It’s hard to make a change at No. 1. You’ve got to really have conviction to reset the entire rankings and re-name the face of a class. And that’s why it doesn’t happen often. But if you’re one of those rare prospects that has a legitimate case as the best his class has to offer, there are a couple of windows that present the opportunity to unseat the incumbent. Next week at The Opening Finals is one of those opportunities.

As we prepare for five days of some of the best players in the country competing head to head — and as we brace for a Top247 update in July — here are the guys that are best positioned to leave Dallas as the No. 1 player in the country for the class of 2019.

The incumbent: Zach Harrison

Physically, there is no one in this class that compares to Harrison. In fact, in terms of raw tools, he’s one of the most talented prospects we’ve ever covered. He’s nearly 6-foot-6, 245 pounds. He’s got 4.5 speed in the 40 with a vertical of nearly 40 inches, and he’s only 16 years old. But Harrison is still a long way off in terms of the fundamentals and the polish necessary as an edge rusher. He was at The Opening Finals last year as an underclassman so the experience isn’t new to him but it’s time for him to play like the No. 1 player beyond his raw traits. The other contenders are too talented to let him get away with anything less than a dominant showing in Dallas. Ohio State is the current Crystal Ball favorite.

The top contender: Nolan Smith

Smith doesn’t have quite the upside of Harrison but that’s not to say he doesn’t have upside. Smith has the fastest 40 time of any defensive lineman in the country. He ran 4.51 on a slow track in Atlanta earlier this spring and he can dominate with edge speed in the mold of the Von Millers and Khalil Macks of the NFL. He’s also much more advanced than Harrison in terms of his polish and productivity. The Georgia commit will need to be clearly better than Harrison in Dallas to have a shot at No. 1 and he’ll need to prove that he can win with more than just speed, but that’s not an unrealistic scenario. Smith is currently No. 2 in the Top247.

The outside-the-box contender: Bru McCoy

McCoy is listed as an athlete and he straddles two positions, wide receiver and linebacker, that have never occupied the final No. 1 spot in the Top247. But McCoy may just be the best high school football player in the country and he’s got the kind of upside athleticism and length that translates in college and the NFL, particularly at linebacker. He’s coming into The Opening off of an injury so it would be surprising if he puts together the kind of performance, especially at a position like linebacker that doesn't translate well in camps, to propel him to No. 1. More likely, we may just see McCoy inch closer to a season-long push towards the top spot. Southern Cal is the current Crystal Ball favorite for the No. 4 player in the Top247.

The riser: Derek Stingley

It took a camp season for Stingley to really validate himself as a guy for this kind of conversation due to the limited level of competition he faces in high school. When he tested off the charts at the Dallas regional and showed lock-down ability on the outside, he earned a fifth star. When he committed to LSU in June, the Patrick Peterson comparisons surfaced. He now enters The Opening Finals with an opportunity to rise even further. If the LSU commit wants the comparisons to Patrick Peterson to continue, it will take a dominating performance at The Opening and if that happens, the talk that he should be No. 1 will grow. He's currently No. 8 in the Top247.

The sleeper: George Karlaftis

Who is ready to predict that Purdue finishes with the No. 1 player in the country in the class of 2019? It’s not as crazy as it sounds. Karlaftis, a West Lafayette native, appears to be solid in his commitment to Purdue and now he just needs that No. 1 spot to make the absolutely unthinkable happen. He has the profile. He’s dominant in three sports, he runs a 4.7 40 at 6-4, 260 pounds and he has the film you want. If he blows it up at The Opening, the No. 1 talk is going to get real. He's No. 12 in the Top247.

Stock slipping: Kayvon Thibodeaux

He was the first No. 1 player in the class of 2019. He remains No. 1 on the 247Sports Composite but he’s slipped a bit in the Top247 (fifth) and he didn’t look like the No. 1 player in the country when we saw him earlier this spring. While it’s unlikely he wins back his No. 1 spot with this camp, he could certainly put himself back into contention and ensure that he’s in striking distance come the fall.