Rivals Rankings Week: Ten Highest-ranked Debuts In The Rivals250

The latest update of the 2026 Rivals250 is out and there are a lot of changes. Here is a look at the 10 highest-ranked players who made their debuts in the ranking, as it went from 100 to 250 players on Tuesday.

Lyons debuted as a five-star prospect in this update to the 2026 rankings and for good reason. This past season he completed 68-percent of his passes for 3,578 yards with 38 touchdowns and only eight interceptions. Lyons also ran for nearly 1,000 yards and added 23 touchdowns on the ground.

The dual-threat quarterback has the athleticism, spatial awareness and twitchiness to give defenders nightmares, whether in the pocket or in the open field. Lyons is big enough to hold up against the physicality of the college game and he has the arm strength and accuracy to hurt defenses on a consistent basis. His ability to evade pressure and still deliver the ball accurately to his playmakers wherever they are on the field is exceptional.

At 6-foot-4 and 295 pounds, Evers has a versatile frame that could allow him to play tackle or guard at the next level. He finishes his blocks well and it’s easy to see he’s been around the game for a long time. Evers has a great sense for the game and appears to be very well coached.

His awareness as a run blocker is excellent. Evers is able to get his hands on the defender quickly, drive his feet and get to the next level to find another defender to block.

As a pass blocker, Evers is technically sound and shows off his lateral agility by quickly cutting off outside edge rushers.

There’s a lot to be excited about in Prothro’s game. At 6-foot-6 and 207 pounds, the tight end prospect out of Georgia is a lot for defenders to handle. A pure flex tight end, Prothro’s low 4.7 speed in the 40-yard dash and his change of direction ability is obvious on film.

After running a 4.4-second short shuttle, it’s not surprising that he’s able to shake defenders loose with his route-running abilities. Prothro is explosive off the line of scrimmage and does a great job catching the ball with his hands. He only had 33 catches this past season but averaged 25 yards per catch, totaling 831 receiving yards and hauled in 13 touchdown catches. He also returned a kickoff for a touchdown and on defense he added two interceptions, including one that he returned for a touchdown.

Speed is the first thing you notice when you turn on Ball’s film from this past season. The running back out of Texas clocked a 10.5-second 100m time this spring. He amassed 1,225 yards and 12 touchdowns on the ground as a sophomore, averaging nearly 7.5 yards per rush. Ball also caught six touchdown passes and had 400 receiving yards.

Once Ball gets the handoff or makes a catch, his burst and acceleration almost catch defenders off guard. They have a very difficult time bringing him down when they get their hands on him and he’s pretty slippery in the open field. Ball does a nice job finding running lanes and can be very patient. Defenders rarely get a good hit on him, even when he’s making his way through a hole.

Giles is a former Miami commit who has garnered plenty of attention while at IMG Academy. The versatile defensive back could be a cornerback or a safety at the college level thanks to his length and instincts. Giles has good overall speed and is very physical with receivers at the line of scrimmage. He impacts their timing with quarterbacks while they’re in their route too. It will be interesting to see if he develops into a true lock-down cornerback before he reaches the college level.

Either way, his versatility in the secondary is something college coaches put a high value on because they’ll be able to use him in a variety of ways to mask any personnel deficiencies.

Groce’s classification as an all-purpose running back could not be more spot on. This past season he ran for 935 yards and scored 12 touchdowns on the ground while hauling in 10 touchdown catches and 851 receiving yards. That nearly 50-50 split in his production is indicative of how he could be used at the next level.

Groce self-reports a 10.6-second 100m time and a 4.39-second 40-yard dash time but, regardless of the accuracy of those numbers, his speed on the field is easy to see. Standing at 6-foot-2, Groce is able to run away from defenders in the open field or run them over. His footwork and cutting ability is impressive at that size.

Groce has very good vision when taking handoffs out of the backfield and he does a nice job evading defenders and changing direction quickly.

Hart had a very productive sophomore season while leading his team to a state championship. The 6-foot-5 quarterback threw for 3,759 yards, completing nearly 66-percent of his passes, and putting up a 41-11 touchdown-to-interception ratio. Hart has a strong enough arm to make all of the throws he’ll need to at the next level and his downfield accuracy at this stage of his development is very impressive.

He has a great sense of timing when throwing routes across the middle and toward the sideline. Hart also has enough arm strength to fit passes into tight windows. He’s a decent overall athlete, possessing enough agility to buy time and throw on the move but he’s not going to take off down the field and pick up big chunks of yards.

The ceiling for Hart is sky-high and his ranking at this point reflects that.

Toodle is a big linebacker who knocks ball carriers backward when he makes contact. His explosiveness and physicality can shock offensive linemen as he makes his way to running backs. Toodle does a good job in pursuit and his speed makes it very difficult for running backs to get to the edge of the defense. He was fairly reliable in coverage and pulled in four interceptions last season. Toodle is a very good blitzer as well, amassing 10 sacks.

His speed and the strength he brings with his 6-foot-3 frame can overwhelm offensive linemen trying to keep him out of the backfield.

O’Neal had a great showing at the National Combine earlier this year and he validated much of what was already known about his game. He has a strong arm, can throw with consistent accuracy from the pocket and has crisp mechanics.

This past season, O’Neal threw for 2,475 yards and 27 touchdowns while completing 60.9-percent of his passes. His arm strength and ability to make throws while under pressure has caught the attention of college coaches from coast to coast.

O’Neal has plenty of time to refine his skillset, too. He has a ton of potential and his current ranking reflects that so it will be important for him to show consistent development throughout the rest of the rankings cycle.

Physicality and instincts are the hallmarks of Gordon’s game. He may not have elite speed but he makes up for that with excellent short area quickness and the ability to close on the ball while the pass is in the air. Gordon is great at the catch point, which tracks with his seven pass deflections from last season, and his footwork is very crisp at this early stage of his development.

He brings versatility to the secondary as well. Gordon has the length and physical style that could make him a very effective safety or nickel corner.