The Rivals100 Five-Star Challenge presented by adidas, The Opening and many other summer events are now in the books as players now focus to the fall. Here is a look at five players who will be under discussion for Stock Down in the next round of rankings, although there are never any guarantees.
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Recruiting: Williams has been committed to Oregon since mid-December.
Overview: Ranlked No. 36 nationally, Williams entered the Five-Star Challenge with the possibility of earning a fifth star but he was beaten a few times throughout the event and his reaction time to make a play on the ball was a little slower than some other safeties. The high four-star is still an impactful player who can cover ground and be a ball hawk, but Williams is the top-ranked safety nationally and after seeing some others this summer, there could be some competition for that top spot.
Farrell’s take: Williams wasn’t bad. He just wasn’t as good as we think he can be. He has good size and speed, but didn’t play as physically as he usually does and was late on a few plays where he was turned or out of position. He’s certainly not going to free fall, but he could slide a little.
Recruiting: Redding committed to Miami in late June.
Overview: Redding was outstanding when Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy played Santa Ana (Calif.) Mater Dei last season, and so his ranking skyrocketed. He’s currently the sixth-best receiver among a loaded group and No. 37 overall. But there were some better receiver performances at the Five-Star Challenge and at times the new Miami commit struggled catching the ball cleanly at that event. He still has playmaking ability and can go deep, but this is a loaded group at receiver and so your ‘A’ game is needed each time out.
Farrell’s take: Redding has size and adequate speed and he’s a physical receiver, but he catches the ball with his body way too often and he can have some drops. This is such a loaded receiver group that I can see some guys moving ahead of him.
Recruiting: Henry committed to Ohio State in late June.
Overview: From a physical standpoint, Henry looks the part and at 6-foot-5 and 270 pounds, the high four-star has even more room to add good weight to his frame. The problem Henry had at the Five-Star Challenge is that he didn’t win a lot of his reps and he struggled dominating that facet of the camp. There is no question he has proven he can take over before - that’s one reason why he’s ranked No. 45 in the 2020 class - but the strong-side defensive end rankings are pretty deep with 23 four-stars. Others have shined throughout this offseason at various events and will push Henry near the top of those rankings.
Farrell’s take: Henry looks great at times, but is inconsistent with his technique and plays too high sometimes. He has the look of a player who should dominate every rep but he doesn’t live up to that as often as we’d like to see.
Recruiting: Rooks has been committed to NC State since Dec. 12.
Overview: There were times at the Five-Star Challenge where Rooks showed off his hands, his athleticism and his playmaking ability and that justified his ranking at No. 49 nationally and ninth in the loaded receiver rankings but there also too many instances where Rooks wasn’t heard from for long stretches. He definitely can stretch the field and make plays, but other receivers throughout the summer have been much more consistently dominant. The question is, how does that all shake out and where does Rooks land among the best receivers in the class?
Farrell’s take: Rooks is a very good receiver but he’s not that filled out, shows his speed inconsistently and can disappear at times. In such a loaded wide receiver class, he appears to be too high and will likely slide behind a few others.
Recruiting: Williams committed to Indiana in late April.
Overview: On film, Williams makes really difficult red-zone catches with players hanging on him or in double coverage and he makes the nearly impossible look pretty easy. The four-star who’s ranked No. 52 in the country showed off some of that at the Five-Star Challenge, but not enough to solidify himself that high in the rankings - especially with lower-rated receivers really having themselves a summer. Williams is still a playmaker, though, and has great hands so he’s still an incredibly special player in this Hoosiers’ recruiting class.
Farrell’s take: He’s a great get for Indiana and has a lot of talent, but he’s skinny, needs to fill out and isn’t as fast as I expected. No 52 in the country might be a tad high.
