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Roundtable: Toughest decision in Rivals100
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Rivals.com football recruiting analysts weigh in on the most difficult decision they faced during the discussions for the latest Rivals100 ranking.
Mike Farrell: My toughest decision was dropping Jarron Jones out of the top 100. He has excellent upside as an offensive tackle but he's being recruited as a DT and prefers defense. He's just not consistent, dominant or physical enough at the position to be a top 100 prospect.
Adam Gorney: The toughest decision I had to weigh during the rankings was whether to put Deontay Greenberry or Bryce Treggs as the top receiver in the state of California. At first, I was leaning toward putting Treggs on top - a bold move since Greenberry is putting up such outstanding statistics this season - but after such an outstanding summer (especially at The Opening) and a strong senior season, I thought Treggs might deserve the recognition. However, after looking at all things considered I felt Greenberry deserved to stay as the top receiver in the state. He has 83 receptions for 1,746 yards and 27 touchdowns through 11 games this season and Fresno (Calif.) Washington Union is still playing. Treggs also has great numbers but I'm not sure he, nor anyone else, has done enough to eclipse Greenberry. That was a tough decision that I considered for some time and I hope in the long run I made the right call.
Josh Helmholdt: The toughest decision for me was leaving Centerville (Ohio) defensive end Ifeadi Odenigbo out of the top 100 after he had been in there since the beginning. I saw Odenigbo this fall and thought he played well, just did not feel it was accurate to have him ahead of Adolphus Washington and Se'Von Pittman in the state of Ohio defensive end rankings.
Chris Nee: The toughest decision for me in the Rivals100 was whether or not to keep Pompano Beach (Fla.) Blanche Ely wide receiver Avery Johnson among the top 100 prospects in the nation. Johnson is an incredibly athletic wideout with great measurables at 6-foot-2 and more than 180 pounds. He is a dangerous threat across the middle but also capable of stretching the field vertically and winning the ball in the air. He can make difficult catches look routine. He is, by description, what you want in a wide receiver. What he is lacking though is production on the field. His senior season was very mediocre, which has been attributed in part to a tough year for his team and question marks at the quarterback position, but at the same time the question lingers on whether or not Johnson displays the fire to dominate competition every time out. He is playing in the Under Armour All-American Game so he will have an opportunity to prove himself during a week of competition in practice and the game, and show whether or not he belongs among the nation's best when the dust settles in February.
Keith Niebuhr: I'll go with Chris Casher. Because of an off-season transfer (he says to get his academics in order), he missed the entire season due to state rules. With other players having played and been evaluated, it was only natural that Casher would drop. But in the end, he only slipped eight spots, which if you think about it isn't bad for someone in his situation. We felt like we had seen enough of Chris on film and in person at camps to not only keep him in the top 100, but top 50. There is no doubt his situation makes our jobs a little more difficult, but a more significant slide just wouldn't have been fair. The good news is, we will have an entire week to further evaluate Chris at the upcoming Under Armour All-American game.
Brian Perroni: Brenham (Texas) defensive tackle Malcom Brown certainly has a lot of upside and there was some discussion about five-star status for him. I saw him play once this year and, while I came away impressed, I had some concerns. He is a little smaller than you would ideally want in a defensive tackle and he wasn't in the backfield as often as I would have expected against an inferior opponent. He will have a chance to impress all week during Under Armour practices going against some very good offensive linemen though.
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