The “best” conference in College Football has dominated over the past decade with elite teams winning national championships. But the SEC has also been the premier conference in recruiting as they seem to always have a bunch of teams in the top 10, 15, 20 each year. This year was no exception to history as the SEC so far has the top 4 in the nation and has 7 teams in the top 20. We take a bit of deeper dive into the class, who to watch out for, and overall impression of the class for each team.
Alabama:
Crown Jewel of the Class:DE Antonio Alfano
The number 5 player in the entire nation and the head of this class deserves the crown jewel in this class. Alfano was offered by just about everyone in the nation and there’s a reason to be hyped about him. Alabama has never had a true elite pass rusher at the DE position, and Alfano has a chance to become just that with his 4.82 40 time and collected nearly 28 TFL’s his senior season.
Underrated Player: CB Marcus Banks
It’s hard to really underrate a player on Alabama because everyone in their class is a 4 star. Banks doesn’t have pure elite speed with a 4.54 40 time, but is excellent in coverage with his 13 PBU’s in 2018. Banks was offered by Texas A&M, LSU, Texas, and many others. I could see Banks being a nickel corner in Saban’s system.
Overview of the rest:
Another year, another #1 recruiting class in the nation for the Crimson Tide. A class that features 1 3 star and that’s the number 1 kicker in the nation. Alabama focused heavily on both sides of the line as 5 of the top 6 players in this class are either Offensive Lineman or Defensive Ends. They landed the number 1 RB in the nation and 5th overall in Trey Sanders out of IMG Academy. This class also features Tua’s brother, Taulia Tagovailoa and one of the best corners in the state of Texas in Jeffery Carter out of Mansfield. Alabama at the very least will have one of the best classes in the nation, but more than likely will finish #1. Class Ranking: A+.
Arkansas:
Crown Jewel of the Class: WR Trey Knox
6’5. 215 lbs. That’s all you need to know about Trey Knox. Trey didn’t put up monster numbers in HS, but his size is what makes everybody want him. He picked Arkansas over Tennessee, Auburn, Clemson, and Florida. It will be really interesting to see what Chad Morris does with him, but his role could be of a Jalen Hurd from Baylor this past year. A chain mover on the receiving side, but also can convert on 3rd or 4th and short situations in the running game.
Underrated Player: WR TQ Jackson
The 3 star out of Jefferson, Texas was slept on during most of his recruitment, even though he was putting up great numbers. But the competition was not quite up to par. TQ is 6 foot 3 and runs a 4.53 40 time. His size and speed could become a lethal combo further down the line. Jackson could be a project, but I like the upside that he brings with the blend of hands, speed, and size.
Overview of the rest:
Arkansas is a bit of trouble in that they have 28 commits currently, but only 25 scholarships available. So that is one storyline to keep your eye on if you’re a Razorback fan. With limited production and depth at the DE position returning, Chad Morris went all out on grabbing defensive ends and offensive tackles. He ended up with 6 DE and 5 OT, including 4 star DE Collin Clay out of Putnam City, OK. They have a couple of big time commits that haven’t signed their LOI yet in 4 star WR Treylon Burks and TE Hudson Henry. Henry is the #3 TE in the nation and both of those players would boost their recruiting ranking significantly. Arkansas already holds the 21st ranking in the nation without those two players. Add those two and it’s a realistic shot to end up with Top 15. Class Ranking: B+. Could get higher though.
Auburn:
Crown Jewel of the Class: ILB Owen Pappoe
Owen Pappoe comes from Grayson High School (which has been a gold mine for talent) and is the #1 OLB in the nation. He committed to Auburn over Georgia, Tennessee, and Alabama. Pappoe may need to gain some more weight as he is only at 210. But his speed of 4.47 40 and his ability to rack up tackles (112 his senior year), makes him a handful. Oh and he also has a 40 inch vertical. This guy is an athlete, which also gives him a chance to move to safety if the staff feels like he would fit their better. Whichever one, Auburn wants to get this kid on the field quick, i’m sure.
Underrated Player: CB Nehemiah Pritchett
Pritchett is a pure project. His weight isn’t near SEC standards just yet, but their is something about his speed and coverage ability that gives him a chance to be successful. Pritchett plays physical and is more of a press cover corner that stay with his defener. 2 more years of grooming an Auburn may be onto something with this kid. Pritchett held offers from Ole Miss, Indiana, Nebraskan Minnesota and Virginia Tech.
