Tag: top five

ESPN’s Dan Orlovsky: Bills’ Josh Allen ‘is the best QB in the NFL right now’

ESPN’s Dan Orlovsky: Bills’ Josh Allen ‘is the best QB in the NFL right now’

ESPN NFL analyst and former NFL quarterback Dan Orlovsky ranked the top five quarterbacks in the NFL through three weeks on Thursday and he declared that Buffalo Bills’ quarterback Josh Allen is the best there is right now.

It’s not a quarterback ranking based on team or personal accolades like many rankings you see, but rather how quarterbacks are playing the game of football at this very moment. And, after three weeks of the 2024 NFL season, it would be extremely difficult to make a case against Orlovsky.

Allen is sitting as the odds-on favorite to win the NFL MVP right now for a reason. He leads the league in passer rating (133.7) and QBR (92.6) by large margins and he is second in both passing touchdowns (7) and completion percentage (75.0%).

“Josh Allen is the best quarterback in football right now,” Orlovsky says during his rankings on ESPN’s First Take. “He is an absolute wagon. He’s distributing the football and probably has the best offensive line in football.”

Orlovsky ranked Aaron Rodgers of the New York Jets second, Sam Darnold of the Minnesota Vikings third, Kyler Murray of the Arizona Cardinals fourth, and Geno Smith of the Seattle Seahawks fifth.

Check out the full video segment from Orlovsky below:

https://twitter.com/FirstTake/status/1839333724921422281

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Alabama lands in top five for elite 2023 DL from Florida

2023 defensive linemen Jordan Hall listed Alabama in his top five.

Four-star 2023 defensive lineman Jordan Hall released his top-five schools. Alabama was one of the schools that were listed.

The Florida native recently took an official visit to Alabama on October 22 for the Mississippi State game.

When Hall was asked about Alabama, here is what he told On3’s, Hayes Fawcett:

“Bama is my dream school,” Hall said. “It has always been a dream of mine to be there and play at Bryant Denny. The love Bama has shown me over the past few months has grown tremendously, and coach Saban and the rest of the staff want me there. They made that very clear on my official visit.”

It appears as if there is mutual interest between the two. Hall plans to take an official visit to Ohio State on November 25. As of right now, Georgia hold the lead at 87.5% likelihood, according to On3’s RPM.

Roll Tide Wire takes a closer look at Hall’s recruiting profile below.

Wisconsin football makes top five for four-star 2024 WR Cam Williams

Wisconsin makes the top five for the No. 21 wide receiver in the class of 2024:

On Wednesday afternoon, four-star 2024 wide receiver Cam Williams announced on Twitter his commitment date along with his five finalist schools.

Related: Wisconsin lands a commitment from 2023 four-star CB Jace Arnold

The Badgers made the cut for the No. 21 WR in the class of 2024 per 247Sports Composite, along with Notre Dame, Iowa, Michigan and Cincinnati. Unfortunately for Wisconsin, there are already four 247Sports Crystal Ball Predictions for Williams to land with the Fighting Irish when he makes his decision next Wednesday.

The six-foot-two-inch receiver from Illinois would be a huge pickup for Wisconsin in the class of 2024, but it looks it will be an uphill battle to persuade him to choose the Badgers.

SKOL Search: Forno’s 2022 NFL draft positional rankings

Forno’s top-five prospects at every position is here

We are just 10 days away from the NFL Draft and things are becoming more and more clear.

Throughout the process, there are many different directions you’ll see rankings go in across the industry. There are countless hours that go into compiling these rankings, and the final product is very rewarding.

Beauty is truly in the eye of the beholder, as everyone sees and values traits differently.

Below are my positional rankings, which will not be the consensus, but that is ok. It’s about drawing your own conclusions based on what you see.

Texas among top five schools for four-star RB Javin Simpkins

Texas makes the cut for one of the top running backs out of Florida.

Four-star running back Javin Simpkins released his top five schools on Wednesday. Texas made the cut for the speedster along with Arkansas, Georgia Tech, Louisville and UCF.

The Florida native ranks as the No. 21 running back and the No. 285 overall prospect in the 2023 cycle.

Andrew Ivins of 247Sports spoke highly of Simpkins in his scouting report, specifically about his versatility out of the backfield.

A tempo-based runner with receiving upside that has had plenty of success moving the chains against stiff Miami-Dade competition on Friday nights. Under 5-foot-10, but uses that lower center of gravity to his advantage as he shifts his weight from side to side while looking for a crease in a defense. Impressive start-stop burst allows him to get out of trouble more times than not and make would-be tacklers miss in the box. So does an A1 spin move that might be the best out of anyone in his class. Has worked primarily out of a single-back spread attack the past few years and made a difference in the screen game, which is always encouraging in an era of football where so many want to air it out.

Simpkins missed much of his junior campaign while dealing with a shoulder injury but averaged over 10 yards per carry and scored five touchdowns in the four games he did play.

Contact/Follow us @LonghornsWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas news, notes and opinions.

Auburn makes top 5 for 3-star WR Camden Brown

I can’t wait til signing day.

Auburn will have one more decision to watch on early signing day.

Camden Brown, who de-committed from Pittsburgh on Dec. 1, announced his top five schools Monday and the Tigers made the cut. Prior to his commitment to Pittsburgh, Brown had Auburn as his top school.

Brown, a 3-star wide receiver from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, will announce his decision on Dec. 15 and it is down to Auburn, Florida State, Georgia, South Carolina, and Pittsburgh.

