New 2020 State Rankings: Midwest Region

The Midwest does not feature any five-stars in the first Rivals100, but the region has several prospects knocking on that door and an overall talent pool that appears up in the class of 2020.

2020 STATE RANKINGS: Illinois | Indiana | Michigan | Minnesota | Missouri | Ohio | Oklahoma | Wisconsin

NEW 2020 STATE RANKINGS | 2020 POSITION RANKINGS | 2020 RIVALS250

2019 STATE RANKINGS: Mid-Atlantic states rankings | Southeast states | Midwest states | Texas | Florida | West

Early returns on the class of 2020 look positive for several states across the Midwest region. We start in the Land of Lincoln, which has been down in recent years. Promising young talents have transferred out of state and overall the talent in the Chicagoland area, which sets the tone for the state, has been lacking. But, 2020 is starting off with a different tone. No state has more four-stars in the first Rivals250 ranking than Illinois, which features six, led by all-purpose back A.J. Henning. Down state also looks strong, with four-star safety Antonio Johnson leading a strong group at traditional power East St. Louis High School.

Minnesota is also seeing an uptick of talent, featuring as many four-stars to kick off the class of 2020 rankings as the state has produced in the previous five classes combined. The state of Nebraska has as many prospects right now with Power Five offers in its 2020 class as it does in its 2019 class, even though those prospects have had an extra year. Similarly, the state of Wisconsin starts out with as many prospects rated three-stars or higher in 2020 as they currently have in 2019. The Badger State is led by Rivals100 offensive tackle Trey Wedig in the 2020 class.

When it comes to states that appear down in talent, Indiana leads off the region. After a string of several strong classes, the elite prospects appear scarce in the 2020 class. Carmel four-star defensive tackle Cole Brevard is the only four-star to kick off the rankings for the class, and no other prospect in the state starts off rated higher than a 5.6 three-star. In comparison, the class of 2019 in Indiana has eight prospects rated higher than 5.6, while the class of 2018 had seven and the class of 2017 had six. That upward trend appears in jeopardy with this 2020 class.

The state of Ohio has the region’s top-ranked prospect in offensive tackle Paris Johnson Jr., but overall the top-end talent is light again in 2020, following a disturbing recent trend for the state. Fellow Queen City native Darrion Henry joins Johnson in the Rivals100, but just five overall prospects from the state start in the Rivals250, less than both Michigan and Illinois within the region. The state of Oklahoma is not showing a ton of depth early in 2020, but the top-end talent is strong, featuring five prospects that start out rated 5.7 or higher.

An interesting quirk early in the 2020 class across the Midwest is the collection of talent concentrated at specific high schools. Nowhere is this more evident than the state of Minnesota, where the early top five features four prospects from the same high school. Linebacker Kaden Johnson leads off the state of Minnesota class of 2020 rankings, and he is followed by Minnehaha Academy teammates Terry Lockett, Jalen Suggs and Craig McDonald in spots 2, 3 and 5 on the list.

Although not as prevalent, that trend appears in other states across the region as well. Three of the top five in the first ranking for the state of Missouri come from Trinity Catholic High School in St. Louis. Broken Arrow High School boasts two of the top three in the state of Oklahoma, while the top 20 in Michigan features five schools placing multiple prospects in the ranking. That ranking is led by Detroit Martin Luther King High, which places four, including Rivals100 wide receiver Rashawn Williams.

There are 13 five-stars in the first ranking of the Rivals100, and though none come from the Midwest there are several knocking on the door. Cincinnati (Ohio) St. Xavier offensive tackle Paris Johnson Jr. is the highest ranked four-star prospect in the entire 2020 class and debuts at No. 14 in the Rivals100. Oak Park, Mich., offensive guard Justin Rogers is the top- ranked prospect at his position and sits just behind Johnson at No. 16 in the rankings. Detroit Martin Luther King wide receiver Rashawn Williams also finds a spot in the top 25.

Longer shot candidates to contend for five-star status out of the Midwest include St. Louis wide receiver Jordan Johnson, who has built a lot of buzz this off-season, and Cincinnati Princeton defensive end Darrion Henry, who is apparently down 20 pounds since the winter and has dominated some early summer camps. Offensive tackle Turner Corcoran may have to wait a little longer to get the respect he deserves playing out in Kansas, but once more schools get a chance to see him the floodgate of offers should open.

When looking down the list of top prospects across the Midwest region, two position groups stand out as being particularly strong in 2020: offensive tackle and wide receiver. The offensive tackle class is led by Cincinnati’s Paris Johnson Jr., the No. 14-ranked prospect in the class. He is joined in the Rivals100 by Kansas’ Turner Corcoran and Wisconsin’s Trey Wedig, both of whom are the top-ranked prospects in their respective states. Additionally, Michigan’s Justin Rogers is starting to be recruited as an offensive tackle and could further bolster this Midwest tackle class as the No. 16-ranked prospect in the 2020 class.

Wide receiver is equally as deep at the top end, led by Detroit’s Rashawn Williams, the No. 4-ranked prospect at the position. Joining Williams in the top ten of the wide receiver position rankings are St. Louis’ Jordan Johnson and Omaha-area four-star Zavier Betts. Further down the ranking, Tulsa’s Javian Hester and Chicago’s Jadon Thompson start off as four-stars, while several more - including Michigan commit Kalil Branham - sit just outside four-star range and debut in the position rankings.

Monday: Revealing the top 10 players | Making the Case: Three who could land in top 10 | Who is the toughest to rank in 2020?

Tuesday: New Rivals100 | Mind of Mike: Farrell reacts to new R100 | Who should be No. 1 in 2020? | Will No. 1 player in 2020 head to Clemson?

Wednesday: The initial Rivals250 for 2020 | Five teams that should be pleased the most with new R250 | Rival Views: Who should top DL be? | Godfather and Gorney Podcast

Thursday: QB rankings | RB rankings | WR/TE rankings | OL rankings | Rivals Rankings Podcast | New Rivals250 by the numbers | Is Florida the team to beat for Manuel?

Friday: DL rankings | LB rankings | DB rankings | ATH rankings

Saturday: Team rankings breakdown

Sunday: Mid-Atlantic states rankings | Southeast states | Midwest states | Texas | Florida | West states