Five-star Texas running back commit Johnathan Gray is the nation's No. 2 prospect at his position and the No. 17 prospect in America according to 247Sports.
In the latest update of 247Sports team football recruiting rankings, nothing has changed at the top as Texas still has the nation’s top class. According to our formula, the Longhorns have a slight edge on Alabama at this time for No. 1 overall. Five-star running back Johnathan Gray (Aledo, Texas) and five-star defensive tackle Malcom Brown (Brenham, Texas) headline a stellar class for Mack Brown and the Longhorns.
Michigan (No. 4) and Texas A&M (No. 6) are two of the big surprises of the recruiting cycle. The Wolverines could get closer to No. 3 Florida State (there is a bigger statistical difference between the Wolverines class and the Seminoles’ class than there is among the top three) should they land four-star wide receiver Jordan Payton (Westlake Village, Calif./Oaks Christian), who could make a decision as early as Tuesday.
A quick note about Ohio State (No. 36), USC (No. 50) and Wisconsin- All three of those programs are projected to sign classes in at least the top 30-40 (most likely higher) but at the moment, the number of prospects on the commit list causes the scores for both programs to be lower than they normally would be. The Buckeyes, of course, are going through a transition with their program, but there is quality there. Even with the limited numbers the Trojans have (and don’t forget that the nation’s top prospect- lineman Arik Armstead- recently de-committed), we expect them to have a higher-ranked class than they do now. Remember- in recruiting it’s all about where you finish the first Wednesday in February (or in some cases after that). Five of the Badgers' 11 current commits are rated four stars are higher by 247Sports, so in the end, this will be a very highly-regarded class headed to Madison.
Here’s a look at the current top 50. Look for another update on Thursday of this week.
1- Texas (761.239)
2- Alabama (760.541)
3- Florida State (759.663)
4- Michigan (755.673)
5- Florida (747.452)
6- Texas A&M (746.045)
7- LSU (742.963)
8- Notre Dame (741.808)
9- Auburn (736.727)
10- Clemson (736.362)
11- Miami (Fla.) (735.946)
12- South Carolina (734.203)
13- Virginia (732.729)
14- Tennessee (724.514)
15- Penn State (721.689)
16- Oklahoma (719.503)
17- Texas Tech (717.238)
18- Georgia (713.995)
19- Virginia Tech (713.407)
20- Baylor (711.590)
21- Arizona State (707.513)
22- TCU (705.842)
23- Stanford (705.145)
24- Rutgers (702.641)
25- Arkansas (701.550)
26- Arizona (700.876)
27- Missouri (699.755)
28- Oklahoma State (699.452)
29- West Virginia (695.650)
30- Michigan State (694.880)
31- Vanderbilt (694.402)
32- Cincinnati (692.411)
33- Kentucky (691.526)
34- Mississippi State (691.334)
35- Pittsburgh (687.794)
36- Ohio State (686.653)
37- Purdue (685.285)
38- Louisville (682.244)
39- Minnesota (678.587)
40- Indiana (678.536)
41- North Carolina (677.575)
42- Maryland (675.061)
43- Boise State (674.288)
44- N.C. State (672.494)
45- SMU (671.614)
46- Colorado (663.457)
47- BYU (663.082)
48- Washington (662.957)
49- UCLA (661.360)
50- USC (660.044)
- JC Shurburtt
- Director of Recruiting - 247Sports