Recruiting
2008 ... SEC
Ranking the SEC classes
Click on
each team for the fill class list
and top players
East
Florida
| Georgia
| Kentucky
| South Carolina
| Tennessee
| Vanderbilt
West
Alabama
| Arkansas
| Auburn
| LSU |
Ole Miss
| Miss State
-
2007
SEC Recruiting Rankings
-
2006
SEC Recruiting Rankings
1.
Alabama
The
class is heavy on ...
Super-duper, blue-chip, next-level
stars. Alabama hired Nick Saban to
make the program a national title
powerhouse again, and this class
should do it with a dizzying array
of talent from top to bottom. QB
Star Jackson, RB Chris Jordan, WR
Julio Jones, OT Tyler Love, DTs
Marcel Dareus, Kerry Murphy and
Terrence Cody, DEs Michael Williams
and Courtney Upshaw, LBs Mark Barron
and Jerrell Harris, and corners
Burton Scott, Alonzo Lawrence and
Robby Green are all top talents who
have All-SEC potential, and will
have the NFL scouts hanging around
the program more than ever.
The player who'll someday be a
really big deal ... LB Mark
Barron
The player you might care about
this year ... DT Terrence Cody
What it all means to the real
world of college football ...
LSU, Florida, Georgia, Auburn and
Tennessee have all been national
superpowers in recent years, and
this class marks the official
arrival of Alabama into the club ...
potentially. The tremendous array of
talents now has to live up to the
billing. If you thought the pressure
was on Saban when he was first
hired, that's nothing compared to
the expectations surrounding the
program now. Remember, it's going to
take at least a year, maybe two, for
this class to kick in. Good luck
keeping the Tide fans under wraps
for that long.
2.
Florida
The
class is heavy on ... Defense.
The team lived and died through the
growing pains of a young, talented
secondary last season, and now there
are reinforcements led by safeties
Will Hill and Dee Finley, arguably
the best pair in any class, while
corners Janoris Jenkins, Adrian
Bushell and Jeremy Brown will all
get a chance to play right away. The
signing of Omar Hunter gives the
Gators an NFL caliber defensive
tackle who'll be ready right off the
bat, while the linebacking corps is
loaded with Brendan Beal, William
Green and Lerentee McCray bringing
more speed and athleticism.
The player who'll someday be a
really big deal ... S Will Hill
The player you might care about
this year ... WR Carl Moore
What it all means to the real
world of college football ...
Florida had its share of
disappointments, led by the loss of
top guard Ricky Barnum to Michigan,
but Urban Meyer and his staff once
again came up with a loaded group of
athletes that'll provided instant
depth and a starter or two. All the
buzz is about the Alabama class, and
Georgia and LSU each got more than
their share of future all-stars, but
the Gators more than held their own.
They're not going anywhere.
3. Georgia
The
class is heavy on ... Skill
players. Last year was about beefing
up the offensive line, needing
instant impact players who could
fill in some gaps, and at the very
least, grow into backup roles. Now
it's about upgrading the weapons for
QB Matthew Stafford to work with.
A.J. Green might be the team's best
receiver, and he hasn't gotten to
school yet. Speedster Tavarres King
might also see time in the receiver
rotation early on. Knowshon Moreno
isn't going anywhere, but he'll get
plenty of help from Richard Samuel,
Carlton Thomas, Dontavius Jackson
and Xavier Avery.
The player who'll someday be a
really big deal ... DT DeAngelo
Tyson
The player you might care about
this year ... WR A.J. Green
What it all means to the real
world of college football ...
Georgia is being hailed as the No. 1
team in the country going into the
season, or is at the very least in
everyone's top five. The team is
more than fine as is, and now it has
a loaded recruiting class of top
athletes for several key spots to
help with the depth. Head coach Mark
Richt has never been afraid of
playing freshmen, and he has a few
new stars ready to step in where
needed.
4. LSU
The
class is heavy on ... Louisiana
talent. The best players in the
class (CB Patrick Johnson and LB
Ryan Baker from Florida, and DE
Chancey Aghayere and LB Kyle Prater
from Texas) are from elsewhere, but
Les Miles was able to put a relative
fence around Louisiana and keep
players like DE Chase Clement, CB
Brandon Taylor, WR Chris Tolliver
and TE Tyler Edwards. Position-wise,
the receivers, including Edwards and
fellow tight end Lavar Edwards into
the mix, is top-shelf.
