Rivals Five-Star: Ten prospects to watch closely in Indianapolis

INDIANAPOLIS – The Rivals Five-Star is Tuesday at the Indianapolis Colts practice facility as many of the nation’s top players will be in attendance. Here are 10 I’ll be watching closest throughout the event.

The four-star defensive tackle dominated the Rivals Five-Star last summer and he’s coming back for more. Geralds was incredibly tough last season and even continued in the event after getting a full dreadlock ripped out of his head as offensive linemen tried to hang on any which way they could.

Already ranked as the second-best defensive tackle in the class, the only question left with the Suwanee (Ga.) Collins Hill standout, who has Ohio State, Ole Miss, LSU and others involved, is whether he’s a five-star prospect or not. His height might be an issue that holds him back but Geralds has everything else.

Jeremiah Smith. Emeka Egbuka. Amon-Ra St. Brown. Julio Jones. There is a long and impressive list of No. 1 wide receivers in Rivals history and Keys is the top-ranked WR in this class as he’s backed that up numerous times this offseason.

The Hattiesburg, Miss., five-star standout was actually pretty quiet at the Rivals Five-Star last summer in Jacksonville before then going to Future 50 and dominating. A big-time performance in Indianapolis can lock up his No. 1 receiver ranking. If not, the door remains open because this is a loaded receiver class.

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What we love about McFarland is that he never, ever backs down from competition, shows up to everything and gets after it. He has legitimately dominated over and over again.

The 2028 receiver from Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy is not only a camp and 7on7 warrior but he also puts up big numbers in games and should be under five-star consideration for his class.

There will be some elite defensive backs who could hang with McFarland during the Rivals Five-Star but if he dominates again in this setting, then he could be competing for No. 1 slot receiver in the class.

O’Brien was an absolute dominant force during OT7 this offseason where it seemed like he could get an interception any time he wanted it. The new Notre Dame commit has moved up the rankings and could get an even bigger boost later if he performs like he has at the Rivals Five-Star.

In a 7on7 setting, O’Brien has been phenomenal. Let’s see how he performs covering receivers in a one-on-one setting, let’s see how he moves his feet, reads and reacts and then goes after the ball. It should be pretty good.

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Ojo, who took a shock official visit to Utah over the weekend but still has Texas very high on his list, has said multiple times that he’s coming to Rivals Five-Star to prove he’s the best offensive tackle in the country.

That’s really heady company considering fellow five-stars Jackson Cantwell and Immanuel Iheanacho are ranked ahead of him at the position but the Mansfield (Texas) Lake Ridge standout has all the toughness and all the competitive juice to come to Indianapolis and prove it. This might be the best collection of defensive linemen that Ojo has ever seen in one setting. But he has the skill to back up his talk.

Mark Bowman is the only five-star tight end in the 2026 class right now but it’s an insanely loaded group and many of them will be at the Rivals Five-Star.

Prothro is a little bit of an anomaly because even at 6-foot-6 and 207 pounds, the Bowdon, Ga., standout, who’s ranked No. 2 at the position, moves so smoothly and fluidly that it wouldn’t be a shock if he played more big receiver than in-line tight end.

When Georgia was shooting for Prothro, Bowman and Lincoln Keyes in this class, the coaching staff told him as such. The Bulldogs, Auburn and others remain involved.

Two of the top 2028 quarterbacks in the country – Wade and Wonderful “Champ” Monds IV – will be among the elite quarterback group in Indianapolis and the Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy standout has a chance to solidify himself as the No. 1 quarterback in his class.

Wade, who’s originally from California, is expected to start this season at IMG as a sophomore. He is well ahead of the curve for other 2028 quarterbacks and it wouldn’t be a stunner if he reclassifies at some point. Among a loaded quarterback group, even as a rising sophomore, Wade could really impress.

Wilder is a major bet on measurables and production. The four-star edge rusher from Gardena (Calif.) Serra would have had some of the best arm length in this year’s NFL Draft and that’s going into his senior season.

The Ohio State commit has length, burst off the line, surprising power for not the biggest defensive end in the country and great counter moves to beat offensive tackles. If he produces at a high level in Columbus, then NFL teams should fall in love with him. Let’s see how he does against elite national offensive tackles.

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Williams is already a five-star in the 2027 class and ranked third nationally. Now it’s time to back it up against a great group of speedy, dynamic receivers coming to Rivals Five-Star.

The Gardena (Calif.) Serra standout has experimented some at receiver this offseason and he’s been good there but Williams could be an elite cover corner. He does need to add some weight but his fluidity and cover skills are top-notch.

USC looks very strong here but many others will be involved.

What’s most interesting about Wyatt is that he could play almost anywhere on the field – on both sides of the ball. If he played receiver or tight end, it wouldn’t be a shock. If he was a big safety like Derwin James (which is what he wants to do) then he could shine. Tennessee likes him as an outside linebacker possibly coming off the edge, too.

Tennessee, Vanderbilt and others are involved with the Bell Buckle (Tenn.) Webb standout and in a setting like the Rivals Five-Star, where Wyatt could move around to different positions, he could have a tremendous day.