The JCGridiron Top-100
The 2019 season is in the rear window and it was a sensational season for the JUCO ranks. The class of 2020 is starting to look like the biggest class in history, as D1 programs are starting to catch on to what some of us have always known ….. the junior college ranks are loaded with talent.
We aren’t entirely sure why the folks over at the other network aren’t interested in covering junior college football. After all, between 15-20% of the guys accepting offers to D1 programs are from the JUCO ranks, which is a pretty big piece of the pie. Still, as we sit here in late January, the folks over at the other network have less than 250 players in their database while the Rivals.com database has close to 1,300, with nearly 750 showing offers.
Needless to say, parsing through all of the talent is a difficult task, but someone has to do it. So here goes, with the JCGridiron.com Top-100 JUCO Football Rankings for the class of 2020.
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The top spot was a difficult decision, but we gave the top ranking to Hutchinson corner Ronald Williams. At 6-foot-2 and 190 pounds, Williams passes all the eyeball tests and has the offers to back it up. Williams signed with Alabama in December and had as many as 25 offers, with eight different SEC programs making an offer along with 10-12 other high-profile programs. Williams’ number were a bit limited as Hutchinson had arguably the greatest corner class in the history of JUCO football, with four corners listed in the top-15 of the corner rankings and five in the top-40. He still managed to finish with 31 tackles, three interceptions and five pass break-ups despite the loaded rotation. On film, Williams has everything. He’s big, fast, has great hips and catlike footwork. He’s the total package.
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The No. 2 guy in the rankings is Independence offensive tackle Jeremy Flax. At 6-foot-6 and 315 pounds, Flax had over 30 offers and committed to Kentucky in December. In addition, he had other offers from Auburn, Arizona, Tennessee, Arkansas, Maryland, Houston, Kansas State, Oklahoma State, West Virginia and a couple handfuls of others. One advantage Flax had in the rankings is being a redshirt freshman, as he will leave in December with three years remaining eligibility. On film, Flax has a mauling style and played both left tackle and right tackle, throwing guys around like rag dolls. He overwhelms most opponents with his size and has the agility to deliver a cut block.
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At No. 3 in the rankings is Blinn corner Marco Domio, who also looks like a can’t-miss prospect. Domio is 6-foot-2, 190 pounds and had 17 offers before signing with Auburn in December. His offer list included Alabama, LSU, Oklahoma, Mississippi State, Tennessee, Utah, Louisville and a handful of other high-profile programs. Domio finished with 26 tackles and eight passes broken-up, as teams stayed away from his ball-hawking skills. On film, Domio is very physical, tremendous in run support and has electric speed.
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The top wide receiver in the rankings and No. 4 overall is Kilgore’s Omar Manning, who had 12 total offers before signing with Nebraska in December. Manning opened the season on our wide receiver watch list and lived up to the billing. He finished with 35 catches for 727 yards and six scores, averaging a ridiculous 20.8 yards-per-catch. Manning had offers from a number of high profile programs, including Florida, Florida State, Utah, Ole Miss, Mississippi State, North Carolina, Houston and a handful of others. At 6-foot-3 and 220 pounds while running a 4.4, Manning is a physical mismatch for most defenders. His film is off the charts, as he runs by, and through, defenders with regularity.
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Butte’s T.J. Bass started the season as the highest rated guard on the board and didn’t disappoint, taking home our No. 1 guard ranking and the No. 5 overall ranking at the end of the season. Bass had big offers to start the season and made a quick decision in August when he gave a verbal to Oregon over other offers from Auburn, Arizona State, Cal, Boise State and others. At 6-foot-5 and 300 pounds, Bass eats up a lot of space and anchored an offensive line that averaged close to 185 yards-per-game on the ground. On film, Bass played a lot of left tackle this season at Butte and could fit in at either position. He’s overpowering on film, and has quick enough feet to get out front and block downfield.
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At No. 6 in the rankings is Saddleback quarterback Chance Nolan (6’2, 200), who arrived on campus after spending a redshirt season at Middle Tennessee. Nolan shattered most of the records at Saddleback, a program with a rich history in producing big quarterback numbers. In addition, he rushed for over 1,000 yards, which is tremendous given the current pulse of football at the collegiate and professional levels. Nolan finished with nine offers, signing with Oregon State over Oklahoma State, UCLA, Utah and a number of others. Nolan’s film is very impressive as he makes quick decisions and stretches defenses to their limits with his ability to work outside the pocket.
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Another guy that made a ton of headlines this season was Highland corner Brian George, who garnered 25 offers and comes in at No. 7 in the rankings. George ended up signing with Texas A&M during the early signing period over offers from Alabama, Auburn, Florida, Oklahoma, Utah, Texas Tech and a host of others. George is 6-foot-2, 190 pounds and finished with 26 tackles, two interceptions and six passes broken-up for the Scotties in 2019. On film, George has some of the quickest feet of any corner in the country, a nose for the ball and makes lightning-fast decisions. He’s a great one.
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At the top of the strongside end class was Independence’s Dre Butler, who had a sensational season and comes in at No. 8 overall. Butler finished with a nation-leading 66 total tackles this season, with 22 tackles-for-loss and 11.5 sacks. He was a destructive force for the Pirates, also recording two forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries. At 6-foot-5 and 285 pounds, Butler is a prototypical strongside end, with all the intangibles to be playing on Sundays. He had offers from Auburn, Oklahoma, Oregon, Texas Tech, Oregon State, Baylor and 15 others, giving a verbal to Auburn this past week. The only drawback on Butler is a late-out date, but his skills are off the charts. On film, Butler is big and physical enough to play inside, but has the quickness to line up outside and take on multiple blockers. He’s a gem!
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The top weakside end in the country was Copiah-Lincoln’s Jordan Davis, who was a part of one of the better defensive end rotations in the country this past season and comes in at No. 9 in the overall rankings. Davis finished with 36 tackles and three sacks in seven games, facing most double-teams during his sophomore campaign. At 6-foot-5 and 245 pounds, Davis passes all of the eyeball tests, which is why he was an Alabama commit for the class of 2018. He had offers from Mississippi State, Tennessee, Nebraska and Memphis, but gave an early verbal to Mississippi State in July and never waffled, signing with the Bulldogs in December. On film, Davis is long and lean with a ton of room for growth. He’s got exceptional speed, long arms and a quick first step. He looks like a potential star!
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The battle for the top spot in the defensive tackle rankings was a close call, but we gave the edge to Hutchinson’s Latrell Bankston who comes in at No. 10 overall. At 6-foot-1 and close to 300 pounds, Bankston had what we thought was easily the best season on the field for a DT. He finished with 50 total tackles, 22 tackles-for-loss and 11.5 sacks, which is freakish numbers for an inside guy. And he did it in one of the toughest conferences in the nation, playing against a lot of D1 offensive linemen. Bankston had over 25 offers in total, and chose Iowa State over others such as Arizona, Arkansas, Oregon State and Houston. Bankston took a visit during the summer to Oregon State and visited Iowa State during the season, giving a verbal to the Cyclones in November. On film, Bankston has quick feet with a low center of gravity, allowing him to overpower inside linemen and get them on their heels. He also never gives up on a play, which is evident in his film. Bankston should be plugged into the Iowa State front immediately.
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The rest of the JCGridiron.com Top-100 for the class of 2020 follows.
Click on the link to see the JCGridiron.com Top-100 for the class of 2020.