Overview of the rest:
I would feel good about this class if I was a Auburn fan. You’ve got a ton of high rated guys coming in at a bunch of different positions. 5 star WR George Pickens will be huge if they can get him to sign In the 2nd period, but Auburn currently has the 12th ranked class with just 17 signed currently. Auburn has the room to add a couple more and bolster this into the top 10. They signed one of the top Dual Threat’s in Bo Nix to pair with Pickens if he does decide to go to Auburn. Auburn wanted to address DE as well as they signed 3 4 star’s that will be there in 2019. It’s a very good class right now, that like Arkansas, has the chance to be elite and a Top 10 class. Class Ranking: A.
Florida:
Crown Jewel of the Class: CB Chris Steele
The talent from the other side of the country is coming all the way to Florida to join the self-proclaimed “DBU”. Steele has good size and affordable speed to go with it. He held offers from USC, LSU, Oklahoma, and South Carolina before committing during the summer. Steele also got some love as he was named to two First Team All-American list in his senior year of High School. Steele is in position to be the next great Florida DB.
Underrated Player: RB Nay’Quan Wright
What turned down a lot of schools was his major height disadvantage of only being 5-8. What schools don’t know much though is his power and elusiveness that he does bring. He’s not going to run past you, but all 188 lbs. of him will try to run over you. That is for sure. Wright held offers from Alabama, Florida State, Georgia, Miami, and Notre Dame.
Overview of the rest:
A theme for a lot of the SEC schools is the amount of defensive ends and offensive tackles they take. But Florida’s top recruits include two extremely talented Cornerbacks from the opposite sides of the country. Chris Steele (as mentioned earlier) is from Bellflower, CA. While 4 star Jaydon Hill is from Madison, AL. The talented duo could make some noise and potentially some early playing time for Steele. The decision for Arjei Henderson will be huge for the receiver position as Florida does have 3 signed currently. But all 3 are middle of the road or slightly above average 3 stars. While Arjei is a consensus 4 star and could play early. Florida’s got some good things going there way, but a strong finish will be needed to take the next step of an A+. Class Ranking: A.
Georgia:
Crown Jewel of the Class: DE Nolan Smith
The #4 rated player in the entire nation decided to make his commitment to Georgia on the first signing day period. Smith doesn’t have ideal size for a DE at 6-3, 232 lbs. But what makes him so special is his ability to cover like a LB. I wouldn’t be surprised where he is used in some packages that has him off of the defensive line and playing some coverage on a Tight End or taller, slower, receiver working on the inside. He committed to Georgia over Alabama, Penn State, Tennessee, and Clemson.
Underrated Player: OT Xavier Truss
Truss’s size is massive and that’s what makes him so intriguing. The top player from the state of Rhode Island made his decision to commit over Penn State, Arkansas, and Auburn. Truss is almost 6-7 and weighs 315 lbs. That size is for a guard, but if he is agile enough and can protect, he could be the anchor and could be protecting Jake Fromm in a year or two (depending on if he declares early or not that is).
Overview of the rest:
Even though they didn’t make the playoff this past year, it is safe to say that Georgia is here to stay among the elites in College Football. Georgia got 5 5 stars (the most in program history) and several high end 4 stars that will keep Georgia competing with Alabama. As most teams, Georgia focused on LB and DL as they got 5 star ILB Nakobe Dean, 4 star OLB Rian Davis, and 4 star ILB Trezmen Marshall. Something that was surprising was the lack of playmakers on offense as they got just 1 true WR and 1 true RB. They are definitely good ones though in 5 star WR Dominick Blaylock and 4 star Kenny McIntosh at RB. Georgia adds another amazing class that will keep Georgia competing at the top of College Football for at least 3-4 more years.
Kentucky:
Crown Jewel of the Class: ILB Jared Casey
Jared Casey is more of your typical SEC linebacker. Casey is 6-3 232 lbs. from hometown, Louisville, KY. His speed wont blow you away and he doesn’t jump necessarily high. But his block shedding and ability to get past OT is what impresses me the most about Casey. He gets to the QB on most of the plays in his highlight reel and beats stronger players. I’m not saying he’s a Josh Allen, but UK got a really good one in Jared Casey. Casey held offers from Oregon, Louisville, Wisconsin, and Cincinnati.
