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The preseason update of the Rivals250 for the class of 2019 was released today.
And there was plenty of movement in the most recent version of the rankings, as there were tons of movers and shakers after another round of camps and evaluations revealed new insight on the rising senior class.
How did Miami and Surge19 do? The Canes' total number of commits inside the Rivals250 actually dropped from five to three since the last update in June. CB Te'Cory Couch, LB Anthony Solomon, and DE Cameron Williams fell out of the rankings, while DE Jahfari Harvey received a big time boost to #205 overall and 4-star status.
There were also plenty of Hurricanes' targets that made an appearance on the Rivals250, reflecting yet another deep pool of talent in Florida this year.
Without further delay, here's a handy, dandy list of the Miami commits and targets in the newest Rivals250.
Miami Commits (New Rank/Old Rank/Change)
WR Jeremiah Payton: 160 <-- 176 (+16)
LB Avery Huff: 168 <-- 167 (-1)
DE Jahfari Harvey: 205 <-- NR (N/A)
CB Te’Cory Couch: NR <-- 178 (N/A)
LB Anthony Solomon: NR <-- 244 (N/A)
DE Cameron Williams: NR <-- 249 (N/A)
Miami Targets (New Rank/Old Rank/Change)
WR Jadon Haselwood: 3 <-- 6 (+3)
OT Darnell Wright: 4 <-- 2 (-2)
OG Kardell Thomas: 11 <-- 14 (+3)
CB Akeem Dent: 22 <-- 20 (-2)
OT Evan Neal: 29 <-- 45 (+16)
S Tyrique Stevenson: 39 <-- 175 (+136)
WR Kyle Ford: 48 <-- 79 (+31)
DE Khris Bogle: 49 <-- 50 (+1)
OG Dontae Lucas: 50 <-- 76 (+26)
ATH Mark-Antony Richards: 70 <-- 28 (-42)
OG Will Putnam: 105 <-- 104 (-1)
RB Kenny McIntosh: 112 <-- 113 (+1)
ATH Zion Puckett: 114 <-- 233 (+119)
S Jordan Battle: 189 <-- NR (N/A)
DE JJ Weaver: 213 <-- 217 (-4)
S Josh Sanguinetti: 229 <-- 165 (-64)
DE Lloyd Summerall: NR <-- 195 (N/A)
TE Keon Zipperer: NR <-- 238 (N/A)
What I Liked
**IMG Academy OT Evan Neal finally got his fifth star from Rivals, and it was a long-time coming. He dominated every camp this off-season against elite level competition, proved he could play tackle at the next level, and his physical upside may be better than almost anyone in this class. Neal was the last prospect to be ranked a 5-star at #29 overall and apparently stirred up a lot of analyst debate, with opinion seemingly split on Neal as a true 5-star. Southeast analyst Rob Cassidy notes:
"I pushed to make Evan Neal a five-star because of how his body-type projects to the NFL. Neal isn’t a polished lineman just yet. I get that, but he’s dropping his bad weight at a rapid pace and looks like a different prospect than he did a year ago. The bottom line is that massive, 6-foot-7 linemen that move like Neal are rare. He’s the type of player that could become a dominant force once he gets into a college conditioning program."
Dissenting opinions seemed to focus on Neal not dominating consistently enough in games and worries about excess weight finding it's way back to him. National Recruiting Director Mike Farrell notes:
"Evan Neal is a guy I worry about a bit because when a player struggles with weight issues like he has, it can come back to bite them. He’s re-shaped his body and added speed and agility, but is this short-term dedication or is it the way it will be moving forward? His ceiling is very high, but he worries me a bit as a five-star."
Southeast analyst Woody Wommack:
"Evan Neal is a tough one for us because we have to weigh potential versus what we have seen from him so far in his high school career... I do think we want to see more from him in games on Friday nights, especially considering the national level schedule IMG Academy will play this fall."
Rivals got it right in the end, but it's clear they will be watching Neal closely in his senior year and have him on a short leash to maintain his 5-star status. The Canes are still in a strong position with Neal, but it's clear the fight with Alabama will rage on until at least December.
**St. Thomas Aquinas S Jordan Battle was another prospect that had been seriously undervalued by Rivals as a 3-star, but made the move to 4-star status and into the Rivals250 today at #189 overall. Like Neal, Battle had a masterful camp season, culminating in a top-notch effort at the Opening. Battle may not be done moving either, as I think he is still too low for what he's shown me thus far and Cassidy seems to agree:
"There’s a chance that Jordan Battle is still a touch too low. The Florida-based defensive back does need to add muscle, but his upside is incredible. If he gets bigger and has a spectacular senior season, he could be in line for another bump. As things stand now, he’s a little slight but it’s not as though that can’t change. His upside is that of a higher-ranked prospect."
