Rivals Rankings Week: Five teams that should be pleased
It's Rivals Rankings Week for 2019 and we look at which schools should be pleased with the most recent update to our rankings. So while there are more than five teams that benefited from the changes, below are five schools that should feel particularly encouraged.
MORE: Toughest decisions in the new Rivals250 | New Five-Stars in Rivals100 | Breaking down the top 10 | Mike Farrell's thoughts
1. CLEMSON
Dabo Swinney and company top this list by virtue of having two committed players get bumps to five-star status. Both wide receiver Joe Ngata and defensive back Andrew Booth added their final stars and helped give the Tigers’ 2019 class yet another boost. Georgia-based safety Joseph Charleston also received a nice bump in rating. Clemson, which rarely loses commitments down the stretch, will almost certainly finish in the top five of the team rankings and could make a push for one of the top two spots if things go well in the weeks ahead.
2. MICHIGAN
The Wolverines saw three different committed prospects add fourth stars during the update, as offensive linemen Trente Jones and Karsen Barnhart in addition to defensive back Quinten Johnson got bumps. Michigan running back commit Zach Charbonnet was a four-star prior to the update but also made a jump in the rankings. The update helped the Wolverines’ average star ranking in a massive way and will likely improve the program’s standing in the final team rankings.
3. LSU
The list pf players committed to LSU that saw their rankings increase is so long that naming all of them would bog this paragraph down. Running back John Emery, who the Tigers recently flipped from Georgia, saw his stock rise in the update. So, too, did linebackers Donte Starks and Marcel Brooks. Athlete Maurice Hampton, who was a three-star prospect prior to the update, shot into the Rivals250 and is now one of the higher-ranked recruits in the Tigers' 2019 class. Things are looking good for Ed Orgeron, who wildly outperformed expectations this season.
4. ALABAMA
Alabama remains the top team in the Rivals.com team rankings. That alone is enough to warrant inclusion on this list, so it’s a bonus that the Tide also saw a committed prospect add a fifth star in defensive tackle Antonio Alfano. A New Jersey-based prospect, Alfano committed to the Crimson Tide back in May over offers from a long list of national powers. His bump in ranking will help Nick Saban’s quest to win his seventh recruiting title in nine years.
5. VIRGINIA TECH
Virginia Tech’s class isn’t exactly chalk full of highly regarded prospects, but there’s still reason for Hokies fans to be pleased. Running back Keshawn King earned his fourth star based on an impressive senior season that saw him rank among the state of Florida’s rushing leaders. Wide receiver Jaden Payoute also made a jump in the rankings, adding a fourth star. Virginia Tech won’t land one of the top classes in the ACC this cycle, but things look better now than they did a week ago. That much is certain.