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  • Craig Haubert

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    Craig Haubert

    ESPN Staff Writer

    • National recruiting analyst and analyst for ESPNU
    • More than a decade of college and pro coaching experience.
    • Graduated from Indiana and Nebraska-Omaha

  • Tom Luginbill

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    Tom Luginbill

    ESPN Analyst

    • Senior National Recruiting Analyst for ESPN.com
    • Coached in four professional football leagues
    • Graduated from Eastern Kentucky and Marshall

The ESPN 300 for college football‘s 2024 recruiting class has debuted, as our scouts have spent the past several months evaluating prospects at multiple events across the country.

While we prioritize our rankings off game tape, our supplemental spring evaluations are instrumental in showing physical and athletic development from the fall.

Dylan Raiola, who decommitted from Ohio State in December, remains the No. 1-ranked quarterback and top overall prospect from our Junior 300, but fellow West Coast passer Julian Sayin is making a push toward the top. Sayin is now No. 8 overall.

In addition to Sayin, an Alabama commit, the top 10 features eight prospects changing spots, including one standout wide receiver who was previously outside the top 150.

Overall, 53 prospects have entered the ESPN 300 rankings from our fall Junior 300 edition. Eight prospects have earned a coveted fifth star through continued evaluation, including one defensive end who went from unranked to the top 20 overall.

Let’s dig into what’s new with these rankings, including the debut five-star prospects, the biggest risers and recruits who are new to the top 300:

Jump to:
New five-stars | Big risers
Entering the ESPN 300

New five-stars

David Stone, DT
ESPN 300 ranking: 5 (previous: 14)

Stone got a slight bump up the rankings, earning a fifth star. He is a stout big man with impressive raw tools and a competitive spirit. He is a disruptive force in the trenches with an explosive first step.

For a player of his size (6-foot-5, 285 pounds), Stone possesses fluid movement with the ability to quickly redirect, enabling him to be a factor at the line of scrimmage. Stone can still refine his hand usage and focus at times, but he showed increased physical and technical developmental when scouted at the UCReport Pro Day at IMG Academy.

He also improved all testing times, including a 4.7 shuttle. Stone is choosing between Oklahoma, Michigan State, Miami, LSU, Texas A&M and Florida.

Cameron Coleman, WR
ESPN 300 ranking: 7 (previous: 164)

Coleman showed his impressive blend of size, speed, strength and body control when Central High School (Alabama) played on ESPN’s high school football showcase last fall. Coach Patrick Nix, a former Georgia Tech offensive coordinator, compared him to one of his former wide receivers: Pro Football Hall of Famer Calvin Johnson.

In watching Coleman, it’s evident why Nix, who coached Megatron as a Yellow Jacket, would make such a lofty comparison. The 6-foot-4, 185-pound Coleman has continued to showcase his 4.48 40-yard dash speed and elite ability, including an impressive performance at this spring’s Under Armour Atlanta camp, earning MVP.

A big-play target who still possesses promising upside, Coleman has not only earned a fifth star, but also snatched up the No. 1 spot at the position and the nickname “Mini Megatron.” Coleman’s top schools are Alabama, Clemson, Florida State, LSU and Auburn.

Julian Sayin, QB
ESPN 300 ranking: 8 (previous: 24)

Sayin didn’t necessarily need to show up to the Under Armour Los Angeles camp. After all, he has been a productive starter since his freshman year at Carlsbad High School (California) and had already landed several high Power 5 offers. But the Alabama commit showed up wanting to compete and measure himself against others, similar to his QB predecessors in Tuscaloosa.

In doing so, he proved why he is worthy of a fifth star. Sayin continues to get bigger, better and more confident each time we see him. He has hit a growth spurt and is starting to fill out, measuring in at 6-foot-2, 190 pounds this spring at the UA camp, where he took home MVP honors.

He has excellent arm strength, ball placement and moxie when he takes the field. He has been remarkably productive and could compete with Raiola for the No. 1 overall prospect at some point.

Williams Nwaneri, DE
ESPN 300 ranking: 10 (previous: 30)

Nwaneri was a promising prospect with untapped ability based on his sophomore evaluation. Since then, he has vastly improved his agility and explosiveness, and he heads into his senior season having established himself as one of the top defenders in the 2024 class.

At 6-foot-6 with an over 80-inch wingspan, he has the desired length and frame to develop with naturally good bend. Among Lee’s Summit North High School’s (Missouri) leading tacklers this past season, including 12 sacks, he can be tough to contain with his initial quickness off the snap and his ability to turn speed to power.

The new five-star will take on and defeat smaller blockers and run past heavier linemen. A well-rounded defender with a ceiling for first-round NFL measurables, Nwaneri’s top schools are Tennessee, Oklahoma, Missouri, Oregon and Georgia.

Micah Hudson, WR
ESPN 300 ranking: 11 (previous: 16)

We see a lot of Ja’Marr Chase-type qualities in Hudson and acknowledge we undervalued him on our previous releases. His junior season is chalk full of explosive, dynamic plays, and he has posted a blazing 21.5 mph max speed on game tape, which compares to Tyreek Hill.

