Rivals national recruiting analyst Adam Friedman has thoughts on the East's two five-stars, how important this time of year is and some of the recent commitments from the East.

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RIVALS RANKINGS WEEK

Sunday: Who should be No. 1?

Monday: Five-star countdown | Meet the new five-stars

Tuesday: Rivals 250 released | Ten prospects on the verge of five-star status | Gorney's thoughts

Wednesday: Offensive position rankings released

Thursday: Defensive position rankings released

Friday: State rankings released | Who will finish as top RB?

Saturday: Rankings Roundtable

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With defensive end Dylan Stewart getting his fifth star on Monday, the East region now boasts two five-stars prospects in Stewart and quarterback Jadyn Davis. Stewart is so physically gifted, and it was always clear he should be one of the top prospects in this class. He's just scratching the surface of his potential, but he is rarely tested during the season. There aren't many Power Five offensive tackles Stewart lines up across from in the fall and that won't change much this year, either. His Washington (D.C.) Friendship Collegiate Academy squad does travel to California this fall to play Bellflower (Calif.) St. John Bosco, which figures to be his toughest test of his high school career. Stewart has almost unlimited potential and all eyes will be on him when he takes the field this fall to see how much technical progress he's made in the offseason.

Davis slipped a few spots in this rankings update, landing at No. 20 – the last five-star in the Rivals250. He's had an up-and-down offseason on the camp and 7-on-7 circuit, but there's still at least one major event remaining for the Charlotte (N.C.) Providence Day star to get back on track before some down time in the summer. During the season, Davis has shown the arm strength, accuracy, footwork, mechanics and playmaking abilities that warrant a high ranking, but the key to maintaining a high ranking is consistently performing at an elite level. Davis is just one of the many prospects that will continue to be under the microscope until the end of the rankings cycle in January.

If it feels like there is a sudden jolt of major recruiting news, it's because the calendar turned to June. More players than ever are committing right now because official visits are happening across the country. Players are finished with their junior year of high school and now have time on the weekends to get an up-close look at the schools they view as serious contenders for their commitment. This is the time of year the bulk of the college programs around the country really start to fill out their recruiting classes.

If your team hasn't started off the month with a handful of commitments, don't worry because this is only the start of "commitment season." More and more official visits will occur through the rest of this month and commitments will increase exponentially until the middle of July. More than 60 players from the 2023 Rivals250 committed last year in the four-week period spanning the middle of June to the middle of July and nearly 40 of them announced their decisions once the calendar turned to July. Official visits can't occur in July, which makes this month one of the most important of the year for college coaches. This is the last time they can wine and dine players and their families during official visits before many of them decide they want to commit.

RELATED: Latest recruiting news after busy weekend of visits

With commitments coming in bunches, here's a look at some recent big-name commitments from the East region.

There’s a lot to like about Williams and his fit at Virginia Tech. He has great length and a frame that should fill out fairly quickly once he gets on campus and that will make his aggressive playing style much more effective. Williams can blitz off the edge and he understands how to use his hands, but that added strength will magnify everything he already does well.

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Onwuka needs to add strength to magnify his skill set, just like Williams. It could take him a little while to add the mass to be effective at the college level, but there’s no doubting his explosiveness and pass-rushing abilities at this point. Once Onwuka becomes a more well-rounded player and is physically ready to play at the next level, he should be considered an important defensive piece for the Mountaineers.

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Michigan is getting a stout interior defensive lineman in Wafle. He’s about as strong as they come at this level, and he does a great job using his leverage and overall strength to push interior offensive lineman around. A little over 6-foot-1, Wafle relies on his strength and quickness to shoot gaps, but his game is based on power moves and it’ll be interesting to see if he's able to continue to develop his game at the next level.

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Newby is a great addition for USC as the Trojans try to improve a defense that has plenty of holes to fill. He brings high-end athleticism to the field and he'll be a major asset in coverage. Newby has the tools to excel as a pass rusher and plenty of room for the strength and conditioning staff to mold him into the playmaking defender they need him to become.

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It's hard to find many linebackers that are as good at blitzing as Smith. Michigan's newest commitment has a chance to make an impact in passing situations fairly early in his career. Smith has a lot of work to do to fill out his frame before he'll be a regular contributor and the coaching staff will need to help him get better in coverage, but the tools are there for Smith to develop into a solid piece for Michigan's defense.

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McClain is an enforcer in the back-half of the defense, and he'll fit into Ohio State's scheme well. Expect the New Jersey to play closer to the line of scrimmage but he'll be an asset in coverage and in run support. McClain is a physical tackler with the speed and instincts to play all over the secondary. He doesn't have elite speed, but he has a knack for being in the right place at the right time.