The Big Fat Recruiting Recap

by Christopher Paschal

The sun rose, birds were chirping, the earth rotated, people went to work – life seemed to move on. I couldn’t. I was extremely hungover this morning. Not from alcohol, but from one of our country’s greatest holidays, National Signing Day. Yes, this year was different. With two separate signing periods, and with most of this year’s class signing in December, February 7th felt a little different from past NSDs. The class rankings were pretty much set, all the second signing period did was provide a little reshuffle… a little wiggle. And the wiggle is what got me.

Here is my big fat recruiting recap. It examines both signing periods so I can discuss each program’s signing class as a whole. By doing one huge recap I won’t dive into each class in depth. If the people want in depth personal recaps, I shall deliver, but if not, this should not only quench your recruting thirsts, but more importantly mine as well.

Image from ESPN

This is how the big fat recruiting recap works. I don’t rank each class. If you want that go to 247 Sports or ESPN. If I did that, I would basically just make a spreadsheet and copy down “useless” data. I instead like to rank or group recruiting classes based on three things.

1) How good are the prospects that signed/how good were the prospects that didn’t sign?

2) Did the class address needs on the roster?

3) How good is the program’s class compared to past performance?

I group these classes into four categories. “Juggernaut” means this class not only had phenomenal prospects sign, but it exceeded expectations and addressed needs. The “A Cut Above” classes are classes that continue the program forward. These are classes that with solid coaching, development, and a little luck can turn into exceptional junior and senior classes. The “Left Me Wanting More” are great classes that have a lot of talent, but missed on key prospects that were needed to satisfy the first two criteria I look for. The final category is “At Least You Are Not Missouri.” I can’t really describe it any better. It was disappointing, but at least it wasn’t Missouri. For the record, my hatred for Missouri may taper with Derek Dooley being named Offensive Coordinator. Stay tuned.

Programs Considered: Alabama, Auburn, Arkansas, Clemson, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, LSU, Ole Miss, Mississippi State, South Carolina, Tennessee, A&M, Vandy.

Juggernaut

Clemson, Georgia, Florida, Mississippi State

Clemson: The Tigers signed the top rated prospect out of the states of South Carolina, North Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, and Ohio. How in the samhill is that possible? Clemson pulled in huge prospects at positions that matter when you are ring hunting: quarterback (Trevor “I Need A Haircut” Lawrence), defensive line (Josh Belk, Xavier Thomas, KJ Henry, Justin Mascoll), and offensive line (Jackson Carman, Jordan McFadden). Clemson also got some top end athletes in this class. Mario Goodrich and Kyler McMichael might be my favorites because they will be studs in the secondary, assuming Goodrich plays that side of the ball, but the headliners are receivers Justyn Ross and Derion Kendrick. These two on the same roster as Tee Higgins and Amari Rodgers is scary. Overall great class for the Tigers.

Florida: I said for weeks that there was going to be a program in the SEC East that closed hard and found their way into the top 15. That program was Florida. What is shocking is they did it without Nicholas Pettit-Frere who signed with Ohio State. If I am a Florida fan, I am pumped. It all starts with dual-threat-weapon Emory Jones (below), one of the top quarterback prospects in the country, but probably the most impressive thing Dan Mullen did was keep top players in-state. Receivers Jacob Copeland and Justin Watkins, offensive tackle Richard Gouraige, defensive lineman Andrew Chatfield, and linebacker David Reese were all highly sought prospects. Look out for a pair of safeties, Trey Dean (GA) and Amari Burney (FL). Both could be All-SEC players by the time they leave Gainesville.

Georgia: I could write a novel on this class. Loaded from top to bottom. No matter where you go (Rivals, 247 Sports, ESPN), Georgia is the top class. Offensive line, loaded. Running back, loaded (shocker). Defense, loaded. They closed on prospects they were supposed to close on, but they also stole some kids from other programs (Channing Tindell from South Carolina, Quay Walker from Tennessee/Alabama, Tyson Campbell from FSU, Cade Mays from Tennessee, Divaad Wilson from Florida). Also signed one of the best prospects in the country in quarterback Justin Fields. Amazing size, arm strength, and athleticism. If you are a fan of another SEC school, just go here (georgia.247sports.com) if you need a good cry.

