Rivals100 Update: Big movers

MORE: Updated Rivals100 rankings | Nine new five-stars

The final 2018 Rivals 100 has been released with much of the focus on the new five stars. However, there were many prospects that made big jumps in the rankings and a few that slid pretty far as well.

Here’s a breakdown from our team of analysts on the biggest risers and sliders in the Rivals100.

“Walker really showed what type of athlete he is against some elite offensive players in Orlando at the Under Armour All-America Game. The burst he has and his closing speed stood out as much as anything, but how he ran with top athletes in coverage may have been what impressed the most. When you look at his frame and his athleticism, you see a potential star outside linebacker on the next level. Walker is committed to Alabama, but he is taking a hard look at Georgia and Tennessee. Auburn and Florida are hanging around too, but it is likely to come down to the Tide, Bulldogs and Vols on Signing Day.” – Chad Simmons, Rivals.com Southeast Recruiting Analyst

“Ford, a Georgia signee, went into the Army Bowl as the No. 1 ranked tight end prospect in the 2018 class, but it was a narrow lead over Jeremy Ruckert. Seeing the two on the same field at the Alamodome in San Antonio, though, Ford was clearly the superior prospect. He is bigger, faster and is going to be a huge asset in future Georgia offenses.” – Josh Helmholdt, Rivals.com Midwest Recruiting Analyst

“There is no question Jordan has the skill and athleticism to be special and he showed it at the Under Armour game. He's a tough matchup because of his speed, he's physical enough not to get pushed around by linebackers and he's an absolute nightmare because he can stretch the field like a wide receiver. Plus, the Miami signee has such phenomenal hands he can make the tough catch. A comparison that has been thrown around is New York Giants rookie Evan Engram and that makes sense because while Jordan isn't the tallest tight end in the world, he has the skills to make big-time plays at any time.” – Adam Gorney, Rivals.com National Recruiting Analyst

“Gatewood’s skill continues to catch up to his high sky-high potential. After a great Under Armour All-America Game, Gatewood showed he is becoming a more poised passer. The Auburn signee has always had the physical tools, and those are beginning to become more refined.” – Rob Cassidy, Rivals.com Florida Recruiting Analyst

“The Kentucky commit showed up looking like one of the most athletic linebackers in the group at the Under Armour All-American Game, and then proved as much during the week. Whether he was matching tight ends or running backs step-for-step in one-on-ones or breaking up passes and leaping over tacklers on a kick return in the game itself, he showed that he has all the tools to be an ultra-versatile outside linebacker.” – Nick Krueger, Rivals.com Texas Recruiting Analyst

“The Ohio State signee is 6-foot-4 and 306 pounds and he's extra special because Togiai mixes power with athleticism to live in the backfield. If he has the physical edge over an interior lineman he can overpower them to make plays. If Togiai has to use his quick feet and violent hands to beat the offensive lineman, he can do that as well. Over and over again, especially during the week of practice at the U.S. Army All-American Bowl, Togiai showed off a mix of moves, his power and his toughness to be effective in a variety of ways.” – Gorney

“The state of Oklahoma is almost unanimously tardy in releasing game film for the season, so this evaluation goes back to Proctor's senior game film. We liked the Ohio State signee a lot before the season, but he stepped his game up as a senior, proving to have elite playmaking skills to complement his physical tools.” – Helmholdt

“O’Neal won over Rivals.com analysts during Army week with his leadership on defense while playing with a chip on his shoulder. He’ll still occasionally will be too eager to jump a route in coverage, but few are better than O’Neal at bringing down a ball-carrier than him once he gets a beat on them. O'Neal is likely set to commit to either Clemson, Oklahoma or Texas A&M.” – Krueger

“What I've always liked most about Martinez's game is that he's not going to wow anyone with a certain thing but he's going to be accurate, consistent and usually free of mistakes. There are not many weaknesses there and he masks average arm strength with the brains to always make the right throw on time. The Nebraska signee takes to coaching, has the mental makeup to be special in the Big Ten and has the physical skills to lead the Huskers' offense up and down the field in the years to come.” – Gorney

“Davis, an Alabama signee, has incredible quickness but he struggled a bit when he an up against elite competition at the Under Armour All-America Game. The ceiling is still high, but he’ll need to add muscle while retaining his agility, which isn’t always easy.” –Cassidy

“During the week of practices at the Army All-American Bowl, Jurkovec was playing well. The Notre Dame signee showed good accuracy and arm strength and everybody was looking forward to him showing his dual-threat abilities during the game. Unfortunately, that didn't happen. Jurkovec had a poor showing in the game, displaying questionable decision-making and ball security.” - Adam Friedman, Rivals.com Mid-Atlantic Recruiting Analyst

“Jones really had a rough week in Orlando. He struggled with his accuracy throughout the week and he just never found a rhythm as a passer. The conditions were far from ideal, but he just seemed off from day one for whatever reason. Jones is still a Rivals100 prospect and he still has a lot of tools for the Florida fans to be excited about, but his stock dropped some after his final high school performance.” – Simmons

“It was a rather uninspiring week in San Antonio for Thompson and one that furthered some lingering concerns we had about the St. Louis product coming out of his senior season. While we saw flashes of the defensive tackle who combined size and athleticism to dominate in the off-season, they were too few and far between as Thompson's motor was not running at full power that week. Official visits have been taken to Missouri, Oklahoma and USC with Miami scheduled for this upcoming weekend.” – Helmholdt