Texas spotlight: Prospect stock report

In the wake of Hurricane Harvey, the football season in Texas has been atypical as teams begin their district schedules. Rivals' eyes have been all over the state during September and taking stock of which players are looking strong and which players need to pick things up this season.

STOCK REPORTS: Midwest | Southeast | Mid-Atlantic | West Coast

A segment of those that follow recruiting in Texas are of the opinion that Ingram is the best running back in the state. After his performance last week against Gilmer, he made a strong argument for himself. Ingram ran for three touchdowns and 225 yards in a decisive 4A win on the road and flashed some brilliance in nearly every facet of the game for a running back. Outside of just not naturally having the instinct to lower his pads and push the pile in short-yardage situations, Ingram has a lot of natural ability reading defenses for cutback lanes, finishing his runs with power and is a natural pass-catcher. He doesn’t have extraordinary speed, but he has enough to pull away from defenders once he finds his way to open space. Ingram is already listed as a four-star prospect, but should be expected to climb within his ranking.

Oklahoma State fans have been pining for Sanders to be moved up from his high three-star ranking since last year, and he’s always been on the threshold, but Rivals has been critical of some of his throwing habits. So far this season, he’s seemed to be more content to let the game open up for him and not try to do so much on his own. He can still fall victim to some mechanical issues with his throwing motion that lead to some misguided passes, but he can single-handedly be responsible for so much offensive output, that at this point it’s difficult to argue that he’s not much closer to a four-star prospect than he is a three-star.

The discussion on Orji has been a complicated one when it comes to gauging his potential as a high-level college prospect. When they’re both suited up in their football uniforms, there is little separating he from his brother, Rivals250 outside linebacker Alston Orji. Both are as physically impressive specimens as you’ll find at the high school level. The issue with Anfernee has been negotiating his desire to play defensive back and the potential that he continues sizing himself up to the point that he’ll have to be a linebacker. Further complicating things is that in camp appearances this past spring and summer, he didn’t go out of his way to take a ton of reps to prove that he’s a top-flight safety. After seeing him in a game scenario, however, it’s clear that he’s more comfortable playing in contact 11-on-11 football rather than 1-on-1 camp battles, and the rigidness and reactions that he has struggled with out of pads doesn’t show itself in a game atmosphere.

White is another player that fans of the school that he’s committed to - in this case, Texas A&M - have clamored to see a promotion to four-star status. During the offseason, White was a camp warrior and during his appearance at the Dallas event of the Rivals Three-Stripe Camp presented by adidas, was so in the zone, that he was winning reps as a defensive back. Rivals chose to hold off on nudging him forward prior to the start of the season to wait and see what his film looked like in his first few games this year, and it seems as though he’s carried much of that positive momentum right into the fall. Nobody was doubting his ability in pass coverage after his appearances in the spring and summer, but watching him use his speed to play sideline-to-sideline and the ferocity with which he hits ball-carriers have him trending toward the four-star realm as well.

Simply put, if Gates was even maybe just two inches taller, he would likely be a four-star prospect. It’s truly baffling that he has yet to pick up an offer from someone - anyone. At the end of last season, he put on a show on a huge stage as the motor to Carthage’s state championship defense, and is right back at it again this season. He hits people like a ton of bricks and even though he’s a dense linebacker, he’s remarkably astute in pass coverage and sells out to make plays on the ball. Gates is in the conversation for the most undervalued recruit in the state, and in the way that his teammate, Ingram, is the most crucial part of the Bulldogs’ offense, Gates is every bit as important to his team’s defense.

After Shawn Robinson graduated last season, the No. 1 playmaker role for DeSoto’s historically prolific offense looked like it could belong to Walker heading into the season. Unfortunately, after the Eagles’ first three games, Walker has all of -3 yards rushing, and has been sidelined due to an apparent foot injury. At one point, Walker was in the mix with others as a potential name in the conversation for the state’s top runner as a punishing power back that was going to have plenty of opportunity to rack up carries and touchdowns on a traditionally stacked team. Now, as the opportunity to show that he’s that player is dwindling with each game that he’s not on the field, the more prevalent question is will he get back on the field and give himself enough of a chance to show that he’s worthy of breaking through to four-star status.

Bennett is really in a tough spot from a recruiting standpoint. After transferring to Las Vegas Bishop Gorman after his junior season at Allen, only to leave the team under mysterious circumstances before even playing a down for the Gaels, he’s back in Texas toting the rock for Frisco Lone Star. He’s off to a better start this season statistically than he was at Allen when at one point, he was ranked as an early four-star. But that might not be enough to bring him back to prominence on the recruiting scene. It seems as though the offers he had reported having by the end of his junior year have dissolved amid the controversy, and now he’s not so quick to say which - if any – teams are still showing significant interest. He looks to be in better shape than he was last season and is a rugged runner that is built for the style that he plays. The question is whether or not he can add enough goodwill to the production he’s enjoying this season to get back into the picture as a top recruit.