Rivals Rankings Week continues as we unveil the updated position rankings. Our focus here is on the new rankings for the defensive line. East Coast analyst Adam Friedman takes a closer look at the biggest storylines among these position groups.
2021 rankings: Strongside defensive ends | Weakside defensive ends | Defensive tackles
RIVALS RANKINGS WEEK:
MONDAY: Five-star countdown | Who should be the next five-star WR? | Who is best OG? | Who will finish No. 1? | How was this rankings cycle different?
TUESDAY: New Rivals250 released | New five-stars | Farrell's thoughts | Is Mario Williams the best of the new five-stars? | Who should be the next five-star QB? | Who is the best ILB in 2021?
WEDNESDAY: QB | RB | WR/TE | OL rankings breakdowns
THURSDAY: DL | LB | DB | ATH rankings breakdowns
FRIDAY: New state rankings released
PROGRAM WITH TOP COMMITS: Ohio State
This shouldn’t be a surprise for anybody that’s been following the last few NFL Drafts. Ohio State has churned out top defensive linemen year after year and the Buckeyes aren’t showing any signs of slowing down. Five-star defensive end Jack Sawyer has been committed to the hometown Buckeyes since February of last year and shows no sign of wavering on his pledge. This February, Ohio State added another in-state standout in defensive tackle Michael Hall, No. 77 in the new Rivals250.
Holding commitments from only Sawyer and Hall would have been enough to name Ohio State the team with the top defensive line commits so far but the addition of new five-star Tunmise Adeleye puts Ohio State on another level. The Buckeyes are the only program with commitments from two five-star defensive linemen and they have the most defensive line commits in the Rivals250.
PROSPECT TO WATCH: Zaire Patterson
Zaire Patterson has a ton of potential as an edge defender and his skill set has attracted some of the top programs across the country. He is set to commit on May 26 and it appears he is down to North Carolina, South Carolina, Clemson and Alabama. At this point, all signs point to him staying in the Carolinas but there is still some time for movement. North Carolina and Clemson are rumored to be his top two choices, but all four teams are still jockeying for position.
PROGRAMS TO WATCH: Clemson, LSU, North Carolina, USC
Perhaps the team to keep the closest eye on right now is USC. The Trojans are doing a great job on the recruiting trail and they could be the favorite to land former Clemson commit and No. 1 overall prospect Korey Foreman. USC is hoping to pair him with Rivals250 defensive lineman Aaron Armitage and possibly defensive end Colin Mobley.
Foreman is also a top priority for LSU. Him ending up with the Tigers might be a bit of a stretch but fellow five-star Maason Smith is considered by many to be a future LSU Tiger. Ed Orgeron and his staff have also been staying in constant contact with highly-rated defensive end Monkell Goodwine.
Clemson hasn’t given up on Foreman but the Tigers did expand their list of defensive end targets when he decided to decommit. Goodwine could be a potential replacement for Foreman in this class because he has developed a good relationship with defensive line coach Todd Bates and defensive coordinator Brent Venables. The Tigers are also pushing for defensive end Zaire Patterson, who will announce his commitment on May 26 and defensive tackle Payton Page.
North Carolina, along with Clemson and Tennessee, is one of the major contenders for Page and the Tar Heels could be picking up some momentum with the massive in-state defensive tackle. Among Patterson’s list of contenders, North Carolina seems to be in great position to land his commitment but holding off Clemson and South Carolina could be a tough task. The Tar Heels are looking good for Rivals250 defensive end Jahvaree Ritze. He is slated to announce his commitment on June 12.
