ESPN Recruiting Nation Football

Three prospects in the top 5? Check.

Four five-star prospects overall? Check.

Fifteen prospects in the top 50? Check.

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In previous years the Lone Star State has held a sizeable chunk of the ESPN player rankings, and the latest ESPN 150 and ESPN 300 lists continue to follow suit. Of the 300 names, 41 play in the Texas high school system.

Ricky Seals-Jones (Sealy, Texas/Sealy) remains the highest-ranked player in the Midlands region. While he fell from No. 10 to No. 13 overall, he was switched from the nation’s top-ranked receiver to the nation’s top-ranked athlete, a position that better suits him because of his multiple hats at Sealy.

Seals-Jones, an uncommitted, four-star player who has narrowed his choices to LSU and Texas A&M, can play quarterback, receiver, safety and on special teams.

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In the East region, the biggest movers came in Virginia.

First, Jonathan Allen (Ashburn, Va./Stone Bridge) jumped from 71st in the nation to 40th. Just behind him at No. 41 is Derrick Green (Richmond, Va./Hermitage). The tailback went from 53rd to 41st. Outside linebacker Doug Randolph (Woodberry Forest, Va./Woodberry Forest) jumped 15 spots from No. 159 to No. 144. The move was significant because it earns him the coveted ESPN 150 designation.

A bit farther north, Virginia Tech-bound cornerback Kendall Fuller (Olney, Md./Good Counsel) jumped six spots to No. 14, inching him closer to five-star status.

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Three of Penn State's 2013 commitments remain among the updated ESPN 150/300, although two dropped slightly in the rankings.

The Nittany Lions' headline recruit, No. 1-rated pocket passer Christian Hackenberg (Fork Union, Va./Fork Union), held steady as the 16th overall player. But both tight end Adam Breneman (Camp Hill, Pa./Cedar Cliff) and offensive guard Brendan Mahon (Randolph, N.J./Randolph) saw their stock slip.

Mahon is now ranked at No. 205 among the nation's top players, a difference of five spots. Breneman -- who was previously ranked No. 49 but has missed his senior season with a torn ACL -- saw the biggest drop, slipping to No. 66 overall.

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There were significant changes made to the ESPN 150 and ESPN 300, but once again it has little impact on LSU’s class or the Tigers main source of talent -- Louisiana.

The updates in the rankings still project more or less the same numbers for the Tigers, as well as their home state. The last list featured 13 prospects from Louisiana, with six local players cracking the prestigious ESPN 150. The new rankings yielded the same 13 local players, although LSU commit Tevin Lawson (Denham Springs, La./Denham Springs) dropped down to No. 152, giving the state just five ESPN 150 members going forward.

LSU's recruiting class fared much the same way. The same 11 commits that were featured on the last list are back this time, though Lawson's drop gives LSU just three commits in the ESPN 150 -- cornerback Jeryl Brazil (Loranger, La./Loranger), offensive tackle Ethan Pocic (Lemont, Ill./Lemont) and tight end DeSean Smith (Lake Charles, La./Lake Charles). Six of LSU's commits are from Louisiana, while the other five come from out of state.

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Alabama’s newest commitment, four-star athlete Derrick Henry, just so happens to be the Crimson Tide’s top-ranked recruit in the latest ESPN 150.

Henry, who committed to Alabama in September, jumped up from No. 48 to No. 26 in the updated rankings, and it’s easy to see why with the season he’s having. Through nine games, he’s rushed for 2,866 yards and 38 touchdowns.

In all, the Tide placed nine commits in the ESPN 150 and landed five more in the ESPN 300. And Henry wasn’t the only Bama commit to ascend in the rankings. Defensive end Jonathan Allen and running back Tyren Jones also saw big jumps in the rankings.

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At first glance, this year's Florida State recruiting class lacks the star power of the two before it. That isn't to say it is void of quality, though. But Seminoles do have some offensive firepower on the list, notably four-star prospects Ryan Green, Isaiah Jones, and Levonte Whitfield. In the trenches, which has been an area of focus for the Seminoles coaching state in recent cycles, offensive linemen Austin Golson and Ira Denson and defensive end Davin Bellamy have them off to a good start.

Sitting at 17 total commitments, there is still work to do. But fortunately for FSU, there are some excellent options.

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With 20 verbal commitments, the Florida Gators continue to have one of the top recruiting classes in the country. In the updated ESPN 150/300 rankings, Florida has an impressive 13 players listed, including nine in the top 150.

Cornerback Vernon Hargreaves III, Florida's only five-star commitment, continues to lead the way for Florida's No. 2-ranked class. Hargreaves, now the No. 3-ranked player in the country, jumped offensive tackle Laremy Tunsil in the latest update.

