Published Jun 1, 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-spring update of the Rivals.com position rankings features several new No. 1 prospects at their respective positions, including five-star Penn State dual-threat quarterback commit Justin Fields.

MORE: Big movers in Rivals250 | New four-stars outside of the Rivals250

PRO-STYLE QUARTERBACK

CLASS OF 2018 PRO-STYLE QUARTERBACK RANKINGS

NOTABLE RISER: Tanner McKee, Corona (Calif.) Centennial (Up 5 spots)

NOTABLE DROPPER: Brevin White, Lancaster (Calif.) Paraclete (Down 2 spots)

COMMENTS: Overall No. 1 Trevor Lawrence and fellow five-star Matt Corral continue to lead this ranking. McKee’s bump earns him a spot in the top three. This update welcomes four new four-stars to the position: Tyler Shough from Arizona, N.C. State commit Devin Leary, Tennessee commit Michael Penix Jr. and Washington State commit Cammon Cooper.

DUAL-THREAT QUARTERBACK

CLASS OF 2018 DUAL-THREAT QUARTERBACK RANKINGS

NOTABLE RISER: Justin Fields, Kennesaw (Ga.) Harrison, (Up 4 spots)

NOTABLE DROPPER: Chance Amie, Tyler (Texas) Robert Lee (Down 3 spots)

COMMENTS: A new No. 1 takes over atop this list as Fields, a Penn State commit, overtakes fellow five-star Emory Jones. Tennessee commit Adrian Martinez also saw positive movement in the top 10 and now resides at No. 8. The highest debut in this update goes to Arkansas native Gerry Bohanon, who arrives at No. 15.

ALL-PURPOSE BACK

CLASS OF 2018 ALL-PURPOSE BACK RANKINGS

NOTABLE RISER: Joshua Fleeks, Cedar Hill, Tex. (Up 3 spots)

NOTABLE DROPPER: None

COMMENTS: The first change in this rankings update happens at No. 5, where Florida State commit Jashaun Corbin makes his debut. Fellow Floridian Shaun Shivers moves over from the running back position and takes over just behind Corbin at No. 6. Fleeks, a Baylor commit, jumps into the top 10 after earning his fourth star in this update.

RUNNING BACK

CLASS OF 2018 RUNNING BACK RANKINGS

NOTABLE RISER: Leddie Brown, Smyrna, Del. (Up 6 spots)

NOTABLE DROPPER: Jarveon Howard, Columbia (Miss.) East Marion (Down 15 spots)

COMMENTS: The only change in the top seven involves a pair of five-stars, as Miami commit Lorenzo Lingard leapfrogs Florida State commit James Cook into second place, just behind No. 1 Zamir White of North Carolina. Brown, a West Virginia commit, and Texas commit Keontay Ingram earn their fourth stars and take over the Nos. 12 and 13 spots in the ranking.

WIDE RECEIVER

CLASS OF 2018 WIDE RECEIVER RANKINGS

NOTABLE RISER: Anthony Schwartz, Plantation (Fla.) American Heritage (Up 53 spots)

NOTABLE DROPPER: Seth Williams, Cottondale (Ala.) Paul Bryant (Down 25 spots)

COMMENTS: Although the names remain the same, the top five sees a major shakeup in order. California’s Amon-Ra St. Brown is the new No. 1 player at the position, followed by Justyn Ross of Alabama and a pair of new five-stars in Louisianans Terrace Marshall Jr. and Devonta Jason. In a deep year, the position now features five five-stars and 55 four-stars.

TIGHT END

CLASS OF 2018 TIGHT END RANKINGS

NOTABLE RISER: George Takacs, Naples (Fla.) Gulf Coast (Up 25 spots)

NOTABLE DROPPER: Leonard Taylor, Springfield, Ohio (Down 9 spots)

COMMENTS: Throughout this ranking there were players seeing big movement, and in the end the rankings expands by 10 to include 45 total prospects. The top four names remain the same, but Arkansas commit Luke Ford ascends to the No. 5 spot while Pennsylvania’s Kyle Pitts, John FitzPatrick of Atlanta and Takacs all crack the top 10.

OFFENSIVE TACKLE

CLASS OF 2018 OFFENSIVE TACKLE RANKINGS

NOTABLE RISER: Rasheed Walker, Waldorf (Md.) North Point (Up 13 spots)

NOTABLE DROPPER: Tommy Brown, Santa Ana (Calif.) Mater Dei (Down 5 spots)

COMMENTS: Several moves among four-star prospects headline the update of this ranking. Walker and Penn State commit Nana Asiedu both get bumps and now hold spots in the top 10, while Brown and Georgia native Dylan Wonnum drop but remain in four-star territory. The highest debut comes from BYU commit Jaren Kump at No. 33.

OFFENSIVE GUARD

CLASS OF 2018 OFFENSIVE GUARD RANKINGS

NOTABLE RISER: Warren Ericson, Suwanee (Ga.) North Gwinnet (Up 9 spots)

NOTABLE DROPPER: Jalil Irvin, Stone Mountain (Ga.) Stephenson (Down 7 spots)

COMMENTS: Position changes account for most moves atop this ranking, starting with Florida native William Barnes coming over from tackle and stepping into the No. 3 spot on the list. South Carolina commit Maxwell Iyama also comes over from tackle and, along with a bump in his stock, comes in at No. 8 in the ranking. Ericson now rounds out the top 10 after his jump.

