Skip to main content

Recruiting Roundtable II: Which prospect will make biggest move?

barry-sander-jr.jpg

With the class of 2012 recruiting cycle at its halfway point, it's time to put some members of the 247Sports national recruiting team on the hot seat.

In the coming days, 247Sports recruiting analysts JC Shurburtt, Barton Simmons, Steve Wiltfong, Gerry Hamilton and Rusty Mansell will respond to questions about what they have seen so far this year on the recruiting trail and what might happen in the fall.

Today's question: Who is the one prospect you think can move up in the rankings as the season goes on?

Shurburtt: A guy like wide receiver Kwinton Smith from Dillon, S.C., really has a chance. He's a legit 6-foot-4, is smooth as silk, has good hands and is a very good overall athlete. His offer list, which includes Alabama, Florida, LSU, South Carolina, Clemson and others, reflects his emergence as a Top247 prospect nationally. I also think among players who are already in our 247, two-way lineman and recent Oregon State commit Issac Seumalo (from Corvallis High) has a chance to really shoot up.

Simmons: Keep an eye on linebacker Jared Afalava out of Utah. Because Afalava plays in Utah, he hasn't gotten a lot of national attention. However, West Coast schools have certainly noticed. He has offers from Utah, BYU, UCLA, Nebraska and Oregon. With Afalava playing at national power South Jordan (Utah) Bingham, I expect him to really blow up as a senior. You can't miss him on film, and he has size. If Afalava were playing in Texas, I would expect him to have about 25 offers.

Mansell: I think Kenderius Whitehead is a prospect who can make that move into the four-star range before it is all said and done. Whitehead is a 6-4, 215-pound defensive end from Monroe Area in Georgia. He has more than 20 offers and has been very good at both camps I saw him at against tough competition.

Wiltfong: Farmington Hills (Mich.) Harrison WR Aaron Burbridge is the top offensive player in the state of Michigan, and some say the top talent overall. I look forward to seeing more of him.

Hamilton: I'm going to go with Barry Sanders Jr. with a healthy senior season. Missing a big chunk of his junior season with the type of injury he had (foot surgery) and the type of runner he is -- lightening quick runner with special change of direction -- had a pretty big impact when looking at him in the first rankings. If not Sanders, Landon Collins (Geismar, La./Dutchtown) is a safe bet.

ROUNDTABLE I: Which prospect has impressed most?