Mississippi State: This class is nowhere near as stacked as the other three. So how did they fall into this category? Again, not all classes should be judged the same. First, Mississippi State is already the redheaded step child of the SEC West. Second, they lost arguably the greatest coach in Bulldog history. Third, they hired a guy most kids in the South had never heard of. That should be a recipe for disaster. So when Mississippi State signs a top 25/30 class you can understand why I am fired up. Three of the top five prospects in this class are wide receivers. Seeing as new coach Joe Moorhead is an offensive guru, and that the quarterback position looks to be in good hands for the foreseeable future, this looks to be a match made in heaven. Mississippi State was also able to keep key prospects at home with defensive lineman Jaden Crumedy and offensive lineman Kwatrivous Johnson (below).

Image from 247Sports

A Cut Above

Auburn, A&M, Kentucky, Ole Miss, Tennessee, Vanderbilt

Auburn: There aren’t any huge, blue chip prospects in this class like there are in Georgia’s or Clemson’s. But of the 24 they signed, about 20/21 of them were guys any program in the country would have happily signed. Joey Gatewood will be a stud in the coming years, Matthew Hill will be a solid receiver, Harold Joiner  may be the next great Auburn back, and the defense got a lot of size and speed in this class. Dude to lookout for: Richard Jibunorm (below). Freak athlete that has the size and speed needed to be a pass rusher and defender in space.

Texas A&M: This class went from pathetic to solid very quickly under Jimbo Fisher. Fisher prioritized the state of Texas (who wouldn’t) and swung some big prospects back to A&M. Leon O’Neal Jr., Jalen Preston, Bobby Brown, Jordan Moore all were huge gets for the Aggies. Fisher had little time to assemble this class and he did it brilliantly. Think about this, only one prospect that was ranked in the top 15 in the state of Texas didn’t sign with either Texas or A&M. We are about to see some great recruting battles.

Kentucky: This is the Mark Stoops way. Kentucky is never going to sign top 20 classes, but they are able to sign good enough prospects to stay relevent. Even more impressive, not a single player came from the state of Kentucky. They all came from either Florida or Ohio it feels like, which is huge. Always nice to sign some prospects from those states. A lot of these kids didn’t get offers from Ohio State or Florida, which gives them that chip Mark Stoops uses to win games. Solid day for the Wildcats.

Ole Miss: Scandal surrounds this program. Bowl bans, cheating husbands, shame. Oh yeah, and on top of that Matt Luke is the coach. HOW DID THEY SIGN AS GOOD A CLASS AS THEY DID? Sorry for the all caps, but this is an amazing haul for the Rebels. First of all, Ole Miss signed one of the best prospects in the entire country in quarterback Matt Corral (below). Second, the Rebels signed one helluva receiver class to compliment Coral. Third, the Rebs signed 21 players. Luke was able to convince 21 kids that the best move they could make academically, financially, and athletically was to play for this program. And some of these prospects were recruited by Saban, Fisher, Smart, and Mullen. Incredible job. If this is what weathering the storm looks like, look out for Matt Luke and Ole Miss once the NCAA lifts its thumb.

Tennessee: A few weeks ago I called Tennessee Head Football Coach Jeremy Pruitt a country bumpkin. Well apparently that sells. Tennessee had a solid day, and remarkably almost had an amazing day with this recruiting class. The defense got a lot better today. The cornerstone of the class is linebacker JJ Peterson from South Georgia. Tennessee also improved on the defensive line with Greg Emerson, Brant Lawless, Emmit Gooden, and Jordan Allen (from California) all signing with the Vols. Overall, good day for the Vols and solid start for Pruitt.

