Rivals Rankings Week: Breaking down the 2019 wide receivers
Senior seasons are almost finished and the postseason update to the Rivals position rankings is rolling out. There were a lot of moves in the wide receiver and tight end rankings and some huge decommitments have set the stage of a wild run to the Early Signing Period and to Signing Day. Here is a look at the landscape now the newest rankings update has come out.
More Rivals Rankings Week:
Monday: Updated Top 10 | Debating Smith vs. Thibodeaux
Tuesday: 2019 Rivals100 revealed | Mind of Mike
Wednesday: 2019 Rivals250 revealed
Thursday: 2019 position rankings revealed
TEAMS WITH TOP COMMITS: Clemson, Oklahoma, Oregon, Texas A&M
It's hard to name which one of these teams, the same four from the preseason rankings update, has the best class of receivers and tight ends.
Oregon, with receivers Lance Wilhoite and Mycah Pittman in the Rivals100 along with tight end Patrick Herbert and receiver Josh Delgado in the Rivals250, is the only program in the country that can boast two pass catchers in the Rivals100 and two in the Rivals250.
Texas A&M has four commits in the Rivals250. Baylor Cupp, the No. 2 tight end in the country, leads the Aggie commits at No. 128 in the Rivals250 followed closely by receiver Dylan Wright. Kam Brown and Kenyon Jackson, both receivers, join them in the Rivals250.
Oklahoma has the best one-two punch at wide receiver. Five-stars Theo Wease and Trejan Bridges, Nos. 1 and 4 in the wide receiver rankings, will be making plays for the Sooners for years to come. Austin Stogner, the No. 4 tight end in the Rivals250, gives the Sooners more of a presence in the Rivals250.
The only wide receiver duo that can really challenge Oklahoma's are Clemson's Joseph Ngata, a new five-star, and Frank Ladson, the No. 7 receiver in the rankings. The Tigers and Sooners are the only teams with two receivers in the top 40 of the Rivals100. Jaelyn Lay, the No. 5 tight end in the rankings and another Clemson commit in the Rivals250, helps add some size to this Clemson recruiting class. The Tigers also hold commitments from three-stars Davis Allen, ranked No. 28 in the tight end rankings, and Brannon Spector, the No. 86 wide receiver in the rankings.
TEAMS TO WATCHING: USC and Stanford
The excitement swirling around USC's hiring of former Texas Tech head coach Kliff Kingsbury as offensive coordinator will surely be felt on the recruiting trail. The Trojans already have a pretty good haul of wide receivers and tight ends with Rivals250 prospects Drake London and Jude Wolfe as well as four-stars Ethan Rae and Puka Nacua, but USC isn't done yet. Wide receiver Kyle Ford, the No. 49 player in the Rivals100 and No. 8 receiver in the new rankings, was already thought to be favoring the Trojans. Even though he is listed as an athlete, USC is recruiting five-star Bru McCoy as a wide receiver and there is a very good chance he also ends up signing with USC.
Staying on the West Coast, Stanford has a chance to close strong. Elijah Higgins, a big-bodied receiver out of Texas is thought to be leaning towards the Cardinal, but there are plenty of schools still coming after the four-star. The same could be said for three-star Cornelius Johnson. Stanford has emerged as the favorite to land his commitment, but there is a lot left to play out in his recruitment before this gets locked in.
PROSPECT TO WATCH: Jadon Haselwood
The one remaining uncommitted five-star wide receiver, Haselwood has the recruiting world hanging on every whisper about his recruitment. A former Georgia commit, the Dawgs along with Miami are considered the top two contenders here. He's taken countless visits to Athens to see Georgia and Miami has hosted him a number of times as well.
Auburn got Haselwood on campus in early November for an official visit. He also used two official visits to get closer looks at Florida State and Oklahoma. Those three schools seem to be a bit off the pace right now but the school that could disrupt this Georgia-Miami battle is Tennessee. Vols head coach Jeremy Pruitt did an in-home visit with Haselwood on Wednesday night and there is growing chatter that he could show up in Knoxville this weekend for an unofficial visit.
Haswelwood, who is planning on taking an official visit to Georgia next weekend, is an early enrollee and is scheduled to announce his commitment at the All-American Bowl on Jan. 5.
