Sevyn Banks, Joseph Ossai, and other 2018 football recruits making big rankings jumps

Why prospects are rocketing up the recruiting rankings, key commitments, and scouting observations

Let’s get caught up on some movers and shakers in the college football recruit rankings. As a refresher, college football recruit rankings are excellent on the whole. I’d put them up against NFL draft evaluations, within the perspective of the tough variables impacting them.

But early college football ratings are not good because of the unique combination of players growing and maturing (thanks puberty) and evaluators having limited time to assess a limited sample set. Still, it’s good to see that the rankings are quite fluid early in the process, as they should be.

Let’s discuss some of the moves, and why they happened.

Receiver Khalil Shakir, of Murrieta (Calif.) Vista went from No. 1048 overall to No. 471 on the 247Sports Composite, a blend of the four major rankings (Rivals, Scout, 247Sports, and ESPN). The reason for the move is Scout’s bold position, making Shakir a four-star prospect, No. 220 overall, and the No. 40 receiver. People complain about rankings, and everyone has their favorite evaluating service. But I trust Scout West of the Rockies above everyone else due to its track record. Colorado has offered.

RB Tavion Thomas went from No. 433 overall to No. 278. The Dayton (Ohio) Dunbar prospect has great size at 6’2 and 225 pounds. Ohio State has offered, and most expect him to end up there. 247Sports and Scout are high on Thomas, while Rivals rates him three stars, and ESPN has yet to give him a grade.

Eyabi Anoma, a defensive end from Baltimore (Md.) St. Francis Academy made a big jump, going from No. 120 to 51. ESPN is taking a bold early position, ranking him the No. 8 prospect — not at his position, but nationally.

Defensive end Joseph Ossai went from No. 344 to No. 253. The 6’4, 217-pound Conroe (Texas) Oak Ridge pass rusher has great athleticism, and he impressed me on a cold day at the Houston Nike Opening Camp. 247Sports is the high man on Ossai, at No. 148 nationally. Texas A&M seems like the smart money, but he also has added offers from Arkansas, Ole Miss, Texas, Nebraska, Notre Dame, Alabama, LSU, Mississippi State, Baylor, and Oklahoma State since early February.

As a reflection of just how truly early it is in the recruiting rating process, see Orlando (Fla.) Jones corner Sevyn Banks. The brother of former Florida Gators standout Marcell Harris, Banks rose from No. 525 to No. 314 this week. At 6’1 and 180 pounds, only three players (out of thousands tested) have posted a higher Nike rating (formerly known as a SPARQ score) than Banks’ 128.6. That is some freakish athleticism.

Scout made the aggressive move, ranking Banks at No. 290 and the No. 25 corner nationally. Rivals and ESPN are yet to even give him a rating. I’m not criticizing those outlets, as it’s better to wait and get things right than it is to throw out stars early and retract. But examples like this, where a prospect has size, athleticism, and a famous brother, yet has no rating from 50 percent of the industry, are why I like to wait a few more months before truly putting stock into recruiting rankings.

As a general rule, though, it’s safe to assume that players rated early on in the top 50 nationally are elite. The reason is that the rating services are conservative with their ratings in the early goings, and they do not want to end up with egg on their faces if they later have to drop a kid a few hundred spots. The converse is not necessarily true, however; a player with a low rating or no rating at this stage in the process does not necessarily indicate a lack of ability or potential.

I also really liked the moves of California safety Bryan Addison from 317 to 228, Texas receiver Tommy Bush from 311 to 245, and California receiver Devon Williams from 327 to 139. All three are tall, elite athletes who also perform well on the field.

Big commits

The big college football recruiting news of the week is Ohio State landing Taron Vincent, the No. 1 defensive tackle in the nation. The five-star recruit from Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy picked the Buckeyes over Florida State. This isn’t all that surprising, as Vincent is the son of former NFL star Troy Vincent and grew up in the North. Given all his options, he could not make a bad choice.

The only other big news was LSU landing edge rusher Jarell Cherry, of Dallas (Texas) Carter. The four-star recruit has some serious quickness off the edge.

I expect a big weekend of commitments upcoming, with multiple schools holding their spring games and inviting visitors.

NFA 7v7 Southeast Regional Championship Tournament

BRADENTON, Fla. — In late March, I had the opportunity to take in about 25 games at the NFA 7v7 Southeastern Regional Championship held at IMG Academy and came away with many observations and recruiting notes for Crootletter subscribers and SB Nation readers.

