Rivals Rankings Week: New 2022 ATH rankings
The new Rivals250 is out, and the athlete group is strong as 10 prospects made the Rivals250. Travis Hunter remains the country's top athlete and No. 1 player, regardless of position.
He is followed by four-star Malaki Starks at No. 2. Emmanuel Henderson, Azareyeh Thomas and Kendrick Law round out the top five.
Here's a look at the athlete position and some of the storylines heading into the Early Signing Period, which begins next Wednesday.
NEW 2022 POSITION RANKINGS: Athlete | Safety | Cornerback | Strongside Defensive End | Weakside Defensive End | Defensive Tackle | Offensive Tackle | Offensive Guard | Center | Wide Receiver | Tight End | Running back | All-purpose back | Pro-Style QB | Dual-Threat QB
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RIVALS RANKINGS WEEK
Saturday: Who should be awarded fifth star?
Sunday: Who should be No. 1?
Monday: Five-Star Countdown | Meet the new five-stars
Tuesday: New Rivals250 revealed | Gorney's thoughts | Who will we regret dropping? | 10 biggest movers
Wednesday: Offensive position rankings | Recruiting updates on all uncommitted offensive players in Rivals250 | Five schools that received boost from new rankings | QB Rankings Spotlight | RB Rankings Spotlight | WR/TE Rankings Spotlight | OL Rankings Spotlight
Thursday: Defensive position rankings | Recruiting updates on all uncommitted defensive players in Rivals250 | DL Rankings Spotlight | LB Rankings Spotlight | DB Rankings Spotlight
Friday: State rankings
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PROGRAM WITH TOP COMMIT: Florida State
Travis Hunter has been a longtime Seminole commit. He gave his pledge on March 3 of last year. The game-changing athlete out of Collins Hill in Georgia never wavered with his commitment, and has stuck with Florida State through thick and thin.
Hunter is a special talent capable of starring in all three phases of the game at the college level, but he is most likely to end up playing corner for the Seminoles. He has next-level athletic ability and is elite in pretty much every category in which prospects are judged. Hunter has every tool to be an early difference-maker at Florida State, and with the additional mass sure to come with a college weight and meal program, it should not be long before he is one of college football’s elite players.
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PLAYER ON THE RISE: Kendrick Law
Kendrick Law is the athlete that made the biggest move in the new Rivals250. His 20-spot jump also makes him one of the top 100 players in the nation, slotting at No. 97 overall. The athlete out of Captain Shreve (La.) has game-changing speed, and you don’t have to look any further than his 10.48 in the 100 meters as evidence of that.
The 6-foot, 190-pound athlete has the skill-set and size to star on both sides of the ball in college, but his ability to hit the home run on offense is what seems to intrigue college teams the most. The four-star prospect has offers from a host of the top college programs in the country, but many believe his recruitment could come down to Alabama or LSU.
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PLAYER TO WATCH: Marquez Dortch
Making his debut in the Rivals250 at No. 242, Marquez Dortch is the lone newcomer at the athlete position. The speedster out of George County (Miss.) was a one-time Ole Miss commit prior to flipping his pledge to another in-state team in Mississippi State. Dortch is coveted for his skills on both sides of the ball, and he has next-level ability as a return man.
Corner prospects with his combination of frame and speed are hard to come by, making him a DB prospect in theory. At the same time, Dortch does his best work with the ball in his hands by often making the routine play explosive.
There is little chance that a Mike Leach-coached team would “waste” a home-run threat like Dortch on defense, likely making him a receiver and return specialist for the Bulldogs.