Making the Case: Which player is on the verge of earning a fourth star?
The preseason update of the Rivals250 for the 2023 class was unveiled this week. There are still two more major rankings updates remaining and many prospects could make the jump from three-star to four-star status.
The Rivals national analyst team of Clint Cosgrove, Adam Friedman, Adam Gorney, Nick Harris and Ryan Wright give their picks for who they think could become the next three-star to get their fourth star.
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NEW POSITION RANKINGS: Athlete | Safety | Cornerback | Outside LB | Inside LB | Strongside DE | Weakside DE | Defensive tackle | Offensive Tackle | Offensive Guard | Center | Wide Receiver | Tight End | Running Back | All-Purpose Back | Pro-Style QB | Dual-Threat QB
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RIVALS RANKINGS WEEK
Sunday: Who should be No. 1?
Monday: Five-Star Countdown | Should Branch be the No. 1 WR? | Who will be the next five-star?
Tuesday: New Rivals250 | Biggest Movers | Gorney goes position-by-position
Wednesday: Offensive position rankings released | Teams that should be pleased | QB rankings spotlight | RB rankings spotlight | WR/TE rankings spotlight | OL rankings spotlight
Thursday: Defensive position rankings released | D-Line rankings spotlight | Linebacker rankings spotlight | DB rankings spotlight | Could this be the best QB class ever?
Friday: State rankings released
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COSGROVE: DARIUS TAYLOR
There are at least 10 Midwest recruits who are borderline four-star prospects right now, and many more are sure to emerge as the new season gets underway. As things stand today I'll go with Minnesota athlete commit Darius Taylor for next man up in the four-star conversation.
He is a dynamic athlete who has all of the tools to be a special player at the next level. With a number of his former high school teammates off to play in college, Taylor should take on a more featured role and he will be given every opportunity to put his full skill set on display this season.
Look for Taylor to have a memorable senior year, one that will catapult him into the four-star discussion in our next rankings meetings.
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FRIEDMAN: KAVEION KEYS
Keys is a really impressive athlete at linebacker, but he is a bit raw technically. He has a great frame, standing at about 6-foot-3 and close to 210 pounds, and he does a great job playing in space. It'll be very interesting to see how well he does this fall when we see him in person.
We'll be paying close attention to his physicality and strength against the run. We already know he is a good blitzer and has a skill set that should allow him to cover running backs and linebackers toward the sideline and down the field.
North Carolina and Penn State are just two of the teams that are vying for his commitment this fall.
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GORNEY: KENNY MINCHEY
After a very strong performance at the Elite 11 this summer, an argument could be made that Minchey should already be a four-star prospect. He moved up in the latest round of rankings but should go even higher with a big senior season.
He has a college-ready body, an impressive arm and the Pitt commit really stood out on the biggest quarterback stage this summer by being in the upper half of players there. Maybe his ascendency is a little slower than it should be, but he will have a chance to get that four-star ranking this season.
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HARRIS: TREVOR GOOSBY
Melissa (Texas) offensive tackle Trevor Goosby was a late bloomer on the recruiting trail over the last year or so, but that didn’t prevent him from ending up committed to a high Power Five program (Texas). His ideal frame at 6-foot-6, 282 pounds allows him to use his strength at the tackle position, but it’s his mobility and movement that I see that could allow him to move up in the rankings.
His quick feet help him to stay in front of more agile and athletic defensive ends, making life easy in the pocket for his quarterback. If his offseason improvements can translate to the field in a healthy manner this season, four-star status could be in order.
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WRIGHT: TJ METCALF
The state of Alabama is absolutely loaded in the 2023 class, and Metcalf is one of the headliners. Metcalf is a true free safety who can cover from sideline to sideline and come down the alley punishing running backs.
Taking on 6A Alabama offenses, Metcalf gets tested against quality competition. Another strong season roaming the field could see the Arkansas Razorback commit move up into four-star status.