With the most recent update of the Lone Star Recruiting Top 100 list this week, Orangebloods.com thought we'd take a deeper look at this year's rankings. Beginning with the first update (February 6th) in the calendar 2007 year, there have been a total of four rankings updates this year. So, which players have made the biggest moves in 2007?
Are the moves up or down in the rankings biased more towards one school than another? How many of the top players were already identified before recruiting picked up after the first update? What else might we learn about the make-up of this year's rankings?
Well, one way or another, we're determined to find out.
1. R.J. Washington
DE - Keller Fossil Ridge
Committed to Oklahoma
2007 rankings: No.3 (Feb.), No.2 (March), No.2 (May), No.1 (July)
Comments: There's been very little doubt since day one about Washington's place in the state rankings. A five-star prospect that has never been ranked lower than third in the LSR rankings
2. Chancey Aghayere
DE- Garland
Uncommitted
2007 rankings: No.8, No.3, No.3, No.2
Comments: From the moment that I first watched Aghayere on film, it was apparent that he was a national prospect. After seeing him in person (February 9th), it became pretty clear that he was an elite prospect.
3. Jermie Calhoun
RB - Van
Committed to Oklahoma
2007 rankings: No.2, No.4, No.4, No.3
Comments: Calhoun debuted on the list in October at No.3 and has never been outside the top five.
4. Aaron Williams
CB - Round Rock McNeil
Committed to Texas
2007 rankings: No.17, No.16, No.7, No.4
Comments: Williams has really taken off since the end of last season and I'm not sure there's a prospect in the state that has looked better this spring. Don't be surprised if he's the next five-star from the state of Texas.
5. DeSean Hales
Ath - Klein Oak
Committed to Texas
2007 rankings: No.4, No.5, No.5, No.5
Comments: You can see the trend here. Top five is top five and not much has changed at any point this year.
6. Darryl Stonum
WR - SL Dulles
Committed to Michigan
2007 rankings: No.11, No.9, No.6 and No.6
Comments: There are only two players that are currently in the top ten, but start outside of it. Stonum is one of those players, except he was only one spot off in February. One of the state's very best players/prospects and that's been known from the beginning.
7. D.J. Monroe
CB - Angleton
Committed to Texas
2007 rankings: No.10, No.9, No.8, No.7
Comments: Another year-long top ten selection, Monroe's stock nationally is even hotter than it is here.
8. Stephen Good
OL - Paris
Committed to Oklahoma
2007 rankings: No.1, No.1, No.1, No.8
Comments: A serious shoulder injury caused his recruiting rank to drop slightly.
9. Dan Buckner
WR - Allen
Committed to Texas
2007 rankings: No.6, No.7, No.8, No.9
Comments: Buckner's ranking as a high four-star prospect has been locked in for quite a while. His only reason for dropping a few slots is because of the great off-seasons by a handful of others.
10. Andrew Luck{/db]
QB - Houston Strake Jesuit
Committed to Stanford
2007 rankings: No.5, No.6, No.10, No.10
Comments: Originally evaluated as a borderline five-star prospect, Luck has settled into the lower 6.0/high 5.9 range.
11. [db]Jarvis Humphrey
DT - Cedar Hill
Committed to Texas
2007 rankings: No.12, No.11, No.11, No.11
Comments: The state's top defensive tackle has been locked into his current slot from the get-go.
12. Jeff Fuller
WR - McKinney Boyd
Uncommitted
2007 rankings: No.56, No.62, No.16, No.12
Comments: Obviously, Fuller's fantastic spring has resulted in a huge rise in the rankings.
13. Derrick Hall
Beaumont Central
Committed to Texas A&M
2007 rankings: No.20, No.32, No.37, No.13
Comments: I wasn't totally sold on Hall when I first watched his film, but after seeing more of his this spring, I finally bought into the hype.
No.14 Aundre Dean
RB - Katy
Committed to UCLA
2007 rankings: No.52, No.17, No.12, No.14
Comments: Made a sizeable jump early on and has maintained a high ranking since.
No.15. David Snow
OL - Gilmer
Committed to Texas
2007 rankings: No.9, No.12 No. 13, No.15
Comments: A solid four-star recruit from day one, who has slipped slightly as others move up.
16. Cyrus Gray
RB - DeSoto
Uncommitted
2007 comments: No.39, No.29, No.15, No.16
Comments: Gray is another guy that I needed to see more of before totally buying into the thought that he was a mid-four/high-four prospect.
17. Jeremy Hills
RB - Alief Elsik
Committed to Texas
2007 rankings: No.18, No.22, No.24, No.17
Comments: Hills started to slip early on, bit an MVP performance at the Nike Camp and a strong performance at the Texas Elite Camp helped him get back into the top 20.
18. Ben Habern
OL - Argyle Liberty Christian
Committed to Oklahoma
2007 rankings: No.24, No.14, No.16, No.18
Comments: This OU commit has been rated in the four-star range all year.
19. Mark Buchanan
OL - Austin High
Committed to Texas
2007 rankings: No.79, No.18, No.17, No.19
Comments: Buchanan's move up the rankings in March resulted in one of the single-biggest climbs in the entire year.
