8/21/2014 football Edit

Inside look: Class of 2015 position rankings

Josh Helmholdt

Recruiting Analyst

PRO-STYLE QUARTERBACKS

NOTABLE RISER: Michael Dare, Elmwood Park (N.J.) Memorial (Up 9 spots)

NOTABLE DROPPER: James Morgan, Green Bay (Wisc.) Ashwaubenon (Down 6 spots)

COMMENTS: Five-star Josh Rosen remains No. 1 in the ranking and continues to distance himself from the field. After a strong summer that included an impressive Saturday at the Rivals100 Five-Star Challenge, Penn State commit Brandon Wimbush now takes over the No. 2 position. USC commit Sam Darnold makes the highest debut, landing at No. 7.

DUAL-THREAT QUARTERBACKS

NOTABLE RISER: Deondre Francois, Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy (Up 3 spots)

NOTABLE DROPPER: Kelly Bryant, Piedmont (S.C.) Wren (Down 1 spot)

COMMENTS: Alabama commit Blake Barnett moves up from No. 3 to take over the top position based on the strength of his summer performances. Francois, the Rivals100 Five-Star Challenge Quarterback MVP, jumps three spots to No. 5, but the same names from the spring rankings update occupy the top 15 spots on the list. Boston College commit Elijah Robinson and Wake Forest commit Kendall Hinton are the only new additions.

ALL-PURPOSE BACKS

NOTABLE RISER: Tim Irvin, Palmetto Bay (Fla.) Westminster Christian (Up 2 spots)

NOTABLE DROPPER: None

COMMENTS: There were very few changes in the ranking during this cycle. Irvin jumps from No. 4 to No. 2, moving Nebraska commit Kendall Bussey and Oklahoma commit Rodney Anderson to Nos. 3 and 4, respectively, but the rest of the top 20 remains unchanged from the spring rankings update.

RUNNING BACKS

NOTABLE RISER: T.J. Simmons, Lakeland (Fla.) Christian School (Up 11 spots)

NOTABLE DROPPER: Nicholas Brossette, Baton Rouge (La.) Univ. Laboratory School (Down 12 spots)

COMMENTS: LSU commit Derrius Guice jumps six spots to join five-stars Damien Harris and Jacques Patrick in the top three. Another LSU commit, David Ducre, comes over from the fullback ranking and starts off in the No. 22 position. Simmons, a UCLA commit, comes from outside the top 20 to take over the final spot in the top 10.

FULLBACKS

NOTABLE RISER: Chandler Cox, Apopka, Fla. (Up 1 spot)

NOTABLE DROPPER: None

COMMENTS: With Ducre moving to the Running Back ranking, Auburn commit Cox takes over the No. 1 position on the list and he also moves up from a 5.6 to a 5.7 Rivals Rating. The new addition is LSU commit Bry'Kiethon Mouton, who comes over from the tight end ranking to take over the No. 2 spot on the list.

WIDE RECEIVERS

NOTABLE RISER: Deon Cain, Tampa Bay Tech (Up 13 spots)

NOTABLE DROPPER: Stanley Morgan, New Orleans St. Augustine (Down 14 spots)

COMMENTS: Alabama commit Calvin Ridley is the new No. 1. Cain, a Clemson commit, is the other new addition in the top five and he lands at the No. 4 spot. Miami-based prospect Antonio Callaway makes the highest debut on the list, starting off at No. 46 after making the jump from two-stars to a 5.7 three-star Rivals Rating.

TIGHT ENDS

NOTABLE RISER: Chris Clark, Avon (Conn.) Old Farms (Up 2 spots)

NOTABLE DROPPER: Hale Hentges, Jefferson City (Mo.) Helias (Down 7 spots)

COMMENTS: UCLA commit Alize Jones holds onto the No. 1 spot in this ranking by the slimmest of margins, barely edging out a fast-rising Clark, who sits just one spot behind him in the Rivals100. The rest of the top 5 remains the same, but Wisconsin commit Kyle Penniston takes over the No. 6 spot after Hentges' slide. The ranking expands to a top 25 this cycle, and Auburn commit Jalen Harris makes the highest debut at No. 15.

OFFENSIVE TACKLES

NOTABLE RISER: Kevin Feder, Ramsey (N.J.) Don Bosco Prep (Up 42 spots)

NOTABLE DROPPER: Sterling Jenkins, Pittsburgh Baldwin (Down 7 spots)

COMMENTS: New five-star Martez Ivey jumps up from No. 4 to take over the top spot in the ranking. Drew Richmond is the other new five-star at the position and he rounds out the top five. The 6-foot-9, 305-pound Feder, an Ohio State commit, makes a meteoric rise to land in the top 10. California native Dru Samia makes the highest debut at No. 35, after moving up from a 5.5 to a 5.7 Rivals Rating.