Underrated Player: ATH Marquez Bembry
This is a bigger get than most people are thinking. Bembry is the #1 JUCO Athlete in the entire country, that will be playing as an OLB for UK. Pairing him up with Casey should be a very good combo once they are a bit older. Bembry gets the QB in a hurry and is more of a run stopper and you’ll not see him in pass coverage too often, even though he has the size to do so. Bembry was under the radar and committed to UK over Colorado and Ole Miss.
Overview of the rest:
Kentucky’s in a rough position in that they have a really good class from a college football perspective. But from a SEC perspective, its one of the worst classes in the conference. Kentucky focused on the defense and has 7 of their top 10 on that side of the ball. And that’s not including Athlete Taj Dodson who could play either way. It will be interesting how Kentucky handles the QB situation as they took 2 middle of the road 3 star kids in Nik Scalzo and Amani Gilmore. Scalzo a dual threat, while Gilmore is a pocket passer. It will be interesting to see how Kentucky finishes and if they can leapfrog a couple of teams in the conference. Class Ranking: B.
LSU:
Crown Jewel of the Class: CB Derek Stingley
Any team Stingley goes to is going to make him a huge priority and he’s going to start early in his career. Fortunately for LSU. Stigley was located right in their back yard of Dunham HS in Baton Rouge. His electric 4.3 speed and ball hawking ability makes him one of the best CB’s in quite some time. Stingley has 27 career INT’s and even played a little offense his senior year, just for fun. Stingley had an offer from everyone, but mainly it was down to Florida, Texas, and Alabama. Stingley stays home and imagine him and Grant Delphit for the next 2 seasons. They are going to be a problem for anyone that faces LSU within the next 2 seasons.
Underrated Player: QB Peter Parrish
If only LSU could recruit as well at QB as they do at CB. Parrish is interesting though in that he is a dual threat QB with a 4.6 40 time and his size is kind of a normal size for most dual threat QB’s. With a redshirt next year, Parrish has a chance at the starting spot in 2020. Watching him reminds me of Jalen Hurts from a running perspective as the offense he was in is very read option oriented. It will be interesting how well he does when he is asked to throw the ball at the college level.
Overview of the rest:
LSU is known for two things recently: really good defensive backs. And really good running backs. LSU got one of each in this class with the #1 CB and the #2 RB with John Emery Jr. at RB. Emery could be the crown jewel of the class, but it was so tough to pick one, so Emery will be in the overview. It also doesn’t hurt to get the top OLB in the state of Texas in Marcel Brooks. Brooks was recruited by just about everyone in the country. Other offensive playmakers like WR Trey Palmer and Athlete Raydarious Jones could be breakout players early in their careers. Jones will be more of a project and where to find a position for him. It sucks to have the 4th ranked recruiting class in the nation, while also having the 4th best class in your own conference. That’s the downfall of being in the SEC. Class Ranking: A+.
Mississippi State:
Crown Jewel of the Class: OT Charles Cross
The #8 ranked recruit in the entire nation from Laurel, Mississippi had the attention of just about every SEC and ACC school. Cross doesn’t have overwhelming weight and isn’t the strongest Tackle, but has excellent blocking in the run game. Pass protection isn’t bad, but his run blocking is where he shines. Clark committed and signed to Mississippi State over Ole Miss, USC, Florida State, and Arkansas.
Underrated Player: OG LaQuinston Sharp
Usually I don’t pick offensive lineman for an underrated player because you never know what you’re going to get, unless you’re a high 4, 5 star player. But Sharp has size and a year of JUCO experience that will help him out immensely. When you see his tape, he is constantly pushing defensive tackles 3-5 yards down the field and shows good footwork. Sharp is one of those guys that could sneak up and be a multi-year starter. Sharp committed to Mississippi State over Missouri, Arizona, and Auburn.
Overview of the rest:
The 10th ranked class in the SEC features quite a few defensive playmakers including DE’s De’monte Russell and Ani Izuchukwu and Safety Fred Peters. Mississippi State was very diverse in this class as there wasn’t really one main position that they homed on. They kind of just went for every position and did a solid job getting some players that could get some early playing time. Something that was kind of surprising was the amount of Mississippi kids in the class. There was a solid amount, but with the really good JUCO schools in the area and some solid HS programs, they still went out of the state and got some kids. Class Ranking: B+.
