Scout.com and FoxSports blanket the country like no other when it comes to prep
football and college football recruiting. Once again we are proud to bring you
the industry's first comprehensive Top 100 list of players for the current class
of junior.
Scout introduced 10 5-Stars for the Class of 2013, and this week Scout
introduces its Top
100.
It will be tough to replicate the depth of the offensive line class from the
2012 which has a historic amount of talent, but Scout's national analysts are
here to tell you where the players are located for 2013.
Bob Lichtenfels is in charge of rankings for the East, and he is high on a
position that is historically tough to fill.
"The Class of 2012 is deep at almost every position and it is a very
special class. Now with the Class of 2013 we see a drop off in depth, but there
is a decent amount of high-end talent at almost every position. The one area of
strength that stands out to me is cornerback.
Cornerback is one of the most important positions on the field and there are so
few quality corners, but in the East Region glancing over the Top 15 players in
the region you have three corners who have a chance to be elite, shutdown cover
corners Kendall Fuller from Olney (Md.) Good Counsel, Eli Woodard from Voorhees
(N.J.) Eastern and Nadir Barnwell from Piscataway (N.J.). Woodard is a true
shutdown cover guy. Fuller and Barnwll are athletically giftend two-way players
who project better at cornerback.
The defensive line is a strength in the class as well, we have three players
who will be national recruits with 25-plus offers end Al-quadin Muhammad from
Ramsey (N.J.) Don Bosco Prep, defensive tackle Justin Moody from Philadelphia
(Pa.) George Washington and end Kenny Bigelow from Bear (Del.) Red Lion
Chrisitian Academy.
Bigelow and Monaca (Pa.) Central Valley wide receiver Robert Foster were the
first two players in the East Region to earn a five-star ranking from the East
Region in this class (Story).
There aren't an abundance of offensive linemen in this class, but the ones at
the top of the list are very good led by guard Patrick Kugler from Wexford (Pa.)
North Allegheny and tackle Derwin Gray from Washington (D.C.) Dunbar."
Chad Simmons over sees the Southeast for Scout, and he may have the toughest job
of trying to pick roughly 35 players from the nation's deepest region to fill
the early Scout 100, but if anyone can do it, it's Simmons.
"There is good star power at the top in the South on the defensive side
of the ball, but there looks to be very good depth at some of the skill
positions. Running back, wide receiver, and quarterback look to be strong early
on and a number of guys at those positions could challenge for 5-Stars as we
expand the list on Scout.
The state of Florida is responsible for much of that depth at both running
back and wide receiver. On this list already are Greg Bryant, Tarean Folston,
and Derrick Henry (Georgia commitment) out of the Sunshine State and a number of
other backs will compete for Top 100 positions and definitely make the 2013
Scout300 list.
At receiver, two made this initial list (Stacy Coley, Ahmad Fulwood and
Jayron Kearse) with another was right on the edge (Taj Williams). Throughout the
South, there looks to be play-makers at the receiver position and the guys on
this list are all at least 6-feet tall. Bigger targets are what coaches are
looking for at this position and the South will produce many of those next
year."
Greg Powers Scouts the Midlands which is typically dominated from prospects from
the state of Texas. 2013 is no different, but in this case, Powers has one
question.
"Where's the beef?"
"That is a question college recruiters ask quite frequently as they try
to fill their squads with powerful linemen along the offensive and defensive
fronts. Well, the coaches will definitely be making stops in the Midlands next
season as eight linemen already find themselves in the Scout.com Top 100. The
two premiere guys on the offensive line are Lake Highlands' (Texas) OT Kent Perkins and the Killeen Harker Heights (Texas) OG/DT Darius James.
There is also some beef at the skill positions. There are currently three
5-star selections from the region, and all three players are 6-foot-5 or taller.
Whitewright (Texas) quarterback Tyrone Swoopes (6'5, 210) is drawing early
comparisons to Vince Young. Rosenberg Terry's (Texas) Derrick Griffin (6'6) is
not only one of the top receivers in the class he is also one of the top
basketball recruits. Sealy's (Texas) Ricky Seals-Jones (6'6) plays all over the
field in high school but will be a tremendous weapon in the passing game in
college.
If you are looking for a speedster look no farther than DeSoto High (Texas)
where you will find Dontre Wilson. Wilson is playing running back, but because
of his top end speed he could play any number of positions on the next level.
One thing is for sure, if you get him the ball in the open field he will make
you pay with a big play."
The top players in almost every state in the West for 2012 are offensive
linemen. It was an unprecedented year for big men, and Brandon Huffman knows
that will be tough to replicate.
"While the West doesn't have the deep pool of linemen like it does in
the class of 2012, it will still be a top-heavy class in the trenches. Oregon is
home to two of the best in the nation in West Linn's Evan Voeller and Beaverton
Aloha's Braydon Kearsley, who is already committed to BYU. Kearsley is teammates
with the top running back in the West too, Thomas Tyner, in what could be the
best top three the state of Oregon has produced.
The quarterback position is returning in the region too, with Sammamish
(Wash.) Skyline passer Max Browne, who hails from the same school as 2010's #1
quarterback Jake Heaps, leading a trio that also boasts Cooper Bateman from Salt
Lake City (Utah) Cottonwood and Los Angeles (Calif.) Cathedral's Hayden Rettig.
But the region's top prospect is linebacker Michael Hutchings from Concord
(Calif.) De La Salle, and the lone five-star prospect to date from the
West."
Early in the process, the Midwest one of only two 5-Star quarterbacks in
Shane Morris (Michigan) and running back Jalin Marshall, but Scout Allen Trieu
knows there are a plethora of players beyond the high profile players Morris and
Marshall.
"The Midwest has some good young talent this year. After the two
five-stars, we have a run on Ohio kids, in what I think, is a strong year in the
state. Cameron Burrows, Billy Price, Lovell Peterson, Dymonte Thomas and Ben Gedeon are among the juniors from the state that made the cut and have really
impressed us so far.
A couple non-Ohioans off to strong starts this year include Joliet Catholic
Academy (Ill.) running back Ty Isaac, who has gone well over 200 yards twice in
three games, and Fort Wayne (Ind.) Bishop Luers linebacker Jaylon Smith, who has
been dominant on both sides of the ball."
Scout.com will continue to update its rankings for the Class of 2012 as well as
the Class of 2013 through their respective Signing Days. No one sees as many
players as Scout.com; no one ranks as many players as Scout.com, and we're
making sure you're always in the game.
Scout
100 by Position: