Rivals.com National Recruiting Director Mike Farrell’s thought-provoking Three-Point Stance is here with the biggest commits from the last week, a list of the most underrated coaches in college football and the battle for No. 1 in 2019.
MORE: Should Derek Stingley remain No. 1? | Commits of the week
1. RANKING LAST WEEK'S COMMITS
There were many big commitments over the last week, but they need to be ranked by national importance right? That’s what I’m here for. Here are the top 10…
1. OL Keiondre Jones, Auburn – I really like Jones as a road grading guard who will be a dominant force in the middle for Auburn.
2. DE Shamar McCollum, Wake Forest – Wake recruiting is going very well and McCollum is a guy whose status is trending upwards. He’s a non-stop motor kid and could be a star there.
3. TE Ethan Rae, USC – A talented tight end who can be a mismatch in the passing game, Rae will be an offensive weapon at USC.
4. DT Joshua Harris, NC State – NC State is loading up this year coming off a pretty good season last year and Harris is athletic and talented at a key position of need.
5. OL Warren McClendon, Georgia – Georgia continues to recruit at a ridiculously high level and their offensive line recruiting, including McClendon, has been insane.
6. LB Quandarrius Robinson, Auburn (2020) – A very good pickup for 2020, Robinson can cover a lot of ground and is a quick twitch kid who will fit the defensive style very well.
7. OL Chris Akporoghene, Tennessee – He’s raw and new to football, but he’s built like a brick and has all of the physical traits to be a great one if he develops.
8. LB Kane Patterson, Ohio State – He has good size, he’s a tackling machine and he can play outside or inside linebacker, so versatility is key.
9. RB Zonovan Knight, NC State – The Wolfpack add a speedy back who can work well in space and has shown big play ability as well as durability the last couple of seasons.
10. DE Zion Logue, Georgia – A rare three-star for Georgia these days, this kid is huge and could play outside or inside for them. He’s still developing and his best football could be ahead of him this season.
2. MOST UNDERRATED COACHES? AN EASY LIST TO PUT TOGETHER
With media days starting, it got me to thinking. We all know who the most respected coaches in college football are, but who are the most underrated? This was an easy list to put together.
Gary Patterson, TCU – His 160-57 overall record and 100-40 in conference record is impressive enough, but he’s made TCU a regular contender in the Big 12 after moving from the Mountain West. I’ve been one of the guys guilty of underrating him, having him outside my top 10 overall heading into last season. Then he has an 11-win season and makes me look dumb.
Mike Gundy, Oklahoma State – I’ve always given Gundy mad respect, having him in my top 10 overall heading into last season, but many others don’t give him his due. He’s 114-53 overall, 69-42 in conference and is coming off yet another 10-win season. The man can coach.
Dan Mullen, Florida – When he was at Mississippi State, Mullen was on everyone’s underrated list as well as mine as I had him outside my top 15 in college football. His underrated status doesn’t change now that he’s been hired at Florida. He’s just starting to get more national attention. I expect a lot of success in Gainesville.
Mark Dantonio, Michigan State – Urban Meyer, Jim Harbaugh and James Franklin overshadow him in his own division but his 100-45 record and 60-30 in conference mark speaks for itself. I had him at No. 10 last August when I rated my top 20 overall and I will continue to show him the respect he deserves.
David Shaw, Stanford – Shaw doesn’t get the respect he deserves as well. I had him No. 9 on my top 20 last August and he could have been higher. His 73-22 record and very impressive 49-14 in conference record is outstanding and he overcomes the academic restrictions as well as anyone has at Stanford.
3. CANDIDATES FOR NO. 1 FOR 2019 CLASS
I’ve been asked the question nearly 100 times over the last few weeks – is Derek Stingley Jr. still your No. 1 player in the 2019 class? The simple answer – I don’t know yet. There have been many recent classes where the debate for No. 1 has been a good one, a far cry from the days of Vince Young, Adrian Peterson, Percy Harvin, Terrelle Pryor, Jadeveon Clowney and others, but 2019 seems especially difficult. So who are the candidates for No. 1 overall as we meet in mid-August to re-rank the Rivals100? I’ll break down my thoughts by position.
Quarterback – Unlike last year when our top two players nationally were quarterbacks, I don’t see a No. 1 overall candidate in this class yet. There will be discussions about Auburn commitment Bo Nix and Oklahoma commitment Spencer Rattler earning a fifth star, but even if they do I don’t see them pushing for No. 1.
Running Back – Trey Sanders has distanced himself a bit from the rest of the pack and will be discussed but it’s tough for running backs to be No. 1 overall. Yes Peterson did it as did Bryce Brown and Najee Harris, but is Sanders in that stratosphere of talent? Not sure.
Wide Receiver/Tight End – This is a really good wide receiver class and the debate for No. 1 at the position will be a good one. Oklahoma commitment Theo Wease and Georgia commitment Jadon Haselwood are the two most likely candidates to push for No. 1 overall while I don’t see a tight end coming close as usual.
Offensive Line – Darnell Wright is probably the only candidate here as five-stars Kardell Thomas and Clay Webb have done well but to me haven’t pushed close to the top spot overall. Offensive linemen don’t finish No. 1 historically so it will be interesting to see the thoughts on Wright from the staff.
Defensive Line – Kayvon Thibodeaux is a special talent and No. 1 on another site while Nolan Smith is also No. 1 elsewhere and there are a ton of five-stars along the defensive line. This could be the one position with the most candidates before all is said and done.
Linebacker – There are currently no five-stars at linebacker and even if we added one or two, which to me is unlikely, I don’t see anyone will the full package needed to push to the top.
Defensive Back – Stingley is currently No. 1 and there are other five stars but I think the LSU commitment has the best chance of everyone to remain or stay near No. 1 at least at this stage.
Athlete – Quavaris Crouch was No. 1 at one point and will always be considered it seems and I am really starting to think Bru McCoy will make a strong push before all is said and done.
