How 2025 Rankings Update Came Together

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In conjunction with recently releasing 2027 and 2026 rankings updates, an introduction was published to lend more insight into how Prep Redzone Iowa came up with them. The current group of seniors deserved the same courtesy with Wednesday's <a href="https://prepredzone.com/iowa/rankings/2025-rankings/">'25 Rankings Update.</a></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The process includes a group of continually-changing variables. Development is not linear. And sometimes the No. 1 moves out of the state, like what happened here when Cedar Rapids Kennedy OT and new Texas Longhorn commitment Nick Brooks left to spend his final prep season in Georgia. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Had Brooks stayed, he would have remained in the top spot. With him leaving, it likely led to us examining the group of guys behind him in the rankings a little bit closer. We sometimes get comfortable with the order, especially when a class has been scouted for several years and there's limited new data to evaluate. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In the end, we arrived at West Des Moines Valley receiver [player_tooltip player_id='847795' first='Xzavion' last='Robinson'] at No. 1. He shined during his first two seasons before missing most of '23 with a leg injury. Also a D-I hoops prospect, he recovered and was the Tiger basketball squad's second leading scorer in it repeating as 5A state champs. The Iowa State football commitment developed as a Power 4 scholarship receiver in a state not known for doing so. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Clear Lake TE/DE [player_tooltip player_id='847937' first='Thomas' last='Meyer'] remains No. 2 on this list. Committed to Iowa on offense, other Power 4 schools like him off the edge, where he produced 14.0 tackles for loss and 3.0 sacks last fall. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='252328' first='Joey' last='VanWetzinga'] rises up one spot to third in the update. The two-way lineman from Pleasant Valley is committed to Iowa as a center but is a relentless defensive tackle on this level, one that contributed 10.0 TFLs and 2.5 sacks in '23. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Iowa State OL pledge [player_tooltip player_id='847962' first='Will' last='Tompkins'] checks in at No. 4 followed by Algona teammates [player_tooltip player_id='252221' first='Alex' last='Manske'] (QB) and [player_tooltip player_id='252334' first='Jack' last='Limbaugh'] (DL), who also are Cyclone commitments. Tompkins is the top non-center O-Lineman in this class with a chance to play early in college. Manske and Limbaugh are the top players in Iowa at their respective positions this cycle. They're high-upside prospects. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Iowa City West's [player_tooltip player_id='847948' first='Mason' last='Woods'] is No. 7 on the list. The Hawkeye TE commitment stands out as a receiver and safety for the Trojans. He possesses the physical tools to be special. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Gilbert LB [player_tooltip player_id='252314' first='Will' last='Hawthorne'] moves up four spots to eighth after a productive summer camp season, earning offers at Kansas State, Nebraska, Kansas and Western Michigan before committing to Iowa State. No. 9 [player_tooltip player_id='245544' first='Malachi' last='Curvey'], a LB from Ankeny Centennial, chose Kansas ahead of offers from Iowa State, Kansas State and Missouri. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Now, here's where things get interesting. Anyone of these nine guys could end up being the No. 1 player in the next update. Some of them have greater odds than others, but all of them have that potential. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>As we did with the <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2024/08/look-inside-process-of-compiling-26-update/">'26</a> and <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2024/08/methodology-behind-iowa-class-of-27-updated-rankings/">'27</a> update introductions, let's take a look at these Top 9 in Tiers. It provides more content. And, again, these tiers can change along with rankings in the next update. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Robinson and Meyer form Tier 1. Each one has a strong case for being the top-ranked prospect right now. It's super close.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Tier 2 is comprised of VanWetzinga and Tompkins, classic home-grown trench men with relentless motors and a commitment to playing through the whistle. The in-state programs did well in keeping this pair inside the borders. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Manske, Limbaugh, Woods, Hawthorne and Curvey belong to Tier 3. They're all exciting recruits with potential to stand out in college. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Hopefully this writeup explains our thinking beyond a raw rankings release. What's described is the norm, not the exception. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->