Rivals Rankings Week: Programs that should be pleased
The 2020 Rivals250 has been updated and released. Some prospects saw their stock rise, while others saw theirs fall. Below, however, we focus on the positives, and explore four schools that should be pleased with the rankings release.
Rivals Rankings Week
Monday: Top 10 revealed | Who could break into final top 10? | Who is No. 1 TE?
Tuesday: Updated Rivals100 revealed | New five-stars | Mind of Mike | Three in line for fifth star
Wednesday: Updated Rivals250 revealed | Analyst roundtable
Thursday: New offensive position rankings revealed
Friday: New defensive position rankings revealed
Saturday: Team rankings breakdown
Sunday: New state rankings revealed
CLEMSON
Clemson has long been the odds-on favorite to sign the nation’s top class, so it’s not as though Dabo Swinney and company needed the help. This release was good to the Tigers nevertheless. Clemson commits Walker Parks (OL) and running back Kobe Pryor found their way into the Rivals 250 from well outside the rankings. Add in the fact that the program already has five five-stars, including No. 1 overall prospect D.J. Uiagalelei, in the fold and it’s difficult for the defending champion to find much to complain about. Any way you slice it, things are good in Death Valley.
ALABAMA
The biggest move by an Alabama commit was made by wide receiver Thaiu Jones-Bell, who climbed 128 spots in the rankings. Running back pledge Roydell Williams made a similar leap, jumping 122 slots to become the No. 105 player in America. Both have massive upsides and could climb even higher this fall should all go well on Friday nights. Longtime defensive back commit Jahquez Robinson jumped into the Rivals250 from outside of the rankings, while fellow cornerback commit Brian Branch also added a fourth star and found his way on to the list as well.
GEORGIA
As winner of the last two national recruiting titles Georgia is used to good news, and it got more with this update. Most notably, offensive tackle commit Tate Ratledge added a fifth star and is now ranked as the No. 13 player in the country. Bulldog commits Jalen Kimber and Jalen Carter also burst into the rankings, and both could just be starting their climbs. Kirby Smart is a certified force on the recruiting trail, and that doesn’t seem to be changing anytime soon.
TEXAS A&M
A&M didn’t have as much movement among its commits as the other schools on this list. A number of uncommitted targets rose in the rankings, sure, but the big news is that wide receiver pledge Demond Demas added a fifth star and jumped into the top 20 of the national rankings. The crown jewel of the Aggies' 2020 class thus far, Demas has been committed to Jimbo Fisher since September of last year and has provided a foundation for what could be another impressive haul in College Station.