The Rivals Roundtable returns as our recruiting discuss a trio of topics to cap our class of 2020 week.
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1. Which 2020 prospect is going to cause the most recruiting drama?
Rob Cassidy (Southeast): It’s too early to tell with these guys, but it’s safe to bet on a committed player. A good portion of prospects that commit this early end up having three or four changes of heart. I don’t think it’s fair to toss out one name based on that, so I’ll just say some committed kid will change his mind three times.
Mike Farrell (National): I’m not sure if it will be drama but it could be a great recruiting battle for early Miami commitment Leonard Manuel. The big wide receiver could very well stick with the ‘Canes but we all know a ton of schools are going to come in and try to get visits and flip him. He’s not from South Florida, which makes him more open to poaching. I doubt he produces the most drama, someone will commit three or four times, but he could be a great recruiting battle to watch.
Adam Friedman (Mid-Atlantic): This is always a tough question but I think it'll be Antoine Sampah. The Rivals100 linebacker out of Northern Virginia has taken what seems like dozens of visits and isn't showing signs of slowing down. As one of the nation's most coveted recruits, college coaches will be pleading with him to get back on campus so we'll see how much more he gets out there.
Adam Gorney (West/National): In my region, I'm going with five-star quarterback D.J. Uiagalelei. He's not particularly into drama or playing out the recruiting process but he's a legitimate first-round MLB Draft pick and so he's going to have to make a decision on whether football, baseball or both sports are in his future. He probably won't make any final choices until he gets a much better feel on where he would be drafted by a baseball franchise. That might not come until after his senior season of high school football. USC, LSU, Arizona and many others are involved.
Josh Helmholdt (Midwest): In the Midwest, Cincinnati (Ohio) St. Xavier offensive tackle Paris Johnson Jr. could create one of the most intriguing recruiting dramas if he is so inclined. Most schools that recruit the state of Ohio expect the home-state Buckeyes to be the biggest competition, but the Cincinnati area is unique among the major metropolitan areas in the state. Only once in the last five classes has the top-ranked prospect in Cincinnati signed with Ohio State, and they were stung by five-star offensive tackle Jackson Carman choosing Clemson in the most recent class.
Nick Krueger (Texas): In my region, I’ll pick Demond Demas. By no means does he seem like the kind of player that would purposely create much drama, but he has nearly 50 offers already and keeps a notoriously low profile. Recruiting doesn’t seem to be his top priority, and because there is likely to be a fair amount of mystery surrounding who he likes going forward, fan bases from this school or that will surely be debating who holds the lead with him for some time. The in-state and more regional programs seem to have an inherent advantage with him, but no shortage of college coaches will make a pass by his high school this spring to have a look at him.
Chad Simmons (Southeast): McKinnley Jackson is the one many have their eyes on right now. He has already committed and de-committed to LSU, so he was in the headlines early. Alabama is in this, Auburn is in this, Georgia is involved, and of course LSU and the in-state schools, Ole Miss and Mississippi State are being considered. Jackson has mentioned how he would like to check out the West Coast schools too, so this one will draw a lot of attention over the next 18 months.
Woody Wommack (Southeast): Not that I think he’s a dramatic guy but defensive tackle McKinnley Jackson is already very well known and has already been involved in his share of drama, having committed and de-committed from LSU already. With his talent, top schools will be battling to get him on campus and in the fold. With many of his top contenders being SEC rivals, it only magnifies the spotlight on Jackson and his recruitment.
2. What will be the most interesting recruiting debate in 2020 (such as Fields vs. Lawrence in 2018)?
Rob Cassidy (Southeast): Locally, it’ll be a friendly battle for the top defensive back spot in Florida. Miles Brooks and Fred Davis attend the same high school and play for the same 7v7 team. Both are high-level prospects that look like the better at times. For now, Davis has the edge, but Brooks is a hyper-talented prospect capable of overtaking his teammate at the top of the rankings. We’ll see how it plays out.
Mike Farrell (National): It’s a great quarterback class so I think you’ll see some debates there. We already have one five-star quarterback in D.J. Uiagalelei but he could end up choosing baseball a la Joe Mauer. But there are many highly ranked four-star quarterbacks right now that I could see four or five potential five-stars at the position and a really good debate as to who is the best.
Adam Friedman (Mid-Atlantic): This is such a talented class that what's probably going to be the biggest debate will be which player is No. 1. Just skimming the Rivals100 that just came out, there are a number of names that could be considered for that top spot and there are a lot of players that look like they could end up as five-stars and challenge for that top spot.
Adam Gorney (West/National): There are going to be a lot of interesting debates at wide receiver because Miami commit Leonard Manuel and five-star Johnny Wilson lead the way right now but there are numerous high-level four-stars who will be pushing even higher in later rankings cycles. Julian Fleming, Demond Demas, Rashawn Williams and Porter Rooks are all guys pushing toward the top of the list and will definitely have multiple opportunities to prove they're the best receiver in the class.
