We are back again to note that as the 2026 recruits prepare to play their senior years, I recommend understanding that the services (like anywhere else) may have made some adjustments to the rankings. These reaches in the stars and composite rankings may give the players more credit for things off the actual field of play supports. Camps and traits are great, but production is king for guys that translate to the field on Saturdays and Sundays. Here are a few names I am lower on than the services suggest. Senior years can change my projected outlook for these players, but the pressure is on to live up to the lofty rankings in the services.
Jayden Warren, WR
We will start with Mr. Jayden Warren in this second part of the series, and it does not get much simpler. He checks in right now as WR28 in the composite with a 4-star status and 0.9332 rating. The Houston commit has it perfectly explained my hesitation when the glowing parts of his game are discussed, specifically his athletic traits, while acknowledging the fact that he only had 26 catches for 613 yards and 14 touchdowns across thirteen games as a junior. He has 33 catches in the past two years.
For Gabe Brooks to then make a quick note in his write-up that Warren is also a raw route runner should scare away anyone considering him until proven otherwise. I expect the ranks to notice this and adjust him down if not proven differently this fall. For quick reference, he checks in at WR78 for my model before updating the new composite ranks for the position.
Calvin Russell, WR
Just three spots higher at WR75 in my model is one Calvin Russell, who is another stark contrast to the services, which somehow have this guy at WR4 overall in the 2026 class at a 0.9825 rating. I seriously do not understand this, as I look at his low athletic traits, with the best thing going for him being his size and basketball offers.
Russell is currently committed to Syracuse to play both sports, which gives me more hesitation for a player I believe needs a lot of work on his football game. Russell played QB as a freshman and sophomore before posting a grand total line of 39-704-13 across 14 games. Out of 158 HS receivers who had composite scores of 0.9600 or better, Russell has the 14th-worst production score.
Kayden Dixon-Wyatt, WR
Let’s get a little spicier as Dixon-Wyatt checks in as WR16 in the composite with a 0.9454 rating. The immediate signal to people is the commitment to Ohio State at the moment. The opening line for his 247 breakdown is “one of the most talented receivers in the country,” as quoted by Greg Biggins. However, we can go to MaxPreps or simply look below and see that this “stud” is not putting up numbers that give me lofty hopes for him.
That puts our friend at WR73, currently in my system, while already factoring in that he was leaning towards the Big Ten conference. And if people say trust the logo, I hate to share his profile is tracking to be like the following players who went to Ohio State: Jayden Ballard, Bryson Rodgers, Kojo Antwi, Kaleb Brown, and Trevon Grimes. That is a far cry from all the fun stories at the top.
Tradarian Ball, RB
Ball is the first case today where the story is a little different. He checks in right now as RB6 in the composite ranks with a 0.9651 rating. The Oregon commit does have some production to back him up, too.
The problem for me is two-fold. He has some work to do for a player with years of RB experience, but he has managed to regress as a rusher in overall production. The receiving his junior year helps boost his scores and brings into question if he is a better fit as a slot receiver for Oregon who runs the quick game the past few years. The second issue for me is the current unknown weight, which is showing at 175 lbs. on 247Sports. I typically avoid RBs out of high school if their weight is below 190 lbs. as the initial college frame. We do not currently know what he will check in at yet, but it does bring his score down to well below the RB6 status he holds in the composite ranks.
Dezephen Walker, RB
I typically find a running back I like that ends up in the late 20s of the composite ranks each year, but Walker is currently not tracking to be that guy. His star index is average, his stats are pedestrian, and he joins a team in Oklahoma that has already log-jammed others in that room as of today. Dezephen is currently RB26 with a 0.8933 rating in the system; I expect that to fall further.
We have three years of data to support this claim, which explains why he checks in at a very low rate for me, even with a decent frame. The receiving is basically non-existent in game settings. The rushing is not blowing anyone away. He does not have a nose for the end zone. And the yards per carry are well below what we like to see. Anyone rooting for him right now is at risk of the SEC/Oklahoma logos swaying the results in a different direction.
Javian Mallory, RB
Mallory is a slightly different scenario, as I know he was cut short on his junior season.
Even so, we saw a slight step backwards for his stats in his junior year compared to his sophomore year. The significantly reduced receiving workload across seven games was much different from the sophomore experience for the back, who already had “feature” back size in high school. For a guy rated 0.8989 as RB23 in the composite, a lot will be banking on him showing up again as the 2023 version. Reports suggest that he dealt with a nagging hamstring/knee injury during the season (and a serious car crash injury), so a large sample size, such as 2023, would help alleviate some of the concerns I have about him.
