Published Aug 23, 2017
Updated 2018 position rankings: Tracking the changes
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Josh Helmholdt  •  Rivals.com
National Recruiting Analyst
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The post-summer rankings update usually sees minimal change, but a few positions did see some shake-up including Athlete, where a new five-star in Devon Williams takes over at the top of the ranking.

RELATED: 2018 Position rankings | Big movers in Rivals250 | Class of 2018 Rivals250

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PRO-STYLE QUARTERBACK

CLASS OF 2018 PRO-STYLE QUARTERBACK RANKINGS

NOTABLE RISER: Jack Tuttle, San Marcos (Calif.) Mission Hills (Up 3 spots)

NOTABLE DROPPER: Jack West, Saraland, Ala. (Down 4 spots)

COMMENTS: There is little change at the top, where overall No. 1 Trevor Lawrence leads off this list. Florida commit Matt Corral remains No. 2 despite losing his fifth star. Tuttle, a Utah commit, and West, a Stanford commit, account for the only changes in the top 10, with Tuttle’s move earning him a place in the first five. Cal commit JT Shrout makes the highest debut at No. 11 after earning his fourth star.

DUAL-THREAT QUARTERBACK

CLASS OF 2018 DUAL-THREAT QUARTERBACK RANKINGS

NOTABLE RISER: Quincy Patterson, Chicago (Ill.) Solorio (Up 5 spots)

NOTABLE DROPPER: None

COMMENTS: Five-stars Justin Fields and Emory Jones continue to lead this ranking. TCU commit Justin Rogers rounds out the top three after moving up to a 6.0 Rivals Ranking. Further down the list there are some positive movers, including North Carolina commit Jace Ruder, who earns his fourth star, and Patterson, who is committed to Virginia Tech. Iowa State commit Re-Al Mitchell rises to No. 22 after a ratings increase.

ALL-PURPOSE BACK

CLASS OF 2018 ALL-PURPOSE BACK RANKINGS

NOTABLE RISER: None

NOTABLE DROPPER: Shaun Shivers, Hollywood (Fla.) Chaminade Madonna (Down 3 spots)

COMMENTS: Ohio State commit Jaelen Gill and Penn State commit Ricky Slade both saw their stocks rise within in the Rivals100, but since they were already Nos. 1 and 2 in this ranking, there is nowhere for them to go. USC commit Mychale Salahuddin moves over from the running back position to assume the No. 4 spot in this ranking. A couple small drops further down the list account for the only other changes in this update.

RUNNING BACK

CLASS OF 2018 RUNNING BACK RANKINGS

NOTABLE RISER: Christopher Brown Jr., Oceanside (Calif.) El Camino (Up 5 spots)

NOTABLE DROPPER: None

COMMENTS: The running back position is not showcased extensively in summer camps and 7-on-7s, so it is unsurprising there is little movement in this ranking. In fact, Salahuddin’s move out to All-Purpose Back is the only change among the four and five stars at this position. Brown’s rise earns him a spot in the top 20, where he is joined by Oklahoma commit Tavion Thomas who comes over from Athlete.

WIDE RECEIVER

CLASS OF 2018 WIDE RECEIVER RANKINGS

NOTABLE RISER: Chase Cota, Medford (Ore.) South Medford (Up 17 spots)

NOTABLE DROPPER: Brian Hightower, Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy (Down 21 spots)

COMMENTS: This position adds a sixth five-star, and it is Miami commit Mark Pope. Already the No. 6 ranked prospect in this list, Pope and the five prospects ranked ahead of him remain in the same order. Ohio native Blue Smith comes over from the Athlete position and takes over at No. 7, while bumps for Penn State commit Justin Shorter and Florida commit Ja’Marr Chase earn them spots in the top 10.

