Defensive back Christion Jones from Minor High School in Adamsville, Ala., is still considering three schools: Alabama, Florida and Tennessee.

Jones doesn’t have a leader, according to the Birmingham News. He plans to take visits to the three schools before he makes a decision.

Arkansas received good news over the weekend when 2011 point guard B.J. Young committed to the Razorbacks.

Young, who’s from Florissant, Mo., had also considered Baylor, Marquette, Indiana, North Carolina State and Illinois State before he chose Arkansas, according to Mike DeCourcy of Sporting News.

Memphis, Tenn., forward Adonis Thomas plans to visit Tennessee this weekend.

“One of the things we like about Tennessee is Coach (Bruce) Pearl relates well to his players,” said Eric Thomas,’ Adonis’ father.

Adonis Thomas is also considering Arkansas, Florida, Memphis and UCLA, according to the Knoxville News Sentinel.

Memphis will have the last crack at Thomas as he plans to take his final visit to the hometown school, according to Jason Smith of the Memphis Commercial Appeal.

Three prospects from Dr. Phillips High School in Orlando, Fla., were in Michigan on Saturday to watch the Wolverines take on Connecticut.

Running back Dee Hart, safety Ha’sean Clinton Dix and quarterback Nick Patti attended Michigan’s 30-10 win over UConn.

Dix is committed to Alabama. Hart has a top three of Michigan, Alabama and Auburn. Patti is a junior and won’t sign until 2012.

The three prospects were probably surprised by the weather in Ann Arbor on Saturday.

“We didn’t think it would be cold,” Patti told the Orlando Sentinel. “It was about 50 degree with a wind chill, someone said. So it wasn’t really that cold, but the wind was what made it feel that way.”

Alabama wouldn’t have won a national championship last year without defensive tackle Terrence Cody, who signed with the Crimson Tide out of junior college in 2009.

The Crimson Tide hopes it will have similar success with Jesse Williams, a defensive tackle from Arizona Western Community College in Yuma, Ariz. Williams gave his pledge to Alabama on Sunday.

Williams isn’t quite as big as Cody, but he’s close. The 6-foot-4, 330-pound Williams chose Alabama over LSU, Ole Miss, Oklahoma State and Oregon State.

South Carolina has to be feeling good this morning after it defeated Southern Miss 41-13.

That kind of showing can’t hurt in recruiting, either. South Carolina has already put together a solid 2011 class, says Jamie Newberg of ESPN.com. Newberg pointed to South Carolina’s ability to fill needs at this point in the class.

The Gamecocks have 15 commitments for 2011. Check out the story above to see what South Carolina needs to accomplish between now and National Signing Day in February.

Jadeveon Clowney is well aware of South Carolina’s off-field issues involving tight end Weslye Saunders and other Gamecock players.

The defensive end from South Pointe High School in Rock Hill, S.C., who is considering South Carolina, Alabama, LSU, Clemson and Florida State, told The State in Columbia he’s concerned by South Carolina’s troubles.

“South Carolina is in a little bit of trouble right now,” Clowney said, “so I don’t know right now. I’m still thinking about where I’m going to go. I haven’t decided yet. It will be a big decision, though.”

Check out the link above. It has several recruiting notes around the SEC.

Kentucky and Louisville could both use a win this weekend as they attempt to reach a bowl game at the end of the season.

Their game against each other in Louisville will matter for another reason – recruiting.

Kentucky coach Joker Phillips and Louisville coach Charlie Strong both know they need to bring in talent to their schools if they want to win at a high level. Beating its rival would be a great start for either school.

“This is a huge game for both schools,” Phillips told ESPN.com. “This is a huge rivalry game for us. You have two schools that are 80 miles apart. It’s huge for recruiting because the winner i going to be building momentum. We are selling the SEC and they are selling the Big East to all the in-state kids. There is no doubt that this is a big game.”

Quarterback Zeke Pike from the 2012 class will certainly be watching this weekend. The Edgewood, Ky., product has offers from Kentucky and Louisville to go along with schools like Alabama, Florida, LSU and Tennessee.

Pike will be in Louisville on Saturday to watch the Cardinals take on Kentucky.

“I have a good relationship with (Phillips and Strong) already,” Pike said. “UK offered first and Louisville offered me right after about a week later. I really love both head coaches because they are player’s coaches. This weekend is big.”

Kentucky already has 19 commitments for 2011. A win against Louisville would setup Kentucky to start the season 3-0. The Wildcats will play Western Kentucky and Akron following Louisville. Both are very winnable games for Kentucky.

