Rival Views: Who could jump into the top 10 of the 2020 Rivals100?
Rivals.com National Recruiting Director Mike Farrell and National Recruiting Analyst Adam Gorney don’t always see eye to eye. In this edition of Rival Views, the two debate which two or three players could see a jump into the top 10 in the next 2020 rankings cycle:
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FARRELL'S VIEW
For me I’m going to go with offensive lineman Tate Ratledge, defensive tackle Justin Rogers and running back Bijan Robinson.
Ratledge is the best tackle in this class and I like his aggressiveness and physical demeanor. Rodgers could be a standout in the offensive or defensive line and is super athletic. The running back battle will be an interesting one and I think Robinson has the skill set to push into the top-10 with a big season.
GORNEY'S VIEW
I am open to having any player jump into the top 10 if it’s warranted based on their performance and projection through their senior seasons, but the three I particularly have my eye on are tight end Arik Gilbert, running back Zachary Evans and linebacker Noah Sewell.
At the Rivals100 Five-Star Challenge this summer, I thought Gilbert and Sewell were arguably the two best players in attendance as they dominated the event in their separate ways.
We don’t see players like Gilbert emerge often - guys who look like tight ends or small forwards but who run as well as any receiver in this class. And we might have never seen a linebacker like Sewell, who at 260 pounds can move as well as anybody. In games, they’re both dominant as well.
Evans is a really interesting one. He has all the talent and physical ability in the world and there’s a real argument that he’s the second-best running back from the state of Texas behind Adrian Peterson in Rivals history. But he had a really quiet summer and so he needs to prove himself in a big way in the coming months. But he has the ability to once again be in the top-10 discussion.