TIGHT END

CLASS OF 2018 TIGHT END RANKINGS

NOTABLE RISER: Spencer Webb, Sacrmento (Calif.) Christian Brothers (Up 15 spots)

NOTABLE DROPPER: George Takacs, Naples (Fla.) Gulf Coast (Down 7 spots)

COMMENTS: A pair of prospects rise in this update to take over the top two spots, and they are Illinois native Luke Ford, who now leads this ranking, and Ohio State commit Jeremy Ruckert. Webb, an Oregon commit, just misses out on the top 10 with his move and lands at No. 11. Nebraska commit Cameron Jurgens comes over from the Athlete position and lands at No. 16 in this ranking.

OFFENSIVE TACKLE

CLASS OF 2018 OFFENSIVE TACKLE RANKINGS

NOTABLE RISER: Delone Scaife, Miami (Fla.) Southridge (Up 16 spots)

NOTABLE DROPPER: Daniel Faalele, Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy (Down 9 spots)

COMMENTS: Penei Sewell and Oklahoma commit Brey Walker continue to knock on the five-star door as they look to join Jackson Carman and Cade Mays from the position in that territory, but they have been joined by Rasheed Walker and Scaife, a Miami commit, who get bumped up to a 6.0 Rivals Rating. Maryland commit Jaelyn Duncan also gets bumped up to four stars and now ranks in the top 25 for the position.

OFFENSIVE GUARD

CLASS OF 2018 OFFENSIVE GUARD RANKINGS

NOTABLE RISER: Chris Murray, Santa Ana (Calif.) Mater Dei (Up 15 spots)

NOTABLE DROPPER: Hunter Lotulelei, Salt Lake City (Utah) Highland (Down 7 spots)

COMMENTS: Ohio State commit Matthew Jones moves into this position from the defensive tackle rankings and finds a spot in the top five. Alabama commit Jarrett Bell debuts for the first time in this ranking at the No. 9 spot, while simultaneously landing in the Rivals250. Those are the only changes in the top 10. Further down the list, Murray’s bump earns him a place in the top 20.

CENTER

CLASS OF 2018 CENTER RANKINGS

NOTABLE RISER: Justin Dedich, Temecula (Calif.) Chaparral (Up 1 spot)

NOTABLE DROPPER: None

COMMENTS: The center position could be extending to a top 10 for the first time in memory before the final class of 2018 rankings have been completed. The position adds another four-star in Florida State commit Verdis Brown, who comes over from defensive tackle and lands at the No. 2 spot in this ranking. Dedich, a USC commit, rises to the top of this ranking after his strong summer.

WEAKSIDE DEFENSIVE END

CLASS OF 2018 WEAKSIDE DEFENSIVE END RANKINGS

NOTABLE RISER: Azeez Ojulari, Marietta, Ga. (Up 5 spots)

NOTABLE DROPPER: None

COMMENTS: Five-stars Micah Parsons and K.J. Henry remain atop this ranking. Ojulari, a Georgia commit, and Jeremiah Martin both earn spots in the top 10 with after their stocks see an uptick in this cycle. Like Martin, Oklahoma commit Jalen Redmond earned his fourth star in this update and the corresponding rankings move puts him in the top 20.

STRONGSIDE DEFENSIVE END

CLASS OF 2018 STRONGSIDE DEFENSIVE END RANKINGS

NOTABLE RISER: Adam Plant, Las Vegas (Nev.) Bishop Gorman (Up 10 spots)

NOTABLE DROPPER: None

COMMENTS: The top three prospects in this ranking see no change, but there is a little shakeup after that with Texas A&M commit Max Wright and Cleveland’s Tyreke Smith climbing into the top five. New Jersey native Jayson Oweh gets a slight bump and earns a spot in the top 20. Further down the list, Plant and West Virginia commit Alex Williams see their stocks rise and now rank in the top 30.

DEFENSIVE TACKLE

CLASS OF 2018 DEFENSIVE TACKLE RANKINGS

NOTABLE RISER: Tommy Togiai, Pocatello (Id.) Highland (Up 10 spots)

NOTABLE DROPPER: None

COMMENTS: For the second-straight cycle there are no defensive tackles who drop in the rankings, and the list does not see many changes overall. There is some shuffling of positions in the top five, with North Carolina native Rick Sandidge and St. Louis’ Michael Thompson swapping the Nos. 2 and 4 spots. Sandidge now sits just behind No. 1 Taron Vincent.