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Kentucky has received its 19th commitment for the 2011 class.

Wide receiver Rashad Cunningham from Davidson High School in Mobile, Ala., has chosen the Wildcats over Arkansas, Mississippi State, Alabama-Birmingham, Memphis and South Alabama.

Cunningham was recruited by Kentucky wide receivers coach Tee Martin, who played quarterback at Tennessee after graduating from Williamson High in Mobile.

Timmy Jernigan can go anywhere in the country.

The defensive tackle from Columbia High School in Lake City, Fla., is ranked No. 1 and No. 3 at his position by Scout.com and Rivals.com, respectively.

Jernigan is most strongly considering five schools: Alabama, Florida, LSU, Florida State and Miami. He’s also showing a little interest in Georgia and Miami.

Jernigan said he plans to take all five official visits this fall before he chooses a school.

“I want to be around good people,” he said.

Many people would be surprised if Anthony Chickillo chooses Tennessee on Sept. 9, but the defensive end from Alonso High School in Tampa, Fla., says it might happen.

Chickillo will choose among UT, Alabama, Florida, Florida State, Miami and South Florida on Sept. 9. Chickillo said he’s strongly considering UT because of defensive line coach Chuck Smith.

“He’s pretty much been all of it,” Chickillo said. “When I went to Tennessee he showed me everything. It was beautiful in Tennessee and I could really see myself playing there.”

Chickillo’s father and late grandfather played at Miami. He insisted his father hasn’t tried to push him to play for the Hurricanes.

“My dad hasn’t put any press on me to go to Miami,” Chickillo said. “He wants what’s best for me and what’s best for my family’s future.”

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.

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Ole Miss has received a commitment to offensive lineman Justin Bell from Callaway High School in Jackson, Miss.

Bell chose Ole Miss over Mississippi State.

“I liked my family support for Ole Miss and the guys they have coming in and how I feel when I’m there,” Bell told the Jackson Clarion-Ledger. “It feels good to get it over with so I can concentrate on the season because we are expecting to make a deep run in the playoffs.”

Bell is the 19th commitment for Ole Miss in the 2011 class. He joins Aaron Morris, another Clarion-Ledger Dandy Dozen lineman who committed to the Rebels last week.

Safety Gerald Orta from Lowndes High School in Valdosta, Ga., has decided on four official visits for the fall.

Orta told the Spartanburg Herald-Journal he will take official visits to South Carolina, Tennessee, Maryland and Wake Forest. He said he will “probably” take a visit to Clemson, where he was committed to earlier in the summer.

Orta said he likely won’t make a commitment until January or December.

Kasen Williams surprised no one when he committed to Washington over the weekend.

The wide receiver from Skyline High School in Sammamish, Wash., chose Washington over Florida, LSU and Notre Dame.

ESPN.com ranks Williams the 11th-best wide receiver in the country.

It’s almost time for Kentucky Coach John Calipari to move on to the class of 2012.

After securing the nation’s No. 1 basketball recruiting classes for 2009 and 2010, Kentucky on Saturday put a cherry on top of what has to be considered the top-rated class of 2011.

Kyle Wiltjer, a 6-foot-9 senior power forward from Portland, Ore., announced that he will play for the Wildcats.

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Arkansas has received its 17th commitment for 2011 from safety Jashaud Sims from Dickinson (Texas) High School, according to the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.

“I’m excited because it’s one step closer to my dream of going to college and playing football and playing in the NFL,” Sims told the newspaper.

Sims had received interest from Texas A&M, Texas Tech, Colorado, Missouri and Syracuse.

Defensive end Anthony Chickillo from Alonso High School in Tampa, Fla., will announce his college decision on Sept. 9, according to ESPN.com.

Chickillo will choose among Alabama, Florida, Tennessee, Florida State, Miami and South Florida.

ESPN.com ranks Chickillo as the 8th-best defensive end and 80th-best prospect overall in the nation.

Many wonder if Miami is the favorite to land Chickillo. His father, Tony, and grandfather, the late Nick Chickillo, both played for the Hurricanes.

Offensive lineman Zach West from Lexington (Ky.) Christian Academy has committed to Kentucky.

West chose the Wildcats over offers from Tennessee and Penn State.

Rivals.com ranks West the 59th-best offensive tackle in the nation and fourth-best prospect in the state of Kentucky.

He’s the 18th commitment for Kentucky in 2011.

Athlete Valdez Showers had committed to Florida over Michigan and Michigan State.

The Madison Heights (Mich.) High School product will most likely play cornerback for Florida.

