Rivals Rankings Week: Four 2021 prospects add fifth star

Here’s a breakdown of the new five-stars in the latest Rivals250 for the 2021 class. The complete Rivals250 will be released later today.

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RIVALS RANKINGS WEEK

Monday: Five-Star Countdown | Making the Case for No. 1 | How things stand with the uncommitted players in the Rivals250 | The top five-star candidates

Tuesday: New Rivals250 released | Biggest movers in new ranking | Farrell's thoughts

Wednesday: Offensive position rankings released | Schools with the most R250 players

Thursday: Defensive position rankings released

Friday: State rankings released

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Let’s begin by saying that this is a different release than we are used to in January. Usually we can say this is the final ranking definitively, but with the slight potential of spring seasons in some states we just don’t know.

Personally I think this will be the final one as any spring seasons will be watered down with less talent even if they happen, but we have to keep the door open. So we won’t be saying 'final' release here, but I don’t see a ton of changes ahead.

Defensive tackle Maason Smith (LSU) remains the No. 1 player in the nation without a ton of debate followed by OT JC Latham (Alabama) and DE Korey Foreman (USC) at No. 3. In fact, the top 10 remained unchanged for the most part with most of the changes coming from 11-20 and 21-30.

We are currently at 30 five-stars for the class of 2021, which is a little low compared to some years but that’s to be expected with fewer evaluations. The loss of the all-star games is especially unfortunate this year as that’s a great opportunity to see the best go against the best.

ATH Ja’Tavion Sanders (Texas) is a new five-star and moved up 49 spots while OT Nolan Rucci (Wisconsin) moved up nine spots to No. 17.

Linebacker Clayton Smith (Oklahoma) moved up 10 spots to be a new five-star and DB Ga’Quincy McKinstry also moved up 19 spots to earn his fifth star.

And finally LB Terrence Lewis (Maryland) moved up three spots and earned his fifth star. Here’s a breakdown of the new five-stars from the regional analysts.

“Ja’Tavion Sanders has always been an intriguing talent, particularly as an edge-rusher in this 2021 class, but as a senior the Rivals100 prospect flashed on both sides of the ball. Sanders proved to be a five-star talent on offense and defense with his ability to out-physical defenders as a tight end and make plays in the open field and create mismatches.

"Defensively, Sanders is intriguing with length, athleticism and a high motor for the position. He’s signed with Texas.” — Sam Spiegelman, Rivals.com South Central Recruiting Analyst

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“Clayton Smith has continued to develop and finished as one of the most productive edge-rushers in not only Texas, but nationally. Smith was unblockable as a stand-up rusher this past fall with noticeable closing speed and a high motor to get after the quarterback and make a ton of plays behind and down the line of scrimmage.

"Additionally, Smith bolstered his stock with an array of athletic plays on offense, too. He’s signed with Oklahoma.” — Spiegelman

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“ McKinstry is a gifted athlete that makes it look easy between the lines. He is an elite defensive back, but he’s just as good on offense at wide receiver. His frame is exactly what schools look for at cornerback.

"He is long, he is twitchy, he has great ball skills and he is an explosive player. He is still a little light, but he will add to his frame quickly in Tuscaloosa. McKinstry fits the mold of the next great Alabama corner, and he will go in with a chance to play early.” — Chad Simmons, Rivals.com Southeast Recruiting Analyst.

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“Lewis is an athletic linebacker with good length and speed. He’s a linebacker in today’s game that stays on the field three downs because of his ability to play the run and run in coverage.

"He’s a versatile linebacker that can blitz, chase the ball down and play in space. He is a little lean, and will need to add some muscle mass on the next level, but he could be a game-changer on the defensive side of the ball for Maryland.” — Simmons

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