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 With National Signing Day now officially less than two weeks away, the real recruiting season begins. Never mind the empty promises that have been thrown at recruits for well over a year now. Teams are entering crunch time.
While many fans rely on the six letter network for their recruiting information, SECRivals leans on the most trusted recruiting service on the internet: Scout.com. We are not taking a personal shot at the rivals.com network, but truthfully, the star ranking procedures and some of the people whom are performing the rankings should raise some eye brows. If you could take the message boards from the rivals network and combine that with Scout.com's ranking experts and resident analysts, you would have the perfect recruiting service.
It is strictly a personal matter of choice.
With the recruiting finish line coming into view, where does Scout currently rank each SEC team? To say the least, the SEC is cleaning house in recruiting (so far). Now can the teams can get the players to sign on the dotted line? Granted, there are always some signing day surprises, but rest assured, this should be a banner season for the league.
To view current recruiting rankings, check out the SEC Rankings Page on Scout.com.
No. 47: Kentucky Wildcats
The Cats currently have 22 verbal commits. This class consists primarily of three-star athletes, and no Top 100 athletes. The highest rated recruit is four-star punter Joe Mansour of Georgia.
No. 46 Vanderbilt Commodores
These are not your Daddy's Commies. Currently sitting at 23 recruits, Vandy is having a banner recruiting season. A three-star laden class, keep your eye on 6'6" 240# OT Andrew Bridges who recently committed to the 'Dores.
Quite frankly, most people are not used to seeing Vanderbilt with a Top 50 class ... under Bobby Johnson, this could become a year-in and year-out thing.
No. 44 Arkansas Razorbacks
Same drill, different team: three-star athlete heavy class. 20 commits at this point. The only exception here is Petrino's staff is going after 'system' players hard and heavy. QB Jacoby Walker will need to gain weight while sitting behind Ryan Mallet. Is Walker an option for the Razorbacks in 2011? That is a reach in my opinion. The player to keep an eye on? MLB Brad Hefley (6'4" 250#'s) from Joplin who is apparently coming to Fayetteville in a package deal with OT Jordan Rainey. Watching Hefley's tape, he will fit into the SEC nicely.
No. 40 South Carolina
The Ole Ball Coach is presently sitting on 19 commits. There is one four-star athlete listed for this class: Center A.J. Cann. Cann could get a long hard look early.
No. 35 Mississippi State Bulldogs
Yes, you read that correctly. Dan Mullen's staff is following up on last season's recruiting class with a decent class and has 22 commitments. Luring players to Starkville to play football is not the easiest task in the world. There are two four-star athletes in this class: RB Matthew Wells and DE Caleb Eulls. Mullen might have his replacement for Anthony Dixon in Wells.
No. 33 Ole Miss Rebels
While Ole Miss only has 16 commitments at the moment, there is quality in this class. Based on the recruiting rankings, Ole Miss has one five-star and three four-star commits. The diamond of this class is JUCO DE Wayne Dorsey, a five-star recruit who has signed a letter with the school. Dorsey, 6'8" and 255 pounds, will provide help immediately in Oxford. If the Rebels had more commitments, this class would be ranked much higher, but the quality is there.
No. 26 Tennessee Volunteers
With Lane Kiffin's departure from Knoxville, this sure-to-be Top Five recruiting class has fallen off of the ledge. Can Derek Dooley and his staff make the game saving recruit grabs in the clutch or does this class shape up like a late career Phillip Fulmer class?
The only thing that will save the Vols in the recruiting arena is the fact that eight mid-term enrolles are already in school. UT has 16 total commitments at this point, but 25% (4) are in the Scout.com Top 100. There are SEVEN four-star athletes that are still considered to be in the fold. Several key players that were a lock a month ago, but are now either 'soft verbals' or waffling.
Keep your eye on OT Marques Pair as signing day approaches. Also, an update as this was being written: Secondary Coach Willie Mack Garza is out ... how does this affect recruits from South Carolina/North Carolina/Georgia areas? How does it affect the defensive backs being heavily recruited? It definitely can not help.
No. 9 Georgia Bulldogs
Mark Richt's recruiting class could be one of his best since taking the job in Athens. This Top Ten class features 19 commitments: Five Top 100, two five-star athletes, nine four-star athletes. The only achilles heel at this point is the fact that UGA has zero signed letters of intent. This chttp://secrivals.com/administrator/index.php?option=com_content&task=addould leave the door open for SEC foes to swoop in at the last minute and steal a few players. Four-Star CB Nickell Robey (from Frostproof, FL) is only 5'7", but runs like a deer and does have solid cover skills. Will he end up on defense or used primarily as a Brandon James type of player where he can showcase his 4.38 speed? Keep your eye on Robey as he is only considered to be a soft verbal at this point. This class could fluctuate either direction on signing day.
No. 7 LSU Tigers
The Tigers have 24 commitments with three players in the Top 100 and ten four-star athletes. The surprising part? The Tigers have zero five-star commitments. Highly unusual for the Bayou Bengals. The key players in this class could be the safeties: Ronnie Vinson and Tharold Simon, both considered to be four-star athletes. Keep your eye on DT Cassius Marsh from Westlake Village, CA.
No. 5 Auburn Tigers
How many people are still laughing at the Gene Chizik hire? The AU Tigers are having a phenomenal recruiting season at this point. Three Top 100 players, two five-star recruits, and nine four-stars make up the bulk of this 28 commit class. If they can ink him, the steal of this class is Little Rock's Michael Dyer. Dyer, 5'10" and 195 pounds, is a Ronnie Brown/Cadillac Williams type of player that could see the field early in his career.
No. 4 Alabama Crimson Tide
Fresh off of a Championship season, look for the Tide to push hard going into crunch time. 24 total commits at this point, six Top 100, three five-star players, twelve four-star players. The number one defensive player in the nation, Safety Keenan Allen, is considered to be a soft commit and a huge prospect to land. We would not be shocked to see five-star quarterback recruit Phillip Simms to get a long look. The most shocking item from the Tide's recruiting list: no signed LOI's.
No. 1 Florida Gators
Many believed that Urban Meyer's announcement prior to the Sugar Bowl would sink this recruiting class. With Meyer's announced decision to take a short amount of time off, but to be on the sidelines this fall, has seemingly saved the Gators. Looking at the prospect list, one would have a difficult time imagining this team has lost their Offensive and Defensive Coordinators in successive seasons.
The Gators are currently sitting on 25 commitments: 11 Top 100 players, five five-star athletes and fifteen four-star players. If the Gators can sign (and they qualify academically), this recruiting class is filled with 'single digit' ranked and players. The Gators are looking to sign the #1 and #2 DT's in the country, #2 Safety, #5 Safety, #5, #7, and #9 CB's, #3 TE ... the list goes on.
During the fall, Knoxville talk show host Tony Basilio had a live conference call with Gainesville radio host Steve Russell. During the show Basilio told Russell that we (UT) "are coming for your kids" ... apparently without Lane Kiffin's recruiting machine, the kids are no longer interested as UT will likely finish outside of the Top 30 in recruiting this season ... what does that tell you about Lane Kiffin and Ed Orgeron's recruiting methods?
Personally, I do not believe in coincidences ... and would be shocked to see Kiffin's staff not being investigated within two to three years max ... how much karma would it take for the Reggie Bush investigation to (finally) proceed at USC ... now that the coaches that many believe to be complicent are back on the sidelines at that University?
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