Rivals Rankings Week: New 2021 state rankings released
The state rankings for the class of 2021 have been updated following an abridged spring evaluation period, and some new storylines and trends are emerging.
This update saw several prospects across the country ascend into five-star territory, which has led to a first-time occurrence in the state of Washington.
NEW RELEASE: Updated 2021 state rankings
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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 | Players with potential to be in next R250 | Who is favorite to win team title?
THURSDAY: DL | LB | DB | ATH rankings breakdowns | Who do you wish you would have seen in person? | Who is the top receiver in Florida?
FRIDAY: New state rankings released | Rivals Rankings Podcast
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1. WASHINGTON HAS THREE FIVE-STARS FOR FIRST TIME
The state of Washington had produced a total of eight five-star prospects in the Rivals era coming into the 2021 class. In the class of 2006 two players – safety Taylor Mays and offensive lineman Stephen Schilling – earned that lofty status together.
However, with the addition of Kennedy Catholic quarterback Sam Huard to the five-star fraternity, Washington now boasts three prospects at that range in the 2021 class. Defensive end J.T. Tuimoloau, the No. 4 overall prospect in the Rivals250, and wide receiver Emeka Egbuka, No. 11 overall, were previously awarded five stars and remain at that level after this update.
Huard is the only one of the three currently committed, and he is pledged to the home-state Washington Huskies.
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2. BUCKING THE COMMITMENT TREND
The commitment wave that has saturated the recruiting world this spring has yet to wash up on the shores of several East Coast states. Nearly 40% of prospects rated three-stars or higher in the 2021 class have made commitments already, but only one prospect in Connecticut’s Top 10 has pledged to a school. It is a trend that continues up and down the Atlantic Seaboard, with New York, New Jersey, South Carolina and Virginia all featuring depressed commitment percentages compared with the rest of the country.
Meanwhile, down in the Bayou State just two of the top 25 prospects are currently committed. It is no surprise that five-star Maason Smith and four-star receiver Chris Hilton are biding their time, but you have to get down to No. 10 Jack Bech before we find a state of Louisiana prospect who is committed. The only other commitment among the Top 25 prospects is Ruston running back Ke’Travion Hargove, who just made his decision for Louisiana Tech earlier this week.
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LARGEST CLASS RANKING ALL-TIME IN IOWA
State rankings usually cover just those prospects we see as Power Five caliber. The state of Iowa rarely features more than a top 10, and some years does not expand beyond a top five. However, the class of 2021 in Iowa just saw its state ranking grow to include 20 overall players, and we have not even hit summer yet.
In the last update of the 2021 rankings back in February we noted how this 2021 class features the most prospects with Power Five offers since 2004, and the size of the state rankings reflects that. Fifteen of the top 20 in Iowa have already made commitments, but that does not include the top two – tight end Thomas Fidone and defensive end T.J. Bollers – who each ranks in the Rivals100.
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NEW NO. 1 IN OKLAHOMA
The state of Oklahoma has featured a four- or a five-star prospects in every class during the Rivals era, but was slow out of the gate in 2021. That trend can continue after Beggs’ safety Kendal Daniels earned his fourth star in the latest update of the Rivals Ranking, and subsequently took over as the No. 1 prospect in the state ahead of Oklahoma City’s Bryce Stephens and Midwest City’s Javion Hunt.
Daniels has been a long-time lean to the home-state Oklahoma Sooners, but his recruitment started to take off right about the time the world was shutting down in response to the coronavirus pandemic. Daniels announced a final four of Clemson, LSU, Oklahoma and Texas A&M on Mother’s Day. If the Sooners are able to see this one through, it could be the fourth time in the last five classes they signed the top player from their home state.
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BADGERS LOCK THE DOOR, THROW AWAY THE KEY
Few teams in the country recruit their home state as well as Wisconsin, which has signed the top in-state prospect in five of the last six classes. That trend looks like it will continue in 2021, with the Badgers landing an early commitment from in-state No. 1 J.P. Benzschawel early in the process. In fact, Wisconsin has landed commitments from each of the top four prospects in its state and five of the top six already.
Paul Chryst has consistently had Wisconsin outperforming its recruiting rankings on the field, and the in-state recruiting success is likely one reason why. When you build the foundation of your recruiting classes with in-state talent that has grown up around your program and understands its traditions, that promotes a healthy locker room and overall team cohesiveness.