These are my Team Rankings for TEs in the 2020 Recruiting Class. These rankings take into account both quality and quantity at the position.
Team TEs Rankings
P5 Rankings
- Notre Dame
- LSU
- Georgia
- Penn State
- Iowa
- Stanford
- UNC
- California
- Purdue
- Washington
- Oklahoma
- Auburn
- USC
- Boston College
- Ohio State
G5 Rankings
- UTSA
- UCF
- Toledo
- UNLV
- North Texas
5-star Marietta TE and one of the most highly sought after recruits in the country Arik Gilbert chooses @LSU over Texas A&M, Bama, Clemson and Georgia. “Coach O has a good thing going there.” #LSU #GeauxTigers @arik_gilbert pic.twitter.com/IpgGLANtsw
— Maria Martin (@Ria_Martin) October 23, 2019
Overall Top 15 Rankings
1. Notre Dame
Notre Dame tops my list, as they signed the #2 and #6 ranked Tight Ends in the 2020 class. The Irish landed 5⭐ Michael Mayer from Covington Catholic in Kentucky. Mayer excels with route running and has excellent hands. He will make an immediate impact in the passing attack for the Irish and has been compared to Zach Ertz. Notre Dame also landed 4⭐ Kevin Bauman who also has great hands, but is far ahead of Mayer in the blocking game right now.
2. LSU
Coming in at #2 on the list is LSU. The Tigers landed 5⭐ Arik Gilbert, who could be the best TE prospect I’ve ever seen. Gilbert is 6’5″ 250 lbs. He has the size of a Tight End but runs like a Wide Receiver. Very bright future ahead for Gilbert.
3. Georgia
Coming in at #3 is Georgia, who hauled in 6’7″ 260-pound freak athlete Darnell Washington from Las Vegas. Washington will be a match-up nightmare for opposing teams in the Red Zone because of his good hands and physical abilities. This is a name you will know very soon.
4. Penn State
Penn State slots in at #4. The Nittany Lions landed Theo Johnson, a 6’6″ 240-pound phenom from Canada. Penn State has a good tradition of developing TEs and Johnson could be the next great one. PSU also hauled in Tyler Warren who has good size at 6’6″.
5. Iowa
Iowa is #5 in our rankings. If I’m a big time Tight End in college football and I have an offer from the Hawkeyes, I’m going to give them a strong look. In this class Iowa landed two tight ends, 4⭐ Luke Lachey and 3⭐ Elijah Yelverton. Lachey has a chance to be the next TJ Hockenson for the Hawkeyes. Lachey was also a basketball and track star. So he has plenty of athleticism.
6. Stanford
Coming in at #6 are the Cardinals. Stanford has a tradition of developing and getting Tight Ends to the NFL. Stanford landed two really good TEs in Lukas Unger (6’4″ 215 lbs)and Ben Yurosek (6’5″ 220 lbs). I see a lot of upside in Yurosek, as he excels in both the blocking and receiving game. Remember the name.
7. UNC
Coming in at #7 is UNC. The Tar Heels had a strong TE class, landing three of the Top 40 at the position. John Copenhaver, rated as the 18th best TE in the class, tops the list. He has great hands and runs clean routes. Ranked as the 28th best TE is Kendall Karr, a North Carolina native, and coming in as the 40th best TE is Jefferson Boaz. Boaz possibly has the highest upside, if he develops He’s 6’8″ with good athleticism, and also played baseball and basketball.
8. California
Landing at #8 is California. The Golden Bears landed three tight ends in the 2020 class, D.J. Rogers, Tommy Christakos & Jake Muller. 4⭐ D.J. Rogers has a ton of potential. He’s one of the best route runners in this class and will make an immediate impact in the passing attack.
9. Purdue
Purdue is #9 on the list. The Boilermakers hauled in 4⭐ Maliq Carr. They will need a replacement for Brycen Hopkins, and Carr could make an immediate impact next season like David Bell and Rondale Moore did the years before.
10. Washington
The Washington Huskies are #10. The Huskies landed two Top 50 TEs in this class with Mark Redman & Mason West. Redman is rated as the 7th best TE in the 2020 class. He’s 6’6″ 240 lbs, which is the prototypical size for his build. He’s a good run blocker and excels in high pointing the ball.
11. Oklahoma
Landing at #11 are the Oklahoma Sooners. The Sooners signed the 5th ranked TE in the 2020 class with Jalin Conyers. Conyers is 6’4″ 225 lbs and is excellent in the passing attack, which will make him fit in perfectly for Oklahoma. He excels after the catch and has good acceleration for a Tight End.
12. Auburn
At #12 is the Auburn Tigers. Auburn landed the 9th ranked TE in the class with Brandon Frazier, a former Arkansas commit. Frazier is 6’7″ 250 lbs, who Tiger QB Bo Nix will love in the Red Zone. Frazier also excels at run blocking and could develop into the best TE in this class.
13. USC
The USC Trojans are #13. The Trojans’ class was disappointing by USC Standards. However, one bright spot was the TE position. USC landed the #11 TE in the class with Jack Yary. Yary skyrocketed through the rankings with a big senior season. He’s a good blocker and plays with physicality. Kedon Slovis will love finding Yary in the red zone.
14. Boston College
At #14 in the rankings are the Boston College Eagles. The Eagles hauled in two Top 55 TE Recruits. Boston College landed Charlie Gordinier and Hans Lillis. Gordinier had offers from LSU, West Virginia, Vanderbilt, UCLA and Syracuse. He’s 6’5″ 225 lbs and could be the next Tommy Sweeney type of player for the Eagles.
15. Ohio State
The #15 spot was a close one between Michigan, Miami and Ohio State, but I’m going with THE Ohio State Buckeyes. My reasoning is I like the upside and potential of Joe Royer. Royer is a solid pass catcher and has the athleticism to cause match-up nightmares for linebackers with his quickness, and the size to cause problems for DBs.
G5 Tight Ends
1. UTSA
Coming in at #1 on my list is UTSA. The Roadrunners landed Allen Horace who has a ton of potential. Horace could actually play TE or DE in college because of his athleticism and versatility. If he plays at TE, he will make an immediate impact with his physical skills. He’s got excellent leaping ability and will be a big red zone threat. Remember the name.
2. UCF
Coming in at #2 are the UCF Golden Knights. UCF landed two Tight Ends in the 2020 class with 3⭐s Cornelius Forrest Jr. and Jordan Davis. Both players could use a Redshirt season to develop physically and improve their blocking abilities. I see them making an impact in 2021.
3. Toledo
Coming in at #3 are the Toledo Rockets. Toledo brings in 3⭐ Clay Caudill. Caudill is a 6’4″ 240-pound TE from Mansfield, Ohio who had offers from Iowa State, Cincinnati, Kentucky, Louisville, Maryland, Michigan State, Vanderbilt, Virginia, West Virginia and Wisconsin.
4. UNLV
UNLV comes in at #4. The Rebels landed two Top 100 TEs in this class. Alex Lines was a massive pickup for them. Lines excels at blocking and uses his size and physicality to open up lanes for running backs. The Rebels also landed Kaleo Ballungay, a 6’5″ 240-pound TE from California.
5. North Texas
Coming in at #5 is North Texas. The Mean Green landed two Top 75 TEs in 2020 in Jake Roberts and Christian Lee. Both players excel at running routes and will improve at blocking once they fill out from the weight room.
