12/11/2014 football Edit

Inside look: Class of 2016 position rankings

Josh Helmholdt

Recruiting Analyst

PRO-STYLE QUARTERBACKS

Jacob Eason

NOTABLE RISER: Devon Modster, Mission Viejo (Calif.) Tesoro (Up 9 spots)

NOTABLE DROPPER: Keaton Torre, Edmond (Okla.) Santa Fe (Down 2 spots)

COMMENTS: Georgia commit Jacob Eason is the new No. 1 overall player in the 2016 class and leads off the ranking. The top six from the initial rankings lose a couple passers to the dual-threat category, but adds new four-star Brandon Peters of Avon, Ind., at No. 5. Modster and Tampa (Fla.) Plant's Rex Culpepper each make strong moves and now rank in the top 13.

DUAL-THREAT QUARTERBACKS

Shea Patterson

NOTABLE RISER: Keon Howard, Laurel, Miss. (Debuts at No. 19)

NOTABLE DROPPER: Zerrick Cooper, Jonesboro, Ga. (Down 8 spots)

COMMENTS: Shreveport (La.) Calvery Academy's Shea Patterson earns his fifth star in this update and remains No. 1 at the position. He is followed at No. 2 by Florida State commit Malik Henry, who moves over from the pro-style position rankings. New Jersey-based Jarrett Guarantano also moves over from the pro-style position and debuts at No. 4.

ALL-PURPOSE BACKS

Jordon Brown

NOTABLE RISER: C.J. Freeman, Charlotte (N.C.) North Guilford (Debuts at No. 10)

NOTABLE DROPPER: None

COMMENTS: The top two prospects from last ranking switch spots, with Baylor commit Kameron Martin now the top-ranked player at the position and Kyle Porter of Katy, Tex., now No. 2. The highest debut comes from Durham (N.C.) South Durham's Jordon Brown, who moves over from the athlete position and earns his fourth star in this update.

RUNNING BACKS

Matt Falcon

NOTABLE RISER: Matt Falcon, Southfield, Mich. (Up 6 spots)

NOTABLE DROPPER: Denzel Mitchell, Hamilton, Ala. (Down 6 spots)

COMMENTS: The only change in the top five is due to former No. 2 Mark Walton of Miami re-classifying to 2015. The highest debut comes from Georgia commit B.J. Emmons, who is now rated four stars and starts at No. 7 on the list. He is joined by Falcon as new four-star running backs in this update. The ranking grows from 25 to 30, including for the first time TCU commit Sewo Olonilua.

WIDE RECEIVERS

Dredrick Nelson

NOTABLE RISER: Dee Anderson, Mesquite (Tex.) West Mesquite (Up 24 spots)

NOTABLE DROPPER: Divine Deablo, Winston-Salem (N.C.) Mount Tabor (Down 20 spots)

COMMENTS: The top two spots remain unchanged from last ranking, but Plantation (Fla.) American Heritage's Dredrick Snelson moves up from the No. 10 spot to take over third position on the list. Other new additions to the top 10 include Anderson, an LSU commit, California's Tyler Vaughns, New Jersey's Ahmir Mitchell and Florida's Elijah Stove.

TIGHT ENDS

Isaac Nauta

NOTABLE RISER: Isaac Nauta, Buford, Ga. (Up 2 spots)

NOTABLE DROPPER: None

COMMENTS: Nauta continued to impress this fall and moves up to the No. 2 spot behind Cincinnati (Ohio) Moeller's Jake Hausmann. Duke commit Mark Birmingham and Ohio State commit Kierre Hawkins also increased their Rivals Ratings and get slight bumps up the list. Further down the list, Pennsylvania's Cary Angeline and Illinois' Noah Turner each make three-spot jumps.

OFFENSIVE TACKLES

Gregory Little

NOTABLE RISER: Clark Yarbrough, Woodberry Forest, Va. (Up 6 spots)

NOTABLE DROPPER: Devery Hamilton, Baltimore (Md.) Gilman School (Down 6 spots)

COMMENTS: Texas A&M commit Gregory Little takes over the No. 1 spot in the ranking and is now the No. 4 overall player in the class. Oklahoma commit Jean Delance makes the highest debut in the ranking at No. 8. Reading (Pa.) Exeter Township's Michal Menet increased his Rivals Rating to 5.9 and debuts in the top 10 at No. 9.

OFFENSIVE GUARDS

Richard Merritt

NOTABLE RISER: Will Fries, Cranford, N.J. (Debuts at No. 13)

NOTABLE DROPPER: Chandler Tuitt, Tyrone (Ga.) Sandy Creek (Down 14 spots)

COMMENTS: There were only a few movements within the list from the previous update, but several new players arrive in the top 10. North Charleston (S.C.) Fort Dorchester's John Simpson is a new four-star who debuts at No. 7, while Washington (D.C.) Archbishop Carroll's Richard Merritt moves over from the offensive tackle rankings and takes over the No. 8 spot.

