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Published Aug 26, 2020
Rivals Rankings Week: Updated 2021 WR/TE rankings
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Adam Friedman  •  Rivals.com
Rankings Director and National Transfer Portal Analyst
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@RivalsFriedman

Rivals’ look at the updated 2021 position rankings rolls forward with a peek at the wide receiver and tight end positions. Out of the 50 receivers and tight ends that made the Rivals250, only 12 remain uncommitted and many of them are still considering major programs around the country.

Class of 2021: Wide receivers | Tight ends

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CLASS OF 2021 RANKINGS WEEK SCHEDULE

MONDAY: Who should be No. 1 in 2021? | Counting down the 20 five-stars | Looking at new five-stars | Which QB will be next five-star?

TUESDAY: Rivals250 revealed | Mike Farrell's thoughts on Rivals250 | Ten big movers | Teams with the most R250 commits

WEDNESDAY: QB rankings | RB rankings | WR/TE rankings | OL rankings

THURSDAY: DL rankings | LB rankings | DB rankings | ATH rankings

FRIDAY: State rankings spotlight


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TEAMS WITH TOP COMMITS: Oregon & Florida

There are plenty of candidates that could be listed here, but Oregon and Florida stand out above the rest. The Ducks have an outstanding class of receivers and tight ends so far. They hold commitments from more Rivals100 and Rivals250 members than any other team and they’re tied for the most four-star commitments. Oregon’s receiver haul features the No. 26 (Troy Franklin), No. 75 (Kyron Ware-Hudson) and No. 134 (Isaiah Brevard) players in the Rivals250. Their two tight end commits (Moliki Matavao and Terrance Ferguson) sit at No. 88 and No. 108 in the Rivals250, and both are the top players in their respective states, regardless of position.

The Gators have put together a very good group of targets for their future quarterbacks. Four of the five are in the Rivals250, led by Daejon Reynolds at No. 150. In-state commits Trevonte Rucker (No. 152) and Marcus Burke (No. 238) also made the Rivals250. Tight end commit Gage Wilcox joined the receivers in the Rivals250 at No. 243. The Gators' second tight end commit, Nick Elksnis, is a high three-star prospect from Florida who is ranked No. 20 at the position.


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TEAMS TO WATCH: Florida State, Notre Dame & Oklahoma  

Florida State currently holds commitments from two receivers and two tight ends, but it looks like they’re going to add at least one more at each position. The Noles are in great shape with in-state four-star tight end Michael Trigg. He currently has many other suitors, but Florida State is ahead of the pack. The same could be said for Rivals250 wide receiver Destyn Pazon. He’s considered a Florida State lean, but he’s still looking at LSU, Alabama and USC. Three-star tight end River Helms isn’t in a rush to make his decision, but Florida State is a major player for him, along with Mississippi State and Missouri.

A number of highly rated wide receivers are still very interested in Notre Dame. The leading candidate to possibly jump onboard with the Fighting Irish is Rivals250 receiver Jayden Thomas, but there are a few others that could head to South Bend as well. Hawaiian four-star Titus Mokiao-Atimalala is very serious about Notre Dame, but is keeping his options open. Michigan, Arizona State and Cal are contenders for him, too. Rivals100 receiver Dont'e Thornton continues to name the Fighting Irish as one of his top contenders, but Oregon seems like the leader for him. Also, don’t rule out a possible re-commitment from Deion Colzie.

The Sooners have done a great job recruiting receivers in the past, and a couple more are in the cards in this recruiting cycle. The most likely addition to the Oklahoma commitment list at receiver is Rivals250 prospect Jalil Farooq, a Maryland product. He was just in Norman for the time over the weekend as part of Caleb Williams’ Sooner Summit recruiting event, and enjoyed the experience. Farooq is also very close with Williams and it is likely the two end up at the same school. Five-star Emeka Egbuka was unable to make the trip to Oklahoma last weekend, but the Sooners have been picking up momentum in his recruitment. They’ll need to fight off Ohio State, Washington and Clemson to land his commitment.

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PLAYER TO WATCH: Jayden Thomas

Thomas isn’t one of the most talkative recruits when it comes to interviews and publicizing his recruitment, but it has been about a month and a half since he named Arkansas, Georgia, Michigan, Notre Dame and Penn State as his top five. Also a standout baseball player, Thomas hasn’t rushed his recruitment, but a commitment could come in the early fall. Notre Dame is viewed as the heavy favorite, but there is clearly time for some of the other teams he is considering to overtake the Fighting Irish.

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