Xavier Thomas, Jordan Burch

Overview: Not only can South Carolina boast seven five-star defensive ends, but they’re some of the biggest names in the game - whether at the NFL or college level with Clowney being arguably the best high school player in the Rivals era and Dunlap having a decade-long career with the Cincinnati Bengals where he’s had more than 80 sacks. Thomas has yet to fully realize his potential at Clemson but he has superstar potential. Next up could be Pickens and Burch for the Gamecocks.

Farrell’s take: This is really impressive as you think of Clowney as the guy in South Carolina, but others like Bowers, Dunlap and Sapp had excellent careers. The athleticism at the position is unrivaled nationally, even in the big three states and Georgia. It’s really astonishing in many ways.

Florida produces five-stars across the board but defensive end has not been particularly fruitful as that state and Maryland are tied with six each. Ohio has had five, Virginia four and then Arizona, Mississippi, North Carolina and Tennessee three each. Illinois and Michigan have had two and then Alabama, Colorado, Hawaii, New Jersey, New York, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Washington, Washington, D.C., and Wisconsin one each.