“I’m a ballplayer,” Showers told the Detroit News on Tuesday before he committed. “I’ll make it happen wherever I play.”

Showers is the 15th commitment for Florida’s 2011 class.

Alabama might end up having the nation’s top class in 2011.

The Crimson Tide already has a fresh start on 2012, too. Alabama has received a commitment from junior safety Eddie Williams from Arnold High School in Panama City, Fla.

Williams will likely be on of the highest-rated safeties in the 2012 class. In fact, he should be on of the highest-rated prospects overall. Williams pulled the trigger so he could be Alabama’s first commitment for next year’s class.

Arnold coach James Hale said there’s a chance that Williams grows out of the safety position once he reaches college.

“He reminds me of Jevon Kearse, Hale told the Birmingham News. “Jevon was a free safety in high school, and then he went to Florida and blew up. Eddie’s built just like him. He’ll probably grow to 225, 230, maybe 235 pounds. I just don’t know if he’ll go 260, like Jevon.”

What seems to be clear is Williams can do a number of things on the field.

“As a receiver, he has the best hands,” Hale said. “He could play anywhere.”

Georgia has received a commitment from defensive lineman Chris Mayes from Spalding High School in Griffin, Ga.

Mayes chose Georgia over Miami, Louisville and Oklahoma State.

Mayes is Goergia’s 16th commitment for the 2011 class. He’s the 12th member of the class from inside the state of Georgia.

Phillip Dukes from Manning (S.C.) High School has named his top six schools: South Carolina, Clemson, North Carolina, Alabama, Georgia and Miami.

Dukes favors the three Carolina schools, according to The State in Columbia.

Dukes sat down with the newspaper to do a Q&A. Read it here. Here’s a sample from the conversation:

Q: What is your biggest strength as a player?

A: Bull rushing. I’m a power guy and a speed guy. I can rush the quarterback or play the run.

Defensive end Gerald Dixon from South Pointe High School in Rock Hill, S.C., has narrowed his list to five schools: Auburn, South Carolina, Tennessee, North Carolina and Wake Forest.

Dixon, who said all five schools are even, wants to take his five official visits before he chooses a school.

Dixon wants to play at the same school as his brother, who’s also named Gerald Dixon. He attends Northwestern High School in Rock Hill. The other Dixon brother has offers from South Carolina and Maryland.

Their father, Gerald Dixon Sr., played linebacker at South Carolina, which might have an advantage in their recruitment.

The story of the Dixon brothers can be confusing because they share the same first name. Thankfully, Joe Person of The State in Columbia wrote a story on the two back in February.

Check it out. You might become more confused, but you’ll at least be more informed.

Several prospects who are considering SEC schools are expected to make their college choices this week.

Wide receiver Kasen Williams from Skyline High School in Sammamish, Wash., is expected to choose among Florida, LSU, Washington, California and Notre Dame. Williams attends the same high school as current Brigham Young quarterback Jake Heaps.

Offensive lineman Zach West from Lexington (Ky.) Christian Academy will choose among Kentucky, Tennessee and Penn State. West is expected to announce his choice on Wednesday.

Offensive lineman Donovan Clark from Finneytown High School in Cincinnati is considering Tennessee, Cincinnati and Michigan State. He too will announce his decision on Wednesday.

In the 10 days since we last checked, there’s been a lot of shuffling on our SEC Recruiting Big Board.  Several teams have netted additional commitments since August the 13th.  Several more have seen their commitments’ rankings upgraded.

And that’s one of the problems with recruiting rankings services — good programs in good conferences often get the benefit of the doubt. 

In the past 10 days quite a few 0-star recruits have magically become 2- or even 3-star recruits simply because they committed to SEC schools.  And a couple of players have jumped from 3 stars to 4 or 5 just because they committed to traditional powers Alabama and LSU.

When you look at recruiting grades, they do give you a general idea of how a program is doing.  The more 5-star prospects you land, the better the chances you’ll hit on one of them.  It’s a little like slowly increasing your lottery odds by playing night after night after night.

But if you view star rankings as a science you’ll be in for a disappointment.  First, these rankings aren’t necessarily accurate to begin with.  Second, they can be skewed by school and conference name.  (Just how many 5-star guys do you think Boise State and TCU have on their Top 10 rosters this year?)  Third, players will develop differently based upon their own physiology, work ethic and coaching.

So enjoy our latest commitment comparison (which uses Rivals’ rankings)… but don’t take it too seriously:

Below are the SEC’s programs ranked by their “average” commitment: