8/19/2018 football Edit

Rivals Rankings Week: Class of 2019 Southeast states

Chad Simmons and Woody Wommack

Rivals.com

CLASS OF 2019 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | State | Position | Team

CLASS OF 2020 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | State | Position

In the final updates for the latest rankings release, we take a closer look at the storylines related the new state rankings. Here we look at the Southeast region.

1. New No. 1 in Alabama

Clay Webb did nothing wrong. George Pickens just did everything right. Pickens, a big-time wide receiver out of Hoover was a star last fall, and he has been a part of the Rivals250 in 2019 from the beginning. But over the spring and summer, he took his game to another level. The Auburn commit is now a five-star and the No. 1 prospect in his state.

Alabama, Florida State, Michigan and others are still working to change his mind, but he looks to be pretty strong to the Tigers. Playing for Hoover, he will be on the big stage numerous times this fall, so look for Pickens to do big things his senior season. He could make a play for the top receiver in the country when all is said and done.

2. All eyes on the best in Mississippi

Nakobe Dean is the top prospect in Mississippi and all eyes will be on him in the coming months. He is a Rivals100 linebacker and he is the only prospect in Mississippi’s top 10 that remains uncommitted. Dean has already taken an official visit to Alabama and Auburn, while Florida State, Georgia, LSU, Mississippi State, Ole Miss and Texas A&M are still in the running with the Crimson Tide.

He finished the summer with his first visit to Tallahassee and the Seminoles impressed. This race will go all the way to December, when he plans to sign during the Early Signing Period. With the other top talent in the state being committed, even more now will follow Dean’s recruitment.

3. Committing early in Georgia

We saw Jaylen McCollough commit to Tennessee and Zion Puckett commit to Auburn Friday and now, only one of the top 25 prospects in Georgia remains uncommitted. Jammie Robinson is No. 24 in the state and he is the highest-ranked prospect that is uncommitted. Only five of the top 50 remain uncommitted and Jayln Phillips will announce his decision Monday, so that number will be down to four.

4. Variety in Tennessee

Power Five talent in the state of Tennessee has been on the rise in recent years and the class of 2019 is no exception. The Volunteer State saw a flurry of commitments during the summer window and now has 26 players among the state's top 40 already pledged to Power Five programs.

The group, highlighted by the state's No. 1 overall player, Oklahoma commit Woodi Washington, has also expanded its horizons with at least one prospect committed to each of the Power Five conferences. The state's No. 2 player, Oregon wide receiver commit Lance Wilhoite, is going the farthest from his Tennessee home, while in-state schools Tennessee and Vanderbilt also have a combined five ranked in-state players committed.

5. South Carolina keeping talent home

Since Will Muschamp took over in Columbia the Gamecocks have put an extra emphasis on keeping the top talent close to home and that continues to be the case in the class of 2019. The talent pool isn't as deep as it has been in recent years with just three players ranked as four-stars or higher, but nevertheless the Gamecocks hold commitments from the state's No. 1 player, five-star defensive end Zacch Pickens, and the No. 3 player, defensive back Cameron Smith. The duo is also joined on the South Carolina commitment list by the state's No. 10 player, wide receiver Jamario Holley.

RIVALS RANKINGS WEEK

Monday: Who could land in new top 10? | Top 10 players revealed | Who is top wide receiver? | Could McCoy make push for No. 1?

Wednesday: New Rivals250 released | Rival Views: Nolan Groulx | Five schools that should be most pleased with new rankings | Players who could finish in Rivals100

Friday: DL rankings | LB rankings | DB rankings | ATH rankings

Saturday: Team rankings breakdown | Ask Farrell: Team rankings