Rivals100: New No. 1, new five-stars
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Meet the new five-stars
After a busy few weeks on the high school all-star game circuit, six players
broke through to earn a coveted fifth star, giving us a total of 34 five-stars
in the class of 2015. We've added three players on offense and three players on
defense. Here's what you need to know about our newest five-star prospects.
WR
Tampa, Florida -- Tampa Bay Tech
Cain is so impressive as a wide receiver considering he's taken so few live
reps at the position during his high school career. He's just a natural route
runner who gains separation and catches the ball with ease. He's a terrific
athlete and showed that at the U.S. Army Bowl. -- Mike Farrell,
Rivals.com National Recruiting Director
Cain lined up primarily at quarterback in high school, but the Army Bowl gave
us a chance to see him play wide receiver in a live setting against like
competition. He was on the cusp of five-star status going into the week, and the
level of playmaking ability we saw from him in San Antonio necessitated the
bump. He is a dynamic playmaker who is dangerous with the football in his
hands. -- Josh Helmholdt, Rivals.com Midwest Recruiting Analyst
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DT
Suffield, Connecticut -- Suffield Academy
Going from the competition level here in Connecticut to the national stage, I
didn't expect Wilkins to dominate and be as consistent as he was. He showed up
at Under Armour and just got better and better. And his blocked extra point and
return of 90-plus yards just showed off his amazing athleticism for a big man. He
could play tackle or end. -- Farrell
Wilkins did everything possible to prove he is one of the best defensive
tackles in the country. He is physical and fast, had no problems consistently
beating some tough interior offensive lineman and then in the Under Armour game
he had one of the most memorable plays in the game's history when he blocked an
extra point and returned it more than 90 yards for points. Wilkins is aggressive
and relentless at defensive tackle and proved he belongs among the nation's
best. -- Adam Gorney, Rivals.com West Recruiting Analyst
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LB
Salem, Utah -- Salem Hills
Gustin reminds me a bit of Brian Cushing, a massive linebacker who
could also play defensive end and could be a middle or SAM in college if he
stands up. Back in the day I pushed hard for Cushing to be a five star because I
thought he was physically rare. This time around we didn't want to make the same
mistake. -- Farrell
There were no questions about Gustin's size, but there were about the level of
completion and his future position. He put much of that to rest in San Antonio.
He worked at linebacker all week long and made several plays. During the game he
had one of the biggest when he jumped in front of a pass over the middle and ran
away from the East defense for a touchdown. Great size, great range, and he
showed he has a chance to be very special at the linebacker position. --
Jason Howell, Rivals.com Mid-South Recruiting Analyst
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WR
Tarpon Springs, Florida -- East Lake
Campbell is a long strider with great speed who has had the question about his
hands and consistency follow him since his junior year. A former five star I
think he earned that honor back at Under Armour where he caught the ball well,
always seemed to get open deep and just showed off his freaky ability.
-- Farrell
The one question with Campbell heading into Under Armour week was whether he
could consistently catch passes and the Florida State commit proved he could do
that and more. Campbell has excellent size but also game-breaking speed where he
could go deep and separate from any cornerback. During some bad weather during
practices, Campbell caught pretty much everything thrown his way and in the game
he had a 60-yard reception that led to a touchdown. There were issues with
Campbell's hands but at least during Under Armour week he answered those. --
Gorney
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WR
Newhall, California -- Hart
Irwin has impressed since the first day I saw him and there is a premium on
possession receivers who simply won't drop passes, will consistently get open,
will fight for the ball and have a great catch radius. At Army he was open often
and his quarterbacks just couldn't hit him but his body of work overall speaks
to his five star status. He's about as much of a sure thing as there is in this
class as far as college success. -- Farrell
Irwin did not have a standout performance in the actual game but he was
consistently one of the top receivers throughout the week. He showed it all the
first day of practice with one rep against Kris Boyd where he was able
to get separation, locate the ball, and adjust to make the catch against a
really strong defensive back. It also helps that Irwin has had several very
strong performances against top level competition. -- Howell
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DE
Nashville, Tennessee -- Hillsboro
Phillips is an athletic edge rusher who also plays contain very well, doesn't
false step often or overcommit and is good against the pass and the run. He came
unblocked a few times in the Army Bowl and other times he made people look
foolish. He's not the longest end, he's not the fastest end, but he's one of the
most consistent and effective by far. -- Farrell
For those who saw Phillips' Army Bowl game, the move to five-stars is not
surprising. But, Phillips played that way throughout the week of Army Bowl
practices. He is the total package at defensive end, having the ability to play
the run and rush the passer. -- Helmholdt
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Lost fifth star
Showcase events like the Under Armour All-America Game and U.S. Army
All-American Bowl are fantastic opportunities for players to compete against
others that are equally talented and heralded. Sometimes this leads to prospects
boosting their stock and other times the opposite can happen. We look at the
five prospects who lost their fifth star below.
