100 Juniors To Watch

Who are the top prospects to watch for among the Class of 2007? Everyone knows about quarterback Jimmy Clausen and running back Noel Devine. Here is the Scout.com Junior Hot 100 Watch List by Scout.com.

Scout.com is proud to unveil our Scout.com Junior Hot 100 Watch List for the Class of 2007. It looks like a bumper crop year next season, especially at the quarterback position.

This is the earliest Scout.com has put out a junior list like this. We identified 25 prospects that we felt desered five stars and the rest received four stars. The prospects are NOT ranked, rather they are placed in alphabetical order. Scout.com will begin to rank all the prospects among the class of 2007 sometime this spring.

Of course everyone wants to know who the top prospect will be among this class. Right now it appears it will be quarterback Jimmy Clausen (Westlake Village, Calif.), although it's still a little too early to make that determination.

"Jimmy Clausen, younger brother of Tennessee Vol signal callers Casey and Rick, figures to emerge as next year's pre-season No. 1 quarterback prospect," said Allen Wallace of Scout.com. "He's already received numerous scholarship offers from some of the country's finest programs. The youngster shows a very quick, high release and a strong, accurate arm. He's extremely poised and is adept, when scrambling, at throwing when running to either side of the field."

The running back position is loaded once again with some talented runners like Noel Devine, Marc Tyler, and John Clay. Clay, because of his combination of size and speed, appears to be the front runner as the nation's top back for next season.

"John Clay (Racine, Wisc.) is the No.1 prospect in the Midwest and should be a “Top 5” National prospect," said Chris Pool, Midwest Recruiting Analyst for Scout.com. "Clay is a gifted running back that I feel is a combination of Eddie George and Greg Jones. Clay is a physical specimen that shows tremendous speed and balance. He’s extremely powerful between the tackles and tough to bring down once gets to the third level. At 6-2, 220-pounds, Clay is a work-horse that gains a ton of yards after contact."

Defensively this class is led by five-star linemen like Marvin Austin (Washington D.C.), Allen Bailey (Darien, Ga.), Torrey Davis (Seffner, Fla.), John Brown (Lakeland, Fla.), and Kenny Rowe (Long Beach, Calif.).

Heading the East region this year is Arrelious Benn, followed closely by Clemson commit Willy Korn.

"Arrelious just looks like a construction worker at age 16," said Miller Safrit, East Recruiting Analyst for scout.com. "He has a lot of power as a wideout to create separation as a wideout, and his speed is certainly more than adequate right now. Korn is right there with Benn, he has great leadership qualities in helping win his third straight state championship title last fall. He has great touch on the ball, excellent poise and mobility in the pocket, and a rocket for an arm."