OFFENSIVE GUARDS

NOTABLE RISER: Kyonta Stallworth, Detroit Martin Luther King (Up 7 spots)

NOTABLE DROPPER: William Tuihalamaka, Los Angeles Cathedral (Down 13 spots)

COMMENTS: Alabama commits Lester Cotton and Richie Petitbon stay in the top two positions, but the changes start at No. 3, where Javon Patterson makes a small jump. Auburn commit Tyler Carr comes over from the offensive tackle ranking to take over the No. 4 spot on the list. Stallworth, a Michigan State commit, is the only new four-star and he moves into the top 20.

CENTERS

NOTABLE RISER: Tommy Hatton, Montvale (N.J.) St. Joseph's (Up 2 spots)

NOTABLE DROPPER: None

COMMENTS: Notre Dame commit Tristen Hoge takes over the No. 1 position after moving over from the offensive guard ranking while Hatton's jump earns him a spot in the top five. USC commit Cole Smith makes his debut on the list at No. 7 after several strong summer camp performances.

WEAKSIDE DEFENSIVE ENDS

NOTABLE RISER: Rick Wade, Rancho Santa Margarita (Calif.) Catholic (Up 10 spots)

NOTABLE DROPPER: None

COMMENTS: There was several positive moves, but few negative ones coming out of the summer. Georgia commit Natrez Patrick's strong showing at the Rivals100 Five-Star Challenge allows him to move up from No. 5 to No. 2. Texas commit Charles Omenihu makes the highest debut, starting off at No. 18, while Wade's bump earns him a spot in the top 20.

STRONGSIDE DEFENSIVE ENDS

NOTABLE RISER: Isaiah Washington, New Orleans Edna Karr (Up 4 spots)

NOTABLE DROPPER: Russell Ude, Atlanta Westminster (Down 11 spots)

COMMENTS: The nation's No. 1 overall prospect in 2015, Byron Cowart, leads off the ranking and is followed by CeCe Jefferson and Rasheem Green, who comes over from the defensive tackle ranking. USC commit Noah Jefferson earns his fourth star and makes the highest debut on the list, landing at No. 21.

DEFENSIVE TACKLES

NOTABLE RISER: Kahlil McKenzie, Concord (Calif.) Clayton Valley Charter (Up 2 spots)

NOTABLE DROPPER: Tim Settle, Manassas (Va.) Stonewall Jackson (Down 3 spots)

COMMENTS: The jump to five-stars by McKenzie, a Tennessee commit, earns him the No. 2 spot in the ranking behind Trenton Thompson, who remains No. 1. Darian Roseboro takes over the No. 6 position on the list after coming over from the strongside defensive end ranking and getting a ratings bump. Chicago-based Jamal Milan makes the highest debut at No. 32.

INSIDE LINEBACKERS

NOTABLE RISER: Nick Conner, Dublin (Ohio) Scioto (Up 3 spots)

NOTABLE DROPPER: None.

COMMENTS: Conner, an Ohio State commit, took home the Linebacker MVP award at the Rivals100 Five-Star Challenge in June, and moves into the top five. Memphis native Joshua McMillon moves over from the weakside defensive end ranking to assume the No. 9 spot on the list. California native Eddie Rudinski is the only prospect to make his debut based on a ratings bump.

OUTSIDE LINEBACKERS

NOTABLE RISER: Chad Smith, Sterling (Va.) Dominion (Up 7 spots)

NOTABLE DROPPER: Jeffery Holland, Jacksonville Trinity Christian (Down 20 spots)

COMMENTS: Smith, a Clemson commit, makes a big jump for the second straight rankings update and now occupies the No. 4 spot on the list. He follows new five-star Keisean Lucier-South, who comes over from the weakside defensive end position. Five-star Malik Jefferson is the new No. 1 after former No. 1 John Houston slid down a few spots in the overall ranking.

CORNERBACKS

NOTABLE RISER: Holton Hill, Houston Lamar (Up 17 spots)

NOTABLE DROPPER: Ugo Amadi, Nashville John Overton (Down 6 spots)

COMMENTS: The top five remains unchanged from the spring rankings update. Hill is the first major upward mover, checking in at No. 12 after his second straight ratings bump. San Diego native Frank Buncom IV also makes a positive move into the top 15. Further down the list, Louisiana-based DeShawn Raymond and California commit Malik Psalms are new four-stars who rank in the top 35.

SAFETIES

NOTABLE RISER: Dior Johnson, Southfield, Mich. (Up 11 spots)

NOTABLE DROPPER: None.

COMMENTS: Alabama commit Deionte Thompson is a new five-star, but remains No. 3 in this ranking. In fact, the top five stays the same with the changes starting at No. 6, where Texas A&M commit Justin Dunning now sits after a ratings bump. Johnson, a Wake Forest commit, is one of two new four-stars moving up the ranking along with Miami native DaVante Davis.

ATHLETES

NOTABLE RISER: Javarius Davis, Jacksonsville Ed White (Up 15 spots)

NOTABLE DROPPER: Keke Coutee, Lufkin, Tex. (Down 7 spots)

COMMENTS: Clemson commit Ray-Ray McCloud III earns his fifth star, but he remains No. 2 on the list following Georgia commit Terry Godwin. California native Stanley Norman and Michigan commit Brian Cole move into the top five after one prospect moves to a different position and another drops.