SEC Commitment Comparison – 8/31/10

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Just two days from the start of the real 2010 football season, what better time to check in on silly season — recruiting?

As usual, we’ve taken the star rankings provided by Rivals.com and put together our own comparison of the commitments corralled by SEC programs so far.  Each Rivals’ star is worth one point in our world.  Plus we give even 0-star recruits a point.  Hey, we’re nice guys.

So without further ado, below are the current SEC commitment hauls as ranked by total points.  Beneath that is a ranking of schools according to Average Points Per Player just so you can get an idea for the type of athletes each school is landing.

And remember, National Signing Day is just 22 weeks from tomorrow.

Observations:

* Houston Nutt’s new recruiting strategy is paying early dividends.  In the past a slow starter and strong closer, this year Nutt and staff are as active as anyone on the early commitment front.  Question is: Can they protect their own commitments as well as they’ve raided others’ in years past? 

* Only Tennessee and Vanderbilt have fewer commitments than Florida, but that’s not unusual for the Gators.  When you can sit back and be picky, why not sit back and be picky?  As you’ll see below, UF ranks second only to Alabama in terms of quality of commitments.  They’re cherry-picking.  Pure and simple.

* Speaking of Tennessee, ranking between Mississippi State and Vanderbilt on a recruiting chart isn’t what Vol fans are used to.  Derek Dooley has said many times that star rankings don’t matter to him and that certainly appears to be the case at the moment.  If these types of numbers hold up, Dooley will need to prove that he has a keen eye and a penchant for developing players.

* Recruiting rankings aren’t scientific.  And it’s still only August.  But I’m guessing those facts still don’t make Arkansas or South Carolina fans feel better about their current classes.  In terms of quality, USC ranks ahead of only Vandy.  Arkansas is ahead of Kentucky, Carolina and Vandy, but the Hogs still lag behind Mississippi State and a less-productive-than-normal Tennessee.

* Gene Chizik may close strong once February rolls around, but I’m guessing I’m not the only one wondering if the NCAA’s recent decision to nix the Tiger Prowl might’ve let a little air out of Auburn’s recruiting tires.  Both literally and figuratively.