Inside the JUCO Top 100: New five-stars

Two new five-star prospects spearhead the Rivals.com postseason JUCO100 rankings, including a change at the top of the list.

Weakside defensive Jonathan Kongbo, a 6-foot-6, 260-pound prospect from Yuma (Ariz.) Arizona Western C.C., headlines the rankings at No. 1 after a dominant season. The Tennessee commit was credited with 16 tackles for a loss, including 11 sacks, in 11 games after transferring from Wyoming, where he redshirted as a freshman in 2014. But aside from his productivity, it's his potential that should have Volunteer fans excited for the next few years.

"Athletically, Kongbo is off the charts," Rivals.com national recruiting director Mike Farrell said. "You can see on film that he's a guy that plays as an outside edge, he can stand up and he's super explosive. He uses his hands extremely well for a kid that's still learning how to play football. He's got the highest ceiling of anyone in this junior college class. He can be that freak of nature that the NFL will fall in love with if everything goes perfectly at the next level."

Brooklyn (N.Y.) ASA College offensive tackle Charles Baldwin, who last week signed mid-year enrollment paperwork with Alabama, also earned a fifth star and checks in at No. 2 on the board.

"Baldwin is really solid technically," Farrell said. "He probably won't put other guys on their backs too often, but you expect that more at the high school level anyway. He's very good when he resets his feet. Even if you knock him off balance for a moment, he is quick to react. I don't see any weaknesses in his game and I know he can hang with SEC competition with the fact that, at this point, he's a highly developed pass-protection guy."

Offensive tackle Garett Bolles, wide receiver Taj Williams and running back Mark Thompson round out the top five. Bolles has already officially visited Michigan State, Oregon and Arkansas, and has locked in a trip to Georgia for late January. Williams and Thompson signed with TCU and Florida, respectively.

In all, the rankings feature 28 four-star recruits, including top-rated quarterback Jérod Evans, a dual-threat prospect who signed with Virginia Tech last week. Evans sits at No. 8 overall and the two other four-star signal callers, Troy Williams (Utah) John Franklin III (Auburn), are No. 25 and No. 30, respectively.

"It's the first time there has been a coaching change at Virginia Tech in forever, but based on how the coaches used Paxton Lynch at Memphis, the offense is perfect for a guy like Evans," Farrell said. "That offense allows him to utilize his athleticism, get outside and create things. Troy Williams has a very strong arm and he's going into a power offense where he could do things off play action, bring those linebackers and safeties in close, and then throw it over the top. Franklin is not a tremendously polished passer, but he's a good fit in that Auburn offense. People are counting on him to be the future since the quarterback situation there is not a good one."

Offensive lineman Malcolm Pridgeon, who visited Florida earlier this month, is No. 6 on the list and JaMarcus King, who signed with South Carolina, is the top overall cornerback at No. 7 in the rankings. After Evans, wide receiver Jeff George (Tennessee) and linebacker Tyree Horton (TCU) close out the top 10.

"It's a down year with skill-position guys overall, at least at the top," Farrell said. "It's a big year for linemen and that's probably more important to schools because it's a harder position to find a guy and just plug in. There should be some immediate contributors there."

Click Here to view this Link.