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Published Jun 13, 2019
Three-Point Stance: Commit recap, 1-2 punches, top classes
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Mike Farrell  •  Rivals.com
Rivals National Columnist

CLASS OF 2020 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | State | Position | Team

ASK FARRELL: Will Texas be a contender? Or will it struggle?

Rivals.com National Recruiting Director Mike Farrell’s Three-Point Stance is here with thoughts on the some recent commitments, some great 1-2 punches in 2020 and the top quality classes.

1. THOUGHTS ON RECENT POWER FIVE COMMITMENTS

There have been many big commitments recently and here are my thoughts on some of the most important.

DE Kyle Kennard, Georgia Tech – Kennard is a long, skinny pass rusher and another very solid addition to a Georgia Tech class, which has been one of the surprises of the cycle.

LB D’Eryk Jackson, Kentucky – A big thumper at linebacker, Jackson is a nice get from Georgia, which has become an important state for Kentucky.

OT Grant Jackson, Mississippi State – Jackson is a tall offensive tackle with plenty of room to fill out. He still looks a bit thin at 304 pounds. Jackson has a very high ceiling.

LB Quandarrius Robinson, Alabama – The top player in the state of Alabama is a long, athletic linebacker who could be a hybrid and covers a ton of ground.

DE Austin Collins, Louisville – Collins is a nice in-state get who is a powerful kid who could grow into a defensive tackle down the line.

OT Robert Scott, Ole Miss – Scott is a very athletic and long offensive tackle who is the top player in Arkansas. This is a good steal for the Rebels.

OG Jason Brooks, Vanderbilt – Brooks is a powerful interior lineman and an excellent run blocker. A good addition from Texas, which has been kind to Vandy in recent years.

OT Joshua Braun, Georgia – Braun is a massive offensive tackle and a big-time get from Florida as Georgia continues to recruit as well as anyone in the country at offensive line.

WR Joey Hobert, Washington State – A steady and sneaky powerful slot receiver who could put up huge numbers in the Washington State offense.

CB Clarence Lewis, Notre Dame – A tall cornerback who is physical and could end up being a safety before long. If he develops as a corner, he has a chance to be special.

S Jared Greenfield, Oregon – Has good length at safety and solid coverage skills and has a good frame to add a bunch of weight and get stronger.

LB Nick Herbig, Wisconsin – Herbig is an athletic linebacker who covers a lot of ground and is really solid in pass coverage. He’s also very good off the edge as a blitzer.

DE Ali Gaye, LSU – A raw rush end who has physical skills and could contribute early as a JUCO commitment.

OG Tate Johnson, Auburn -- A physical get from Georgia, Johnson is a nasty kid who is a fighter in the trenches and an excellent run blocker. He has played tackle and could even be a center.

DE Jah Joyner, Boston College – A raw but athletic player who can play on either side of the ball but has more natural skills at defensive end.

OT Grant Toutant, Ohio State – A nice flip from Penn State, Toutant is an excellent run blocker who has the raw skills to be a tackle at the next level or move inside.

TE Matt Hibner, Michigan – Hibner has good hands and is adjusting well to adding 40 pounds of muscle since his junior year. He’s a good flex tight end but could grow into an inside blocker as he adds weight.

RB Seth McGowan, Oklahoma – A power runner, McGowan is a bit upright but everyone still has trouble tackling him and he can run inside or outside.

LB Latrell McCutchin, Alabama (2021) – A tall, athletic cornerback who is very smooth and covers receivers with effortless technique. He’s the top cornerback in Texas for 2021.

RB Jackson Acker, Wisconsin (2021) – A tall running back who could also play other positions, he’s a physical kid who will pound people on either side of the ball.

WR Quaydarius Davis, Texas (2021) – The top wide receiver in the state of Texas for 2021, Davis has good size and can get downfield. He’s a dynamic prospect.

ATH Lovie Jenkins, Tennessee — A versatile defender who can play corner or safety and will bring speed to the secondary.

