The 2019 class is officially on the clock and with the early Signing Period just about nine months away and the first opportunity for prospects to take official visits coming this spring, it’s time for recruiting fans from across the country to start familiarizing themselves with the class of 2019.
We at Rivals.com are here to help. Over the next two weeks, we will introduce the top five players at each position in the class. Today we take a look at safeties.
MEET THE 2019 CLASS: PQB | DTQB | AP RB | RB | WR | TE | OL | SDE | DT | DE | OLB
Early contenders: Texas A&M (committed), Arkansas
Breakdown: The nation’s No. 1 safety made an early commitment, pulling the trigger for Texas A&M in January. Since then, he’s kept a low profile on the recruiting circuit, focusing more on helping bring talent with him to College Station than entertaining other schools. The reason Arkansas could be a factor is his brother Raleigh Williams is a former Hawgs running back who is also a member of the school’s coaching staff as a graduate assistant. Will that be enough to at least get Arkansas an official visit? Even if it is, it’s unlikely Williams ends up anywhere but A&M.
Early contenders: Texas, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Michigan, Ohio State, Alabama, among others.
Breakdown: As an Oklahoma native and an elite recruit, it’s no surprise that Hill is of utmost importance to both Oklahoma and Oklahoma State. While the Sooners and Cowboys are off to good starts in their pursuit of Hill, they have plenty of company from out of state programs as well. Ohio State has been high on Hill’s list since the Buckeyes offered last year and he’s set to be on campus at Michigan next weekend. The trip to Ann Arbor will be one of several Hill makes but could be very important in terms of the eventual outcome of his recruitment.
Early contenders: Alabama (committed), Florida, Florida State, Miami, Ohio State, Georgia, Georgia Tech, among others.
Breakdown: Gant committed to the Tide just before Christmas, taking his name off the market about a year before he can officially sign his National Letter of Intent. Since that time he’s been consistent in his praise of the Tide, while also exploring his options on other visits. He recently visited Miami, Georgia and Georgia Tech and has several more trips on the books. Like any early commitment, Gant is likely to keep an open mind while remaining the fold with Alabama for the foreseeable future.
Early contenders: Penn State, North Carolina, Notre Dame, Michigan, Ohio State, Virginia Tech, Texas, among others.
Breakdown: A native of the Mid-Atlantic, Cine recently moved to Texas to finish his high school career. Because of that big change, his recruitment is really in flux, with several new programs now on his radar. Penn State has been a constant in the picture for the better part of the last year, as has Michigan and Ohio State. Texas recently entered the mix with a picture and appears to be enamored with Cine as a prospect. Now that he’s in the Longhorns backyard, the Big Ten programs are going to be in quite a fight to land his commitment.
Early contenders: Clemson, Georgia, Michigan, Notre Dame, Penn State, Wisconsin, Oklahoma, Virginia Tech.
Breakdown: Notre Dame has been the presumed leader for Ajavon for quite a while and that hasn’t really changed, even with him in the midst of taking visits to several other programs. Most expect him to land with the Irish, but he’s still doing his due diligence. The programs most likely to give Notre Dame a run for their money are Michigan, Wisconsin and Penn State, all of which Ajavon is trying to visit soon. But don’t expect him to remain on the market for long, as a commitment could come before summer.
