Rivals rankings director and national transfer portal analyst Adam Friedman is joined by national recruiting analyst Marshall Levenson, national recruiting analyst Greg Smith and Paul Strelow of TigerIllustrated.com to tackle three topics and determine whether they believe each statement is FACT or FICTION.
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1.Â
Kaliq Lockett should be a top-five wide receiver.
Friedman: FICTION. Count me as a fan of Kaliq Lockett’s game. He checks the boxes from a physical perspective (6-foot-1, 175 pounds, 33.5-inch arms, 10.25-inch hands and a 6-foot-7 inch wingspan) and he is incredibly productive on the field (1,299 yards with 13 touchdown catches and 59 catches).
Lockett is currently the No. 12 receiver in the Rivals250 and I could see him rising a bit in the rankings update next month but I’m not sure I’m ready to call him a top-five receiver in the class. His speed as a route runner and his cutting abilities aren’t as developed as I’d like to see from a top five receiver.
That being said, Lockett’s catching abilities and hand-eye coordination, particularly at the catch point, are phenomenal. He’s a physical and aggressive receiver in jump ball situations and I fully expect him to turn in another productive season.
Levenson: FICTION. Lockett is a prospect that I continue to build confidence in, but top-five at this time seems steep. We have seen one season of great production from Lockett to the tune of 1,299 yards and 13 touchdowns on 59 receptions. However, I would like to see him back it up with another great season as many receivers in this class have done.
He has shown he is undoubtedly a phenomenal prospect, but currently sitting at the No. 12 wide receiver in the country, it would be quite a rise to get inside the top five. I don’t feel we have seen enough of him to warrant that move, nor have enough prospects above him done anything to see significant drops.
This season will prove a lot for Lockett and that ranking is certainly attainable, but not prior to the season. I will have a watchful eye on him.
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2. JonAnthony Hall should be a Rivals250 prospect.
Friedman: FICTION. JonAnthony Hall’s lack of experience against major Power Four competition hurts his case here but he’s a no-brainer four-star receiver. Measuring in around 6-foot-1 and 170 pounds, Hall is an impressive three-sport athlete. He led his team to a basketball state championship, finished second in the state in the long jump and had 1,055 receiving yards and six touchdowns on 69 receptions last season. On film, Hall appears to glide by defenders. He shows soft hands, can make plays after the catch, and is very good in jump ball situations despite his modest height.
Smith: FICTION. Hall is an explosive athlete out of Indiana. He’s a three-sport athlete starring on the football field, basketball court and track. Hall has a 23-1 long jump on his resume, which is a personal best. He also put up good stats on the football field last season with 69 catches for 1,055 yards and six touchdowns.
However, I haven’t seen Hall against national competition to see if his athleticism translates against top-notch competition. He certainly needs to be bumped up from where he is ranked now. But I’d like to see more before stamping him as a Rivals250 prospect.
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3.
Easton Ware is the most underrated player in Clemson’s 2025 recruiting class.
Friedman: FICTION. Easton Ware is definitely a potential riser in the rankings as he physically and technically develops but, right now, he’s not the most underrated player in Clemson’s 2025 recruiting class. That title belongs to Logan Anderson.
The four-star linebacker out of Alabama has been outstanding all offseason. Anderson got his initial rating of four-stars after the spring camp season rankings update so he wasn’t included in the Rivals250, position, or state rankings, but you can bet the mortgage payment he’ll be in there when the rankings are refreshed next month.
At the Rivals Five-Star event in Jacksonville at the end of June, Anderson measured in at 6-foot-2 with a 78-inch wingspan and 32-inch arms. To put that in perspective, there have been 20 linebackers picked in the first three rounds of the NFL Draft since 2018 that were at least 6-foot-2 with a 78-inch wingspan and 32-inch arms. Eight of them were picked in the first round.
Without any verified speed measurements, it’s hard to fully explain the level of athleticism he brings to the field but he is awfully impressive on film. He rushed for more than 2,800 yards and 45 touchdowns last season, ridiculous totals regardless of the competition.
Strelow: FACT. Considering 12 of Clemson’s 15 commitments are rated as four-stars, it’s hard to characterize many as candidates here.
Ware’s billing has been fair to date, in our estimation. But after seeing him work out and compete at the Dabo Swinney Camp last month, Ware substantially improved his stock in our eyes, and we’d bet first-year line coach Matt Luke was pleasantly surprised as well.
Ware has clearly put in some work and arguably demonstrated more physicality and agility than we’d given him credit for. He’s put himself in the conversation to be a tackle in college and is pushing 310 pounds – and a good 310. His arrow is trending upward.
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