2. GREAT 1-2 COMMITMENT PUNCHES IN THE 2020 CLASS

Oklahoma just landed another four-star running back in Seth McGowan from Texas, who joins Jase McClellan to form a great 1-2 punch at the position for 2020. Here are some other excellent 1-2 punches so far from some top programs

QB Max Johnson and TJ Finley, LSU – This is the best 1-2 punch at quarterback in the nation. Both have excellent upside and bring different traits to the table.

QB Hudson Card and Ja’Quinden Jackson, Texas – I like Card and Jackson quite a bit and both are just starting to reach their ceiling and are a good fit for the Texas offense. Jackson could play other positions if needed.

WR Thaiu Jones-Bell and Javon Baker, Alabama – Jones-Bell could be the next great South Florida wide receiver at Alabama and Baker is a great get from Georgia with solid size. The Crimson Tide have four elite wide receivers in this class, but these two stand out to me the most.

WR Julian Fleming and Gee Scott Jr., Ohio State – It’s a great trio at Ohio State, but Fleming and Scott have the most upside right now. However, keep an eye out for Jaxon Smith-Njigba as well, he’s very very good.

WR Demond Demas and Troy Omeire, Texas A&M – Like Ohio State, Texas A&M has three elite wide receivers if you add in Muhsin Muhammad but I like Demas a ton and Omeire has tremendous potential as a big receiver.

TE Michael Mayer and Kevin Bauman, Notre Dame – It’s no surprise that Notre Dame is recruiting well at tight end and Mayer and Bauman are big targets who will fill out.

OL Tate Ratledge and Broderick Jones, Georgia – Georgia recruits as well as anyone at offensive line and Ratledge and Jones have the highest ceilings.

OL Walker Parks and Mitchell Mayes, Clemson – Clemson has a great offensive line class but Parks and Mayes really stand out to me as elite athletes at their positions.

DT Bryan Bresee and DE Myles Murphy, Clemson – OK, one is a defensive tackle and one is a defensive end but Bresee could play end or tackle and these are two top-10, national elite talents.

DT Justin Rogers and Lamar Goods, Kentucky – Rogers is one of the biggest commits in Kentucky history but Goods is no slouch and these two could be a dominant duo down the line in the SEC.

LB Quandarrius Robinson and Chris Braswell, Alabama – Robinson and Braswell both have length and the ability to play standing up or moving to a hybrid role. They are both elite athletes.

LB Antoine Sampah and Josh White, LSU – Sampah covers a lot of ground and is a hitter and I love the strides White is making in his game as his ceiling could be just as high.

DB Avantae Williams and Luke Hill, Oregon – Williams is a great athlete and dynamic playmaker while Hill is technically sound and likes to hit.

DB Art Green and Antonio Johnson, Tennessee – Green has developed so much at JUCO that he should be an early impact guy and Johnson is long and athletic and a great get from Illinois.

DB Fred Davis and RJ Mickens, Clemson – Davis is an elite corner with length and speed and Mickens is a terror at safety.

3. FIVE BEST CLASSES BASED ON AVERAGE STAR RANKING

Our team rankings consider the size of the class and the number of points given to each prospect. But what about pure star average ranking? Here are the top five teams in that respect.

Clemson – This Clemson class is ridiculous as the Tigers have three of the top 1-2 punches in the nation. And that doesn’t even include the No. 1 player in the country in quarterback D.J. Uiagalelei and an amazing 1-2 punch at running back as well. This could be one of the best classes in recent Rivals history.

Georgia – It’s no surprise that Georgia is recruiting at a high level with Kirby Smart taking things to the next level. The Bulldogs are just warming up for this year. Another year with a four-plus average star ranking should be in the works.

Nebraska – The Huskers don’t have many commitments but they are all four-stars. That’s not too shabby.

LSU – I love the way LSU is recruiting this year and the national success the Tigers have had. This could be the best class they’ve had in a long time.

Texas – Texas, like Nebraska, doesn’t have a ton of commitments but there is a lot of quality there. If the Longhorns can maintain, they could win the Big 12 recruiting title again.

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