ESPN RISE

In one day, the top two linemen on our list chose their colleges. Gwynn Park's Raynard Randolph (N.C. State) and DeMatha's Jeremiah Mathis (Virginia) made their choices Sunday, Jan. 11. Our No. 4 lineman, Justin Hymes, also made his choice last weekend.

Their commitments open the door for three new athletes to enter the Top 5. The group of newcomers includes a MDVarsity.com preseason Dream Team member and a player who came close to not being on his team after his junior year.

1. Drew Cheripko, Northwest

The 6-foot-5, 245-pound Cheripko was once off the board. The senior had committed to Eastern Michigan, but decided to reopen his recruiting, according to head coach Andrew Fields. The senior defensive end holds offers from Towson, Old Dominion and Eastern Michigan.

2. Jadira Green, Oxon Hill

It is likely that with a healthy senior season, Green would already be committed to a Division I-A program. But the 6-3, 305-pound lineman has been recovering from a knee injury suffered before the season and, like Hymes, that hurt his recruiting some. Though the injury might have slowed his recruiting, Green still holds offers from Old Dominion, Delaware, Sacred Heart, Wagner and James Madison.

3. Calvin McDowney, DeMatha

McDowney's debut at No. 3 on this list can be attributed to the heat coming from his recruiting trail. The 6-3, 330-pound McDowney went from almost off the team to one of the Stags' hottest prospects. McDowney ended the 2007 season tipping the scales at 400 pounds, but slimmed down before last season and earned first-team All-WCAC honors. Now McDowney has offers from New Mexico, Hampton, Toledo and North Carolina A&T. McDowney has a planned visit to Toledo this weekend.

4. Devin Gordon-Hamm, Good Counsel

At 6-2, 285-pounds, Gordon-Hamm may be slightly smaller than some colleges may want out of an offensive lineman, but the senior helped pave the way for 1,000-yard seasons for Caleb Porzel and Jelani Jenkins the past two years. Gordon-Hamm is an athletic and agile lineman and has gained more recruiting interest since the season ended. His drop on this list has more to do with other athletes' recruiting heating up than Gordon-Hamm cooling off.

5. Omar Fahnbulleh, Paint Branch

Fahnbulleh is still waiting on his first official offer, but with two official visits coming up that could change. According to head coach Mike Nesmith, the 6-1, 265-pound Fahnbulleh was scheduled to visit Duquesne last weekend, but the weather postponed the trip for two weeks. A trip to New Hampshire is scheduled for later this month for the MDVarsity.com Dream Team member.

Off the board: Jason Ankrah, Quince Orchard (Nebraska), DeOnte Arnett, Forestville (Maryland), Pete DeSouza, DeMatha (Maryland), Arnold Farmer, Poly (Towson), Charles Johnson, Poly (Towson), Beau Haworth, Archbishop Spalding (Navy), Justin Hymes, Allegany (Yale), David Mackall, Edmondson (Maryland), Danzel Manley, Eleanor Roosevelt (Old Dominion), Jeremiah Mathis, DeMatha (Virginia), Joe Petrides, Archbishop Curley (Akron), Raynard Randolph, Gwynn Park (NC State), Sean Stanley, Gaithersburg (Penn State), Terrence Stephens, Quince Orchard (Stanford), Tim Willman, Reservoir (UConn).