Rivals250 sees some big moves
The new Rivals100 was released Monday, and today marks the release of the updated Rivals250. There have been significant movers both up and down after the recruiting analysts crisscrossed the country observing the 2011 class.
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Down eight spots to No. 101 is Portland (Ore.) Central Catholic defensive end Brennan Scarlett, who only dropped because he broke his collarbone and missed a significant portion of the season. Scarlett was out most of the summer because of a torn knee ligament he suffered in the playoffs his junior year.
One spot behind Scarlett is East St. Louis (Ill.) safety Glen Faulkner, who dropped from No. 90. After Faulkner is Jacksonville (Fla.) Trinity Christian running back Andrew Buie, who went from No. 94 to No. 103.
Rounding out the first five spots following the top 100 are Santa Ana (Calif.) Mater Dei wide receiver Victor Blackwell and Virginia Beach (Va.) Bayside cornerback Demetrious Nicholson.
Big movers
The next significant change came at No. 110 where Columbus (Ga.) Carver defensive tackle Gabe Wright fell 14 spots. At No. 122 is Round Rock (Texas) Stony Point defensive tackle Jordan Wade, who moved up 14 spots from the previous rankings.
"Wade has added almost 50 pounds since his junior year and has kept his quickness," Rivals.com analyst Brian Perroni said. "He is a taller defensive tackle prospect but still stays low and gets good leverage. He is a surprisingly good pass rusher for his size as well."
Pensacola (Fla.) Catholic defensive end D.J. Pettway moved up 35 spots to No. 124 as the Alabama commit showcased an improved overall game.
"Pettway is an impressive 3-4 defensive end who has the athleticism to play off the edge but the size that would allow him to slide to the inside," Rivals.com analyst Chris Nee said.
"He is a disruptive force who showed good technique off the edge. Pettway also showed a head for the game as he got his arms up and disrupted a quick passing game that eliminated the rush with quick drops."
One of the biggest movers in the entire Rivals250 is Chandler (Ariz.) Hamilton left tackle Tyler Johnstone, a recent U.S. Army All-American Bowl selection, who went from unranked to No. 133. Rivals.com analyst Barry Every saw Johnstone in person and the Oregon commit greatly impressed him.
"Johnstone has all the tools to develop into an elite offensive lineman," Every said. "He has the length, toughness and the desire to be the best."
Another major alteration came at No. 155 with Strongsville (Ohio) tight end Ray Hamilton, an Iowa commit who was previously unranked as well. Senior film paved the way for Hamilton to move way up the rankings fast.
"Hamilton's senior film shows dominance and that he is a matchup problem for anyone," Rivals.com analyst Mike Farrell said. "He's going to be one of the better pass catching tight ends in the country in a few years."
Blake Countess was No. 245 but the Owings Mills (Md.) Our Lady of Good Counsel cornerback has done so well this season that Rivals.com moved him all the way to No. 156.
"Countess showed real physical toughness and a willingness to come up and hit in game action, something we questioned based on his size," Farrell said. "He's as fluid as we thought, very smooth and an all-around terrific cornerback."
Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) Dillard safety Wayne Lyons injured his knee in early October and will miss the rest of the regular season. He was adjusted to No. 160 from No. 87.
"Lyons saw a minor slide outside of the Rivals100 because he fell a few spots at the safety position," Nee said.
"There is no denying that Lyons is a punishing hitter with good speed but he plays more like an outside linebacker at times than a ball-hawking safety. He has all the tools to be a complete player at safety, but has to better showcase his ability in coverage against the pass."
Fresno (Calif.) Central East running back Brendon Bigelow also took a serious hit - moving from No. 32 to No. 167 - after suffering his second knee injury in as many seasons. There are now questions on how Bigelow will bounce back in college from multiple ligament tears.
Out of the 250
With more players moving up and more evaluations being done during the season, nine players dropped out of the top 250. Six of the nine were top 200 players.
Previous ranking is in parentheses:
Plantation, Fla., outside linebacker Ryan Shazier (102); Hamilton (Ga.) Harris County defensive tackle LaMichael Fanning (125); Temecula (Calif.) Chaparral wide receiver Antoine Arnold (160); Las Vegas (Nev.) Bishop Gorman defensive end Jalen Grimble (174); Duncan (Okla.) athlete Dominique Petties (177); Shrewsbury (Mass.) St. John's tight end Richard Rodgers (182); Davie (Fla.) Nova defensive tackle Nile Lawrence-Stample (220); Pottstown (Pa.) Pottsgrove athlete Terrell Chestnut (240); and Canton (Ohio) McKinley defensive end Steve Miller (248).
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