New 2018 state rankings: Latest trends in Georgia, California, more

This week saw the complete post-spring evaluation period Rivals.com rankings updated, with a new Rivals100, Rivals250, position rankings and team rankings update. There were plenty of moves but we’re not quite done yet.

Today, we release the individual state rankings, which saw plenty of moves as well as plenty of new names joining the lists. Here’s a breakdown of the most notable state rankings storylines.

MORE: UPDATED 2018 STATE RANKINGS

The state of Georgia is quickly becoming a quarterback hotbed and is well on the way to showing that players such as five-star and first-round NFL draft pick Deshaun Watson coming from the state is no fluke. The state now boasts three five-star quarterbacks, Clemson commit Trevor Lawrence, Penn State commit Justin Fields and Ohio State commit Emory Jones. The trio comes in a No. 1, No. 2 and No. 4, respectively, in the Georgia rankings and marks the first time that one state has had three five-star quarterbacks in the same class during the Rivals.com era.

But the wealth at the position doesn’t stop at the top. Kentucky quarterback commit Jarren Williams comes in at No. 35 on the list, Texas A&M quarterback commit Cade Fortin is No. 66, Cordel Littlejohn is No. 74 and Troy quarterback commit Gunnar Watson is No. 83.

Once again there’s a new No. 1 overall player in the state of California, with five-star wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown supplanting fellow wide receiver Jalen Hall for the state’s top position. California is always loaded with skill position talent so it’s not a shock to see a change in a battle that has seen USC quarterback commitment Matt Corral (No. 2) hold the top spot in the past in addition to Hall’s reign at the top of the rankings. The three five-star prospects will likely continue their battle until National Signing Day for the No. 1 position.

Much has been said about Tennessee’s ability to keep top players close to home but this year appears to be a banner year for the Vols in their state. Right now five of the top 13 players in the Volunteer State are set to become Volunteers in college, with the state’s top player, offensive lineman Cade Mays, leading the group. The list of in-state commitments is diverse positionally, with wide receiver Alontae Taylor (No.4), safety Brendon Harris (No. 6), defensive tackle Brant Lawless (No. 11) and tight end Jacob Warren (No. 13) in the group.

In total, the Vols have commitments from seven of the state’s top 25 players and are in a good position to land at least three more of the top prospects. If Tennessee can keep up the pace it will mark the best in-state haul since 2014, when the Vols landed nine of the state’s top 13 players.

Michigan’s recruiting approach under Jim Harbaugh has seen the Wolverines pull in elite talent from out of state, including several stars from the Southeast. But with Michigan taking fewer prospects from close to home that has opened the door for other programs to recruit the state. Right now six of the state’s top 10 players are committed to programs out of state, highlighted by the state’s No. 2 player, offensive lineman Marquan McCall, who is committed to Kentucky.

Other prospects currently slated to head out of state from inside the top 10 are Penn State commit Antwan Reed (No. 3), Syracuse commit Tyrone Sampson (No. 5), Notre Dame commit Ovie Oghoufo (No. 6), Wisconsin commit Reggie Pearson (No. 7) and Northwestern commit Jason Whittaker (No. 8).

There is likely to be some shuffling on the list on future rankings but that many top 10 Michigan prospects haven’t signed with out-of-state schools since eight of the top 10 left the state in 2007.

The state of Virginia has also seen a number of teams from outside the state turn up recruiting efforts this year, led by Penn State, which has commitments from the state’s No. 2 player, running back Ricky Slade, and the No. 3 player, offensive lineman Nana Asiedu. The No. 7 (Chris Collins, North Carolina), No. 9 (De’Von Graves, N.C. State) and No. 13 (Tyler DeSue, Maryland) players are also committed to out-of-state programs. The lone player in the Virginia Top 40 committed to an in-state program is two-star wide receiver Joseph White, the state’s No. 39 player headed to UVA.