Hackenberg is a new five-star

Penn State quarterback commit Christian Hackenberg (Fork Union, Va./Fork Union Military Academy) performed well enough at the Elite 11 finals to push him into five-star status in the latest Class of 2013 Top247 update.

Penn State quarterback commit Christian Hackenberg is the newest five-star prospect in the Top247.

Link: Top247

The 6-foot-4, 210-pounder may have the most upside of any pro-style quarterback in our 2013 rankings and could very well see his ranking go higher moving forward. His quick release and mechanics, combined with pure arm strength and athleticism moved him into the five-star range with fellow five-star quarterbacks Max Browne (committed to USC) and Shane Morris (committed to Michigan).

Another Elite 11 quarterback, Asiantii Woulard (Winter Park, Fla.), ascended to the No. 100 overall prospect in the country after winning the Elite 11 Most Valuable Player. We think ultimately Woulard will go higher, but given his relative lack of experience playing the position (he’s only been at quarterback for one year) we want to make sure that what we’ve seen in the camp setting is reinforced on the field in pads. We believe that will be the case, though.

Arizona State quarterback commit Joshua Dobbs (Alpharetta, Ga.) impressed at the Elite 11 enough to move into the Top247 at No. 224 overall and the No. 11 pro-style quarterback nationally. Dobbs has a quick release, good size and a live arm and has impressed every time we’ve seen him in person, particularly at the Elite 11.

Miami (Fla.) running back commit Alex Collins (South Plantation, Fla.) was a 178-pound scat back last summer and now is up to more than 200 pounds without losing any speed or quickness. We had the chance to see him in person at Florida State’s prospect camp and he definitely impressed enough to debut at No. 76 in the Top247.

Linebacker Peter Kalambayi (Matthews, N.C./Butler), who is committed to Stanford, tested and performed well at The Opening. After evaluating our inside linebacker ratings and comparing him to some others we’ve seen this summer, we made the call to move him to No. 240 overall and inside the Top247.

This particular update was very minor. Look for greater changes as we move into the season and watch prospects practice and play in pads. Also, stay tuned for the continued building out of our Class of 2014 prospect rankings and the 247Composite rankings updates.

Link: Top247