Rival Views: Which five-star demotion will we regret most?
The Rivals team of analysts doesn’t always see eye to eye. In today’s Rival Views, National Recruiting Analyst Adam Gorney and Southeast Recruiting Analyst Woody Wommack debate one player whose ranking drop from five- to four-star we will regret the most.
MORE: Farrell's thoughts on new Rivals100
CLASS OF 2021 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Position | Team | State
2020 RIVALS RANKINGS WEEK:
Monday: Top 10 released
Tuesday: Rivals100 released | Breaking down the new five-stars
Wednesday: Rivals250 released
Thursday/Friday: Final position rankings released
Saturday: Team rankings breakdown
Sunday: Final state rankings released
GORNEY’S VIEW: SAV’ELL SMALLS
“When I was hearing reports that Smalls did not look physically impressive and that he wasn’t overly athletic at the Under Armour game, I was definitely taken aback because when I saw him at a 7-on-7 tournament in the spring he looked fantastic, played middle linebacker and moved well in space.
“Smalls has been very impressive for years and my bet is that an average week at Under Armour is going to be more the outlier than the norm in his college career. He has fantastic size, he has speed to the edge and power inside and he can also drop and play coverage if needed. I just don’t agree with the argument that he doesn’t have first-round potential in the coming years.
“And he’s going to a perfect situation. Washington is going to use someone with Smalls’ size and ability, he’s going to have the chance to be developed by an outstanding coaching staff and if he focuses on football, I’m guessing he could be really special for the Huskies. In the model of Montez Sweat or Anfernee Jennings, Smalls is going to make us regret dropping him from five to four stars.”
*****
WOMMACK’S VIEW: FRED DAVIS
“Gorney and I were both outvoted when it came to these guys, and Davis came into the week under scrutiny because some analysts haven't been as high on him for a while. When he gave up a touchdown in the game, that just helped seal his fate when it came to a rankings drop.
“However, when looking at Davis' complete body of work, this is one we will regret. Davis has elite length and is a terrific cover man that has shown versatility throughout his high school career. He compares favorably to Trayvon Mullen, who thrived at Clemson and had a successful NFL rookie season this year with the Raiders.
"Unlike some other highly ranked players who elected to sit out the all-star circuit with minor injuries, Davis played through a hamstring tweak and it may have impacted his showing throughout the week."