6/1/2015 football Edit

Rivals100: Risers and sliders

Rivals.com

Publisher

While our new No. 1 and new five stars in the freshly released Rivals100 Presented by Under Armour get a lot of the attention, the big moves up and down are also noticed by many. Curious why certain players made leaps and others drops in the rankings? The Rivals national team of analysts breaks it all down, with comments on the biggest risers and sliders in the latest rankings evaluation period.

"This has been a long and very interesting evaluation period where we got to compare players in person against their junior film and those who didn't camp anyplace to those we were able to eyeball," said Rivals.com National Recruiting Director Mike Farrell.

"Some guys like Landon Dickerson showed us things we just couldn't see on film, while others like Richard Merritt just continued to get better and better each evaluation that there was no holding them back. It was also good to see a lot of the quarterbacks in different settings, including head-to-head competition, and especially the wide receiver group, which I think is loaded this year in many different areas."

A big mover in the Rivals100 is a player that moved up at least 20 spots or slid down within the Rivals100 20 spots or more. There are several players who fit that description in our latest release.

"This time around 20 spots was a good indicator of a move because that number extended beyond the natural slide that occurs when players move up," Farrell said. "As players move up, obviously there is a bit of slippage that occurs up and down the rankings, but these guys made significant moves either up or down the list and our analysts spell out the reasons."

"Hardman is a dynamic athlete who never shies away from competition, and he spent the spring dominating events on both sides of the ball. He's an electric playmaker with the ball in hands, but also has the skills to be a high-level defensive back. No matter which side of the ball he ends up playing in college, it's clear he's a special talent and the move up in the rankings reflects that."

-- Woody Wommack, Rivals.com Southeast Recruiting Analyst

Antonneous Clayton

Vienna (Ga.) Dooly County

NEW RANK

PREV. RANK

DIFFERENCE

"Clayton was a virtual unknown just a few months ago, but once his highlight film made the rounds he quickly became a name for recruiting fans around the country to know. Clayton has an explosive first step and is a tremendous pass rusher who perfectly fits the mold of long, lean and athletic defenders that schools around the country covet."

-- Wommack

Kaden Smith

Flower Mound (Texas) Marcus

NEW RANK

PREV. RANK

DIFFERENCE

200

+157

"There have been some questions about Smith's overall athleticism, but he put those to rest with a great spring. In March he earned the receiver MVP at the Dallas RCS, and his ability as a blocker and a receiver combine to make him one of the best all-around tight ends in the country."

-- Jason Howell, Rivals.com Mid-South Recruiting Analyst

Oluwole Betiku

Gardena (Calif.) Junipero Serra

NEW RANK

PREV. RANK

DIFFERENCE

123

+79

"Every time we saw Betiku this offseason he developed more physically and now he looks like a college-ready player even before his senior season. Even more impressive is that Betiku still has that outstanding speed off the edge and now he's added major power to be able to take over one-on-one reps against offensive tackles. He is still a raw football player learning the defensive end position, so the four-star still has room to grow."

-- Gorney

Baveon Johnson

Lakeland (Fla.) Lake Gibson

NEW RANK

PREV. RANK

DIFFERENCE

+37

"Johnson was far and away the best offensive lineman at the Rivals Camp Series stop in Miami. He carries his weight well and has an extremely strong upper body. Johnson has light feet for a prospect of his stature and also possesses a devastating initial punch. Johnson will need to shed a little bad weight before college but that shouldn't be an issue."

-- Rob Cassidy, Rivals.com Southeast Recruiting Analyst

Landon Dickerson

Hudson (N.C.) South Caldwell

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PREV. RANK

DIFFERENCE

"Going purely off of film it is sometimes difficult to see how big a player is. And, if the competition is subpar, the film does not help as much as one would think. Dickerson's in-person evaluation at the Rivals Camp in Charlotte was off the charts. His technique, size and athleticism were much better than what his film shows and now his ranking reflects that."

-- Adam Friedman, Rivals.com Mid-Atlantic Recruiting Analyst

Brandon Bowen

Trophy Club (Texas) Byron Nelson

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PREV. RANK

DIFFERENCE

"Bowen is one of the more intriguing prospects in the 2016 class. He is a legitimate 6-foot-5 and weighs 230 pounds. He plays all over the field for Byron Nelson and he posted a 6-9 high jump during the spring. He won the Texas 6A State Championship by clearing 6-7, and combined with all of his other strong attributes it is clear he was due to dramatically rise up the list."

