:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/56308313/26_4628687.0.jpg)
Football is here, folks. College starts in 2 weeks. The NFL? Starts in 3.
However, the high school football season is already underway and, today, the last of the recruiting sites’ preseason rankings for the Class of 2018 was released in the form of the Rivals250. (Check here for the most recent updates to 247, ESPN, and Scout).
The big news? WR Mark Pope was finally awarded his fifth star, getting the long-deserved bump up yesterday when the Rivals100 came out (he actually fell one spot overall though). Rivals has always been one of the highest sites on Pope and, after a summer of dominating events and camps, could no longer deny him that ratings boost, calling him “nothing short of dominant at elite events and on Friday nights. His acceleration and ability to create space make him elite”. Congrats to Pope, as this is something he’s always wanted and is a nice feather in his cap.
As for the other changes, 12 of the 19 total Miami Hurricanes commits in Storm18 made their way into the rankings in this edition of the Rivals250, up from 11 in the previous update. The majority of the Rivals250 update involved minor changes, as 8 of the 12 included Hurricane players experienced rises or falls of 12 spots or less. Additionally, OL Delone Scaife and TE Will Mallory made big moves to join the list, with DB Josh Jobe falling off altogether, as he aged out of high school football. Jobe will attend a prep school in Connecticut this school year and join Rivals’ Prep School rankings down the line.
Below you can find a handy little chart of all the changes, up and down, of Miami guys within the newest Rivals250.
Rivals250 Postseason Rankings Update
| Player | New Rank | Old Rank | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Player | New Rank | Old Rank | Change |
| Lorenzo Lingard | 10 | 8 | -2 |
| Mark Pope | 25 | 26 | 1 |
| Al Blades Jr. | 45 | 39 | -6 |
| Delone Scaife | 58 | 52 | -6 |
| Camron Davis | 75 | 66 | -9 |
| Brevin Jordan | 109 | 107 | -2 |
| Will Mallory | 139 | 250 | 111 |
| Gurvan Hall | 191 | 183 | -8 |
| Josh Jobe | 205 | NR | N/A |
| Brian Hightower | 217 | 214 | -3 |
| Gilbert Frierson | 226 | 219 | -7 |
| John Campbell | NR | 129 | N/A |
Thoughts
- Mallory’s big Paradise Camp helped him make his way into the new update; ditto for Scaife. But, if you’ve followed this blog at all, you know Scaife has been killing it at every camp he’s attended this summer, including Paradise, the Opening, and the Rivals 5-Star Challenge, where he was named O-Line MVP. Rivals head of recruiting Mike Farrell was an early detractor, citing Scaife’s average height and length, but Scaife has turned him into a believer with his sheer power and nimble footwork. This #52 overall ranking reflects that.
- RB Lorenzo Lingard continues his slow climb up the rankings: he’s now #8 overall in the nation, up from #10. Lingard is locked into a battle with Georgia commit Zamir White (#7 overall) for the title of top running back in the nation and their senior seasons and all-star performances will go a long way in deciding that contest. For his part, Lingard is ready for the competition: he said as much soon after the rankings were released.
They gone see why I should be #1 and I will O line makes a big difference for some dudes but not me
— Lorenzo Lingard JR (@d1champ99) August 22, 2017
- WR Brian Hightower experienced the biggest drop within the Rivals250, falling to #214 overall. Although the lanky receiver has good speed and tantalizing potential, Rivals still wants to see more development from him at this point in the cycle and “he’ll benefit from a redshirt year to add muscle and become a better route runner.” For me, Hightower hasn’t changed much as a player and I expect him to excel catching passes from Artur Sitkowski at IMG this season.