Rivals Ratings and Rankings + Rivals Industry Rankings

Having previously authored the processes and protocols for the Recruiting Industry at Rivals and 247Sports, the Rivals team has almost three decades of experience building proprietary recruiting ratings and rankings models.

Building toward a baseline measurement of the NFL draft, the recruiting industry has had unprecedented success projecting high draft picks and success in the NFL, which is indicative of talent and achievement at the college level. The last five NFL Drafts have showcased the Rivals Industry Ranking’s accuracy as 65.4% of Five-Stars were drafted, making the highest-rated recruit 19.2x more likely to be drafted than a 2-Star or lower prospect.

Following is a detailed look into the Rivals’ Ratings and Rankings Process:

1. FOOTBALL PROSPECTS FUNNEL

10,000+ prospects from three concurrent recruiting cycles are evaluated each year for consideration to be rated 3, 4, and 5-Stars, based on historical trends, data analysis, feedback from college coaches and personnel, and evaluations from the Rivals Scouting Department.

2A. HISTORICAL TRENDS + DATA ANALYSIS

Ratings protocols developed from 27 years in the industry, based on NFL historical draft trends, positional value, and geographical dispersion.

2B. NETWORK RELATIONSHIPS

Feedback from college coaches and recruiting personnel curated from the On3 | Rivals Network of National and Fansite Reporters.

2C. SCOUTING DEPARTMENT

Led by Rivals Director of Scouting and Rankings, Charles Power, and National Scout Cody Bellaire, Rivals scouts, evaluates, and collects data and measurables for a proprietary Rivals grade. Power was previously the director of scouting for 247.

3. PLAYER RATINGS FROM RATINGS COMMITTEE

Each ranked player is then assigned a Rivals rating. This is done by a Ratings Committee comprised of the Rivals National Recruiting Team and chaired by Charles Power. 

4. RELEASE AUDIT

A separate group, led by Charles Power, Chad Carson (Head of Rivals Database), and Luke Stampini (Executive Editor of Recruiting), then takes the player ratings and audits the process to ensure that all protocols and procedures were followed. This is a further check and balance to the process before the ratings and rankings are released to the public.

5. INDUSTRY RANKINGS CONTRIBUTION

In addition to our own rigorous process, Rivals also charts player ratings/rankings of the other services to provide a complete picture of each top recruit for the recruiting fan. A detailed explanation of the Rivals Industry Rankings is below:

Rivals Industry Rankings

The Rivals Industry Ranking is a proprietary algorithm that compiles ratings and rankings from all four primary recruiting media services. The Rivals Industry Ranking is the industry’s most advanced, complete, and unbiased measurement.

The Rivals Industry Ranking equally weights the primary recruiting media services.

For football, the algorithm is weighted as follows: Rivals (33%), 247Sports (33%), and ESPN (33%). 

For basketball, the algorithm also equally weights Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN at 33%.

The Rivals Industry Rating and Ranking increases the total number of 5-stars and 4-stars seven times throughout the recruiting cycle, concluding with 32 5-stars for football and 20 for basketball. This solves for the problem of awarding 5-star ratings too early in the recruiting process to meet predefined quotas. With each passing month in the cycle, scouts in the industry have more data, information, and scouting opportunities to better evaluate and project prospects. This process is referenced by the Industry “Strength” meter in the database. Listed below is the football star ranking update schedule, with the coinciding blue-chip count for the Rivals Industry Rating:

August — Sophomore year watchlist: 0 5-stars, 100 4-stars
March — Initial Rivals300 after Sophomore season: 5 5-stars, 295 4-stars
May — Spring update: 10 5-stars, 315 4-stars
October — Mid-season junior update: 15 5-stars, 335 4-stars
February — Post National Signing Day overhaul: 20 5-stars, 355 4-stars
April — Spring update: 25 5-stars, 375 4-stars
July — Summer update before senior season: 32 5-stars, 393 4-stars
September — Mid-season senior update:  32 5-stars, 418 4-stars
November — Post senior update: 32 5-stars, 418 4-stars
January — Final update:  32 5-stars, 418 4-stars

Rivals Team Rankings, powered by the Rivals Industry

The Rivals Industry Team Recruiting Ranking is our best work yet. It is the most advanced, complete, and unbiased ranking measurement in the industry, yet its simplicity makes it easy for fans to follow and understand.

+ The Rivals Industry Team Recruiting Ranking utilizes all three major recruiting media companies: Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN.

+ The Rivals Industry Team Recruiting Ranking solves the problem of varying class sizes during the recruiting cycle. It compiles the highest-rated commits for each team up to a total based on a rolling average of current total commitments among Power 5 schools.

With this model, there are no bonus points for having more commitments than other teams, and only small deductions occur when a team has fewer commitments than the rolling average. Unlike distribution (bell) curves, this model doesn’t disproportionately weight a team’s top three or four highest-rated commits and is a more accurate representation of an entire class.