The player who'll someday be a
really big deal ... CB Patrick
Johnson
The player you might care about
this year ... WR DeAngelo Benton
What it all means to the real
world of college football ...
While other SEC programs might have
done a better job this recruiting
season, LSU more than held its own
coming off the national title
campaign. If nothing else, the team
is getting looks from everyone and
can recruit nationally because of
the success, and it isn't limited
just to the southern part of the
country. Of course, all the top
players are from Louisiana, or close
by, but there's no one out of reach
to go after.
5. Auburn
The
class is heavy on ... Skill
players. The best prospects are on
the defensive line, led by JUCO
transfer Raven Gray and end Andre
Wadley, but with the offense
switching up to more of a spread
offense under offensive coordinator
Tony Franklin, the team needed
players who fit the system. JUCO
transfer QB Chris Todd will battle
for time early on, while DeRon Furr
and Barrett Trotter will provide
depth over the next few years.
Keeping RB Onterio McCalebb was key,
while the real coup was getting
speedy receiver Harry Adams to lead
a fast group of targets. New WR
Philip Pierre-Louis might be the
team's fastest player.
The player who'll someday be a
really big deal ... LB Deshaun
Barnes
The player you might care about
this year ... DE Raven Gray
What it all means to the real
world of college football ...
Much has been made about the Auburn
class and the players it lost, but
the late defections don't take away
from a strong haul. With new
coordinators coming in late in the
game, it was hard to come up with an
elite of the elite class, and now
there has to be a nervous twitch
around the program after Alabama
came up with one of the nation's
best classes. There aren't a lot of
sure-thing stars from the Tiger
class, but there are more than
enough good players to develop.
6. Arkansas
The
class is heavy on ... The
passing game. Under new head coach
Bobby Petrino, Arkansas is going to
start throwing the forward pass. Now
he needs players who can fit the
system, but he didn't forget about
the ground game with top RBs
De'Anthony Curtis leading a talented
group. However, the receiving corps
got the biggest boost with six
prospects coming in all shapes and
sizes. Quarterbacks Jim Youngblood
and Tyler Wilson are each big,
strong passers able to push for the
starting job right away, but the
real star is on his way from
Michigan. The only question is
whether or not former Wolverine Ryan
Mallett will be eligible this season
or next.
The player who'll someday be a
really big deal ... CB Joe Adams
The player you might care about
this year ... WR Jarius Wright
What it all means to the real
world of college football ...
There's no question Petrino can put
together high-octane offenses. The
only issue will be how fast the
transformation can be made and how
quickly the new prospects can shine.
It's easy to forget that Petrino's
Louisville teams were also
tremendous defensively, and while
there weren't too many top prospects
brought in, that'll likely change
next year.
7. South Carolina
The
class is heavy on ... The
secondary. There needed to be an
upgrade at defensive back, and the
team got it with four safeties and
two phenomenal corners in Charles
Whitlock and Akeem Auguste. Whitlock
will be used in a variety of ways,
but becoming a consistent No. 1
corner would be enough. The offense
got a little bit of help with
quarterbacks Reid McCollum and
Aramis Hillary sure to be thrown
into the fire, at least in practice,
from the moment they get to school.
The player who'll someday be a
really big deal ... RB Eric
Baker
The player you might care about
this year ... CB Charles
Whitlock
What it all means to the real
world of college football ... Oh
what a difference a year makes. Last
February, South Carolina had one of
the nation's best recruiting seasons
and appeared ready to turn the
corner in the Spurrier era. After a
brutal collapse over the second half
of the season, the program lost
almost all its mojo. There's weren't
too many holes to plug after last
year's class, but it would've been a
sign that things really were
changing in Columbia if this group
was better.
8. Mississippi State
The
class is heavy on ... Receivers
and defensive linemen. The passing
game has its targets for the future
with four good receivers, led by
Rashun Dixon, and two strong tight
ends in Kendrick Cook and Nelson
Hurst. Defensive tackle Templeton
Hardy is the star of the class while
the overall bulk is on the ends, but
there aren't any sure things among
the six prospects.