Making the biggest jump for the Gators is four-star running back Kelvin Taylor. The Under Armour All-American moved from the No. 22 spot up to No. 15. The state of Florida's all-time leading rusher has totaled 1,760 yards rushing and 32 touchdowns this season. Taylor, the son of former UF and NFL running back Fred Taylor, said he feels blessed to be ranked so highly.

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With Wednesday’s update of the ESPN 150 and ESPN 300, the University of Georgia maintains its prominent presence on both lists with four commitments in the ESPN 150 and 11 in the ESPN 300.

Shaq Wiggins (Tyrone, Ga./Sandy Creek) moves up two spots to No. 34 overall and one spot in the position rankings as the No. 5 cornerback in the country. Tramel Terry (Goose Creek, S.C./Goose Creek), the No. 6 athlete in the country, is next at No. 55 overall. Brice Ramsey (Kingsland, Ga./Camden County) stays as the No. 8 pro-style quarterback and is now the No. 94 prospect overall, while Tray Matthews (Newnan, Ga./Newnan) remains the No. 10 safety in the country and No. 122 overall prospect.

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Michigan has added a few commitments and lost one in offensive lineman David Dawson (Detroit/Cass Tech) since the last update to the ESPN 150 and 300 lists, but there weren't many changes to the rankings for the Wolverines' class this time around. With 23 commitments overall, Michigan still has 14 commitments among the ESPN 300 and 10 within the ESPN 150.

The biggest change for Michigan's class was the drop from No. 26 to No. 54 for quarterback Shane Morris (Warren, Mich./De La Salle). Morris was out part of the season with mono and had a few struggles early on, but he's now focused on preparing for his freshman season at Michigan.

Outside of the commitments for Michigan, the remaining targets for the 2013 class all saw a jump up in their rankings. The biggest change came for wide receiver Laquon Treadwell (Crete, Ill./Crete-Monee) who is now the No. 1 receiver and No. 20 overall prospect. After a stellar season, Treadwell has seen his stock rise steadily and is still in high demand.

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The USC Trojans might have the nation’s top-ranked recruiting class, but as the new ESPN 150 rankings revealed Wednesday, they still lack a five-star headliner.

Top-rated safety prospect Su’a Cravens (Murrieta, Calif./Vista Murrieta) and No. 2 defensive tackle Kenny Bigelow (Elkton, Md./Eastern Christian Academy) narrowly missed the five-star designation, but remained in the four-star tier as the nation’s 10th- and 11th-ranked recruits, respectively.

Cravens, now the highest-ranked USC commit, ascended two spots from his previous ranking. Bigelow, who is bested only by newly minted five-star standout Montravius Adams (Vienna, Ga./Dooly County) among defensive tackles, fell two spots.

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Ever since Oklahoma quarterback commit Cody Thomas (Colleyville, Texas/Heritage) was dropped from the ESPN 300 in July, Sooners fans have been clamoring for him to return to the rankings.

OU fans have their wish. Thomas is back in at No. 248 as the new ESPN 150/300 rankings were released Wednesday afternoon.

Thomas, who is 6-foot-5 and 220 pounds, was ranked No. 93 before a so-so showing at the Elite 11 finals. His performance there knocked him out of the list.

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Wide receiver Jacorey Warrick made the biggest jump of any Longhorns commitment in the ESPN 150, which was updated today. Warrick, who has been out since tearing the meniscus in his right knee on Oct. 4, moved up from No. 114 to No. 59. He is now the No. 8 wide receiver.

Darius James remains the Longhorns’ top-ranked player at No. 17 overall, which also makes him the No. 1 center. Jake Raulerson dropped a spot to No. 56 and remains the No. 3 offensive tackle.

Offensive tackle Kent Perkins stayed at No. 81, while defensive tackle A’Shawn Robinson moved up from No. 130 to No. 107, and athlete Tyrone Swoopes dropped from No. 100 to No. 128. Cornerback Antwuan Davis stayed put at No. 149 to conclude Texas’ representation in the 150.

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The most notable movement in the ESPN 300 from a Texas A&M perspective is the entry of one of the Aggies' commits into the ESPN 300. Carthage (Texas) High School defensive tackle Isaiah Golden, the nation's 29th-ranked defensive tackle, moved up to No. 229 overall.

There are five other Texas A&M commits in the updated rankings.

Tight end Derrick Griffin (Rosenberg, Texas/Terry) jumped up four spots to No. 25, quarterback Kohl Stewart (Houston, Texas/St. Pius X) remains at No. 91, guard Joas Aguilar (North Richland Hills, Texas/Birdville) dropped three spots to No. 109, athlete LaQuvionte Gonzalez (Cedar Hill, Texas/Cedar Hill) holds strong at No. 117 and cornerback Noel Ellis (New Orleans/Edna Karr) is just outside the ESPN 150 at No. 162.

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