7 things that stick out in the current recruiting rankings
Tuesday May 09, 2017
http://coachingsearch.com/article?a=Seven-things-that-stick-out-in-the-current-recruiting-rankings
Recruiting has changed in a big way this week, with early signing official for this coming December, but where do things stand right now?
Early signing will likely lead to less flipping, and could reveal if kids have committable offers. Coaches will be able to lock in players earlier, and that could be big for the programs outside the blue bloods. Another rule change will allow recruiting conversations with prospects at camps in the coming months.
It’s still very early in the process, and classes are small for the most part. But looking through 247Sports’
recruiting database, here are seven things that stick out.
1. The U is No. 1.
Mark Richt’s program got a quick start on 2018 and already has 17 commitments, all of them committing before late April. Of those 17, 16 come from Florida, with most of those in south Florida. Miami has gotten off to fast starts in recruiting before in recent years, but it’s more likely to stay together under Richt than it did under Al Golden, and the early signing should help that.
2. Half of the top 90 players are already committed.
Clemson has both of the top two players on 247Sports in QB Trevor Lawrence and defensive end Xavier Thomas. They’re among the three commits Clemson has out of the top 55.
Ohio State has eight commitments of the top of the top 45 committed players (out of that top 90 overall), leading all schools. Miami has six.
3. Texas has flipped several major prospects before Tom Herman has coached a game.
Just in the past few weeks, Herman’s staff has flipped commitments from LSU, Florida State and Oklahoma. The Longhorns currently have 8 commits and the No. 10 class. In 2017, Oklahoma was the only top 25 class from the Big 12, with Texas just outside. Early on, it looks like Texas will change that. Of note: Only four of the eight commits are from Texas.
4. Only 16 of the top 50 players in Texas are committed, including one of the top 13.
The state was poached by outside schools last year for the top prospects. Last year was the first time since 2005 an in-state school didn’t sign a majority share of the state’s top-10 prospects. Herman has momentum at UT, but a lot of work still to do at the top.
Of the 16 committed players from the top 50, eight are committed to in-state schools.
5. Alabama and Georgia have just three commitments each.
This is obviously going to change, and both are outside the top 40 in the rankings. Alabama has signed seven straight No. 1 classes, and Georgia was No. 3 last year. Alabama is being patient and has three 4-star commits, but Kirby Smart has some work to do. UGA’s three commits include two 3-star players and a 2-star kicker, and nine of the top 15 players in the state of Georgia have already committed to other schools — including the likes of Ohio State (2), Penn State, Notre Dame and Michigan.
6. Jim Harbaugh is going national again.
Last year, Michigan signed players from 13 different states. This year, the Wolverines have eight commits, from five different states: Michigan (1), Indiana (1), Georgia (3), Texas (2) and Florida (1).
Where does U-M have satellite camps scheduled next month? Georgia, Texas, Florida, Tennessee, California and Ohio.
7. Only three of the top 15 pro-style QB’s are uncommitted.
The schools with a top-15 pro-style QB include Clemson, USC, Washington, Miami, Stanford, Texas, Utah, Michigan, Arkansas, Vanderbilt, NC State and Texas A&M. Only 11 of the top 30 pro-style QB’s are uncommitted.
Among the top 15 dual-threat QB’s, six are uncommitted. Notably, Washington also has the No. 5 dual-threat QB committed, and Texas has No. 8, giving both schools two QB’s rated 4- or 5-stars.