West Spotlight: Biggest rankings questions
The high school football season is more than halfway over and some answers to the big rankings questions are coming into focus. This week the Rivals national analyst team has been taking a close look at some of the biggest rankings questions in their parts of the country. Today, we cover the West.
THIS SERIES: East region rankings questions | Mid-South | Southeast | Midwest
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CLASS OF 2023 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Team | Position | State
CLASS OF 2024 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Team | Position | State
CLASS OF 2025 RANKINGS: Rivals100
TRANSFER PORTAL: Stories/coverage | Message board
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Who’s the No. 1 quarterback in California?
This debate will continue and might have no end until the final rankings release and possibly until Malachi Nelson’s and Nico Iamaleava’s college careers are over. Depending on who you talk to in Southern California, there is a Malachi Camp and a Nico Camp - and maybe neither one is wrong.
But either the USC commit or the Tennessee pledge has to be the No. 1 quarterback in the state of California, and right now we’re leaning slightly toward Iamaleava because of his offseason performances and his off-the-charts athletic ability that might separate him just a little bit.
Although, that could change. Nelson was great at the Elite 11 this summer, while Iamaleava didn’t attend because of a volleyball tournament. The all-star games could settle this, though, as both five-star quarterbacks are having strong senior seasons.
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Is there another five-star prospect in the West?
At the beginning of the season, I wasn’t so sure. I’m starting to lean yes – and there might be two.
Bellflower (Calif.) St. John Bosco high four-star defensive end Matayo Uiagalelei was so unstoppably good against Santa Ana (Calif.) Mater Dei last weekend as he came off the edge at will, made a ton of tackles in the backfield, played smart and looked like a complete physical specimen on the field the entire night.
I haven’t been completely sold on a five-star tight end this cycle, but Duce Robinson is so special we might have to make the move. He has great physical makeup and the Phoenix Pinnacle standout is so fluid and moves so well for his size. It’s why USC, Georgia, Alabama and Texas are battling it out for him.
And I don’t think it’s ridiculous to at least consider Oregon commit Jurrion Dickey, who was phenomenal this summer and has done well at his new school – Atherton (Calif.) Menlo-Atherton – so far this season.
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How high does Robinson go?
Halfway through his regular season, No. 1 tight end Duce Robinson is pacing toward a season that sees more than 1,000 receiving yards and 16 touchdowns – and that’s not even counting any kind of a playoff run. He’s just dominant. When his Phoenix Pinnacle team throws him the ball there are few linebackers or defensive backs who can slow him down.
So, should Robinson move to five-star status? He certainly has the measurables and the makeup for it, and it’s not like there haven’t been at least a handful of first-round NFL Draft picks at tight end in recent years. So, it’s definitely under serious consideration.
The last two five-star tight ends were Arik Gilbert and Darnell Washington, complete physical freaks, but neither is expected to be a surefire first-rounder. Still, Robinson could be different, and he shouldn’t be held to their standards, so it’s something we will for sure consider.
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Will Raiola keep his No. 1 ranking?
Desmond Ricks is a very talented cornerback, and Jeremiah Smith could make an argument as overall the best player in the 2024 class. Former No. 1 Colin Simmons is having an outstanding junior season and has elite ability off the edge.
But I don’t think this is much of a discussion.
Dylan Raiola is a phenomenal quarterback, a great teammate, a tremendous leader and it’s almost a no-brainer that he remains No. 1 in the 2024 class. Of course, there are no guarantees, and if a change needs tot be made it will happen. But Raiola was phenomenal when I saw him in person earlier this season and it has continued all season.
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How should the top of California’s 2024 rankings shake out?
Five-star quarterback Julian Sayin is playing like one this season and - unsurprisingly - has been very impressive. But the second-ranked player in the state of California’s 2024 rankings is T.A. Cunningham, and he missed a significant portion of his junior season because of transfer issues, and players behind him have been very good.
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So, how will it play out?
We'll see. Bellflower (Calif.) St. John Bosco safety Peyton Woodyard is really talented, and he looked good even in a losing effort to Santa Ana (Calif.) Mater Dei last weekend. Mater Dei quarterback Elijah Brown is still undefeated as a starter and has a quiet demeanor about him that should not be misconstrued, because he’s highly competitive. And then players such as Jordan Anderson, Kyngston Viliamu-Asa, Deandre Carter, Dylan Williams, Zabien Brown, Marcelles Williams and others have also been impressive.