Advertisement
football Edit

Three-Point Stance: Underrated three-stars, Penn State, 2018 notes

Rivals.com National Recruiting Director Mike Farrell’s Three-Point Stance is here with a list of more three-star prospects that could outperform their ranking, a look at Penn State's hot start and more 2018 recruiting notes.

MORE: Top 10 QB classes of 2017 | Where will the Midwest's best commit in 2018?

1. MORE UNDERRATED THREE-STARS

Advertisement
Markaviest Bryant
Markaviest Bryant

Every year around National Signing Day, without fail, I get asked the same question over and over: Which prospects do you feel are underrated and could play better than their ranking? My answer is always the same. I point out that if I knew which prospects would eventually prove to be underrated, I would have ranked them higher in our final ranking.

Still, it’s an interesting discussion. Last week, I looked at the offensive three-stars that I could see outperforming their rankings. Here's a look at the defenders in that discussion:

DE Markaviest Bryant, Auburn – The Big Cat is raw but has a ton of athletic potential and could thrive in Auburn’s aggressive defense.

DE Taquon Graham, Texas – His senior season wasn’t as good as his junior year, mainly due to injuries, but he could be a big-time pass rusher at Texas.

DE Matthew Butler, Tennessee – He could grow into a defensive tackle or stay at end. He could be tough to handle if he gets a bit more sudden.

DT Cory Durden, Florida State – Durden could surprise many, as he's probably been overlooked due to the two other big-time defensive tackles in this class.

DT Damion Daniels, Nebraska – He might not put up huge numbers, but he’s a massive run-stuffer who will be a perfect fit in Bob Diaco’s scheme.

LB Sherrod Greene, South Carolina – He’s not the longest or biggest inside linebacker, but he has smarts and diagnoses plays well. Greene could excel in Will Muschamp’s scheme.

LB Waynmon Steed, Miami – We saw what Miami did with three-star freshmen linebackers last year, so Steed could surprise us as well.

LB Ventrell Miller, Florida – He’s not that long and more of an inside guy, but Miller has good instincts and can cover well. He can excel if he gets faster.

LB Jeremiah Owusu, Notre Dame – I’ve been critical of the athleticism of the linebackers in Notre Dame's class, but that’s not Owusu’s issue. He could be a standout as he gets bigger.

CB Damarri Mathis, Pitt – Mathis has good feet and he’s sneaky strong and physical, so I can see him having a bigger impact than perhaps expected.

CB Ameer Speed, Georgia – Speed will probably have to move to safety but his length and quickness make him raw but rare. Heck, he could be a linebacker down the line.

S Jaylen Kelly-Powell, Michigan – Kelly-Powell lacks elite speed and quickness at his position but is an active kid who reads things well and will get coached up under Don Brown.

S CJ Avery, Louisville – I have a feeling about Avery. He has swagger, can cover well and fits the mentality at Louisville.

2. PENN STATE

Micah Parsons
Micah Parsons

Penn State is No. 1 in the 2018 Rivals.com Team Recruiting Rankings.

Think about that a little bit. Think back to July 2012 when the NCAA, following the Jerry Sandusky atrocity, hit Penn State with a $60 million fine, a four-year postseason ban and a double-digit reduction of scholarships.

Many, including me, expected these sanctions to effectively end Penn State football for the foreseeable future. I even went as far as saying that the Nittany Lions would take a back seat in-state to Pitt and Temple and perhaps be on a level with Villanova for a time. I said that it would be at least 10 years before Penn State would be relevant in football again.

Now, coming off a 2016 Big Ten title, Penn State is now recruiting stronger than ever. What started with freaky five-star defensive end/linebacker Micah Parsons a year ago has exploded with the addition of slashing four-star running back Ricky Slade and freakish linebacker Nick Tarburton. Penn State currently has four 2018 commitments in the Rivals100, twice as many as the program had in all of 2017, and six in the Rivals250.

Give credit to many, starting with 2013 signees such as Christian Hackenberg, Garrett Sickels, Adam Breneman and Brendan Mahon who all had a ton of offers and could have bailed but held firm to their commitments to Penn State. Throw in Bill O’Brien and now James Franklin and you have a program that could have slid into nothingness but is now as strong as ever. The Sandusky scandal will never, ever go away, but Penn State endures.

3. TEAM NOTES FOR 2018

Cade Mays
Cade Mays

Which seemed less likely back in 2012: Penn State being No. 1 in the 2018 Rivals.com Team Recruiting Rankings or Kansas being No. 6? Kansas was not that far removed from success in 2012, having gone 12-1 in 2007 and 8-5 in 2008. Yes, the Jayhawks landing three four-star recruits in one weekend is far-fetched, but not quite as much as Penn State recovering so quickly from what many felt was a de facto death penalty. While KU may not hold onto these early recruits -- wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase, one of those four-stars, has already decommitted -- the program's early success is still interesting at the very least.

The highest average star ranking for any program in 2018 is Tennessee, with a five-star in offensive lineman Cade Mays and a four-star in athlete Alontae Taylor. That’s already more five-stars than the Vols inked in 2017 and, with both being in-state recruits, an important start for Butch Jones even if it’s only two prospects.

Miami is quickly emerging as a bigger recruiting threat in state to Florida State than Florida. The commitment of Lorenzo Lingard is a big one and will help recruiting for the Hurricanes in-state in a huge way.

Notre Dame’s recruiting start in 2018 is impressive considering the program is coming off of a 4-8 season and Brian Kelly appears to be on the hot seat. This already appears to be a much better class at linebacker and quarterback, and Markese Stepp is a great compliment to CJ Holmes. The Irish's two most recent commitments, Kalon Gervin and Derrik Allen, give the program its best cornerback-safety combination in the last several years.

Advertisement