Psst.  Ya know how close we are to National Signing Day 2014?  Just 39 weeks.  And that’s no time at all in the world of high-stakes college football recruiting, doncha know?

Below you’ll find an updated overview of how the SEC’s football programs are performing on the recruiting trail heading into summer.  As usual, we’ve used Rivals.com’s star ratings as out launch point.  For each star Rivals assigns, we assign a point.  But we also give a point to those players who are currently 0-star prospects according to Rivals (because their tapes have not yet been graded).

First, let’s look at sheer quantity.  The table below shows the total number of “talent points” currently committed to each SEC program.

Next, we’ll take a look at quality.  The table below shows the average points-per-commit for each SEC program.

Read the rest of this entry »

Any schools out there looking to nab another quarterback before the 2013 season can turn their eyes to Happy Valley.  And try to get in line in front of Mississippi State, apparently.

Former Penn State quarterback Steven Bench is looking to leave the Nittany Lions program after a season spent mainly on the bench last year.  Bench’s pass attempt total in 2013: eight.  According to the QB — who thanks to PSU’s NCAA penalties can transfer and play immediately — he wants “a shot to compete for playing time where I go to school next.”  Late last week it was reportedly that that next school just might be Mississippi State.

Bench admitted that multiple reports of “mutual interest” between him and Dan Mullen’s program were correct.  ESPN reports that he’s also considering South Florida.  But he’s putting the word out loudly and clearly that he’s open to talking with anyone:

“I’m not against being away from home even though with the reports out there that I’m deciding between schools closer than say, Penn State from where I am in Georgia.  At this point I want everyone to know I’m open to any school and any situation.  That sounds like a cliche but it’s the truth…

If we were to take the academics out of the equation and talk about on the field, I’m going to my new school to play football.  Not watch football being played.”

Bench was rated a three-star dual-threat quarterback prospect by Rivals.com coming out of high school.  At Mississippi State, the starting quarterback is junior Tyler Russell.  His backup is redshirt freshman Dak Prescott, who missed spring practice after having surgery to repair a ligament in his big toe.

It’s debated several times per year.

“Stars don’t matter,” one person will say.

“Of course they do,” another person will respond.

And away they go. It’s a common question in recruiting: how much do star rankings matter when it comes to recruiting? After all, we’ve see both 5-star recruits (Adrian Peterson) and 3-star prospects (Arian Foster) go on to shine in the NFL.

But if you look at the list of SEC players selected in the first round of the NFL draft on Thursday night, you will see a group of highly-rated prospects before they entered college. Below is the list of 12 SEC players drafted on Thursday night with each player’s Rivals.com star-rating before they arrived in college.

OL Luke Joeckel – 4
LB Barkevious Mingo – 4
CB Dee Milliner – 5
OL Chance Warmack – 3
OL D.J. Fluker – 5
DT Sheldon Richardson – 4
LB Jarvis Jones – 4
S Eric Reid – 4
DT Sharrif Floyd – 5
WR Cordarrelle Patterson – 4
LB Alec Ogletree – 4
S Matt Elam – 5

Notice a trend. Of the 12 SEC players drafted by the NFL on Thursday, 11 of them had a 4- or 5-star ranking before entering college. The one player who didn’t receive such a distinction, Warmack, was the highest-ranked three-star guard in the nation (No. 20 overall) in the 2009 class.

How about some of the SEC players who were projected as borderline first-round picks but instead will likely slip to the second round on Friday? Wide receiver Justin Hunter, running back Eddie Lacy, linebacker Kevin Minter and defensive tackle Jesse Williams were all given four-star ratings by Rivals.

This still doesn’t mean that only 4- and 5-star players are worth the time of coaches in the SEC. Just look at Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel, who was rated a 3-star prospect by Rivals.

This year’s No. 1 draft pick, offensive tackle Eric Fisher, was a 2-star prospect out of high school when he signed with Central Michigan. In fact, there were more players with a 3-star rating or worse (15) drafted last night than players with a 4-star rating (12).

But why is that? It’s simply a numbers thing. There are so many more prospects each year with a 3-star rating or below than there are players with a 4- or 5-star ranking.

The 2009 signing class had only 33 5-star prospects, according to Rivals. That’s 33 5-star players out of thousands of prospects around the nation. Other services, such as ESPN RecruitingNation, give out even less 5-star rankings each year.

While a lesser amount of 5-star players might be selected in the draft each year, there is a much higher percentage compared to every other star ranking.

