- Sep 8, 2014
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Recruiting rankings: A look at how each SEC school has done over the past 5 years
http://gridironnow.com/recruiting-rankings-sec-schools-five-years/
National Signing Day is less than three weeks away (February 7), and as usual, SEC teams are going to be prevalent in the top 20 of team recruiting rankings – though maybe not as highly ranked as usual because of the high number of coaching changes.
We thought we’d look back over the past five recruiting cycles (2013-17; note we did notinclude 2018 rankings) to see how league schools ranked nationally. Not surprisingly, nine of the 14 schools had consensus recruiting rankings in the top 20 in that five-year stretch and 10 in the top 25.
A couple of things we found interesting:
* Alabama signed 19 more four- and five-star prospects than anyone else in the league in that five-year stretch.
* Alabama and LSU combined to sign more four- and five-star prospects in our span than Arkansas, Kentucky, Mississippi State, Missouri, Ole Miss, South Carolina and Vanderbilt combined.
* In our five-year span, Auburn, Georgia and LSU — three schools that have an average finish in the top 10 — combined to sign just one more five-star prospect than Alabama.
* Incredibly, there were five schools during our span that individually signed fewer four- and five-star prospects combined than Alabama signed five-star prospects alone.
Here’s a closer look (we used 247sports’ composite rankings as our guide).
1. ALABAMA
Average rank over past five years: 1st.
The skinny: The Tide has ranked No. 1 in recruiting for seven consecutive years. This year’s class won’t be No. 1 – at least that seems unlikely – but it almost certainly will be a top-five group.
4- and 5-star signees: 101, including 27 five-star prospects.
Current rank: 5th
2. LSU
Average rank: 5th.
The skinny: The Tigers have been ranked in the top-10 in five consecutive years, with two second-place finishes and nothing lower than seventh. This year’s group currently is outside the top 10; if it finishes outside the top 10, there is going to be angst – well, more angst than usual – in Baton Rouge.
4- and 5-star signees: 82, including 9 five-star prospects
Current rank: 12th
3. GEORGIA
Average rank: 7th.
The skinny: The Bulldogs were 11th in 2013; that’s the only time in the past five years they have been outside the top 10. They’ve been in the top five twice, and Kirby Smart has them in line for the top spot this year; it’ll be the Bulldogs’ third top-five class in four years.
4- and 5-star signees: 76, including 11 five-star prospects.
Current rank: 1st
4. AUBURN
Average rank: 9th.
The skinny: The Tigers finished 11th in 2013, but each of the past four has been in the top 10, highlighted by a No. 6 finish in 2014.
4- and 5-star signees: 68, including 8 five-star prospects.
Current rank: 10th
T-5. FLORIDA
Average rank: 11th.
The skinny: The past three classes each finished outside the top 10, including 21st in 2014. Given the amount of in-state talent available on an annual basis, three consecutive classes outside the top 10 is, truthfully, embarrassing for Florida. Will Muschamp’s final two classes, in 2012 and ’13, both finished in the top 10.
4- and 5-star signees: 49, including 5 five-star prospects.
Current rank: 17th
T-5. TEXAS A&M
Average rank: 11th.
The skinny: The 2013 and ’14 classes finished in the top 10, including a fifth-place finish in ’14. Two of the past three were in the top 15 and the other was 18th (2016). There’s no question recruiting had slumped a bit the past few years under Kevin Sumlin.
4- and 5-star signees: 58, including 7 five-star prospects.
Current rank: 32nd
7. TENNESSEE
Average rank: 13th.
The skinny: The Vols had top-10 classes in 2014 and ’15, including a No. 4 finish in ’14. But the past two were outside the top 10, and UT was 24th in 2013.
4- and 5-star signees: 51, including 2 five-star prospects.
Current rank: 16th
8. OLE MISS
Average rank: 15th
The skinny: The Rebels have had two top-10 classes in the past five years, including the now-infamous group in 2013 that was eighth. There was also a fifth-place finish in 2016. The other three classes were 15th or lower, including No. 31 in 2017, when NCAA smoke really got thick.
4- and 5-star signees: 42, including 7 five-star prospects.
Current rank: 37th
9. SOUTH CAROLINA
Average rank: 20th
The skinny: Each of the past five classes was a top-25 group. But none ranked better than 16th. The past two were the lowest-ranked, at 25th in 2016 and 21st last year.
