Rivals Rankings Week: Who should be No. 1 in the 2024 Rivals250?
The 2024 rankings will be updated this week for the first time since August and there are plenty of prospects who will enter the national discussion.
Dylan Raiola moved up to the No. 1 in the 2024 Rivals250 in the previous rankings refresh but there are a handful of players who could supplant him. The national recruiting analysts - Clint Cosgrove, Adam Friedman, Adam Gorney, Nick Harris and Ryan Wright - give their takes on who they think is the most likely challenger to Raiola's seat atop the Rivals250.
*****
RIVALS RANKINGS WEEK
Sunday: Who should be the No. 1 prospect in the 2024 Rivals250?
Monday: Five-Star Countdown | Meet the new five-stars
Tuesday: Rivals250 released | Biggest Movers | Gorney's thoughts
Wednesday: Offensive position rankings released
Thursday: Defensive position rankings released
Friday: State rankings released
Saturday: Roundtable
*****
COSGROVE'S VIEW: Williams Nwaneri
From a projection standpoint, Nwaneri could be the biggest challenger to Raiola for No. 1 overall player in the 2024 class. He plays a high-value position, has every physical and athletic attribute you look for in a future No. 1 draft pick and is equally impressive in person as he is on film. You rarely find a young defensive lineman with the twitch, body control, and dominant display of hands at the "raw" stage of their career and I see Nwaneri being a player with generational upside.
*****
FRIEDMAN'S VIEW: Colin Simmons
Simmons is a terror off the edge of the defense. He can put his hand in the ground and beat almost any offensive tackle he comes across with either power or speed and he has very advanced hand techniques that allow him to slip into the backfield almost at will. Simmons also has the ability to stand up and play in space. That elite athleticism has made him one of the most heavily recruited prospects in this class and it doesn’t appear and that doesn’t appear to be changing anytime soon.
*****
GORNEY'S VIEW: Colin Simmons
There is a chance the 2024 class could come full circle. Simmons started out as the top-ranked prospect in that group during our initial rankings and while he's moved down to No. 3, the Duncanville, Texas standout still has a very good chance of returning to the top position. Simmons is a phenomenal athlete and uniquely versatile where he can be a devastating edge rusher and is equally impactful standing up and playing in space. There might not be a more twitched-up athlete in the class who can make plays all over the defense. Raiola is special and receiver Jeremiah Smith is nearly unstoppable but I'm not forgetting about Simmons yet.
*****
HARRIS' VIEW: Colin Simmons
After a huge junior season that saw him total 22.5 sacks and 33 tackles for loss in Texas’ highest classification, Simmons has cemented his status as the top defensive player in the country and is a legitimate threat to grab the No. 1 spot before the end of the cycle. His combination of athleticism and power off the edge makes him one of the most dangerous pass rushers in the state of Texas in recent memory, and has his stock sky high going into a big offseason where he can further claim his status as one of the top players in the country, if not the top.
*****
WRIGHT'S VIEW: Jeremiah Smith
Smith has no flaws in his game. He is big, fast, off the rails athletically and has amazing hands. The position value as a receiver looking ahead to the NFL Draft may not allow Smith to overtake Raiola but his abilities and production warrant consideration.