Pro signings continue to deplete the class of 2021, as North Carolina commit Daniel Edelman became the latest player to turn pro. Edelman signed with New York Red Bulls II and will begin his professional journey in 2021, instead of heading to Chapel Hill in the fall.
Between that and the continued freeze in DI in-person recruiting, changes continue to ripple through the recruiting rankings for this year. Some players have joined programs and are already competing, while others will join up in the fall.
The latest DI recruiting rankings reflects that, even as a complete enough picture is out there to gauge the Top 30 classes.
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1. Wake Forest
Commitments: D Boima Cummins (New York Red Bulls – No. 31), F Babacar Niang ([Pennington nj-w] – No. 77), GK Robert Alphin (North Carolina FC – No. 99), M Roald Mitchell (PDA – No. 101), F Mwinso Denkabe (Silicon Valley Soccer Association – No. 117), M Ryan Fessler (Sporting KC), M Eligio Guarino (NYCFC), F Julian Kennedy (Orlando City), M Nicolas Mancilla (Club Universidad de Chile), GK Jake Nicoll (STA), M Tareq Shihab (Brighton & Hove Albion)
Wake Forest takes over at No. 1 after UNC lost Edelman to a pro contract. Wake’s class includes five players in the Top 150 rankings, while also adding in other players on a gap year. That includes Kennedy and Fessler, as the latter is already playing, while Mancilla and Shihab are notable international additions.
2. Portland*
Commitments: F Sebastian Nava (LA Galaxy – No. 29), GK Andrew Cordes (Colorado Rapids – No. 42), D Isaac Homer (Portland Timbers – No. 48), D Sebastian Hernandez (LA Galaxy – No. 84), D Adrian Aguilar (LA Galaxy – No. 86), F John Atem Kato (SIMA), D Miles Lyons (Barca Academy), F Muslim Umar (Vancouver Whitecaps), D Ty Walker (New York Red Bulls)
Portland is knocking on the door at the top spot, having added Homer and Kato since the last rankings update. Can this new group continue to push Portland towards the top of the conference or national scene?
