Ups, downs of December positional rankings
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Since our last round of rankings back in August, Rivals.com analysts have crisscrossed to the country to see many of the nation's top prospects compete during their senior seasons. With almost every season wrapped up and all-star season right around the corner, we take a look at notable movements within each position ranking.
INSIDE LOOK: RIVALS.COM POSITION RANKINGS
Pro-style quarterbacks
Notable riser: Jeremy Johnson Mongomery (Ala.) Carver (From No. 6 to No. 10)
Notable dropper: Max Staver Brentwood (Tenn.) Brentwood Academy
Comments: Max Browne held onto the No. 1 spot and Shane Morris didn't fall despite missing most of the season with mono. The top 10 did get a new look, with Johnson moving into the No. 6 spot, Oklahoma commit Cody Thomas climbing into seventh and Cal commit Jared Goff taking over the eighth spot. Kevin Olsen and Cooper Bateman both fell three spots, to ninth and 10th, respectively.
Dual-threat quarterbacks
Notable riser: Anu Solomon, Las Vegas (Nev.) Bishop Gorman (From No. 10 to No. 6)
Notable dropper: Tyrone Swoopes Whitewright (Texas) (Dropped from 6.0 RR to 5.9 RR)
Comments: A five-star in May, Swoopes continued his drop, falling to a 5.9 Rivals Rating but managing to hang onto the No. 2 overall spot. Washington commit Troy Williams didn't see his rating change, but his solid senior season helped him move up to the No. 1 dual-threat QB in the country. Also on the move was Kenny Hill, who moved up two spots to No. 7. Cord Sandberg went from a 5.8 to a 5.9, earning him a two-spot move as well.
All-purpose backs
Notable riser: T.J. Logan Greensboro (N.C.) North Guilford (From No. 6 to No. 3)
Notable dropper: Chris Davis Cincinnati (Ohio) Colerian (From No. 11 to No. 20)
Comments: The position didn't see a ton of movement, with the exception of Deland (Fla.) back JoJo Kemp jumping from No. 18 to No. 10. Davis took a tumble after not living up to expectations during his senior season. While Logan moved up only three spots, he entered the Rivals250 and Rivals100 after previously being unranked thanks to a monster senior season. Five-star Taquan Mizzell held onto the top spot.
Running backs
Notable riser: Corey Clement Glassboro (N.J.) (From No. 27 to No. 15)
Notable dropper: Justin Davis Stockton (Calif.) Lincoln (From No. 7 to No. 12)
Comments: While Derrick Green held onto his slot atop the rankings, there was a lot of movement behind him in the rankings. Tyren Jones, Terrell Newby and Ezekiel Elliott all moved to 6.0 RR, with Alabama commit Jones jumping six spots, Newby eight spots and Ezekiel holding steady at the No. 9 spot. Auburn commit Jordan Wilkins dropped from No. 10 to No. 17 after missing the second half of the season with an ankle injury. Mississippi State commit Kailo Moore also fell seven spots, from No. 12 to No. 19.
Fullback
Notable riser: Brendan Douglas Augusta (Ga.) Aquinas (From unranked to No. 5)
Notable dropper: None
Comments: There were few moves at the fullback position, where former LSU commit Kennard Swanson holds the No. 1 spot. Douglas, a Georgia Tech commit, entered the rankings at the No. 5 spot.
Wide receivers
Notable riser: James Quick, Louisville (Ky.) Trinity (Moved from No. 21 to No. 14)
Notable dropper: Reggie Davis Tallahassee (Fla.) Lincoln (Fell from No. 15 to No. 27)
Comments: The wide receiver position saw several moves, although Laquon Treadwell held on to the top spot. Tyler Boyd shot up from No. 17 to No. 8, and Texas A&M commit Kyrion Parker jumped 23 spots from No. 30. Among the notable droppers were Rodney Adams (No. 34 to No. 47) and X'avier Shepherd, a Utah commit who fell from No. 61 to No. 94.
Tight ends
Notable riser: John Mundt Modesto (Calif.) Central Catholic (From No. 29 to No. 21)
Notable dropper: Josh McNeil New Berlin (N.Y.) Milford Academy (From No. 7 to No. 10)
Comments: The position didn't see a ton of movement, with five-star O.J. Howard remaining atop the rankings. Arkansas commit Hunter Henry earned a 5.9 RR, moving him from No. 2 to No. 4.
Offensive tackles
Notable riser: Brayden Kearsley Aloha (Ore.) (From No. 35 to No. 28)
Notable dropper: Shamire DeVine East Point (Ga.) Tri Cities (From No. 14 to No. 29)
Comments: Five-star Laremy Tunsil remains in the No. 1 spot. UCLA commit Poasi Moala jumped up to No. 49 from No. 60, while Dave Bright entered the rankings at No. 59 after previously being unranked. More than a few players fell, including North Carolina commit R.J. Prince, who fell 14 spots to No. 41. Also taking a tumble was Kenneth Santa Marina, who dropped from No. 29 to No. 34.
Offensive guards
Notable riser: Andy Dodd Lindale (Ga.) Pepperell (From No. 23 to No. 12)
Notable dropper: Jeremi Hall Lithonia (Ga.) Martin Luther King (From No. 12 to No. 17)
Comments: The top five spots remained the same, with John Montelus maintaining his top spot. Georgia commit Josh Cardiello jumped from No. 29 to No. 22 on the back of a great senior season that's still in progress. Thomas Oser also saw a nice leap, going from No. 39 to No. 26. It's the second straight jump for Oser, who was unranked in May. K.J. Malone, the son of former NBA great Karl Malone, dropped from No. 25 to No. 33.