The player who'll someday be a
really big deal ... DT Templeton
Hardy
The player you might care about
this year ... OT Phillip Freeman
What it all means to the real
world of college football ...
This is a class for the future,
especially for the receiving corps,
but it would've been nice if a
quarterback or three was brought in
to build around. With Michael Henig
forced to retire thanks to a hip
problem, head coach Sylvester Croom
should've given a look to the JUCO
ranks to find a quarterback to
backup Wesley Carroll. If Carroll
goes down, and if backup Josh
Riddell isn't healthy, the team will
be in huge trouble. Croom has said
he'll make sure next year's class
has a star passing prospect coming
in.
9. Tennessee
The
class is heavy on ...
Linebackers. The rest of the class
is nothing special, but E.J.
Abrams-Ward (who'll end up at receiver), Marlon Walls and Herman
Lathers, all safety-sized
speedsters, should be tremendous
once they have a
few years of the Tennessee weight
room under their belts. Austin
Johnson could be ready to provide
depth in the middle right now.
The player who'll someday be a
really big deal ... LB E.J.
Abrams-Ward
The player you might care about
this year ... TE Aaron Douglas
What it all means to the real
world of college football ...
After coming up with a tremendous
2007 class, the coaching staff
slipped making it two mediocre
classes in the last three seasons.
Gone are the days when Tennessee
could get out of bed and wait for
the top talents to fall over
themselves to come to Knoxville.
Considering how nasty the SEC has
gotten, head coach Phil Fulmer can't
afford any more classes this
average.
10. Ole Miss
The
class is heavy on ... The
secondary. There aren't any
five-star talents like Patrick
Trahan, the new star of the
linebacking corps, but there's
strength in numbers at defensive
back with five safeties and four
corners. The corners will make the
most immediate impact with JUCO
transfer Demario Marr all but
certain to be an opening day
starter, and Derrick Herman a speedy
prospect to develop. Offensively,
new head coach Houston Nutt got a
slew of running backs. There might
not be any Darren McFaddens, but
Enrique Davis and Devin Thomas are
speedsters who can hit the home run.
The player who'll someday be a
really big deal ... QB Chris
Wilkes
The player you might care about
this year ... LB Patrick Trahan
What it all means to the real
world of college football ...
Former head man Ed Orgeron was a
fantastic recruiter who left the
shelves stocked with decent
prospects. Nutt missed out on some
key prospects and didn't get the
overall haul he might have liked,
but he got his share of decent
players to build a future around.
Even so, this wasn't the kind of
class that'll transform the program
overnight.
11. Kentucky
The
class is heavy on ... Receivers.
Big, fast Aaron Boyd is the gem of
the class, while tight end Sean
Stackhouse could play a key role in
the next two years. Overall, the
best players are in the secondary
with four nice prospects led by
Winston Guy, who has the lightning
fast wheels to play corner, and the
hitting ability to play safety.
The player who'll someday be a
really big deal ... S Winston
Guy
The player you might care about
this year ... WR Aaron Boyd
What it all means to the real
world of college football ...
Kentucky set up its succession plan
for the end of the Rich Brooks era
with offensive coordinator Joker
Phillips to take over relatively
soon. That stability didn't matter
when it came to recruits with a
mediocre class woefully lacking in
top notch stars to get excited
about. There's no question the
talent level isn't there compared to
the epic classes brought in by other
SEC teams, so a few surprise players
have to emerge.
12. Vanderbilt
The
class is heavy on ... A few
really good prospects, and a steep,
steep drop-off. The margin
for error is paper thin when it
comes to Vanderbilt recruiting, so
it's uh-oh time if the players
targeted to fill in key holes early
on, like LBs Tristan Strong and
DeAndre Jones, don' t pan out.
Numbers-wise, the defensive line got
the most help.
The player who'll someday be a
really big deal ... LB Tristan
Strong
The player you might care about
this year ... LB DeAndre Jones
What it all means to the real
world of college football ...
The Commodores will never be able to
grab the players the top SEC teams
will, but as long as head coach
Bobby Johnson connects on the top
players he brought in, while
desperately hoping for a few
starters to emerge in the next three
years from the no-big-deal bulk of
the class, the program won't fall
back further.