Three-Point Stance: Teams on the decline, tough commits, Manziel

CLASS OF 2019 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | State | Position | Team

Rivals.com National Recruiting Director Mike Farrell’s Three-Point Stance is here with consistent droppers in the Rivals.com Team Recruiting Rankings, the early commitments that will be toughest to keep and a take on Johnny Manziel.

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Last week I highlighted programs that have risen in our Rivals.com Team Recruiting Rankings over the last few years, such as Iowa, Washington State, Miami and Ohio State. Today I want to look at programs that have declined over that same time period.

- Stanford's team ranking has declined in four of the last five years. The Cardinal went from No. 14 in 2014 to No. 18 in 2015. In 2016 they fell again at No. 19 and stayed steady at that number in 2017. In 2018, with a lack of numbers and star power, Stanford fell all the way to No. 63. The first four rankings are very solid for a program with high academic standards, but this past year was an awful one for the Cardinal. Stanford's 2019 class currently boasts just one commitment and is ranked No. 54.

- Tennessee has finished with a top 25 class in each of the last five years, but its rankings have slid a bit. The Vols finished No. 5 in both 2014 and 2015 before sliding to No. 15 in 2016 and 2017. This past recruiting cycle, as the program transitioned from Butch Jones to Jeremy Pruitt, Tennessee fell to No. 20 overall. This is still excellent recruiting for the Vols overall but their record last season shows the lack of player development under Jones. Tennessee's 2019 class ranks No. 28 nationally with three commitments.

- Texas Tech is the only program that has seen its team recruiting rank decline in each of the last four years. The Red Raiders finished ranked No. 40 overall in 2015, fell to No. 44 in 2016, No. 47 overall in 2017 and then plummeted in 2018 to No. 72. Texas Tech's 2019 class has two commitments and ranks No. 43 nationally.

- Finally, two programs fell from 2014 to 2017 before rebounding in 2018. NC State ranked No. 30 in 2014, No. 35 in 2015, No. 43 in 2016 and No. 53 in 2017, a steady decline. But after a solid 2017 season on the field, the Wolfpack rose to No. 34 in 2018 rankings. Their 2019 class currently ranks No. 43 nationally with three commitments. Indiana followed a similar path as NC State. The Hoosiers were No. 38 in 2014 then fell to No. 48 in 2015, to No. 54 in 2016 and No. 65 in 2017. However, Indiana rose to No. 45 overall in 2018, a nice step forward. The Hoosiers' 2019 class currently ranks No. 61 overall in 2019 with one commitment.

Congrats to Texas for a big commitment from California linebacker De’Gabriel Floyd, one of the best out-of-state commitments to date in the 2019 recruiting cycle. However, he will be one of the toughest early commits to hold onto. Who are the others?

1. DE Christopher Hinton, Michigan – This is the best out-of-state commitment so far in 2019 and also will be the most difficult to retain. Yes, I know his father has ties to the Big Ten and Hinton hasn't done or said anything that would suggest he's looking around, but the SEC schools will pull out all the stops to land him and his younger brother, Myles, a recent five-star in the 2020 class. Michigan will need a good year on the field to keep Hinton.

2. Isaiah Williams, Illinois – A national top 50 prospect, Williams is a surprise early commitment to Illinois and the Illini will be hard-pressed to keep him in the fold as others try to flip him. Yes, his high school coach is on the Illinois staff, but will that be enough if the program has another disastrous season on the field? Time will tell.

3. De’Gabriel Floyd, Texas – Floyd is saying all the right things – he won’t listen to other schools, the only official visit he’ll take is to Texas and that he’s 100-percent committed – but you have to wonder how long that will last. He has offers from so many big programs including everyone on the West Coast that a few other visits have to be expected and a potential flip has to be something to worry about.

4. Logan Brown, Wisconsin – You can’t blame Brown for the early commitment to Wisconsin as the Badgers do such a great job with offensive linemen and the program's offense is a dream for many who play his position. However, he will have Jim Harbaugh, Urban Meyer and many others in his ear for months. Like most, he says the right things, but the Badgers will need to work hard to keep him in the fold.

5. Marquez Beason, Illinois – The Illini have two on this list which is good news and bad news. The good news? Recruiting has taken a step forward for sure. The bad news? Kansas had multiple players on this list around the same time last cycle and only ended up signing one of them. Can Illinois keep both Williams and Beason, just one or neither? The Illini will need to recruit both as if they are uncommitted for a long time to keep them.

Johnny Manziel threw at the University of San Diego’s pro day in March and followed that by throwing at Texas A&M’s pro day as well. And...who cares? Sure, it was fun watching his college career and he won the Heisman Trophy, but he's been a sideshow ever since. Does anyone think that an NFL team is going to take a second chance on someone who took the opportunity of a lifetime and treated it as a joke?

Frankly, I’m tired of hearing about his “comeback.” A comeback, to me, is a story of overcoming injury or some other hardship, not watching some brat try to prove that he won't duplicate his past bad behavior. Forget this Manziel and let’s simply remember him as a college player where he made us all feel good. This new version is sad.