At 6-foot-1,195 pounds, he might be the most versatile playmaker in this entire class. He is built like a running back, can line up at every skill position and can play a part in all three phases of the game.

Hudson is a nightmare to cover in space and will win footraces. He will choose from Alabama, Texas A&M, Georgia, Texas and Texas Tech.

Jamonta Waller, DE
ESPN 300 ranking: 16 (previous: unranked)

Waller made a statement by going from outside the top 300 to debuting as a five-star. His film and strong testing numbers at the Atlanta Under Armour camp (34-inch vertical jump, 4.5 shuttle at 230 pounds) make him an elite defensive prospect.

Though Waller lacks ideal height (6-foot-2) and doesn’t share the same physical upside as some other five-stars, he is already demonstrating that he will be an early contributor at the college level. He is explosive with heavy hands and good agility, and he can overpower or slip blocks.

Waller also can utilize leverage and angles well and combined with a good motor, he can harass QBs and hunt down ball carriers. Waller’s final schools include Ole Miss, Alabama, Florida, Penn State and Georgia.

Big risers

Bryant Wesco, WR
ESPN 300 ranking: 23 (previous: 192)

It’s difficult to fully figure out Wesco’s speed. He hasn’t posted great track times but plays fast and impressed us with his tape, evidenced by his 21.2 mph on-field max speed this past fall — which is comparable to Jaylen Waddle, the former Alabama wideout who has back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons with the Miami Dolphins.

Wesco is quicker than he is fast, however his route-running ability and knack for separation make him dangerous because he knows how to set up defensive backs so he can get open. He’s a confident pass-catcher whose productivity has helped him climb tremendously up the ranks. Wesco’s top schools include Oklahoma, TCU, Clemson and LSU.

Kevin Riley, RB
ESPN 300 ranking: 61 (previous: 214)

Riley is both patient and sudden at the same time. It took us until the offseason to really appreciate his skill set. In watching him, he is so light on his feet that he appears like he’s running on his tip toes and can still stop and start on a dime.

He has a great feel for seeing the crease and then exploding through the hole. Riley is capable of making multiple people miss in space. At 5-foot-11, 200 pounds, he will need to develop in the weight room to become a more powerful runner, but his big-play ability is excellent. The schools recruiting Riley the hardest are Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee and Ole Miss. 

New ESPN 300 entrants

Joseph Jonah-Ajonye, DT
ESPN 300 ranking: 22

A versatile defensive lineman who can play on the edge or inside, Jonah-Ajonye has a large frame with big hands and a great reach to keep blockers off his body. We see continued physical growth, which will accentuate his terrific power. While impressive physically at 6-foot-5, 285 pounds, his ascent into the top 25 also has to do with his rare speed and range when pursuing down to the line of scrimmage.

Jonah-Ajonye also possesses very good flexibility and body control when redirecting in the short area. During an MVP performance at the UCReport Houston camp, he demonstrated the important trait of being able to take in coaching points and turn around and quickly execute them. He will most likely stay in his home state with Houston, Texas A&M and Texas recruiting him the hardest.

Air Noland, QB
ESPN 300 ranking: 47

Noland is one of the biggest risers in the 2024 class. He’s listed as a pocket-passer, and the position doesn’t have the top-level depth as the dual-threat category, which means Noland could rise even further as a senior.

The recent Ohio State commit has blossomed physically, adding both height (6-foot-3) and weight (190), and his arm strength has increased over the past year. He posted one of the best junior seasons of any quarterback in his class, accounting for 55 touchdowns and leading Langston Hughes High School (Georgia) to a 15-0 record in 2022. 

JacQawn McRoy, OT
ESPN 300 ranking: 57

McRoy has a massive 6-foot-8, 360-pound frame with an 85-inch wingspan, but he is more than just a big body. He is an aggressive player capable of manhandling and burying defenders. His improved agility and balance were a pleasant surprise at this year’s Atlanta Under Armour camp, where he put up an MVP performance among a loaded O-line group.

He can further improve flexibility and will need to watch his weight as he develops, but McRoy is a finishing blocker with naturally good feet for his size. He reminds us some of former ESPN 300 OT Morgan Moses, who is entering his 10th season in the NFL. McRoy’s top schools include Auburn, Kentucky, Arkansas, Clemson and Mississippi State.

Jonathan Daniels, OT
ESPN 300 ranking: 75

Daniels comes with promising upside. It is hard to believe he weighs 280 pounds now as he still possesses a lean, lengthy 6-foot-5 frame with room to pack on more needed mass with time in a college strength and conditioning program. He might not be a physically imposing presence, but he has good strength and should only improve with physical and technical development.

He has nice body control and can be effective in space with ability to quickly climb and block defenders at the second level. Daniels is a good prospect but moves into the 300 also with a high ceiling for development. Florida State and Miami are his finalists.

This article was originally published by Espn.com. Read the original article here.

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