Vanderbilt: Brendon Harris (below) and Tre Douglas are what make this a “Cut Above Class.” Huge gets for Vanderbilt. Solid players throughout. Nothing too special, but it’s Vanderbilt so average is a good start. Harris and Douglas give it the extra nudge.

Image from Chattanooga Times Free Press

Left Me Wanting More

Louisiana State, South Carolina

LSU: If most programs had this class, it would be either “A Cut Above” or a “Juggernaut,” but LSU finished this year lower than it has in over a decade. It’s still a top 15 class, full of fast, athletic prospects, but for the second year in a row Coach Orgeron and LSU lost out on a huge prospect. This year it was Patrick Surtain, Jr. who signed with Alabama. Yes, Terrace Marshall Jr. (below) signed and that is huge (need a quarterback to throw to him, but I digress), and Kelvin Joseph and Jamar Chase were huge gets for the Tigers. And yes, Orgeron signed 9 of the top 15 players in state, but, this class should have been a top ten class. And not a single quarterback was signed…

South Carolina: The best class South Carolina has had since Muschamp became head coach. So why is this class in this category? For no other reason than who they missed out on. This class addressed needs, got the roster better, and did better than in the past. But so many prospects who either named South Carolina a leader or a finalist went elsewhere. Here is a list of prospects that at one time or another strongly considered South Carolina: Xavier Thomas, Stephon Wynn, KJ Henry, Trey Dean, Channing Tindell, John Mincey, Jarrett Jackson, Stephen Guidry, Zamir White, Master Teague, Matthew Hill, Dorian Gerald, Marlon Character, Josh Belk (kind of), Dax Hollifield, Asante Samuel, Jr. (closer than most), Saivion Smith, CJ Smith, Steven Gilmore, Divaad Wilson, and Richard Jibunor. If you want a breakdown of South Carolina, let me know. Can talk about this class for hours. Overall, it was a solid recruiting cycle for South Carolina, but gosh it could’ve been something. Player to look out for: cornerback Israel Mukuamu. The one time Florida State commit flipped to South Carolina in the fall. At 6-5 he is going to be a nightmare for opposing quarterbacks.

At Least We Aren’t Missouri

Alabama, Arkansas

Arkansas: This was a transition year for the Hogs. They barely fell outside the top 50 on 247 Sports, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t solid prospects here. Bumper Pool will be a good linebacker and he hails from the state of Texas. Connor Noland was a highly recruited quarterback from Greenwood, Arkansas who decided to stay home. But what handicapped this class was the small numbers. Only 16 signed. Nothing to worry about Hog fans. Give Chad Morris a full year of recruiting before you write him off.

Alabama: I literally feel the bomb threats being sent in as I write this, but before Tide fans crucify me, let me finish. This was one of the best classes in the country. But one of the things I evaluate classes on is its potential. Bama missed on some prospects, but even more so, Saban and Co. didn’t reach expectations. Quay Walker, Bobby Brown, Nadab Joseph all decommitted from Bama and signed with other SEC programs. Justyn Ross went to Clemson. Copeland picked Florida over Bama. Heck, Brevin White picked Princeton over Saban, a story so big the Wall Street Journal covered it. There are a ton of studs in this class. Bama flipped a lot of guys. But this was not a typical Alabama class, and Nick Saban knows it. He was on the defensive during Wednesday’s press conference. He said other coaches tell recruits lies about Bama. He referred to recruiting service rankings. He even said it is hard to recruit at Bama sometimes. Dude, are you serious? The reality is that Smart, Mullen at Florida, Fisher, Orgeron, Muschamp, Malzhan, even Matt Luke aren’t going to roll over and let you dominate in recruiting. All that being said, this is the SEC’s second best class.

And just like that, it is all over. 2019 recruiting has already started. And that’s the way I like it. Let me know what y’all think. And if anyone wants personalized breakdowns for each class, let me know.