Note that 25 games is only a fraction of the total number played, and I can only watch two at a time. (Fields are 40 yards, so two games take place per football field simultaneously.) It’s also worth noting that being good at 7v7 is not necessarily an indicator of being good at actual football. There is no hitting, and there are no pads or linemen. On the flip side, being bad at 7v7, especially for the quarterback or receiver position, is a red flag to me.

Joe Milton has a cannon

I wrote 600 words on Orlando (Fla.) Olympia High’s Joe Milton last Monday and made a video of his best throws. I expect him to land at Florida sooner than later.

Miami picks up Mark Pope

In a surprise to nobody, Miami picked up Mark Pope, of Miami (Fla.) Southridge Monday. Pope is an excellent four-star receiver prospect. I think he has a high floor (low chance he busts).

Pope shows good deep and short skills in the video I made of him. He was largely unchecked in the tournament.

The Hurricanes also grabbed four-star safety Gurvan Hall. Despite Nick Saban visiting Hall on a helicopter, this, too, was expected.

Hall, who has been a staple for Palm Beach Lakes defense over the last two years, was named a 1st team All-State player in Florida’s 7A classification. Hall starred for Lakes at both Safety and Receiver, but his future is most decidedly on the defensive side of the ball. Miami has been building a relationship with Hall for quite some time, and that obviously paid off with today’s commitment.

Miami is putting together an elite class, as I discussed with Richard Johnson in a recent episode of the College Football Recruiting Podcast.

Notes

• I wrote about Isaiah Bolden’s game, his commitment to FSU, and his interest in Oregon.

The recent NFA 7v7 Southeast Regional tournament at IMG Academy was the best I have seen FSU commitment Isaiah Bolden look. Ever.

I shot two consecutive games of Bolden, consisting of about 50 plays. The 6’2 cornerback from Wesley Chapel (Fla.) locked his man down and was rarely thrown at: four attempts, two breakups, one completion. He also showed some versatility, playing safety later in the tournament.

• Tight end recruit Zach Sheffer, of Ponte Vedra Beach (Fla.) Nease is a player. The three-star recruit has a rating that does not match his recent offers (LSU, Michigan, Ohio State, Louisville). At 6’3, 230, he will need to go somewhere that utilizes the h-back role, but he consistently gets open and makes touch catches even when the opposing team doubled him, which was often. His game reminds me some of Nick O’Leary, though not quite as talented. Sheffer recently visited Ohio State.
• 2017 receiver Jaylen Waddle, of Bellaire (Texas) Episcopal was one of the most explosive receivers at the event. He is a former teammate of FSU five-star defensive tackle signee Marvin Wilson.
• 2017 receiver Joshua Moore, now at the IMG Academy (from Yoakum, Texas) showed his skills on defense and offense. Moore recently discussed the desire to play both ways in college.
• Leon O’Neal, a big safety from Cypress (Texas) Springs, has a great build and could grow into a nickel linebacker. He is a big hitter but could not show it in this format. He recently picked up a Florida offer and plans to visit Texas and Texas A&M soon.
• Christian Young, a 6’2, 200-pound safety prospect out of Richmond (Texas) Foster, impressed me. Young played corner almost all weekend and held his own against all of the small, speedy Florida receivers, relative to his size. For a safety of that size to be able to do that was impressive, and he’s worthy of having more than one Power 5 offer (Arizona) to date.

Future notes

I do not often talk about eighth, ninth, or 10th graders, but a few really stood out, and die-hard Crootletter readers seem to like following it.

• 2019 receiver Jordan Whittington, of Cuero (Texas) has been good in every event I’ve seen him at this year. The 6’1 receiver has not received a star rating yet, but he holds offers from Oregon, Texas A&M, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi State, Ohio State, Oklahoma, and Stanford, among others. He’s a solid prospect with good speed, hands, and feel for the position at his age.
• 2020 QB Anthony Mountain, of the Brunswick (Ga.) Glynn Academy, is a name to watch. He is already 6’2, and he is cousins with Miami signee DeeJay Dallas, he told me.
• 2020 DB Dwight McGlothern of New Caney (Texas) has several relatives playing in college and pro football, and the 6’2 corner already has an LSU offer, among others.
• 2021 QB Bronson McClelland, of Katy (Texas) had a good tournament. If he grows, he could be a legitimate prospect.
• 2021 Jacorey Brooks, of Miami (I am not sure what high school to list since he is in middle school) already has an offer from Tennessee. He could be a good high school player right now at 6’1 with ball skills.