CENTERS

Drake Jackson

NOTABLE RISER: Connor McGovern, Lehman (Pa.) Lake Lehman (Debuts at No. 1)

NOTABLE DROPPER: None

COMMENTS: This is the first ranking of centers in the 2016 class and McGovern heads the list. He is followed by another four-star prospect, Drake Jackson of Versailles (Ky.) Woodford County, at No. 2. Texas' Keenan Murphy, Ohio's Luke Fortner and Florida's Brett Heggie round out the ranking.

WEAKSIDE DEFENSIVE ENDS

Terrell Hall

NOTABLE RISER: Terrell Hall, Washington (D.C.) St. John's College High (Debuts at No. 9)

NOTABLE DROPPER: None

COMMENTS: The top 10 does not see any changes until you get down to Hall, a new four-star. The ranking also welcomes new four-star Khalid Kareem of Farmington Hills (Mich.) Harrison, who debuts at No. 13. Trophy Club (Tex.) Byron Nelson's Brandon Bowen is also a new addition to the ranking, and he debuts as the highest-ranked three-star at No. 16.

STRONGSIDE DEFENSIVE ENDS

Marlon Davidson

NOTABLE RISER: Marlon Davidson, Montgomery (Ala.) Carver (Up 3 spots)

NOTABLE DROPPER: Kyree Campbell, Woodbridge (Va.) Freedom (Down 10 spots)

COMMENTS: Davidson earned his fifth star in this update and takes over as the top ranked player on the list. Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) St. Thomas Aquinas' Nick Bosa also earns his fifth star and ranks No. 3 on the list. The highest debut is made by Philadelphia (Pa.) Prep Charter's Karamo Dioubate at No. 8, and right behind him at No. 9, Gardena (Calif.) Junipero Serra's Oluwole Betiku is also a new addition.

DEFENSIVE TACKLES

Julian Rochester

NOTABLE RISER: Julian Rochester, Powder Springs (Ga.) McEachern (Up 3 spots)

NOTABLE DROPPER: Kendell Jones, Killeen (Tex.) Shoemaker (Down 4 spots)

COMMENTS: Paramus (N.J.) Catholic's Rashan Gary jumps previous No. 1, Dexter Lawrence, to take over the top spot in the ranking. Both are five-star prospects. Mississippi State commit Briston Guidry makes the highest debut, starting off at No. 11 after earning his fourth star. The list expands by 10 and now includes 40 total prospects.

INSIDE LINEBACKERS

Tre Threat

NOTABLE RISER: Tre Threat, Spanish Fort, Ala. (Up 3 spots)

NOTABLE DROPPER: None

COMMENTS: Ben Davis of Gordo, Ala., jumps from the No. 2 spot in the last ranking to take over the top spot. Most of the top 10 remains the same, until you get down to the Nos. 9 and 10 spots where Threat and Chesapeake (Va.) Indian River's Jaquan Yulee land after earning their fourth stars. Yulee moves in from the outside linebacker rankings.

OUTSIDE LINEBACKERS

Keandre Jones

NOTABLE RISER: Keandre Jones, Olney (Md.) Good Counsel (Up 9 spots)

NOTABLE DROPPER: Brendan Ferns, St. Clairsville, Ohio (Down 6 spots)

COMMENTS: The list now features four five-star prospects, more than any other single position group in the class. The order of the top four remains the same, though, with Montgomery (Ala.) Carver's Lyndell Wilson at the top. Jones, a Maryland commit, rounds out the top five after jumping nine spots in this ranking and 123 spots in the Rivals250. The list grows by ten and now ranks 40 total prospects.

CORNERBACKS

Marquill Osborne

NOTABLE RISER: Marquill Osborne, Charlotte (N.C.) Hough (Up 11 spots)

NOTABLE DROPPER: John Broussard, Phenix City (Ala.) Central (Down 10 spots)

COMMENTS: The top five gets almost a complete makeover except for the No. 1 spot, which still belongs to five-star Levonta Taylor. Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy's Saivion Smith is the new No. 2 after moving over from the Athlete ranking and up to five-stars. Osborne, a Tennessee commit, rounds out the top five after his big jump.

SAFETIES

Damar Hamlin

NOTABLE RISER: Damar Hamlin, Pittsburgh (Pa.) Central Catholic (Up 3 spots)

NOTABLE DROPPER: None

COMMENTS: Atlanta (Ga.) Westlake Nigel Warrior is the new No. 1 at the position after junior season evaluations, moving up from No. 3 in the initial ranking. Hamlin and Oregon commit Brady Breeze are the only new names in the top 10 after both moved up three spots from the last ranking. The highest debut is made by Atlanta (Ga.) Grady's Marlon Character, who comes in from the Athlete ranking and earns a fourth star in this update.

ATHLETES

Devin White

NOTABLE RISER: Devin White, Springhill (La.) North Webster (Up 7 spots)

NOTABLE DROPPER: Jordan Fuller, Old Tappan, N.J. (Down 8 spots)

COMMENTS: Alabama commit Demetris Robertson remains No. 1, but the two spots behind him have been vacated by players moving out to other positions. That opened up room for White and Torrance (Calif.) North's Mique Juarez, both of whom made big jumps, to rise into the top five. The highest debut is made by Kansas City (Mo.) Rockhurst's A.J. Taylor at No. 9.