With the start of the Nike Football Training Camp season and other offseason events featuring top prospects, the recruiting industry, including 247Sports, has been busy updating prospect rankings for the 2015 cycle.
Five big risers within the top 100 of the 247Sports Composite rankings for the Class of 2015 highlight this week’s update.
Note: The 247Sports Composite is a proprietary algorithm that compiles rankings and ratings listed in the public domain by the major media recruiting services, creating the industry's most comprehensive and unbiased prospect and team rankings.
Dexter Williams, RB, Winter Garden (Fla.) West Orange (+28)
Williams, who moved up 28 spots to No. 95 overall, shined at the Orlando NFTC this past Saturday, particularly in the testing portion of the event. The 6-foot, 192-pounder ran a 4.57-second laser-timed 40-yard dash, posted a 4.01 pro agility shuttle and had an ridiculous 44.5-inch vertical leap. While a true measure of a running back is never going to come in a camp setting (no pads), he won more than his share of match-ups in the passing game and displayed good hands. For his efforts, he received an invite to The Opening, the country’s premier summer all-star event for top recruits, held annually on the Nike Campus in Beaverton, Oreg. As for his recruitment, Florida leads Georgia, Miami (Fla.), Ohio State and Southern California at this point and he picks up a new offer nearly every day. The Gators, though, are the team to beat. 247Sports Crystal Ball predicts Florida currently. Williams rushed for 2,140 yards and 13 touchdowns at Orlando (Fla.) Olympia before transferring to West Orange this semester, where he will play his senior season. Williams also moved into the top 10 nationally at running back.
Osa Masina, LB, Salt Lake City (Utah) Brighton (+18)
The 6-foot-4, 218-pound Masina displayed superior athleticism during a loaded Pylon 7-on-7 in Las Vegas this past weekend and moved up to No. 81 overall. 247Sports National Recruiting Analyst Barton Simmons and I liked Masina at the same event in Vegas last year, but could not determine which side of the ball he projected higher on. Now we know it’s defense. The big, fluid athlete who had 87 tackles last season at Brighton also received an invite to the U.S. Army All-American Bowl following his performance. Masina moved to No. 9 nationally at outside linebacker. Currently, hometown Utah leads Michigan, Oklahoma, Wisconsin, UCLA and BYU for his services. Oregon has also offered within the past month and he visited the Bruins on March 1. The Utes are an 89 percent prediction on 247Sports Crystal Ball for this fast-rising, national-level recruit.
Blake Barnett, QB, Corona (Calif.) Santiago (+5)
On back-to-back weekends- both at the Pylon 7-on-7 in Vegas and the Los Angeles NFTC the previous weekend, Barnett, who is committed to Notre Dame, was impressive throwing the ball. When you watch him and then go and break down what Notre Dame has done from an offensive scheme standpoint thus far during the Brian Kelly era, it’s clear that he’s a perfect fit for the Irish because of his ability to throw on the run. The 6-foot-4 signal caller has excellent feet and moved up to No. 78 overall nationally in the 247Sports Composite rankings and is now No. 3 nationally at pro-style quarterback. Barnett threw for 2,322 yards and 22 touchdowns and rushed for 695 and 13 during his junior season. Oregon, Alabama and other programs have offered since his commitment to Notre Dame.
John Houston, LB, Gardena (Calif.) Serra (+5)
As was the case with Barnett, Houston shined in both Los Angeles and Las Vegas and moved up to No. 17 overall in the 247Sports Composite rankings. The 6-foot-3, 211-pound Houston has one of the best frames for a linebacker prospect in the last two classes and is cat-quick laterally. That’s what impressed. We already knew he was a headhunter in pads as he rolled up 137 tackles for one of the top talent-producing high school programs in the country last season- one that is full of Division I prospects at linebacker. On the recruiting front, Houston has a national-level offer list, including USC, Florida State, UCLA, Alabama, Oklahoma and others. Right now, it’s expected to be the Trojans in the end and Crystal Ball agrees, picking USC at 100 percent.
Marvell Tell, S, Encino (Calif.) Crespi (+4)
If you want to talk about frames, Tell has a great one for a safety. He stands 6-foot-2.5 (nearly 6-3) and is up to a lean 190 pounds. During the Pylon 7-on-7, he displayed outstanding coverage skills, which gives him a rare blend of an ability to move smoothly while being able to add weight and thus moved up to No. 48 nationally. He could be a Kam Chancellor type of safety, perhaps a bit lighter than 232 pounds, when all is said and done. Tell has a slew of scholarship offers. UCLA is a 60-40 prediction on Crystal Ball over USC. Watch out for Washington State here if you are looking for a sleeper team. Tell also is now the No. 4 safety nationally for the ’15 class.