INSIDE LINEBACKER

CLASS OF 2018 INSIDE LINEBACKER RANKINGS

NOTABLE RISER: David Reese, Vero Beach, Fla. (Up 8 spots)

NOTABLE DROPPER: Nick Tarburton, Perkasie (Pa.) Pennridge Upper (Down 6 spots)

COMMENTS: The inside linebacker position now boasts a five-star prospect after Ohio State commit Teradja Mitchell earns that bump following an impressive summer. He was already No. 1 in this ranking, but there is a new No. 2 after Notre Dame commit Jack Lamb gets a bump of two spots. Reese, a Florida commit, comes from outside the top 10 to take over as the No. 4 ranked prospect at this position.

OUTSIDE LINEBACKER

CLASS OF 2018 OUTSIDE LINEBACKER RANKINGS

NOTABLE RISER: Channing Tindall, Columbia (S.C.) Spring Valley (Up 4 spots)

NOTABLE DROPPER: Salua Masina, Salt Lake City (Utah) Brighton (Down 24 spots)

COMMENTS: Ohio State commit K’Vaughan Pope moves over from the Athlete position and debuts at No. 4 in this ranking. Tindall’s bump earns him a spot in the top 10. Meanwhile, BYU commit Brandon Kaho just misses out on the top 10 after climbing several spots and seeing his Rivals Rating increase to 5.9. USC commit Kana’i Mauga now ranks in the top 25 after earning his fourth star.

CORNERBACK

CLASS OF 2018 CORNERBACK RANKINGS

NOTABLE RISER: Jalen Green, Houston (Texas) Heights (Up 6 spots)

NOTABLE DROPPER: Julius Brents, Indianapolis (Ind.) Warren Central (Down 6 spots)

COMMENTS: With his bump to five-stars, Isaac Taylor-Stuart takes over as the No. 3 ranked prospect behind fellow five-stars Patrick Surtain and Anthony Cook. Nebraska commit Brendan Radley-Hiles moves up to the No. 4 spot, while Florida State commit Asante Samuel rounds out the top five. Green, a Texas commit, moves up to No. 7 with his ratings bump.

SAFETY

CLASS OF 2018 SAFETY RANKINGS

NOTABLE RISER: Sean Michael Flanagan, Charleston, Ark. (Up 14 spots)

NOTABLE DROPPER: Derrik Allen, Marietta (Ga.) Lassiter (Down 2 spots)

COMMENTS: Ohio State commit Jaiden Woodbey is now the No. 2 ranked prospect at this position after a four-spot jump. He sits just behind No. 1, five-star Tyreke Johnson. Texas commit Caden Sterns rounds out the top five after earning a ratings bump in this cycle. Further down the list, Flanagan, an Arkansas commit, is one of three players to earn their fourth stars and rise into the top 30.

ATHLETE

CLASS OF 2018 ATHLETE RANKINGS

NOTABLE RISER: Bryan Addison, Gardena (Calif.) Junipero Serra (Up 11 spots_

NOTABLE DROPPER: Justin Watkins, Clermont (Fla.) East Ridge (Down 5 spots)

COMMENTS: Former No. 1 Blue Smith’s move to wide receiver meant the top spot was up for grabs, and California native Devon Williams locked it down by earning his fifth star in this update. Watkins was the previous No. 2, so his drop opened up another spot. Oregon native Talanoa Hufanga slides in there after a ratings increase while Addison takes over at No. 3 after his bump.

KICKER

CLASS OF 2018 KICKER RANKINGS

NOTABLE RISER: Evan McPherson, Fort Payne, Ala. (Debuts at No. 1)

NOTABLE DROPPER: None

COMMENTS: The first ranking of the kicker position sees Mississippi State commit Evan McPherson lead off the list. He is followed in the top five by Clemson commit BT Potter, Georgia commit Jake Camarda, Nebraska commit Barrett Pickering and Indiana commit Charles Campbell to round out the top five.