4- and 5-star signees: 33, including 0 five-star prospects.
Current rank: 18th
10. ARKANSAS
Average rank: 25th.
The skinny: Each of the past five classes was in the top 30, with rankings ranging from 22nd through 29th. New coach Chad Morris is a former longtime Texas high school coach, and he and his staff need to make those connections pay off in recruiting.
4- and 5-star signees: 25, including 1 five-star prospect.
Current rank: 81st
11. MISSISSIPPI STATE
Average rank: 26th
The skinny: The 2015 group was 18th, the only class in the past five to finish in the top 20. The other four ranged from 24th to 35th.
4- and 5-star signees: 22, including 2 five-star prospects.
Current rank: 25th
12. KENTUCKY
Average rank: 32nd
The skinny: Each of the past five was in the top 40, and a 22nd-ranked class in 2014 was the most impressive. A top-25 class at UK in football is a big deal. The others ranged from 30th to 38th.
4- and 5-star signees: 19, including 0 five-star prospects.
Current rank: 29th
13. MISSOURI
Average rank: 38th
The skinny: All five classes ranked in the top 45, including 25th in 2015. But that was an outlier of sorts; there were three that ranked 43rd and one that was 37th.
4- and 5-star signees: 11, including 1 five-star prospect.
Current rank: 43rd
14. VANDERBILT
Average rank: 48th
The skinny: Vanderbilt is the only SEC school to have had a class ranked outside the top 50 in the past five years – and there were two of them (2016 and ’17). There were two that ranked in the high 40s, while the other was a 26th-ranked class in 2013, which shows how good a recruiter James Franklin was with the Commodores.
4- and 5-star signees: 9, including 0 five-star prospects.
Current rank: 33rd
Here are the number of four- and five-star prospects in the past five recruiting classes from each state in the SEC footprint. Note that this is a total, not how many signed with SEC schools.
• Florida: 230
• Texas: 230
• Georgia: 140
• Louisiana: 73
• Alabama: 61
• Tennessee: 43
• Mississippi: 38
• South Carolina: 28
• Arkansas: 15
• Kentucky: 13
• Missouri: 12
http://gridironnow.com/recruiting-rankings-sec-schools-five-years/
National Signing Day is less than three weeks away (February 7), and as usual, SEC teams are going to be prevalent in the top 20 of team recruiting rankings – though maybe not as highly ranked as usual because of the high number of coaching changes.
We thought we’d look back over the past five recruiting cycles (2013-17; note we did notinclude 2018 rankings) to see how league schools ranked nationally. Not surprisingly, nine of the 14 schools had consensus recruiting rankings in the top 20 in that five-year stretch and 10 in the top 25.
A couple of things we found interesting:
* Alabama signed 19 more four- and five-star prospects than anyone else in the league in that five-year stretch.
* Alabama and LSU combined to sign more four- and five-star prospects in our span than Arkansas, Kentucky, Mississippi State, Missouri, Ole Miss, South Carolina and Vanderbilt combined.
* In our five-year span, Auburn, Georgia and LSU — three schools that have an average finish in the top 10 — combined to sign just one more five-star prospect than Alabama.
* Incredibly, there were five schools during our span that individually signed fewer four- and five-star prospects combined than Alabama signed five-star prospects alone.
Here’s a closer look (we used 247sports’ composite rankings as our guide).
1. ALABAMA
Average rank over past five years: 1st.
The skinny: The Tide has ranked No. 1 in recruiting for seven consecutive years. This year’s class won’t be No. 1 – at least that seems unlikely – but it almost certainly will be a top-five group.
4- and 5-star signees: 101, including 27 five-star prospects.
Current rank: 5th
2. LSU
Average rank: 5th.
The skinny: The Tigers have been ranked in the top-10 in five consecutive years, with two second-place finishes and nothing lower than seventh. This year’s group currently is outside the top 10; if it finishes outside the top 10, there is going to be angst – well, more angst than usual – in Baton Rouge.
4- and 5-star signees: 82, including 9 five-star prospects
Current rank: 12th
3. GEORGIA
Average rank: 7th.
The skinny: The Bulldogs were 11th in 2013; that’s the only time in the past five years they have been outside the top 10. They’ve been in the top five twice, and Kirby Smart has them in line for the top spot this year; it’ll be the Bulldogs’ third top-five class in four years.
