Take Two returns with a daily offering tackling a handful of issues in the college football landscape. Rivals.com National Recruiting Analyst Adam Gorney lays out the situation and then receives takes from Rivals.com National Recruiting Director Mike Farrell and an expert from the Rivals.com network of team sites.
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THE STORYLINE
Theo Wease has moved to No. 1 in the wide receiver rankings for the 2019 class and that’s especially important because the position is loaded at the top.
After performing so well at the Under Armour Future 50 event in Orlando and being seen at other stops, Wease moved ahead of fellow five-stars Jadon Haselwood, a Georgia commit from Ellenwood (Ga.) Cedar Grove and Arjei Henderson out of Richmond (Texas) Travis.
The Allen, Texas, standout has size, skill and everything a national program is looking for at the wide receiver position.
Can Wease hold onto that top spot since the receiver class is especially strong at the top or can Henderson, Haselwood or someone else push for that No. 1 position again?
FIRST TAKE: NICK KRUEGER, RIVALS.COM TEXAS RECRUITING ANALYST
“The difference between Wease and Henderson is pretty narrow in terms of how talented overall each player is. Depending on preference, Henderson could very easily be justified as the top receiver in the country. Wease is bigger and longer, and runs with power. He plays with an attitude of wanting to dominate the defender in front of him and probably has more consistent hands than Henderson.
“That being said, Henderson is a big play waiting to happen. While he doesn’t play with the same sort of focus or technique that Wease does, he’s smooth and fluid and can be as explosive after the catch as he can be off the line. Both project to be incredible receiver talents in college, but Wease checks more of the boxes when it comes to technical and intangible qualities whereas Henderson would be the more exciting of the two to play with in a video game.”
SECOND TAKE: MIKE FARRELL, RIVALS.COM NATIONAL RECRUITING DIRECTOR
“Haselwood is not as filled out as those other guys. He’s not as physically gifted at the same stage. Those are two big receivers and they’re filled out. We gave the nod to Wease because of his effort. He’s a kid who seems to have a stronger work ethic, doesn’t disappear as much and really wants to be great. He goes through every drill with passion and wants to catch every football and we didn’t really see that as much from Henderson consistently.
“Henderson probably has the most rare skill set of the three. There’s something about Wease and his want-to makes a difference there. Haselwood is not physically at the same stage. He catches the ball better than those guys, catches it with his hands and out in front but those two guys are just much bigger.”