-- Cassidy

Devin Duvernay

Sache, Texas

NEW RANK

PREV. RANK

DIFFERENCE

116

+59

"Duvernay is one of the fastest guys in the country. His speed has never been in doubt, but he took it to another level with a 10.27 second 100 meters at the Texas Track and Field Championships. It may have been wind-aided, but that is blazing speed. Combine that with what he has put on tape and his performances at different camps and he received a well-deserved bump up the list."

-- Howell

Theo Howard

Westlake Village (Calif.) Westlake

NEW RANK

PREV. RANK

DIFFERENCE

106

+36

"Howard was sidelined most of the spring with injuries but he absolutely dominated a camp in Northern California and after a phenomenal junior season he deserved a bump in the rankings. What also played a factor was the opportunity to compare Howard to other receivers we saw numerous times this spring; Howard came out on top in many areas even though he was limited. The Oregon commit is fast, he can get open in almost any one-on-one situation and he has excellent hands. Not only that, but Howard is a great route runner where he can break open on short routes or set up corners before going deep."

-- Gorney

Richard Merritt

Washington (D.C.) Archbishop Carroll

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PREV. RANK

DIFFERENCE

"Merritt always looked like a four-star prospect. But with some work to do on his physique, it looked as though he had a long way to go. At the Rivals Camp in Richmond he proved that despite having a little extra weight he still has the quickness, athleticism and aggressiveness to be considered one of the top players in the country."

-- Friedman

Lamar Jackson

Elk Grove (Calif.) Franklin

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PREV. RANK

DIFFERENCE

"Jackson showed up at the Rivals Camp Series in Las Vegas and we were immediately drawn to his size. Then he dominated one-on-ones because of his athleticism and smarts and we knew he would be getting a bump in the rankings. Jackson was also good at other camps and 7-on-7 tournaments and he is never afraid to compete against anybody. He's a safety who could grow into an outside linebacker but wherever he lines up, Jackson is going to make plays."

-- Gorney

SLIDERS

Shane Simmons

Hyattsville (Md.) DeMatha

NEW RANK

PREV. RANK

DIFFERENCE

-27

"Simmons is one of the most athletic defensive ends in the country but he has not progressed as much as we would've liked. He is deadly when rushing from the outside and coming off the corner but when he tries to go inside he is not as effective as we had hoped and makes for a tall, upright target."

-- Friedman

Scott Bracey

Richmond (Va.) Benedictine School

NEW RANK

PREV. RANK

DIFFERENCE

133

-63

"Coming off of his sophomore season it was clear that Bracey could be one of the top wide receivers in the country but as a junior he played mostly quarterback and he has not been seen at any camps or workouts in the off-season. Bracey is still ranked within the Rivals100 and is still rated as one of the top wide receivers in the country but after seeing so many other wide outs this spring he fell a bit short in reflection."

-- Friedman

Austin Kendall

Waxhaw (N.C.) Cuthbertson

NEW RANK

PREV. RANK

DIFFERENCE

-45

"We've had plenty of chances to evaluate Kendall and he was one of the top quarterbacks at our Charlotte Rivals Camp. But when he camped with Steve Clarkson and several of the other top quarterbacks in the country it was clear that he still had some work to do. His release is not as quick as we originally thought and while he is very accurate and has a pretty strong arm his mechanics do need to be refined."

-- Friedman

Lokeni Toailoa

Rialto (Calif.) Wilmer Carter

NEW RANK

PREV. RANK

DIFFERENCE

-28

"Toailoa is a hard-hitting, tough inside linebacker who plays downhill and attacks the quarterback and running back in the backfield. He has a lot of ability and has shown it time and again with pads on. There have been some questions this spring about his lateral movement, though, and his speed in the open field. It's never easy for inside linebackers in 7-on-7 and camp settings but there are times when the UCLA commit needs to show a little more speed."

-- Gorney

Tavien Feaster

Spartanburg, S.C.

NEW RANK

PREV. RANK

DIFFERENCE

-26

"Feaster has been on the cusp of five-star status for quite a while, but when he had a chance to compete against several other highly-ranked running backs at the Rivals Camp in Charlotte, he faded to the background. His performance on the field and his elite speed still make him one of the country's top backs, but he didn't step up when giving the opportunity to prove he was the absolute best."

-- Wommack

Shurod Thompson

Brentwood (Calif.) Liberty

NEW RANK

PREV. RANK

DIFFERENCE

100

-25

"Thompson has tremendous ability. He breaks on the ball very well and he covers almost like a big cornerback. The California commit had a strong showing at the Rivals Camp Series in Las Vegas but after seeing some other safeties in the West this spring it was determined that some players at that position needed to move ahead of him. Thompson can play, no doubt, but there were a couple players that stepped it up even more this spring."

-- Gorney