OFFENSIVE CENTER

CLASS OF 2018 CENTER RANKINGS

NOTABLE RISER: None

NOTABLE DROPPER: None

COMMENTS: There were no changes to the order of the top five in this ranking, leaving Vanderbilt commit Daniel Dawkins in the lead role followed by fellow four-stars Justin Dedich and Tyrone Sampson, a Syracuse commit. Trey Stratford of Texas and Kentucky commit Quintin Wilson round out the ranking.

WEAKSIDE DEFENSIVE END


CLASS OF 2018 WEAKSIDE DEFENSIVE END RANKINGS

NOTABLE RISER: Adam Anderson, Rome, Ga. (Up 8 spots)

NOTABLE DROPPER: Justin Mascoll, Snellville (Ga.) South Gwinnett (Down 8 spots)

COMMENTS: Anderson, an LSU commit, and Alabama commit Jordan Davis both make eight-spot jumps into the top five and now take position directly behind five-stars Micah Parsons and K.J. Henry. Further down the list a trio of prospects earns their fourth stars in this update, including North Carolina commit Chris Collins, who is now No. 12 in this ranking.

STRONGSIDE DEFENSIVE END

CLASS OF 2018 STRONGSIDE DEFENSIVE ENDS

NOTABLE RISER: Ron Tatum, Oklahoma City (Okla.) Putnam City (Up 13 spots)

NOTABLE DROPPER: None

COMMENTS: There was a lot of positive movement in this ranking following the spring camp season. In total, 12 of the top 30 prospects saw their Rivals Ratings increase following this update. Highest on that list is Ohio State commit Brenton Cox, who moves over from weakside defensive end and jumps up to a 6.0 Rivals Rating, good for the No. 2 spot in this ranking.

DEFENSIVE TACKLE

CLASS OF 2018 DEFENSIVE TACKLE RANKINGS

NOTABLE RISER: Junior Angilau, Salt Lake City (Utah) East (Up 9 spots)

NOTABLE DROPPER: None

COMMENTS: Michael Thompson jumps his fellow St. Louis defensive tackle Trevor Trout to take over the No. 2 spot behind five-star Ohio State commit Taron Vincent. West Virginia native Dante Stills moves over from strongside defensive end and finds a spot in the top 10 after a ratings bump. Of the newly-rated prospects, Jalen Cunningham makes the highest debut, at No. 15.

INSIDE LINEBACKER

CLASS OF 2018 INSIDE LINEBACKER RANKINGS

NOTABLE RISER: Jack Lamb, Temecula (Calif.) Great Oak (Up 9 spots)

NOTABLE DROPPER: Blake Barron, Rockwall, Texas (Down 12 spots)

COMMENTS: Virginia native Teradja Mitchell is the new No. 1 in this ranking after seeing his Rivals Rating rise from 5.9 to 6.0. Lamb jumps into the top five and now ranks in the Rivals100 after his bump. One of the biggest moves in this update comes from Georgia native Michael Harris, who jumps all the way from mid three-star range to the top 10.

OUTSIDE LINEBACKER

CLASS OF 2018 OUTSIDE LINEBACKER RANKINGS

NOTABLE RISER: Channing Tindall, Columbia (S.C.) Spring Valley (Up 29 spots)

NOTABLE DROPPER: Quin Williams, Madison (Ga.) Morgan County (Down 19 spots)

COMMENTS: This ranking grows by 10 and is now up to an impressive 55 prospects, signaling a strong year for the position. Five-star USC commit Palaie Gaotete remains the No. 1 ranked player on the list, and the only adjustment from the previous top five is Williams’ drop. Michigan commit Otis Reese climbs into the top 10 after seeing his stock rise.

CORNERBACK

CLASS OF 2018 CORNERBACK RANKINGS

NOTABLE RISER: Christopher Smith, Atlanta (Ga.) Hapeville Charter (Up 30 spots)

NOTABLE DROPPER: Nolan Johnson, High Point (N.C.) Southwest Guilford (Down 24 spots)

COMMENTS: Despite featuring 70 prospects, this ranking sees very few changes at the top. The difference from the previous ranking starts to show up at No. 14, where Smith, a Georgia commit, is one of three former mid three-stars who jump into the top 20. The highest debut goes to Julius Brents of Indianapolis, who now sits at No. 14 after winning MVP at the Columbus Rivals 3 Stripe Camp.

SAFETY

CLASS OF 2018 SAFETY RANKINGS

NOTABLE RISER: Jaiden Woodbey, Bellflower (Calif.) St. John Bosco (Up 2 spots)

NOTABLE DROPPER: Trenell Troutman, Ft. Lauderdale (Fla.) St. Thomas Aquinas (Down 23 spots)

COMMENTS: The update of this ranking is more notable for big drops as opposed to big gains. Troutman and Chattanooga’s Brendon Harris fall out of the top 10. They are replaced by LSU commit Kelvin Joseph, who comes over from cornerback to take over the No. 3 spot on this list, and Philadelphia’s Isheem Young, who gets a bump in rating and lands at No. 10.

ATHLETE

CLASS OF 2018 ATHLETE RANKINGS

NOTABLE RISER: Jaquayln Crawford, Rockdale, Texas (Up 12 spots)

NOTABLE DROPPER: Marcus Johnson, Los Angeles (Calif.) Augustus Hawkins (Down 4 spots)

COMMENTS: As is usually the case, this update of the athlete ranking is notable for the players coming in from other positions or going out. Four of the previous top 10 are now at specific positions, but prospects like Georgia’s Kyler McMichael and Nebraska commit Chase Williams, who debut at No. 3 and No. 7, respectively, in this ranking, are new additions.