Today's rankings update brought about several new four-stars in the Midwest. Here they are and why they made the jump.
Delano Hill - committed to Iowa
Safety - Detroit Cass Tech (Mich.)
We really liked Hill as a junior, but on a talented Cass defense, sometimes it was hard to see him making a ton of plays in-game. He took to the camp circuit this spring and summer and did very well. What was particularly eye opening was what he did at The Opening against the nation's best. He had a great few days out there and showed his speed, running a 4.44 forty at 6'1, 190-lbs.
Jayme Thompson - committed to Ohio State
Safety - Toledo Central Catholic (Ohio)
Thompson is a kid with good size who can play both safety and corner. We like that versatility as well as what he did on his junior tape. He had a great NIKE Camp in Columbus and did well out in Oregon at The Opening. The fact that he's shown the cover skills to play man to man with outside receivers really helped his stock and helped him earn the bump.
Dan Samuelson - committed to Nebraska
Offensive Tackle - Plymouth (Ind.)
It seems like every year the Midwest produces tough, hard nosed linemen who get overlooked. I think Samuelson is one of those blue collar kind of guys who is going to come in, work hard, be a starter and an all-conference kind of guy, and in the past, would have been underrated. On film, he showed good footwork and once we saw more of him pass blocking, we felt confident he could be a multi-year starter in college.
Dalyn Dawkins - uncommitted
Running Back - Louisville Trinity (Ky.)
Dawkins is a lightning bolt. He's quick, explosive, runs hard and can catch the ball out of the backfield. He also breaks arm tackles for a kid who isn't real big. I think he's going to be a dangerous guy for any spread team to have and I love the kid's ability to make plays.
Darrien Howard - committed to West Virginia
Middle Linebacker - Chaminade Julienne (Ohio)
Our question all along on him was whether or not he'd outgrow linebacker. He's gotten himself in shape to play the position, dominated at the Columbus NIKE Camp, and has really shown us that he can be a big, physical middle backer in college. He can run for a guy his size and performed much better in space than you'd expect a bigger guy like him to.