Missouri:
Crown Jewel of the Class: QB Connor Bazelak
Bazelak is in an interesting situation with Kelly Bryant having the one year at Missouri. It could be a very good opportunity for Bazelak to redshirt and watch Bryant and learn from him. Bazelak committed to Mizzou over Boston College, Kentucky, and Duke. Bazelak didn’t have a ton of TD’s in High School, but has some upside and could be the starter further down the line.
Underrated Player: S Stacy Brown
The 6-2 Safety from Duncanville High School has a chance for some early playing time. Safety is not necessarily a position Missouri is deep at and Brown has a chance to impress the coaches early. He committed to Missouri over Air Force, Arkansas State, Bowling Green, and Colorado State. Missouri was his only power 5 offer, but Brown is a power 5 player for sure.
Overview of the rest:
From a conference perspective, Missouri has struggled to consistently stay afloat in the SEC. They’ve had one SEC championship game appearance and that was with a large amount of the roster being Big 12 players. From a recruiting perspective, it has been the same. Missouri only gets 2 4 stars and for SEC standards, is underwhelming. Missouri addressed Safety a lot as they took 5 of them. There’s a chance Mizzou might move some to LB for some more speed at that position. But that’s not really how most SEC address talent on defense. Back to back years finishing 13th in recruiting and back to back years of underwhelming results on that end. Class Ranking: C+.
Ole Miss:
Crown Jewel of the Class: WR Dannis Jackson
One of the highest rate recievers in the state of Mississippi decided to stay home and attend Ole Miss. Dannie put up solid numbers his senior year with 1157 yards and 11 touchdowns. He has 12 minutes of highlight worthy plays where he shows off his jumping ability and high pointing the ball. The coveted 4 star committed to Ole Miss over Mississippi State, Arkansas, Auburn, and Florida.
Underrated Player: RB Jarod Conner
Jarod Conner shows his versatility of not only being a good RB, but also a good receiver as he can go out wide and catch some from out of the receiver position. Conner was once a Memphis commit before taking a visit to Ole Miss, where he would decommit and then commit and then sign to Ole Miss in early December, te day after he decommitted.
Overview of the rest:
Similar to Missouri, Ole Miss fell behind this year in recruiting, but still got some good players. QB Grant Tisdale was one of the more heavily recruited players from Allen High School (same school as Kyler Murray). Ole Miss has the same situation as Arkansas in that they already have 25 players either signed or already on campus. And have 3 players that are hard commits. So it will be interesting to see what happens with those players. It’s not a bad class for the Rebels, but they have been falling behind a little bit in recruiting these past couple of seasons. Class Ranking: B-.
South Carolina:
Crown Jewel of the Class: DT Zacch Pickens
The more well-known prospect to the CFB World would be QB Ryan Hilinski, but the #1 DT in the country deserves his respect as the crown jewel of this class. For his size, Pickens has ridiculous speed at a high 4.6 40 with 285 lbs. He abuses interior lineman with his blend of power and strength. Pickens will be a instant impact and immediate starter. Pickens has the potential to be an All-American with the type of talent that he possesses. Pickens committed to South Carolina over Alabama, Auburn, Clemson and Florida State.
Underrated Player: TE Traevon Kenion
USC picked up two Tight Ends in this class, but Kenion looks a bit more polished. Kenion runs extremely well for his size with a 4.5 40 and 6-3, 245 lbs. He is a true vertical receiving threat with 834 Yards and 15 Touchdowns as a senior. Kenion was extremely underrated and should be a gem for the Gamecocks. His other offers were Duke, Boston College, and Kansas.
Overview of the rest:
There’s still room for some more commits, but USC has a chance to end up with a top 6 or 7 in the conference with a big second signing day. South Carolina looked at both sides of the line as big concerns and some more underrecruited offensive skill players for South Carolina. They got a good duo of CB’s on the outside in Cameron Smith and John Dixon that could be starters in the future. If they flop on signing day, it’s not the worst thing to happen. It’s still a good SEC class. But if it improves, this could be the class to help USC contend for the SEC East. Class Ranking: B.
Tennessee:
Crown Jewel of the Class: OT Wanya Morris
Another extremely talented prospect from Grayson, Georgia is on the opposing side of the ball and that is Wanya Morris. At 6’6 312, Morris has elite size and is a road paver all the way. For his size, he doesn’t have bad speed or footwork, but overpowers people with his strength. That might be an issue when he faces bigger and better talent in the SEC, but the sky is the ceiling for Wanya. He committed to UT over LSU, Alabama, Florida State, and Arkansas.