Josh Helmholdt (Midwest): Honestly, it is too early to say. Justin Fields did not emerge as a serious threat to Trevor Lawrence's No. 1 ranking until after his junior season. There is so much left to evaluate with this class that the top storylines have yet to be determined. One thing I am interested to discern are which position groups will be the strength of the class, because early on it appears offensive tackle, defensive end and wide receiver are solid.
Nick Krueger (Texas): There are two battles that I am keeping an eye on in Texas: The first being the battle between Zachary Evans and Jase McClellan for the distinction of top player in the state and perhaps the top running back prospect in the country. McClellan had found his way onto the recruiting radar a little earlier than Evans, who has had a meteoric rise after his sophomore year. The broader battle which will be interesting to watch this year, 2020, and beyond is the new turf war that is likely to rage on between Texas and Texas A&M for recruiting supremacy in the class rankings.
Chad Simmons (Southeast): It is very early, so a lot of prospects are still to be identified and evaluated, but it looks like it will be a very strong year at the offensive tackle position. Myles Hinton is now a five-star offensive tackle and right on his heels already in my area are Tate Ratledge and Broderick Jones. This is a premium position that looks to have some premium talent in the 2020 class.
Woody Wommack (Southeast): Not to go back to the well in quarterback battles in the state of Georgia, but the Peach State could have two of the best in the nation again with Harrison Bailey and Max Johnson. The two have different skillsets but both have been on the radar since before their high school careers even started and both boast offers from around the country. The debate on who is better has already started and will continue to heat up as the cycle moves along.
3. What might be a surprise school that does very well with the 2020 class?
Rob Cassidy (Southeast): Miami is building another monster class, but it isn't a surprise anymore. I think that if Nebraska has the kind of start it wants under Scott Frost, we could see the Huskers reemerge as a recruiting power. Frost has ties to all the right places and an offense players like. It’s all about wins and losses, obviously, but he’s got a chance to be a major national player by 2020.
Mike Farrell (National): Michigan isn’t a surprise but after a rough 2018, I think 2020 could be a banner year for the Wolverines. Just a hunch.
Adam Friedman (Mid-Atlantic): Virginia Tech isn't a team that is generally thought of as a recruiting powerhouse but it has been steadily improving under Justin Fuente. The Hokies had two top 25 recruiting classes in the last two years but this year's class figures to be on the smaller side and may not be as highly rated. I expect them to continue to get better on the field and that should set them up for a big-time 2020 recruiting class, one that should push them into the top 20 for the first time since the 2013 recruiting class.
Adam Gorney (West/National): There are already 18 prospects in the state of Missouri with offers led by four-star athlete Teriyon Cooper and four-star receiver Jordan Johnson. This is a huge opportunity for coach Barry Odom and his staff to lock up a ton of local talent starting with Cooper and Johnson, and then moving on from there. Last recruiting cycle, Missouri finished ninth in the SEC. The year before, the Tigers were No. 12. That's not going to cut it. The 2020 class looks strong in Missouri and the Tigers need to pounce on a lot of those top prospects.
Josh Helmholdt (Midwest): Keep an eye on Illinois. It took Lovie Smith a couple years to get back up to speed with the college recruiting game, but he's made some big moves recently and started to land top talent, including Rivals100 prospects Isaiah Williams and Marquez Beason in the 2019 class. The state of Illinois looks to be on the rebound in 2020 and St. Louis, which Smith and Co. have made a priority, is also strong. This could be the recipe for a top 20 class for the Illini.
Nick Krueger (Texas): This seems pretty difficult to forecast, but the name that immediately came to my mind was Nebraska. Scott Frost will likely get the honeymoon period both for how he ultimately wraps up his 2019 recruiting class and for however well he does on the field with the Huskers this season. If he can snag a couple of high-profile wins in the Big Ten this season and flash the sort of potential that everyone expects him to live up to after the turnaround job he brokered at UCF, Nebraska could be a top destination for recruits by 2020.
Chad Simmons (Southeast): Mississippi State is one to watch here if Joe Moorhead and his staff get off to a good start on the field in 2018 and 2019. They are offering a lot of kids early, they have their attention of freshmen and sophomores across the South and they have done a good job of getting guys in the 2020 class on campus early too. This is a school that could attract numerous kids from Alabama, Georgia and their home state this cycle if they get off to a good start.
Woody Wommack (Southeast): Several of the schools that hired new coaches this year will have success by the time National Signing Day 2020 rolls around. By that time Scott Frost will have two seasons under his belt at Nebraska and we saw what he was able to do in just two years at UCF. If he has the Huskers rolling on the field by the 2019 season, recruiting success will follow.
