Rivals Ranking Week rolls along with debut of the new position rankings. While most people pay close attention to the Rivals100 and the Rivals250, plenty of moves happen across the board, especially at various positions. Today, we take a look at the new rankings at inside and outside linebacker and look at some of the biggest storylines at the position.
2019 Position Rankings: Outside linebackers | Inside linebackers | All positions
TEAM ON THE RISE: AUBURN
Auburn held this spot during the last rankings update in June, expect there’s been one major change since then. Owen Pappoe, the nation’s No. 1 ranked linebacker, is now a five-star. The player affectionately referred to as “The Freak” has been on the national recruiting radar since he was in the eighth grade and now he’s finally made the move up to five-star status.
Landing Pappoe’s commitment over Georgia and Tennessee was a huge deal for the Tigers and it’s the gift that keeps on giving as Pappoe is now alone as the only five-star linebacker in the country.
TEAM TO WATCH: CLEMSON
The Tigers quality evaluation skills continue to pay dividends as Clemson commitments are moving up the rankings charts and helping their class improve nationally. Most notably, Louisiana native Bryton Constantin, who has gone from a 5.6 three-star to the No. 92 overall player in the country and now sits at No. 3 in the inside linebacker rankings. He joins recent commit LeVonta Bentley (No. 165) in the Top 200 overall players in the country. Bentley is also ranked No. 7 inside linebacker in the country, giving the Tigers quite the dynamic duo at the position.
PLAYER TO WATCH: NAKOBE DEAN
The nation’s No. 1 ranked inside linebacker Nakobe Dean continues to keep coaches and fan bases guessing as he explores his recruiting options. Most think Georgia is the team to beat, but the Dawgs have quite a lot of competition, including Alabama, Florida State and Auburn.
When it comes to prospects from the state of Mississippi it’s also never smart to rule out the in-state schools and Ole Miss has been near the forefront of Dean’s recruitment for a while. Dean also has an official visit scheduled to LSU in December, meaning several major programs could be competing to land his commitment all the way until the end.
#RivalsRankingsWeek Schedule
Monday: Who could land in new top 10? | Top 10 players revealed | Who is top wide receiver? | Could McCoy make push for No. 1?
Tuesday: Is there a 5-star QB in 2019? | Should Theo Wease be considered for No. 1? | New Rivals100 released | Farrell's Mind of Mike | Rival Views: Emery vs. Cain | Godfather & Gorney podcast
Wednesday: New Rivals250 released | Rival Views: Nolan Groulx | Five schools that should be most pleased with new rankings | Players who could finish in Rivals100
Thursday: Inside the numbers of Rivals250 | QB rankings | RB rankings | WR/TE rankings | OL rankings | Rivals Rankings podcast
Friday: DL rankings | LB rankings | DB rankings | ATH rankings
Saturday: Team rankings breakdown | Ask Farrell
Sunday: Mid-Atlantic states rankings | Southeast states | Midwest states | Texas | Florida | West
