Key trends in the 2019 Rivals.com state recruiting rankings

The first Rivals.com numerical and positional rankings for the class of 2019 came out earlier this week, with several of the college football stars of tomorrow highlighting the list. But today on Rivals.com we reveal the initial state rankings for the class of 2019 and identify some of the top storylines from the lists.

CLASS OF 2019 RANKINGS: State rankings list | Team rankings storylines | Key players in the Rivals250 | Position rankings

Of the top 14 prospects in the Texas state rankings, six are already committed to major programs. While that number is high, it’s even more worthwhile to note that just one prospect, Texas A&M quarterback commit Grant Gunnell (No. 8), is committed to an in-state school. The current crop of coaches at the Power Five programs in Texas have taken a slower approach to issuing offers than most schools in the country, and that may be one of the reasons why they each boast fewer in-state commitments. The Aggies currently lead the way with in-state commitments in the state’s top 50 with two, Gunnell and three-star wide receiver Chase Lane (No. 48).

The state of Michigan has been known to produce its share of quality offensive linemen in recent years. This year, three of the state’s top nine players work in the trenches. The list is highlighted by Devontae Dobbs, the state’s No. 1 player and the No. 25 overall player in the country. Dobbs already boasts an impressive offer list that included Alabama, Michigan, Ohio State and several others. The initial rankings also include eight four-star players, three more than the current state rankings in the class of 2018.

It’s not a surprise to see a quarterback at the top of the 2019 state rankings in California; the nation’s No. 1 player, USC commit JT Daniels, holds down the No. 1 spot in the state. But after Daniels just one other quarterback, four-star Hank Bachmeier (No. 20), is currently ranked in the state’s top 50. There are still plenty of names likely to emerge, but for context, there are six quarterbacks in the top 50 in the class of 2018 and there were four signal callers in the top 50 in 2017. As a whole, the class of 2019 class is still looking for other elite passers to emerge behind Daniels, and a lack of quarterbacks in California is rare.

Since IMG Academy started a football program in the state of Florida, rankings have been a little skewed toward the school, but the talent atop the Sunshine State rankings in the 2019 class is hard to ignore. Currently, five the state’s top 12 players are from IMG, including the state’s No. 1, Alabama running back commit Trey Sanders. Florida football purists can take solace in the fact that Sanders is a native of Port St. Joe, Fla., so regardless of where he was attending school, he would still be the state’s No. 1. Also worth noting is the staggering amount of committed players in the state – 21 of Florida's top 50 prospects are currently committed.

The No. 1 player in the state of Georgia, defensive end Christopher Hinton, may be headed out of state to Michigan, but Kirby Smart and company are already doing a good job of making sure other top prospects don’t join him. Georgia currently has two of the state’s top five players, five-star wide receiver Jadon Haslewood (No. 2) and four-star receiver Dominick Blaylock (No. 5) committed. Joining them as early elite commits to the Dawgs are the state’s No 18 player, four-star linebacker JD Bertrand, the state’s No. 23 player, Rashad Cheney, and the No. 25 player, Luke Griffin. Other programs are always going to recruit the talent-rich Peach State, but it’s clear Georgia’s emphasis on recruiting players close to home earlier in their careers is paying off.

NEW RELEASE: Full 2019 state rankings list