Published Aug 24, 2019
Rivals Rankings Week: Breaking down the updated team rankings
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Sam Spiegelman  •  Rivals.com
National Recruiting Analyst
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@samspiegs

Rivals continued to roll out its first Rivals250 for the class of 2021 this week. Our focus today is on the teams that are jockeying for position for the No. 1 recruiting class in the country about a year and a half from now.

Miami, Texas, Notre Dame, Ohio State and Florida currently make up the top five spots in the 2021 team rankings, but it’s a long way until those rankings are finalized.

We examine the biggest storylines to monitor with those programs.

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MIAMI

Much like red roses on Mother’s Day or a kick of tryptophan on Thanksgiving, you can count on the Hurricanes opening each recruiting cycle with a strong influx of early commitments. This cycle is no different — even under first-year coach Manny Diaz — as Miami opens the fall with 13 commitments on board for the class of 2021.

The Hurricanes' early pledges could lead to one of the program's best classes in recent memory, especially with several of them debuting in the Rivals250. Savion Collins is the headliner of the group as the No. 133 prospect in the country. He’s joined by four-star wide receivers Romello Brinson (No. 147) and Jacolby George (No. 197).

Rounding out the group is athlete Thaddius Franklin (No. 212), defensive end Chamon Metayer (No. 225) and guard Laurence Seymore (No. 238). In other words, almost half of the Canes’ 2021 pledges are nationally ranked, an encouraging sign for the program moving forward.

NOTRE DAME

The Irish are among the teams with a top-five recruiting class as the season approaches, helped in part because all of the program's early 2021 commitments are four-stars.

Blake Fisher is the highest-ranked prospect of the bunch as the high four-star tackle checks in at No. 17 in the Rivals100. Quarterback Tyler Buchner and defensive tackle Gabriel Rubio are also Rivals100 prospects. Tight end Cane Berrong and guard Greg Crippen are inside the Rivals250.

Notre Dame has been able to get several of the nation’s best 2021 standouts on campus in recent months, such as Rivals100 prospects Donovan Edwards, Emeka Egbuka, Lorenzo Styles Jr., Mario Williams and many others.

Brian Kelly and his staff have a great opportunity to finish with an elite, top-10 class in 2021.

OHIO STATE

Ohio State is one of two programs with a commitment from a 2021 five-star prospect. That, of course, is Ohio native Jack Sawyer, the No. 4 overall prospect in the country.

Saywer is the headliner of a Buckeyes’ class that features Rivals100 members Kyle McCord and Ben Christmas and Rivals250 receiver Jayden Ballard. When it’s all said and done, there’s a chance that McCord joins Sawyer in the five-star ranks.

With one five-star already on board, it begs the question of who could follow suit? The nation’s top 2021 running back, Camar Wheaton, visited Columbus this summer. Louisiana defensive tackle Maason Smith, who jumped up 66 spots to No. 20 in the land and is certain to be in the five-star discussion in the future, has strong connections to the Buckeyes.

Ohio State also finds itself in a good spot with several other risers in the new Rivals250, including Texas four-stars Hunter Washington, Latrell Neville, Donovan Jackson and Tunmise Adeleye.

OKLAHOMA

The other program that holds a commitment from a 2021 five-star is Oklahoma. The five-star of note here is quarterback Brock Vandagriff, the Peach State signal-caller who committed to the Sooners at the top of the summer.

That puts Oklahoma in good shape early on to capitalize and push for one of the top classes in the country. The Sooners landed a transfer from Alabama’s Jalen Hurts this offseason and signed five-star Spencer Rattler in the 2019 class, so it’s becoming more and more likely that Lincoln Riley's program won't sign a quarterback in 2020. Even with Vandagriff on board, might Oklahoma try to ink another signal caller in the 2021 class, like Rivals100 standout Caleb Williams?

Elsewhere, the Sooners are in good shape with several more of the nation’s best. That includes five-star Camar Wheaton, who could follow fellow Texans Jase McClellan and Seth McGowan to Norman from the 2020 class. Five-star tackle Savion Byrd has notable interest in the Sooners, while four-stars Kendrick Blackshire, Clayton Smith, Jakailin Johnson, Daejon Reynolds and Travion Ford recently visited for the cookout in July.

Oklahoma may only have two 2021 commitments at this point, but this is shaping up to be a Sooners class with a very high ceiling.

TEXAS

There’s a special crop of prospects inside the Lone Star State for 2021, and Tom Herman and the Longhorns have put in a lot of early work with this junior class.

Texas is up to 13 commitments in 2020 and has seven on board early on for 2021. Three of the seven junior pledges are ranked inside the Rivals100 and two more are inside the Rivals250.

Furthermore, there’s even more room for the Longhorns’ 2021 class to improve. Several of the team’s top targets reside inside or near the national top-10 in five-star tackles Tommy Brockermeyer and Savion Byrd, five-star running back Camar Wheaton and five-star guard Bryce Foster. Ja’Tavion Sanders, Tunmise Adeleye and Donovan Jackson are just three of several top Texas targets ranked inside the Rivals100.