Major rankings questions remain at premium positions

Yahoo

09-04-2025

The spring camp season is about halfway finished with a few more events on the calendar before summer. The 2026 rankings have undergone massive changes since the beginning of the process and over the last few months have seen seismic alterations.
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The top of many of the positions have come into focus but there are still some major questions at premium positions.
2026 RIVALS250 REFRESH: New schedule explained | Updated Rivals250 revealed | Biggest storylines | Prospects on the five-star radar | Three big jumps
RUMOR MILL: Intel flows from trip to North Carolina | Big decisions coming for nation's elite
CLASS OF 2025 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Team | Position | State
CLASS OF 2026 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Team | Position | State
CLASS OF 2027 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Team | Position | State
TRANSFER PORTAL: Full coverage | Player ranking | Team ranking | Transfer search | Transfer Tracker
QUARTERBACK
Faizon Brandon has held the No. 1 spot in the quarterback rankings since February but he has not separated himself from the pack. The Tennessee commit has all the physical tools you could ask for in a quarterback prospect but it'll be interesting to see how he handles complicated defensive schemes at the next level.
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Meanwhile Ryder Lyons, Jared Curtis and Keisean Henderson are right on his heels in the rankings and each have special qualities that give them a strong case to be at the top of the quarterback rankings. How will Lyons adjust to playing within a system at the next level instead of being able to freelance whenever he wants? Curtis will have to deal with a massive jump in competition in college and adjust to the much faster defenses. Henderson is an outstanding athlete who has grown as a quarterback by leaps and bounds over the last couple years but will he improve fast enough to have a similar impact at the college level?
All four of these quarterbacks will face a fairly steep learning curve at the next level but how quickly will they be able to adjust and then continue to improve as potential NFL prospects? The national analyst team will learn a lot about them during the remainder of spring camp season and at the elite summer camps.
OFFENSIVE TACKLE
The depth of this offensive line class is awfully impressive and the offensive tackles at the top of the rankings are the types of prospects who can make an early impact at the college level.
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Jackson Cantwell has been a five-star and the No. 1 offensive tackle since the beginning of the 2026 rankings cycle. A son of former Olympians, Cantwell put together excellent junior film and performed very well at the Under Armour All-America Game earlier this year. He is also a track and field star, which adds to his high-end evaluation. Playing in Missouri, there will likely be an adjustment period for him as he gets used to the speed and strength combination he'll see from defensive linemen at the college level.
Immanuel Iheanacho is one of the most college-ready offensive linemen we've seen in years. The Maryland native is already the size of NFL players and possesses elite strength, flexibility, and overall athleticism for his size. He is extremely intelligent and should have no problem picking up the blocking schemes at the next level but will he be able to bring the necessary intensity to the trenches at the next level?
Five-star Felix Ojo is just slightly behind Cantwell and Iheanacho from a physical perspective but his frame, athleticism and technical skills are elite. He has the look of a franchise left tackle and that's likely what he'll become if he's able to add the strength and mass necessary to excel at the next level. The order of these three prospects in the Rivals250 is still unsettled.
DEFENSIVE END
Richard Wesley is the only five-star defensive end in the 2026 Rivals250 right now, which is awfully impressive considering he was a 2027 prospect up until recently. The California native is an elite athlete at the position and the fact that he was so dominant as a sophomore but is still held in such high regard should signal our opinion of his potential. Will being a younger prospect slow his development once he reaches the college level? How will he handle competing with older and more physically mature offensive linemen? These are important questions to address before the rankings are final but is his ranking as the No. 1 defensive end in the Rivals250 in danger? That remains to be seen because the defensive ends behind him in the rankings don't have much momentum right now.
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Are there enough uncertainties surrounding Wesley to give an opening to players like Aiden Harris, Tyson Bacon, Bryce Perry-Wright, Pierre Dean or others? Harris is on the smaller side for defensive end but he plays with outstanding energy. Bacon has shown a number of inconsistencies in his game while the ceiling for Perry-Wright is a bit murky. Dean was considered one of the best offensive line prospects in this class but the way he has developed has caused teams to think about him as more of a defensive end and right now he even admits he has a long way to go at that position.
EDGE DEFENDER
Nick Lucero/Rivals.com
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The edge defender position is loaded with outstanding pass rushers who college coaches hope to insert as game-wreckers in their scheme.
Anthony 'Tank' Jones out of Alabama has been a five-star since August of last year. The dominant pass rusher earned his ranking after an impressive showing last offseason and he continued to show a dominant streak as a junior. Since then though, he has not sought out opportunities to compete against future Power Four prospects, leaving open a window for others to pass him in the rankings. The top pass rushers in the NFL Draft and the ones already playing professionally are ultra competitive. It's what sets them apart from the still incredibly talented players who are selected outside of the first round of the NFL Draft and may still be buried on NFL depth charts.
Meanwhile, pass rushers like Jake Kreul, Zion Elee, Jamarian Carlton and many others are charging up the rankings and could soon join Jones among the five-stars. Kreul has flourished in every competitive environment he's been in and he continues to physically mature. His performance during the upcoming season at IMG Academy will tell us a lot about where he is at in his developmental progression. Elee might be the most talented pass rusher off the edge in this class. His physical tools put him in rare air and it's just a matter of time before he rounds out his skill set. Carlton has grown by leaps and bounds during the process and has proven to be one of the more well-rounded pass rushers in this class. He still has plenty of room to grow, which should be scary for college offensive line coaches.
CORNERBACK
Cornerback has been the most hotly debated position during rankings calls in recent months and there are a number of players who could end up on top of the heap. Elbert Hill was elevated to No. 1 at cornerback in August of last year after an outstanding offseason and impressive performances at multiple elite camps. He had a strong junior season but this offseason has been a little up and down for the Ohio native. Hill has proven to have elite speed and has good arm length but it's been difficult to handle some of the bigger and more physical receivers who are plus route runners. We'll find out more about his development as the offseason continues.
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Right on Hill's heels in the rankings is new member of the 2026 class Havon Finney Jr. The five-star and former 2027 prospect has an elite skill set and is physically mature beyond his years. So far he has seemed unfazed by the step up in competition and could be poised to rise again in the rankings if his performances remain consistent throughout the rest of the offseason.
Among the four-star cornerbacks there is a long list of potential five-stars who could challenge for No. 1 at the position. Samari Matthews, Brandon Lockhart and Jorden Edmonds are the three closest to earning their fifth star right now and each bring something a little different to the field.
Just over six feet tall, Matthews is the shortest of the three but he has great length, can play physically but isn't too handsy, and has elite instincts. Speed hasn't been an issue for him in the past but it would be good to see him tested against some of the fastest and best route runners this class has to offer.
Lockhart and Edmonds are bigger cornerbacks who can deter quarterbacks from even looking their way given their length. They have a knack for forcing bad passes as well. Lockhart has a lot of experience against high-end receivers and it will be interesting to see how he deals with some of the stronger and more physical receivers in this class. Edmonds has no problem covering big, strong receivers but the speed metrics he has posted are a bit concerning and raise questions about how he projects to the college level and beyond.
Zyan Gibson, Davon Benjamin, Dorian Barney, RJ Sermons and Jaelen Waters are just some of the other cornerbacks who have made noise as potential five-stars.