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Published Sep 11, 2024
Rankings Spotlight: Ten prospects that have boosted their stock this season
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Adam Friedman  •  Rivals.com
Rankings Director and National Transfer Portal Analyst
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A few weeks have passed since the beginning of the high school football season and some prospects have already shown that they’re a bit better than we originally expected. Here are 10 prospects who have already helped boost their stock for the next rankings update.

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Anding has a knack for making the big play. The LSU cornerback commit gets his hands on the ball frequently and shows a great sense of timing when jumping to make a play on the pass.

Anding has solid footwork and has a really good feel in coverage. He’s not afraid to take on blockers and has an aggressive streak when trying to make a play against the run.

There may only be a handful of linebackers in this class that are as explosive as Braker. The LSU commit out of Georgia flies around the field in coverage and when chasing down ball carriers toward the sideline. What's even more impressive is the way he changes direction.

He does it with such quickness and acceleration that there is almost no speed lost in the transition. Braker’s aggressive hands keep offensive linemen from slowing him down on his way to the ball carrier. He makes a habit of running through ball carries when making a tackle. Braker’s skill set should allow him to make an early impact at the next level.

Harris has been rising up the rankings since the spring and that trend will likely continue after an outstanding start to the season. The 2026 top-100 prospect out of North Carolina has showcased his versatility across the defensive line.

While he relies mostly on his explosive first step and lower body strength to get by the offensive lineman, Harris has a few hand techniques that are very effective. Given how dominant he currently is and how much room he has to improve, the potential to move up the rankings even more is a definite possibility.

Rutgers found a really impressive defensive tackle in Kyle. The 6-foot-3, 320-pound Georgia native looks like the Energizer Bunny on film. He never stops chasing down the ball carrier and offensive linemen can barely slow him down.

Kyle’s quickness at the snap, strength at the point of attack, ability to get penetration, and level of effort are all extremely impressive, especially for a player his size. A three-star rating is certainly too low for him.

It isn’t very often players emerge with such an immense amount of raw and powerful athleticism so watching Mbatchou on a week-to-week basis has been thrilling. The first year football player out of Georgia jumped at the chance to commit to an early (and wise) offer from Florida.

With a basketball background, the 6-foot-6, nearly 300-pound Mbatchou shows excellent quickness at the snap, overwhelming power, and an evolving understanding of proper hand techniques. His potential is through the roof and his ranking will reflect that in the next rankings update.

Mizell’s start to the season has multiple teams trying to pry the Florida native away from the Arizona Wildcats. Mizell, who clocked a 10.4 second 100m this spring, started his senior season with 17 catches for 389 yards and four touchdowns in just two games. That’s absurd production regardless of the level of competition. With that kind of elite speed, Mizell is an obvious downfield threat but he’s also shown the ability to turn short catches into big plays.

At 6-foot-1 and 160 pounds, Mizell isn’t going to break a lot of tackles but he doesn’t need to since defenders can barely get a hand on him.

Myles is proving to be one of the very best receiver prospects in this class. The 6-foot-3, 220-pound speedster got a huge boost in the preseason update of the Rivals250 and it looks like he’ll be getting another one after this season. In his first two games this season Myles accounted for nine catches, nearly 250 yards, and four touchdowns.

Three of those touchdowns came in an upset win over IMG Academy. With the unique traits Myles brings to the field, defensive backs will almost always be overmatched against him.

In hindsight, Peterkin probably shouldn’t have slid out of the Rivals250. The Virginia Tech commit is a physical receiver with excellent hands. He covers a ton of ground and quarterbacks will love throwing in his direction thanks to his large wingspan.

Peterkin has a basketball background and it has helped him when fighting for contested catches. He has the tools to be an outstanding deep threat at the next level and he could turn into a dominant receiver if he continues to refine his route running skills.

Tupou is an intriguing prospect with a skill set that could allow him to play offense or defense at the next level. The 6-foot-4, 210-pound Utah commit has a basketball background and that type of athleticism shows on film.

Tupou covers ground quickly for his size and does a good job using his hands as a defensive end and as a tight end. He has natural ball skills and moves well in the open field, which makes it very likely he finds himself lining up as a tight end once he arrives on campus.

Williams got on the radar early in the process and now the Georgia commit is showing the development we’ve been looking for. The Florida native has added some solid mass to his frame, which has helped him play with more of an aggressive streak and become noticeably more twitchy as a route runner.

Williams is now much more dangerous with the ball in his hands and his ranking will, in all likelihood, reflect this positive development in the postseason rankings update.

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