SEC East Recruiting Preview

Kyle Pollock Posted On January 26, 2016

muschamp On January 14th, the recruit dead period (no contact with recruits) ended and the final sprint towards National Signing Day began. Teams all across the country are making one last desperate push to convince promising high school seniors to come play for their school for the next four years. Most coaches have in home visits with prospects, visit their high school, and maybe attend a basketball game that a prospect is playing in. Some coaches go the extra mile, such as Michigan’s Jim Harbaugh who recently camped outside a recruit’s house until the dead period ended, and then proceeded to spend the next 24 hours with him in an attempt to decommit from Penn State and commit to the Maize and Blue. Teams are still targeting many players, and I’ll go conference by conference to give an overview of each team’s skill position targets entering the final few weeks of the recruiting season.

Florida

This week, Florida missed out on one of its top targets, four star receiver Binjimen Victor. Victor committed to Ohio State, potentially because the Gators already have four other wide receivers committed or enrolled for this class. If this is the case, it doesn’t bode well for their chances with top five receiver Nate Craig-Myers. Craig-Myers looks like he will be one of the most highly recruited players in the country down the stretch, with Florida State, Auburn, North Carolina, and Alabama all going up against Florida to land him. While he will give the Gators a bigger bodied receiver, which is something they currently lack in the four receivers they currently have, I’m skeptical that NCM will choose Florida because of how many receivers are already committed. Their other primary skill position target is four star tight end Jacob Mathis. He is on the smaller side for tight ends at only 6’3.5”, but he is already 223 pounds which is a solid weight for a tight end of his size. Mathis could potentially come in right away and replace the departed Jake McGee.

Georgia

[am4show have=’g1;’ guest_error=’sub_message’ user_error=’sub_message’ ]

Georgia currently has the number seven class in the nation, but could make huge strides in the coming weeks. They have a shot at landing six (!!!) five stars, and are the favorites to land three of them. Two of the players Georgia is expected to land, Mecole Hardman Jr and Demetrius Robertson, are receivers who will add to the Bulldog’s already deep receiving corp. They currently have commitment from three receivers, and a fourth (Riley Ridley, brother of Alabama’s Calvin Ridley) has already enrolled. They are also pursuing four star receiver Tre Nixon and three star receiver Grant Hollaway hard, meaning they could sign up to eight receivers this cycle. While I find it hard that all of the remaining seven unsigned players will sign with Georgia, it’s recruiting and anything can happen.

Kentucky

Kentucky has wrapped up its recruiting class, and really doesn’t have any players worthy of rostering on your devy teams. It’s worth keeping an eye on Kayaune Ross, a 6’6” 220 pound JUCO receiver. He could play right away and potentially become the team’s top red zone threat because of his size. Running back Ben Snell joins a crowded backfield but flashed enough on tape to give me confidence that he will make an impact for the Wildcats at some point during his career.

Missouri

Missouri has a very small recruiting class this year, with only 12 players currently committed. JUCO running back Natereance Strong is the highest rated recruit in the class, and the number two JUCO back in the nation. He had originally committed to Missouri last season, but needed a year at Hines Community College to boost his grades. Strong could start this year for the Tigers, and his combination of size and shiftiness makes him worth monitoring.

South Carolina

Like Kentucky and Missouri, South Carolina’s class is essentially set, with one notable exception. Former Alabama running back and top recruit Tyren Jones is being targeted by the Gamecocks and is set to visit later in January. Jones was kicked off Alabama and enrolled at Hutchinson Community College, where he dominated for most of this season. Jones would be a huge get for new coach Will Muschamp, and would join a class that already featured two other running backs, three stars CJ Freeman and Rico Dowdle. The true stars of South Carolina’s class are four star dual threat quarterback Brandon Mcllwain and four star receiver Bryan Edwards. These two could be impact players for the Gamecocks in the coming years, and will be major pieces in building on Steve Spurrier’s success at the school.

Tennessee

Along with seemingly half of the SEC, Tennessee is looking to land Mecole Hardman Jr. He is their top remaining skill position target, but they do have a backup plan if they fail to land him. Four star athlete Marquez Callaway can play either cornerback or wide receiver, but they’ll have to fight Georgia for him as well. If they do miss on both players they already have three receivers committed in this class, including 6’5” JUCO transfer Jeff George. To add to their run first offense, the Volunteers have commitments from four star running back Carlin Fils-aime and four star dual threat quarterback Jarrett Guarantano. Fils-aime may get some playing time this year, but his sophomore season should be the first time he has a chance to make a real impact. He’s extremely fast and has great agility, and should give the Vols a threat on the ground and through the air. Guaratano will likely take over the offense once current starter Josh Dobbs graduates or leaves for the NFL. He’s the nation’s top dual threat quarterback, and looks like he has a very bright future ahead of him.

Vanderbilt

Vanderbilt’s class is finished, and it doesn’t really have any impact players. I honestly wouldn’t want to own anyone from the program on my devy team because of the condition it’s in. It’s hard to see any skill players in the recruiting class or on the roster with any shot at the NFL, besides starting running back Ralph Webb who does have an outside chance to get drafted or make a roster in the future. They do currently have commitments from three three star wide receivers and a three star quarterback in Deuce Wallace, but again none of these players are worth paying attention to.

[/am4show]