20. Devin Thomas
RB - San Antonio Madison
Uncommitted
2007 rankings: No.13, No.13, No.14, No.20
Comments: Another four-star prospect, Thomas is a player whose quiet spring has caused a slight drop in the rankings, although his overall value as a four-star prospect hasn't changed.
21. Kendall Wright
RB - Pittsburg
Uncommitted
2007 rankings: No.40, No.18, No.21, No.18
Comments: Wright jumped from a high three-star prospect to a solid four-star prospect after I was able to see more film of him in March.
22. Tommy Dorman
QB - Birdville
Committed to Texas A&M
2007 rankings: No.43, No.41, No.20, No.22
Comments: Impressive film matched with an impressive spring has moved Dorman into the four-star status.
23. Joseph Ibiloye
DB - South Garland
Committed to Oklahoma
2007 rankings: No.24, No.28, No.21, No.23
Comments: Ibiloye went from unranked in October to the top 25 in February and hasn't strayed far from that slot in either direction.
24. Luke Poehlmann
OL - Brenham
Committed to Texas
2007 rankings: No.50, No.24, No.22, No.24
Comments: Poehlmann jumped into the four-star status after his heavyweight recruitment in the spring resulted in a more complete evaluation.
25. Dravannti Johnson
LB - Nederland
Committed to Texas
2007 rankings: No.15, No.20, No.23, No.25
Comments: Johnson is more of a football guy than a combine guy, which means that he's not going to be a guy that people get excited about when they see him working out in shorts. His slight slip has more to do with the fact that several players like Buchanan, Wright and Dorman have gone up.
Other Texas commits
34. Antoine Hicks
Ath - Mansfield Timberview
2007 rankings: NR, No.35, No.33, No.34
Comments: Jumped onto the scene the week after the first set of rankings of the year came out. A high three-star/borderline four-star guy, who has a chance to make a big jump with a big senior season.
35. Tre Newton
RB - Southlake Carroll
2007 rankings: No.37, No.31, No.34, No.35
40. Ryan Roberson
Ath - Brenham
2007 ratings: No.55, No.40, No.47, No.40
43. Kheeston Randall
DT - Beaumont Kelly
2007 ratings: NR, No.51, No.41, No.43
Comments: Emerged as a legit prospect after the first list of the year and has been sitting in the high three-star level since then.
50. Emmanuel Acho
LB - Dallas St. Mark's
2007 rankings: NR, No.76, No.53, No.50
Comments: I'm still not sure that Acho is an elite linebacker prospect, but his strong off-season has him in the potential four-star discussion.
65. Brock Fitzhenry
Ath - Giddings
2007 rankings: No.61, No.52, No.59, No.65
76. Justin Tucker
K - Austin Westlake
2007 rankings: NR, No.71, No.70, No.76
98. Blake Gideon
DB - Leander
2007 rankings: NR, NR, No.90, No.98
Other Texas A&M commits
31. Keon Furtch
DB - Paris
2007 rankings: No.25, No.27, No.30, No.31
Comments: A low four-star prospect that has fallen slightly because several others have made large climbs.
37. Markelle Martin
DB - Wichita Falls Rider
Committed to Texas A&M
2007 rankings: No.91, No.95, No.36, No.37
41. Lamar Harris
Ath - Gilmer
2007 rankings: No.57, No.37, No.38, No.41
45. Tony Jerod
DE - DeSoto
2007 rankings: No.53, No.38, No.46, No.45
47. Rod Davis
DT - Aldine Eisenhower
2007 rankings: NR, No.36, No.42, No.47
55. Jordan Fields
DB - Paris
2007 rankings: No.58, No.56, No.51, No.55
67. Kyle Mangum
LB - Brenham
2007 rankings: No.65, No.55, No.61, No.67
90. Leroy Chevalier
OL - Houston Yates
2007 rankings: No.70, No.64, No.82, No.90
Comments: Rated as a three-star, Chevalier is somewhat punished by the fact that a number of players have moved forward in the last few updates after the spring evaluation.
95. Brian Thomas
OL - Pearland
2007 rankings: No.75, No.78, No.87, No.95
Comments: See Leroy Chevalier.
Other Oklahoma commitments
32. Justin Johnson
LB - Gilmer
2007 rankings: No.7, No.10, No.31, No.32
Comments: Johnson did not have a good off-season.
39. Herman Mitchell
LB - Spring Westfield
2007 rankings: NR, No.39
Comments: Mitchell actually debuted as a top 50 prospect, but dropped off because of apparent academic issues. Those issues apparently aren't as severe as first thought and he's back into a position where his talent suggests it belongs.
57. James Hanna
TE - Flower Mound
2007 rankings: NR, NR, NR, 57
Comments: Hanna has only recently emerged as a top 100 prospect after a strong spring.
70. David King
DE - Houston Strake Jesuit
2007 ranking: NR, NR, No.64, No.70
74. Britt Mitchell
OL - Roscoe
2007 rankings: NR, No.65, No.68, No.74
99. Kasey Walker
DT - Garland
2007 rankings: NR, NR, NR, No.99
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