The Canes have hopped back into the Battle recruitment in the wake of the Urban Meyer scandal at Ohio State. As Battle waits to see how the situation in Columbus plays out, Mark Richt and the UM staff have made Battle a top priority and are making a big push. If Meyer is no longer at OSU, watch for the flip here.
**Miami Southridge S Tyrique Stevenson finally got his respect after wowing the entire Rivals brass at the Rivals 5-Star Challenge in June. Seems like Rivals was the last to catch up to the curve here, as Stevenson got a huge boost into the top 40 overall after previously being outside the top 150, just missing 5-star status by 10 spots. That's a rare kind of bump (and over some other truly elite players as well) for a player that wasn't exactly some kind of unknown on the national level or anything. This is Rivals admitting their mistake here and better late than never. The buzz around Stevenson has been about UGA for months now, but Miami is going to keep the pressure on the Bulldogs until something definitive comes from Stevenson.
What I Hated
**Linebacker is the toughest place to make an impact in camp settings, and unless you're some type of physical freak at the spot, it's hard to standout. Unfortunately for St. Thomas Aquinas LB Anthony Solomon, he's not that kind of rare physical specimen and the off-season ranking changes are all about camp performances. Rivals has seen Solomon a few times in person now, most recently at their 5-Star Challenge in June, so I'll respect that they just have a different evaluation than me. However, the true value of Solomon's game isn't really made for camps and he's one that just makes plays in games with pads. A guy that can easily comprehend defensive concepts and quickly apply them to the field, Solomon is the perfect fit in Manny Diaz's defense with his sideline-to-sideline speed and high football IQ.
**With his rare physical upside, I hated seeing Lakeland DE Lloyd Summerall fall out of the Rivals250. Yes, his game right now is extremely raw, he needs to put on serious weight, and there is a lot of projecting to do with him. But, if coached right and developed properly, he's the type of guy that ends up a top 10 NFL draft pick in 3-4 years, no questions asked. There's just not many legit 6'6" prospects with the length and speed he possesses. I have a hard time believing there are 250 guys in this class I'd want on my team ahead of him.
And there was plenty of movement in the most recent version of the rankings, as there were tons of movers and shakers after another round of camps and evaluations revealed new insight on the rising senior class.
How did Miami and Surge19 do? The Canes' total number of commits inside the Rivals250 actually dropped from five to three since the last update in June. CB Te'Cory Couch, LB Anthony Solomon, and DE Cameron Williams fell out of the rankings, while DE Jahfari Harvey received a big time boost to #205 overall and 4-star status.
There were also plenty of Hurricanes' targets that made an appearance on the Rivals250, reflecting yet another deep pool of talent in Florida this year.
Without further delay, here's a handy, dandy list of the Miami commits and targets in the newest Rivals250.
Miami Commits (New Rank/Old Rank/Change)
WR Jeremiah Payton: 160 <-- 176 (+16)
LB Avery Huff: 168 <-- 167 (-1)
DE Jahfari Harvey: 205 <-- NR (N/A)
CB Te’Cory Couch: NR <-- 178 (N/A)
LB Anthony Solomon: NR <-- 244 (N/A)
DE Cameron Williams: NR <-- 249 (N/A)
Miami Targets (New Rank/Old Rank/Change)
WR Jadon Haselwood: 3 <-- 6 (+3)
OT Darnell Wright: 4 <-- 2 (-2)
OG Kardell Thomas: 11 <-- 14 (+3)
CB Akeem Dent: 22 <-- 20 (-2)
OT Evan Neal: 29 <-- 45 (+16)
S Tyrique Stevenson: 39 <-- 175 (+136)
WR Kyle Ford: 48 <-- 79 (+31)
DE Khris Bogle: 49 <-- 50 (+1)
OG Dontae Lucas: 50 <-- 76 (+26)
ATH Mark-Antony Richards: 70 <-- 28 (-42)
OG Will Putnam: 105 <-- 104 (-1)
RB Kenny McIntosh: 112 <-- 113 (+1)
ATH Zion Puckett: 114 <-- 233 (+119)
S Jordan Battle: 189 <-- NR (N/A)
DE JJ Weaver: 213 <-- 217 (-4)
S Josh Sanguinetti: 229 <-- 165 (-64)
DE Lloyd Summerall: NR <-- 195 (N/A)
TE Keon Zipperer: NR <-- 238 (N/A)
What I Liked
**IMG Academy OT Evan Neal finally got his fifth star from Rivals, and it was a long-time coming. He dominated every camp this off-season against elite level competition, proved he could play tackle at the next level, and his physical upside may be better than almost anyone in this class. Neal was the last prospect to be ranked a 5-star at #29 overall and apparently stirred up a lot of analyst debate, with opinion seemingly split on Neal as a true 5-star. Southeast analyst Rob Cassidy notes:
"I pushed to make Evan Neal a five-star because of how his body-type projects to the NFL. Neal isn’t a polished lineman just yet. I get that, but he’s dropping his bad weight at a rapid pace and looks like a different prospect than he did a year ago. The bottom line is that massive, 6-foot-7 linemen that move like Neal are rare. He’s the type of player that could become a dominant force once he gets into a college conditioning program."