Underrated Player: QB Brian Maurer
Maurer is an interesting story and is intriguing on what he can do to the QB room. Year 2 under Jeremy Pruitt has Brian Maurer as his first HS QB and Maurer is a good one. He threw for 3537 yards and 34 touchdowns. He also has the ability to run a little bit as he rushed for 6 touchdowns in both junior and senior seasons. Maurer does have accuracy issues as he’s thrown 35 INT in the 3 years as QB. Maurer’s ceiling is high, so Maurer is a name to watch out for during the 2021 or 2022 seasons.
Overview of the rest:
Even with Tennessee being a dumpster fire this past season, recruiting has not been effected by it. UT spread out their commitments from a position standpoint and didn’t really look specifically one spot. Morris looks to be a potential star and the anchor of the offensive line very soon. And Athlete Quavaris Crouch will be effective wherever he is utilized (looks like a LB right now). Bust the rest of the class will step up and see what they look like on the field. For what has been going on, Jeremy Pruitt has done a fantastic job building this class and steering Tennessee in the right direction for the future. Class Ranking A-.
Texas A&M:
Crown Jewel of the Class: DT DeMarvin Leal
While USC got the #1 DT, A&M got the next best thing, which was DeMarvin Leal out of Converse, TX. Demarvin has great size and has the ability that not many DT can do. Due to his arm length, he can bat down a ton of passes at the line of scrimmage. Leal broke up 6 passes this past year and collected 16 TFL’s and 4 forced fumbles. A&M is known for having elite HS DL recruits, but outside of Myles Garrett, have fell short of great success on the field. Leal might be different. Leal committed to A&M over Texas and Alabama.
Underrated Player: TE Jalen Wydermyer
It’s very rare that you see a TE as a Offensive MVP in 6A football in Texas. That shows you how good this guy really is. Wydermyer can catch the ball well and is great red zone target. But Wydermyer is also one of the best blocking tight ends in the entire nation and shows it all over in his film. Even though he’s “underrated”, he still had a ton of good offers, including Miami, Alabama, and Auburn.
Overview of the rest:
Texas A&M has been ahead of Missouri in the recruiting front, but level with them on the season by season results. This recruiting class though could take Texas A&M up to the next level. 4 and 5 stars all over the board, including high 4 stars TE Baylor Cupp, WR Dylan Wright, S Brian Williams, S Demani Richardson and 5 star OT Kenyon Green. If there is one team to watch out for from the SEC in the next few years, it’s Texas A&M. Jimbo is one of the best recruiters in the nation and with a full calendar year in recruiting, he did a masterful job with this 2019 class. Class Ranking: A+.
Vanderbilt:
Crown Jewel of the Class: S Anfernee Orji
Even though he was recruited by many to be a safety, he will be playing OLB according to Vanderbilt. This is the 2nd or 3rd time we’ve brought up a talented undersized player playing the OLB position in Orji. Orji doesn’t have great speed, but is a great open field tackler with 94 tackles his senior campaign. That alone gives Vandy a reasonable explanation for recruiting him at a different position. Vanderbilt was able to get Orji over Arkansas, Auburn, Baylor and others.
Underrated Player: ATH Jamil Muhammed
Muhammed will play QB for Vandy and Muhammed is your modern day run first QB with the ability to run it. He has solid size, and is agile in space, but is not the fastest. He finished 2018 with 2700 total yards and 18 touchdowns. Muhammed will be a project, and might switch positions. But his ability to make people miss in space will give him a chance for playing time. Muhammed committed to Vanderbilt over Ole Miss, Mississippi State, and Memphis.
Overview of the rest:
If Vandy is in a normal conference, this would be an average recruiting class with some upside. But with it being the SEC conference, it’s going to be really hard to contend. Vandy has gotten away with average recruiting classes and found their way into postseason appearances. Vandy bolsters zero 4 stars and only 3 players above the rating of 86. It can be tougher to recruit to Vandy due to the academic standards, but plenty of schools across the country deal with this same problem (just ask Stanford or Notre Dame). They’ve got some good pieces for the future, but very unlikely many players get early playing time in 2019. Class Ranking C.
Image Credit: https://www.saturdaydownsouth.com/sec-football/photo-future-home-sec-championship-game-taking-shape/