4- and 5-star signees: 76, including 11 five-star prospects.
Current rank: 1st
4. AUBURN
Average rank: 9th.
The skinny: The Tigers finished 11th in 2013, but each of the past four has been in the top 10, highlighted by a No. 6 finish in 2014.
4- and 5-star signees: 68, including 8 five-star prospects.
Current rank: 10th
T-5. FLORIDA
Average rank: 11th.
The skinny: The past three classes each finished outside the top 10, including 21st in 2014. Given the amount of in-state talent available on an annual basis, three consecutive classes outside the top 10 is, truthfully, embarrassing for Florida. Will Muschamp’s final two classes, in 2012 and ’13, both finished in the top 10.
4- and 5-star signees: 49, including 5 five-star prospects.
Current rank: 17th
T-5. TEXAS A&M
Average rank: 11th.
The skinny: The 2013 and ’14 classes finished in the top 10, including a fifth-place finish in ’14. Two of the past three were in the top 15 and the other was 18th (2016). There’s no question recruiting had slumped a bit the past few years under Kevin Sumlin.
4- and 5-star signees: 58, including 7 five-star prospects.
Current rank: 32nd
7. TENNESSEE
Average rank: 13th.
The skinny: The Vols had top-10 classes in 2014 and ’15, including a No. 4 finish in ’14. But the past two were outside the top 10, and UT was 24th in 2013.
4- and 5-star signees: 51, including 2 five-star prospects.
Current rank: 16th
8. OLE MISS
Average rank: 15th
The skinny: The Rebels have had two top-10 classes in the past five years, including the now-infamous group in 2013 that was eighth. There was also a fifth-place finish in 2016. The other three classes were 15th or lower, including No. 31 in 2017, when NCAA smoke really got thick.
4- and 5-star signees: 42, including 7 five-star prospects.
Current rank: 37th
9. SOUTH CAROLINA
Average rank: 20th
The skinny: Each of the past five classes was a top-25 group. But none ranked better than 16th. The past two were the lowest-ranked, at 25th in 2016 and 21st last year.
4- and 5-star signees: 33, including 0 five-star prospects.
Current rank: 18th
10. ARKANSAS
Average rank: 25th.
The skinny: Each of the past five classes was in the top 30, with rankings ranging from 22nd through 29th. New coach Chad Morris is a former longtime Texas high school coach, and he and his staff need to make those connections pay off in recruiting.
4- and 5-star signees: 25, including 1 five-star prospect.
Current rank: 81st
11. MISSISSIPPI STATE
Average rank: 26th
The skinny: The 2015 group was 18th, the only class in the past five to finish in the top 20. The other four ranged from 24th to 35th.
4- and 5-star signees: 22, including 2 five-star prospects.
Current rank: 25th
12. KENTUCKY
Average rank: 32nd
The skinny: Each of the past five was in the top 40, and a 22nd-ranked class in 2014 was the most impressive. A top-25 class at UK in football is a big deal. The others ranged from 30th to 38th.
4- and 5-star signees: 19, including 0 five-star prospects.
Current rank: 29th
13. MISSOURI
Average rank: 38th
The skinny: All five classes ranked in the top 45, including 25th in 2015. But that was an outlier of sorts; there were three that ranked 43rd and one that was 37th.
4- and 5-star signees: 11, including 1 five-star prospect.
Current rank: 43rd
14. VANDERBILT
Average rank: 48th
The skinny: Vanderbilt is the only SEC school to have had a class ranked outside the top 50 in the past five years – and there were two of them (2016 and ’17). There were two that ranked in the high 40s, while the other was a 26th-ranked class in 2013, which shows how good a recruiter James Franklin was with the Commodores.
4- and 5-star signees: 9, including 0 five-star prospects.
Current rank: 33rd
Here are the number of four- and five-star prospects in the past five recruiting classes from each state in the SEC footprint. Note that this is a total, not how many signed with SEC schools.
• Florida: 230
• Texas: 230
• Georgia: 140
• Louisiana: 73
• Alabama: 61
• Tennessee: 43
• Mississippi: 38
• South Carolina: 28
• Arkansas: 15
• Kentucky: 13
• Missouri: 12