OG
Powder Springs, Georgia -- McEachern
The question has been asked since we first made him a five star -- is he a guard
or a tackle? At the Army Bowl he played guard and that appears to be his long-term future
which devalues him slightly when it comes to positional importance. He is still
one of the best technicians in this class, but just not quite dominant enough to
remain a five star. -- Farrell
There has been some question whether Edoga's height (6-foot-3) will
necessitate a move to offensive guard in college, and that is where he played
throughout the week at the Army Bowl. The Georgia native was solid in that role,
but not dominant and when we are talking about a five-star prospect we expect to
see at least signs of being dominant. -- Helmholdt
QB
Corona, California -- Santiago
Barnett isn't a pocket passer, we know that much and knew that going into Under
Armour. However, during the week he didn't look sharp outside the pocket or in
it and his accuracy was not good at all even in practice. He's an effective
runner, but his mechanics are not good and he looks like his release point is by
his side at times. He is raw as a passer and we just felt we overshot after a
great senior year. -- Farrell
Barnett is a phenomenal athlete who prolongs plays with his ability to escape a
collapsing pocket and designed runs could be something we see from him at
Alabama. He's a winner, too, and has basically gone from event to event and
-- even
during his junior and senior seasons -- has done an excellent job with limited
resources at his high school. But Barnett still has a long and protracted
release and the ball just doesn't come out all that quickly. That could be an
issue in the SEC. No one is a finished product as a senior in high school but
Barnett has a way to go with his delivery and that was a concern for us at Under Armour.
-- Gorney
S
Orange, Texas -- West Orange-Stark
Thompson looked like a safety would could play corner during the summer but he
was beaten too many times his senior year and during Under Armour week to keep
that fifth star. He is just a step off at times and gets turned around too
easily at other times. He's still a terrific free safety prospect, but he has
some work to do in coverage. -- Farrell
Thompson is a phenomenal athlete that has proven he can play cornerback or
safety but almost certainly projects as a safety at Alabama. During the summer
at the Rivals100 Five-Star Challenge he covered guys in one-on-one situations
with ease and used his length to his advantage. During Under Armour week,
Thompson struggled with some assignments and was sometimes a step or two late to
the ball. He's still one of the best safeties in the 2015 class but didn't
dominate as five-stars usually do. -- Gorney
OT
Suwanee, Georgia -- North Gwinnett
Hyatt is like Edoga, a technically sound prospect who isn't the biggest
or strongest but usually gets the job done. However, at Army and especially in
the game itself he was beaten too easily around the corner as defenders
flattened and ducked inside him to create pressure. He's a very solid tackle and
could grow into an adequately-sized left tackle in college, but he's not quite
five star good. -- Farrell
The question with Hyatt has always been about filling out his frame. He has
started to do that, but in the meantime appears to have lost a step or two. He
struggled against a quick East defensive line all week in practice, failing to
lock on and control defensive ends. His feet are just not moving like we are had
seen from him earlier in his career and if that is the downside of adding the
necessary weight to play the college level that's a concern. -- Helmholdt
S
Evans, Georgia -- Lakeside
What happened to the guided missile we saw as a junior who was flying all over
the field and blowing up running backs and wide receivers close to the line of
scrimmage while running things down as well? Coverage was never Roundtree's
calling card, it was his willingness to come up and smack like a linebacker as
well as make people pay in the middle but we haven't seen that guy in awhile. He
has improved a bit in coverage but has lost a little of his edge." --
Farrell
We considered sliding Roundtree down following the conclusion of his senior
season, but opted to wait and see how he performed at the Under Armour Game.
Unfortunately Roundtree just didn't perform like some of the other five-stars in
attendance. When he's at his best Roundtree uses his terrific athleticism to his
advantage and flies around the field delivering crushing blows. As a junior that
was his M.O. but during his senior year and into the all-star season we didn't
quite see the same player. Obviously Roundtree still has tremendous potential
but when it came down to a final evaluation we didn't feel like he belonged
among the absolute elite in the class. -- Woody Wommack, Rivals.com Southeast
Recruiting Analyst
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Mike Farrell
National Recruiting Director
Blair Angulo
West Recruiting Analyst
Rob Cassidy
Midlands/Southwest Recruiting Analyst
Adam Friedman
Mid-Atlantic Recruiting Analyst
Adam Gorney
West Recruiting Analyst
Josh Helmholdt
Midwest Recruiting Analyst
Jason Howell
Mid-South Recruiting Analyst
Woody Wommack
Southeast Recruiting Analyst
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