Updated Scout Rankings:
Scout
300
Positional Rankings:
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Scout.com's team of football recruiting Scouts has spent the past year scouring
the country for the nation's top players attending hundreds of games, football
camps, and watching endless hours of video.
As in any method of Scouting, there are hits and misses. The NFL is full of guys
that slipped through the college cracks and played at lower division schools,
and the NFL is full of guys that slipped through their cracks and became All-Pro
after being drafted in the sixth round.
As always, Recruiting Rankings are a guide; they're not the law. A top-ranked
recruiting class is an element of winning; it's not THE element of winning.
That being said, recruiting is an important piece of the puzzle. Scout's initial
rankings have been out for months, and there wasn't a lot of movement at the top
of the list, including Matt Barkley remaining No. 1 overall, but there have been
some movers and shakers in this latest update.
Brandon Huffman, the West Coast Manager for Scout, saw several players make big
rises in the rankings including a Cal commit, and a pair of USC commits.
"Morrell Presley made a big jump, going from No. 14 in the West to No. 6 and to
the top tight end nationally," said Huffman. "After his MVP
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Morrell Presley
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performance at the L.A. UnderArmour/Scout Combine, Presley proved why
he's the elite prospect at his position nationally. A unique blend of speed,
size and soft hands, Presley is the new prototype tight end. Fellow USC commit
Kevin Graf also jumped into the Top 50 nationally, securing his spot as the top
offensive lineman in the West."
"The biggest jump, though, came from quarterback Allan Bridgford from Mission
Viejo. The Cal commit firmly cemented himself as one of the premier passers in
the West in one of the best years for quarterbacks in California in a while.
Bridgford had a great spring and became a hot commodity before giving Jeff
Tedford and the Golden Bears a commitment."
Jumping across the country to the Southeast, saw Clemson commitment Malliciah Goodman of South Carolina make a huge leap to the No. 10 Spot at defensive end.
South Carolina native Miller Safrit of Scout.com loved what he saw out of
Goodman at the UnderArmour/Scout.com Combine in Charlotte, as well as what he
saw on the football field.
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Malliciah Goodman
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"Goodman may have been the most impressive physical specimen at our Combine in
Charlotte," said Safrit. "He measured 6-3.5/252 and had a shuttle and
forty time in the 4.5s. He's got the wingspan of a seven footer. He has the tenacity
on the football field of a major college defensive end already. He has the body
that could make him an early contributor on the next level. When you combine his measureables with
what he does on the field, he's a no-brainer for the National 100."
There were two new players from the North (East/Midwest) that escalated
themselves into the ranks of the top 50 and earned five-star honors running back
Tavon Austin from Baltimore (Md.) Paul Laurence Dunbar and offensive guard Chris Watt from Glen Ellyn (Ill.) Glenbard West.
"Austin impresses me a little more every time I see the kid," North
Recruiting Manager Bob Lichtenfels said. "He is a rare breed that just does
things that not many other kids can do."
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Tavon Austin
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Lichtenfels is also very high on Watt from the Midwest.
"Watt is a warrior, plain and simple," Lichtenfels continued. "He
is so strong and uses leverage like nobody else. He is very quick off the snap
and is relentless from whistle to whistle."
Midland Regional Manager Baron Flenory had three guys that he felt deserved
special mention when talking movers and shakers.
"Running back Brandon
Wegher is a kid that sticks out like a sore thumb on film," said
Flenory. "Playing in small town Iowa, Wegher does exactly what you would
excepted of a major Division 1 prospect: dominate. He just broke the state 60
meter dash and in today's spread offenses Wegher can be a big time threat. His
work ethic is second to none."
"Kevin
Young is a tight end out of Olathe North High School (KS) that has seen his
stock raise over the spring. I was able to see Young in person at the Under
Armour/Scout.com Combine in Kansas City and the Kansas Super Jayhawk camp, and
both times he looked like a man amongst boys. He has an explosive first step and
uses his hands really well. He went to the Nebraska camp as well and dominated
the one on ones and walked away with a scholarship offer."
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Kevin Young
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"The biggest jump of the Midland region was Donnie
Jennert, moving from not ranked to being a 3-Star. Jennert is an intriguing
prospect because he can play wide receiver or tight end at the college level.
Standing 6-6.5 he ran the 40 in 4.49 at the Under Armour Scout.com combine and
caught just about everything thrown his way. His height creates mismatches
against smaller defensive backs, and he is able to stretch the field. His frame
is thin but can carry a lot more weight, so I would not be surprised if he slid
down to play tight in some offenses. I look for his stock to continue to grow
after the first couple of games of his senior season."
Updated Scout Rankings:
Scout
300
Positional Rankings:
|
Star Ratings are derived from a player's ranking regardless of position.
5-Stars = 1-50 regardless of position
4-Stars = 51-300
3 Stars = 301-1000