Rivals continues to roll out its updated rankings for the 2021 class and our focus today moves to athletes. The athlete position has a list of guys on it that could end up on offense or defense in college, and only a few have committed early, so there are some major storylines to track.
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2021 rankings: Athletes
RIVALS RANKINGS WEEK:
MONDAY: Five-star countdown | Who should be the next five-star WR? | Who is best OG? | Who will finish No. 1? | How was this rankings cycle different?
TUESDAY: New Rivals250 released | New five-stars | Farrell's thoughts | Is Mario Williams the best of the new five-stars? | Who should be the next five-star QB? | Who is the best ILB in 2021?
WEDNESDAY: QB | RB | WR/TE | OL rankings breakdowns
THURSDAY: DL | LB | DB | ATH rankings breakdowns
FRIDAY: New state rankings released
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Team with top commit: GEORGIA
The top athlete to commit since the last rankings update is Lovasea Carroll of IMG Academy in Bradenton (Fla.). Before moving to the Sunshine State to play his junior season, Carroll lived in Warrenton (Ga.) and attended Warren County High. That is where his recruitment got started.
He grew up in the Peach State, so he knows all about the Bulldogs and the history in Athens. He connected with Georgia running backs coach Dell McGee and committed to the Bulldogs on April 9.
Carroll will give Georgia a versatile athlete. He is expected to play running back and be that back with speed the Bulldogs can use in space and maybe on kickoff returns. Carroll has also shown the ability to play wide receiver and safety at a high level, so Georgia has options with his position.
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Team to watch: USC
As we evaluate players further the number of players ranked as athletes will diminish, and they will land in a position ranking. But for now USC is in a strong position with two of the top uncommitted athletes in the country.
The Trojans already have a commitment from Anthony Beavers, the No. 10 athlete on Rivals, and they are in the top group of schools for in-state athlete Ceyair Wright and Georgia playmaker Nathaniel Wiggins.
There is no set date for Wright or Wiggins, and both could take their recruitments into the fall, but they either have USC on top or near the top of their lists right now. That could be a strong, very positive sign of how Clay Helton and his staff are recruiting this cycle.
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Player to watch: NATHANIEL WIGGINS
Wiggins is an Atlanta-based athlete, and he has plenty of options close to home, but he is leaning toward heading west, and a decision could come over the summer.
The four-star is being recruited by some schools to play cornerback, while others think free safety. He has options to play wide receiver, too. He is expected to end up in the defensive secondary, and USC and Oregon are his top two at this time.
Alabama, Clemson, Florida, LSU, Tennessee and Texas are some other programs in this race, and Wiggins is not planning to commit anytime soon. But we have seen players change their timelines quickly in the past, and there has been talk about Wiggins maybe being closer to a decision than he lets on.
He does want to take visits, especially out west, so that could slow his decision some, but Wiggins is a player we will be tracking very closely in the coming months.
