Spring has come and gone, which means football camp season is behind us. With performances from various camps and new information to evaluate, the 2020 ESPN 300 player rankings have been updated.
There are currently 205 of the top 300 recruits already committed, so the new rankings will impact quite a few schools in the class rankings and the remaining targets.
The updated ESPN 300 saw quite a bit of movement among tight ends and linebackers, and there were a number of new quarterback entries on the list. To get you up to speed on what changed and how it impacts each program, here is everything you need to know about the latest rankings.
Scouting the 2020 quarterback class
We are currently evaluating our 15th quarterback class in the ESPN 300 era, and this group has been one of the most difficult to get a read on. It’s not one of the most talented classes, and so many of the prospects are similar in their skill set and development that they continue to be difficult to rank. For this reason, based off camps and events — most recently the Elite 11 competition — we have decided to shake things up.
For starters, in our opinion, QBs Hudson Card and Haynes King continue to be as advertised. They have continued to improve and keep a slight lead over the rest of the pack. Both are consistent and steady with high ceilings for development. At the Elite 11, it was hard to ignore Card’s ability to get the ball out quickly. His release is snappy and effortless. What excites us about King is that he still has a lot of growth yet as a passer. A fabulous athlete and competitor with natural leadership abilities, he can become a better ball spinner and more nuanced. Both of these prospects solidified their spots as the No. 1 (King) and 2 (Card) dual-threat QBs in the ESPN 300.
South Carolina QB commit Luke Doty had already been a top-five player in the group of dual threats, and now makes the leap to No. 3 in this category. His passing prowess and excellent athleticism make for an exciting future. Plus, he showed a better understanding of the game, progressions and reads at Elite 11, and has gotten better each time we’ve seen him.
We think three players proved their worth not only as four-star prospects, but also new entries into the ESPN 300. If you’ve followed college football the past few years it should come as no surprise that Iowa State head coach Matt Campbell knows what he’s doing. The state of Iowa rarely produces elite-level players, but the Cyclones identified QB Hunter Dekkers early and we think they are right. That follows the signing of QB Brock Purdy in the class of 2018, and Purdy started for Iowa State as a true freshman. Dekkers is a sneaky good athlete and powerful left-handed passer. He was poised, polished and decisive in his progressions.
On the West Coast, QB CJ Stroud made arguably the most improvement of any QB during the Elite 11. Physically he has the goods, but for some reason he has seen very little Power 5 attention throughout the recruiting process. Why? Time will tell as coaches continue to scrutinize the intangible size of the position. However, among his peers Stroud belonged and proved his worth for an ESPN 300 ranking.
Finally, Mack Brown at North Carolina in his first full recruiting cycle has found another QB in Jacolby Criswell, who has continued to make progress as a passer. He already has a nice feel for the position and looked physically impressive at a big platform. Having Criswell in the fold helped offset the loss of fellow ESPN 300 QB Malik Hornsby, who decommitted in June.