Rivals Rankings Week: What makes D.J. Uiagalelei special?
Five-star quarterback D.J. Uiagalelei held off numerous contenders for the No. 1 spot in the updated release of the Rivals100, but there are no guarantees through the next two important evaluation cycles: senior seasons and all-star events.
The Bellflower (Calif.) St. John Bosco standout is just the latest top-ranked quarterback in Rivals history dating back to 2002 and one of a few No. 1 overall quarterbacks.
Here is a look at all the highest-ranked quarterbacks throughout the years.
RIVALS RANKINGS WEEK:
Monday: Top 10 revealed | Looking at top of WR class
Tuesday: Rivals100 revealed
Wednesday: Rivals250 revealed
Thursday: Position rankings revealed
Note: Rankings below are overall spot, not positional:
2002: Vince Young, No. 1
2003: Kyle Wright, No. 5
2004: Rhett Bomar, No. 4
2005: Mark Sanchez, No. 7
2006: Matthew Stafford, No. 6
2007: Jimmy Clausen, No. 1
2008: Terrelle Pryor, No. 1
2009: Matt Barkley, No. 5
2010: Jake Heaps, No. 63
2011: Jeff Driskel, No. 32
2012: Jameis Winston, No. 10
2013: Max Browne, No. 7
2014: Kyle Allen, No. 7
2015: Josh Rosen, No. 2
2016: Shea Patterson, No. 3
2017: Davis Mills, No. 10
2018: Trevor Lawrence, No. 1
2019: Spencer Rattler, No. 13
2020: D.J. Uiagalelei, No. 1
2021: Brock Vandagriff, No. 1
FARRELL'S TAKE
We ask Rivals National Recruiting Director Mike Farrell to offer his thoughts on what makes Uiagalelei so special and we ask him two questions. First, where does Uiagalelei rank all-time versus the other No. 1 overall quarterbacks. Second, where does the five-star stand among the top-ranked QBs ever?
"I think Uiagalelei is a special prospect and probably falls behind Lawrence, Rosen, Pryor, Young and probably Stafford on my list. Those guys were pretty special for different reasons, whether it was pocket presence or pure athleticism but Uiagalelei is right up there with pocket presence and he’s a solid athlete.
"As far as the No 1 players overall, it’s too early to say with his senior year coming but he could end up being ahead of guys like Derrick Williams, Ronald Powell, Dorial Green-Beckham and some others before all is said and done. The big question is whether he’ll remain No 1 overall, because this is a really good class at the top and there are many 2020 prospects looking to knock him off."