Dissenting opinions seemed to focus on Neal not dominating consistently enough in games and worries about excess weight finding it's way back to him. National Recruiting Director Mike Farrell notes:
"Evan Neal is a guy I worry about a bit because when a player struggles with weight issues like he has, it can come back to bite them. He’s re-shaped his body and added speed and agility, but is this short-term dedication or is it the way it will be moving forward? His ceiling is very high, but he worries me a bit as a five-star."
Southeast analyst Woody Wommack:
"Evan Neal is a tough one for us because we have to weigh potential versus what we have seen from him so far in his high school career... I do think we want to see more from him in games on Friday nights, especially considering the national level schedule IMG Academy will play this fall."
Rivals got it right in the end, but it's clear they will be watching Neal closely in his senior year and have him on a short leash to maintain his 5-star status. The Canes are still in a strong position with Neal, but it's clear the fight with Alabama will rage on until at least December.
**St. Thomas Aquinas S Jordan Battle was another prospect that had been seriously undervalued by Rivals as a 3-star, but made the move to 4-star status and into the Rivals250 today at #189 overall. Like Neal, Battle had a masterful camp season, culminating in a top-notch effort at the Opening. Battle may not be done moving either, as I think he is still too low for what he's shown me thus far and Cassidy seems to agree:
"There’s a chance that Jordan Battle is still a touch too low. The Florida-based defensive back does need to add muscle, but his upside is incredible. If he gets bigger and has a spectacular senior season, he could be in line for another bump. As things stand now, he’s a little slight but it’s not as though that can’t change. His upside is that of a higher-ranked prospect."
The Canes have hopped back into the Battle recruitment in the wake of the Urban Meyer scandal at Ohio State. As Battle waits to see how the situation in Columbus plays out, Mark Richt and the UM staff have made Battle a top priority and are making a big push. If Meyer is no longer at OSU, watch for the flip here.
**Miami Southridge S Tyrique Stevenson finally got his respect after wowing the entire Rivals brass at the Rivals 5-Star Challenge in June. Seems like Rivals was the last to catch up to the curve here, as Stevenson got a huge boost into the top 40 overall after previously being outside the top 150, just missing 5-star status by 10 spots. That's a rare kind of bump (and over some other truly elite players as well) for a player that wasn't exactly some kind of unknown on the national level or anything. This is Rivals admitting their mistake here and better late than never. The buzz around Stevenson has been about UGA for months now, but Miami is going to keep the pressure on the Bulldogs until something definitive comes from Stevenson.
What I Hated
**Linebacker is the toughest place to make an impact in camp settings, and unless you're some type of physical freak at the spot, it's hard to standout. Unfortunately for St. Thomas Aquinas LB Anthony Solomon, he's not that kind of rare physical specimen and the off-season ranking changes are all about camp performances. Rivals has seen Solomon a few times in person now, most recently at their 5-Star Challenge in June, so I'll respect that they just have a different evaluation than me. However, the true value of Solomon's game isn't really made for camps and he's one that just makes plays in games with pads. A guy that can easily comprehend defensive concepts and quickly apply them to the field, Solomon is the perfect fit in Manny Diaz's defense with his sideline-to-sideline speed and high football IQ.
**With his rare physical upside, I hated seeing Lakeland DE Lloyd Summerall fall out of the Rivals250. Yes, his game right now is extremely raw, he needs to put on serious weight, and there is a lot of projecting to do with him. But, if coached right and developed properly, he's the type of guy that ends up a top 10 NFL draft pick in 3-4 years, no questions asked. There's just not many legit 6'6" prospects with the length and speed he possesses. I have a hard time believing there are 250 guys in this class I'd want on my team ahead of him.