Centers
Notable riser: Coleman Shelton Los Angeles (Calif.) Loyola (From unranked to No. 20)
Notable dropper: None
Comments: Kileen (Texas) Harker Heights' Darius James held onto the No. 1 spot, and there was very little movement behind him. Jordan Dunham was one of the only players to drop, falling out of the rankings from No. 20.
Weakside defensive ends
Notable riser: Ogbonnia Okoronkwo Houston (Texas) Alief Taylor (From No. 32 to No. 28)
Notable dropper: Jordan Sherit Tampa (Fla.) Hillsborough (No. 5 to No. 8)
Comments: Carl Lawson's monster senior season helped him rise to No. 2 in the Rivals100, so his spot atop at the position clearly stayed the same. There were several other players who shuffled a few spots, such as Pittsburgh commit Luke MacLean, who moved from inside linebacker and debuted at No. 23. Georgia commit Naim Mustafaa was the biggest dropper at the position, falling 11 spots to No. 26.
Strongside defensive ends
Notable riser: Demarcus Walker Jacksonville (Fla.) Sandalwood (From No. 6 to No. 3)
Notable dropper: Jamone Boyd Kansas City (Mo.) Lee's Summit West (From No. 13 to No. 24)
Comments: The nation's No. 1 player, Robert Nkemdiche, held onto the top spot but is feeling the heat from Dee Liner and the fast-rising Walker. After Boyd shot up thanks to a good summer, he couldn't translate into success a senior and fell 11 spots. Also on the move was Dimarya Mixon, who climbed 15 spots to No. 15.
Defensive tackles
Notable riser: Andrew Billings, Waco (Texas) (From No. 38 to No. 21)
Notable dropper: Jaynard Bostwick, Port St. Lucie (Fla.) West Central (From No. 10 to No. 27)
Comments: The top five spots at the position remained the same, with Kenny Bigelow retaining his No. 1 spot. The rest of the field saw some movement, including Greg Gilmore being reclassified as a defensive tackle and debuting at No. 13. Alabama commit Darius Paige moved from Florida to Alabama and turned in a great senior year, earning him a bump from No. 41 all the way to No. 22. Lovell Peterson also was reclassified as a defensive tackle, landing at No. 36 at the position after being the No. 13 guard in August.
Inside linebackers
Notable riser: Viliami Latu, Rancho Cucamonga (Calif.) (From unranked to No. 14)
Notable dropper: Gerald Turner, Goose Creek (S.C.) (From No. 12 to No. 22)
Comments: Five-star Reuben Foster held onto his No. 1 spot. But Alex Anzalone, who moved from OLB for this round of rankings and is now No. 3 at this position, will be gunning for him during all-star season. In addition to Latu's big jump from off the radar, Georgia commit Reginald Carter turned an excellent senior year into big strides as well, moving from No. 33 to No. 15. Position concerns about Turner perpetuated a drop, and he was one of the few players to slide at the position.
Outside linebackers
Notable riser: Jon Reschke, Bloomfield (Mich.) Brother Rice (From No. 22 to No. 12)
Notable dropper: Chans Cox, Lakeside (Ariz.) Blue Ridge (From No. 10 to No. 13)
Comments: Cox was the only player of consequence to move down at the position as the top five stayed the same, with Notre Dame commit Jaylon Smith holding down the top spot. Myles Jack was reclassified as an outside linebacker and debuts at No. 18. Also on the move was Skai Moore, who climbed from No. 40 all the way to No. 22.
Cornerbacks
Notable riser: Cole Luke, Chandler (Ariz.) Hamilton (From No. 22 to No. 9)
Notable dropper: None
Comments: One of the strongest positions in the class of 2013 just seems to be getting better, but outside of Luke crashing the top 10 there wasn't much movement at the position. Virginia Tech commit Kendall Fuller continues to be the No. 1player at the position, with Vernon Hargreaves III a hair behind. UCLA commit Jermaine Kelly was reclassified as a cornerback and debuts at No. 21. Marquez White also made a nice leap, moving from No. 34 to No. 24.
Safeties
Notable riser: Vonn Bell, Rossville (Ga.) Ridgeland (From No. 16 to No. 11)
Notable dropper: Mike Parker, Nokesville (Va.) Kettle Run (From No. 15 to unranked)
Comments: Max Redfield earned his fifth star, but it didn't give him a bump at the very competitive safety position. He's still chasing No. 1 Su'a Cravens and Leon McQuay III heading into the all-star season. Parker's drastic drop was one of few at the position, with players such as Jeremy Tyler (No. 55 to No. 41) and Michigan commit Channing Stribling (unranked to No. 28) rising.
Athletes
Notable riser: Jadar Johnson, Orangeburg (S.C.) Wilkinson (From No. 66 to No. 29)
Notable dropper: Jake Raulerson, Celina (Texas) (From No. 4 to No. 6)
Comments: Ricky Seals-Jones battled through injuries to hang on to the No. 1 spot at the position. Despite Derrick Henry's record-breaking season, he couldn't make up any ground on Seals-Jones, dropping a spot from No. 3 to No. 4. Other than that it was a risers market, with players such as Cornelius Elder (No. 13 to No. 9) and Clemson commit Johnson making nice leaps after great senior years.
Kickers
Notable riser: Jim Cooper Jr. Linwood (N.J.) Mainland Regional (From unranked to No. 7)
Notable dropper: None
Comments: Two new kickers entered the rankings this go-round, with Temple commit Cooper debuting at No. 7 and Oklahoma State commit Ben Grogan debuting at No. 9. Boston College commit Michael Geiger kept his hold on the No. 1 spot.
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