The Scout.com National Top 100 has been revised, as senior seasons and all-star games have impacted our most recent evaluation of the top-end talent among the Class of 2007. The Scout.com recruiting team all had input in the newest edition of the top 100 college football prospects in the country.
Defensive tackle Marvin Austin (Washington D.C.) premiered as the Scout.com top recruit in the land back in June. There is now a new No. 1 and his name is Everson Griffen (Avondale, Az.). This defensive end is a special and unique talent and his play during the week of the U.S. Army All-American Bowl solidified him as the nation's top prospect.
“It's a special honor being recognized as the top prospect,” said Griffen. “It's an honor. I just want to thank God, my teammates and coaches for making me the player that I am today.”
Griffen is a rare breed of talent. He has size, speed, quickness, power and athletism that few possess at this level. Griffen also has a tremendous amount of upside and the sky's the limit to just how good Griffen can become.
The top ten also includes (in order) running back Joe McKnight (River Ridge, La.), Austin, quarterbacks Jimmy Clausen (Westlake Village, Calif.) and Ryan Mallett (Texarkana, Texas), running back Marc Tyler (Westlake Village, Calif.), cornerback Eric Berry (Fairburn, Ga.), offensive lineman Tray Allen (Grand Prairie, Texas), middle linebacker Chris Galippo (Anaheim, Calif.) and wide recevier Terrence Toliver (Hempstead, Texas).
In retooling the top 100, Scout.com also has new No. 1s at four different positions. McKnight now is the nation's top rated running back. Allen becomes the country's top offensive line prospect while J'Courtney Williams (Christchurch, Va.) and Chad Jones (Baton Rouge, La.) become the top bluechippers at strong side linebacker and safety respectively.
There were also many other changes in this edition. Chad Jones, weak side linebacker Lorenzo Edwards (Orlando, Fl.), safety Major Wright (Ft. Lauderdale, Fl.), cornerback Donovan Warren (Long Beach, Calif.), quarterback Aaron Corp (Orange, Calif.), defensive end Carlos Dunlap (North Charleston, S.C.), Cliff Mathews (Cheraw, S.C.), defensive tackle Joseph Barksdale (Detroit, Mi.), safety Marshall Jones (Westlake Village, Calif.), offensive guard Chris Jacobson (Pittsburgh, Pa.), and running back Chris Rainey (Lakeland, Fl.) were all elevated from four stars to five stars. In order to get that fifth star you have to be considered one of the top 50 prospects in the nation and these prospects made that cut.
When you re-evaluate, others must move down and hard decisions have to be made. Quarterbacks Willy Korn (Duncan, S.C.) and John Brantley (Ocala, Fl.), running backs John Clay (Racine, Wi.) and Broderick Green (Little Rock, Ar.), wide receiver Ahmad Paige (Sterlington, La.), defensive tackle D'Angelo McCray (Jacksonville, Fl.), safety Austin Box (Enid, Ok.), offensive tackle Lee Ziemba (Rogers, Ar.), defensive end Luther Davis (West Monroe, La.) and Richetti Jones (Dallas, Texas), and safety Mark Barnes (Columbia, S.C.) were moved from five stars to four.
Meanwhile cornerbacks John Williams(Breauz Bridge, La.), Marcus Gilcrist (High Point, N.C.), and Michael Williams (Ventura, Calif.), center Ryan Pugh (Hoover, Al.), defensive ends Akeem Ayers (Los Angeles, Calif.), Carolos Dunlap, Cliff Matthews and Michael Reardon (Orange, Calif.), defensive tackle Tydreke Powell (Ahoskie, N.C.), wide receivers Rashad Mason (Nashville, Tenn.), Dez Bryant (Lufkin, Texas) and DeAngelo Benton (Bastrop, La.), offensive guard Stefen Wisnieski (Pittsburgh, Pa.), and safeties Major Wright and Marshall Jones are now all in the 100.
Prospects that dropped out of the top 100 were quarterback Mike Paulus (Syracuse, N.Y.), running backs John Clay, Armando Allen (Hialeah, Fl.) and Antwain Easterling (Miami, Fl.), wide receivers Martell Webb (Pontiac, Mi.), Anthony Boyles (Gardena, Calif.), Lansford Watson (Brooklyn, N.Y.), Markques Simas (San Diego, Calif.), and Niles Paul (Omaha, Ne.), offensive tackle Chris Little (Jeffersonville, Ga.), defensive tackles Myles Wade (Portland, Or.) and Josh Brent (Bloomington, Ill.), linebackers Josh Bynes (Lauderdale Lakes, Fl.) and Tyler Nielson (Humboldt, Ia.), cornerback Ben Wells (Beaumont, Texas) and safety Michael McNeil (Mobile, Al.).