Take Two: Who deserves to be the No. 1 WR in the 2020 class?
Take Two returns with another 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.
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THE STORYLINE
There are currently three five-star receivers in the 2020 class and there have already been heated debates about which one should be on top of the rankings.
Last week at the Under Armour Future 50 event, the top two were working out together in Washington (D.C.) St. John’s College High’s Rakim Jarrett and Julian Fleming from Catawissa (Pa.) Southern Columbia.
Jarrett is currently the No. 1 receiver in the class, a filled-out, quick receiver who can make plays all over the field. Fleming is bigger, stronger and more physical. Both had their moments at the Future 50 event and established themselves as two of the best receivers in the class. The only other five-star at this point is Johnny Wilson from Calabasas, Calif.
Both receivers are considering similar schools but Jarrett has narrowed his list down to six while Fleming has a top 10. Ohio State is a top contender for both but Jarrett is also focused on LSU, Florida, Alabama, Tennessee, and USC. Along with Ohio State, Fleming really likes Penn State and Florida. Those are the three that standout among his top 10 choices.
Did Jarrett or Fleming do anything in particular to separate themselves as the No. 1 receiver in the 2020 class or will this be a debate for the entire cycle as both players battle it out for the top billing?
FIRST TAKE: ADAM FRIEDMAN, MID-ATLANTIC RECRUITING ANALYST
“This is a really tough question to answer. Fleming is what we thought he would be: a big, strong, fast receiver with good hands. Like we thought before, his routes are still a work in progress. None of the defensive backs challenged him at the line of scrimmage and it would have been nice to see how he deals with pressure like that.
"Jarrett was pressured at the line of scrimmage from the beginning and was plenty strong to break press coverage, but being held and tripped up slowed down his day in Orlando. He is still very fast and runs crisp routes, but the constant holding made it tough for him to be as effective as he normally would be. I could absolutely see their ranking as the top two receivers go back and forth throughout the cycle, because both have different strengths. It will be fun to see which of the two ends up the more well-rounded receiver when the end of the cycle comes.”
SECOND TAKE: MIKE FARRELL, NATIONAL RECRUITING DIRECTOR
“Fleming is bigger, 6-foot-3, about 190 pounds and very filled out. He’s definitely a big, physical receiver, red-zone type but who can also get deep. Jarrett is more sudden, put together, very strong but not as tall and not as long.
“Out of the two of them I liked Fleming better, but it’s going to be one of those debates that goes back and forth for a while.”