Brown is the No. 86 wide receiver and No. 621 national recruit per the 247Sports Composite ranking.

Auburn has commitments from 4-star athlete Omari Kelly and 3-star receiver Jay Fair already and is a major factor for 4-star Darrius Clemons. Auburn’s recruiting class currently ranks 13th in the SEC and 34th in the country.

Notre Dame makes final cut for five-star Styles

How massive would it be for Notre Dame to land this recruit?

Sonny Styles is among the biggest recruits in the 2023 class as the safety comes with a five-star grade from both 247Sports and Rivals.  Now Styles is down to his final five potential schools and the good news for Notre Dame fans is that the Irish made the cut.

Styles checks in at 6-4, 215 pounds and is a top-10 overall player by the 247Sports Composite rankings.  Wherever he ends up he’ll likely be the top player in that team’s respective class.

Joining Notre Dame in the final five that Styles announced to 247Sports are Ohio State, Florida, Ole Miss, and Clemson.

Of Notre Dame, Styles told 247Sports:

“Notre Dame itself is an amazing place alone, then having the opportunity to do great things with my brother at the next level, only Notre Dame can offer that.” – Sonny Styles

If you’re thinking the name sounds familiar it’s because Styles is the brother of Notre Dame freshman wide receiver Lorenzo Styles.  If Marcus Freeman and Notre Dame are able to land his commitment it’d be the second time in just months they accomplished something in the state of Ohio that hadn’t previously been done in years.

Related:

Notre Dame’s entire 2022 recruiting class

ESPN FPI projects all eight remaining Notre Dame games

Notre Dame releases depth chart for test with No. 8 Cincinnati

Notre Dame running back returns to lineup for Cincinnati showdown

5 things Luke Fickell said ahead of Notre Dame-Cincinnati

Notre Dame-Cincinnati: Running back statistical comps

Rain on the way for Notre Dame-Cincinnati?

Kirk Herbstreit ranks college football’s top-six teams

 

Wisconsin makes the top 5 for 2022 ATH Anthony Brown

Wisconsin is on a recruiting tear right now…and just made another top five list

Wisconsin’s class of 2022 has come together in the last few weeks, jumping all the way up to No. 29 in the nation and No. 6 in the Big Ten.

The momentum falls in line with their successful string of official visit dates in early June, that after the NCAA lifted its recruiting dead period on June 1.

The class is looking to only grow in the coming weeks, and the program just made another top 5 list to monitor during that time.

It’s for Milan, Tennessee native, three-star athlete Anthony Brown.

Brown is 247Sports’ No. 500 recruit in the class of 2022, No. 44 athlete and No. 18 player from his home state of Tennessee.

The recruiting site has five crystal ball predictions listed—all calling the athlete to chose Arkansas.

Contact/Follow us @TheBadgersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin news, notes, opinion and analysis.

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Tulsa transfer cornerback Akayleb Evans announces top five schools

If Sarkisian has taught us anything early on, acquiring more talent is necessary. Tulsa’s Akayleb Evans included UT in his top five schools.

Cornerback returns a ton of experience for Pete Kwiatkowski and Terry Joseph. D’Shawn Jamison and Josh Thompson are expected to be lockdown cornerbacks, while Chris Adimora will be entering his second season at nickel.

However, if Steve Sarkisian has taught us anything during his first sixth months, acquiring more talent is never a bad thing. Despite having two potential preseason All-Big 12 cornerbacks, another elite-level player could be entering the program.

When Tulsa cornerback Akayleb Evans entered the transfer portal, he quickly received 16 offers. On Sunday, the McKinney, Texas native trimmed his list down to five schools. Jackson State, Missouri, Notre Dame, Texas, and Texas Tech remain in the hunt.

Evans played in nine games last season, totaling 29 tackles and a sack. In pass coverage, the cornerback had three passes defended. No interceptions are on Evans’ resume quite yet.

After suffering a season-ending shoulder injury in 2019, Evans earned a medical hardship. Add on COVID-19 and the graduate still has two seasons of eligibility remaining.

Playing time may not be imminent in Austin going into the 2021 season but a mass exodus is expected at defensive back after the year. Evans would have the opportunity to be a starter in Sarkisian’s second season.

Three-star running back DeAnthony Gatson releases top five schools

Stan Drayton has been looking for a second running back in the class. On Friday, three-star De’Anthony Gatson released his top five schools.

Texas’ running back situation became a bit more confusing on Thursday. Four-star Jaydon Blue announced he was optioning out of his high school senior season. Whether or not his commitment will be affected is yet to be seen.

Even with the Blue situation, Stan Drayton has been looking for a second running back in the class. Names such as Tre’von Citizen and JaMarion Miller have emerged but another smaller school back could be heading to Austin.

On Friday, three-star De’Anthony Gatson released his top five schools, with Texas making the cut. Gatson announced Colorado, Iowa State, Minnesota, Texas, and USC are still in the race. The Longhorns extended their offer on May 11. No crystal ball predictions have been inserted.

Gatson weighs in 5-10 and 198 pounds. The Newton native rushed for 1,974 yards and 29 touchdowns during his junior season. He was named the District 12-3A-II Overall MVP at the end of the year. On the receiving end, Gatson caught six passes for 97 yards and two touchdowns.

On the 247Sports composite, Gatson is ranked the No. 42 running back in the country. Nationally, he breaks the top 600 at No. 561 and is No. 84 within the state of Texas.

Contact/Follow us @LonghornsWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas news, notes and opinions.