Rivals Bubble Talk: Who is the next five-star from the South?
The best of the best are ranked as five-stars at Rivals.com. Today, in our continuing daily coverage of recruiting, we look at the top five players in the South that are ranked as high four-stars to see how they are performing this season. Could one or more make that move and add that fifth star when the next rankings are updated?
RELATED: Which 2021 prospects will get a rankings bump?
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Jones has played well this season. He has become better in pass protection, he has grown stronger and he is simply playing with more consistency. He is still raw in some areas, and there will be a learning curve when he goes to the next level, but the Georgia commit has seen his stock rise some in my eyes.
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Bigsby is the one player in this group I have yet to see play live this season. He has, as usual, made his share of highlights though. He is a little banged up now, with an ankle injury, but Bigsby is a big running back with speed and hands out of the backfield. The Auburn commit will be in that five-star discussion when all is said and done.
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Robinson has been good this season, and when I saw him play he flashed on a few plays, but it is hard seeing him as a five-star today based on this season's performance. Schools do run away from him at times, but he has to improve at the point of attack and he has to play the run better when he gets to the next level. The Alabama commit is long, he plays with energy and he can pressure the quarterback, so he will be fun to watch develop down the road in Tuscaloosa.
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Bailey had a very strong off-season, and continued to play up to his ranking on Rivals.com. The Tennessee commit has definitely had his moments this season, with a late touchdown to win a game against a national power St. Joseph's Prep (Pa.) being a real highlight of his career. In the game I saw him play against Grayson, he threw four interceptions, so it was an off night for him, but overall this season he has played at a high level. He is likely to get a real shot to play early in Knoxville.
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Webb continues to make plays. He just shows up play after play. He does his job, he plays his assignment, he plays within the defense and he shows up on a regular basis. In the game I saw him last month, he blocked a field goal, he almost blocked a punt, he had a couple tackles for loss, he made plays against the run and he played within the defense. He is a smart, not flashy, player that does his job. It is easy to see why Alabama, Auburn, LSU, Oklahoma and others continue to fight over him.
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SIMMONS' TAKE
If there is one player that has made the strongest case for that fifth star during the first half of the season, it would be Jones. He is a freak athlete playing offensive tackle. There aren't many who look the way he does that can move the way he does. Jones has grown into his body, has taken that next step in his second year at offensive tackle and he has a very high ceiling.