Rivals Roundtable: Which 2021 prospects will get a rankings bump?
The 2021 rankings have just started and will be reworked many times over the next couple years as these players are seen more often. Below, the Rivals team of analysts discuss 2021 recruits that they’ve seen this season who could be in line for a rankings bump in the coming months.
MORE: Where top 2021 uncommitted prospects stand
ROB CASSIDY, Florida analyst
Wide receiver Troy Stellato has proven himself to be a four-star talent. He’s currently ranked as a high three-star prospect, but his junior season has been beyond impressive thus far. The speedy Stelatto is a matchup nightmare and had incredible success against one of the state’s best secondaries early in the season. He has earned a bump.
ADAM FRIEDMAN, Mid-Atlantic analyst
There is no doubt linebacker Jeremiah Trotter, Jr. will be ranked higher next time around. I saw the Clemson commit play against IMG Academy a few weeks ago and I joked the he must have had 1,000 tackles by halftime, but truthfully it was probably closer to 20 by the end of the game. Trotter has great instincts and flies to the ball very well. He continues to grow and add good weight to his frame.
ADAM GORNEY, West and national analyst
This offseason at a 7-on-7 tournament, there was a big tight end making a lot of plays for KT Prep who moved well, had great hands and showed off terrific athleticism. It was the first time I saw Brock Bowers in person. We moved him to a high three-star prospect with a conservative ranking and now he’s breaking out in his junior season. The Napa, Calif., standout has 20 catches for 591 yards and nine touchdowns in four games this season and every top college in the country is taking notice. There’s no question he’s one of the best tight ends in the West region if not nationally and could see a bump up.
JOSH HELMHOLDT, Midwest analyst
Already this season I have personally scouted more than two dozen of the 2021 Midwest prospects we rated prior to their junior years, but there are no obvious upward movers from that group. If I had to pick one, East St. Louis wide receiver Dominic Lovett would be my choice. He is knocking on the four-star door, but I expect he at least moves up within his position and the state of Illinois rankings in the next update, even if full junior film evaluation does not yield that fourth star just yet.
CHAD SIMMONS, Southeast analyst
I am going with Trenilyas Tatum. Not many have heard that name, and he is not ranked yet. He will be, though. He is a linebacker I found while going to see other players a few weeks ago. I mentioned him in a feature recently, and later that day, he picked up his first offer from Georgia Tech. He is an athletic linebacker that will draw a lot of attention once his name and film gets out there this fall. He is an explosive player with size and speed.
SAM SPIEGELMAN, Texas and Louisiana analyst
I was absolutely amazed by seeing Eli Stowers in person. For one, he's already the size of Cam Newton with a ton of really impressive athletic feats to go along with it. We're talking about track speed, a record-breaking high jump and other intangibles that will wow scouts at the NFL Combine one day.
As a passer, Stowers is poised and can sling it downfield as well as he can hit targets in stride on short and intermediate routes. Texas is absolutely loaded with quarterbacks for the 2021 class, but Stowers is one of the more fascinating and intriguing prospects of the bunch and due for a bit of a bump in the next rankings update.