Six of the 30 5-star prospects in the 2008 class were drafted in the first round of the NFL draft. That’s 20 percent of the 5-star class, a ratio 3-star players and below will never come close to touching.

There’s a larger amount of 4-star players each year, but still not enough to go around for everyone.

That’s why evaluating correctly becomes critical for coaches in the SEC. Schools like Alabama, Florida, Georgia and LSU will be loaded with 4- and 5-star prospects each year. It’s the addition of players like Warmack that can help make the difference in championship runs.

Richt knows the NFL matters

Coaches will talk to prospects about everything when it comes to recruiting.

Read the rest of this entry »

Sophomore Brandon Allen is a quarterback.  Senior Brandon Mitchell is a quarterback who was turned into a wideout who then turned himself into a basketball player and who’s now been turned back into a quarterback.

Armed with that information, most Arkansas fans knew that the younger of the two Brandons had the inside track to the Razorbacks’ starting job entering spring.  According to his coach, it sounds like Allen is doing everything necessary to nail down that gig (though a starter probably won’t be named until fall).

Over the weekend, Bret Bielema once again praised Allen for his performance in the Hogs’ latest scrimmage:

“I thought our offense today at times in the early parts looked really, really good.  Brandon Allen especially.  Looked crisp on some of his throws, stepping up in the pocket and doing things we’ve asked him to do.”

According to HawgSports.com — the Rivals.com site covering Arkansas — Allen completed four of six deep passes on Saturday with receivers taking the blame for the two incompletions.

Last season, Allen played in just five games for the Razorbacks connecting on 21-of-49 passes for 186 yards, one touchdown, and three interceptions.  That’s hardly a long resume.  And the change from the Arkansas’ old pass-first system to Bielema’s run-first offense could mitigate some of the experience Allen did gain during his freshman year.

That said, for those who don’t remember, Allen was ranked as the #5 pro-style quarterback in the country coming out of high school.  He has talent to be sure, but it’s likely to be pretty raw early in the season.

Last week we noted that it will be interesting to see if Bielema and new offensive coordinator Jim Chaney — a pass-first guy — mesh in Fayetteville.  But one definite benefit of Chaney’s hire is his ability to polish signal-callers.  In two stints as a college offensive coordinator Chaney has put two QBs in the NFL (Drew Brees and Kyle Orton from Purdue) and another will join them later this month (Tyler Bray from Tennessee).  That bodes well for Allen and Arkansas.

The fact that most folks around the Arkansas program feel that Allen continues is opening a gap between himself and Mitchell suggests that the sophomore is already taking to Chaney’s tutelage.  It also suggests that he’ll indeed be the Razorbacks’ starter this fall… just as everyone expected.

Defensive back Jamal Adams from Hebron High School in Lewisville, Texas, knows plenty about the Big 12.

That’s one reason he’s anxious to visit some schools in the SEC.

Adams has offers from programs around the country, including Florida, Florida State, Michigan, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Texas and Texas A&M.

Adams, who’s already visited Baylor, Oklahoma and Texas, told the Dallas Morning News his next visit will be to Texas A&M.

“I’m excited about heading down to Texas A&M,” he said. “They are definitely on the rise. Coach (Kevin) Sumlin is getting them right down there. Johnny Manziel is doing a great job of leading the team too. I’ve been to pretty much all of the Big 12 so I want to see something different. I want to see what the SEC is all about.”

Adams is only the latest prospect from Texas to show a strong interest in the SEC. It’s an interest that has increased in the last year thanks to Texas A&M’s arrival and early success in the league.

That doesn’t mean schools like Oklahoma and Texas will no longer be able to recruit in their own backyard. They’ll have plenty of success there in the future. But they’ll also have to deal with recruits showing more interest in the SEC.

An example: Gilmer, Texas, wide receiver Josh Walker, a Texas A&M commitment who last month told Sporting News that the Aggies have jumped Texas in the eyes of many recruits.

“I do think A&M has become sexier than Texas because of the fact that they’re the only SEC team in Texas and a lot of athletes want to play in the pre-NFL conference,” Walker told Sporting News.

The next two Texas A&M prospects to watch: linebacker Otaro Alaka from Houston and defensive end Jarrett Johnson from Katy, Texas. Both prospects were in attendance at Texas A&M’s Friday Night Lights last week and came away impressed by the Aggies.

Alaka will likely be the first of the two to announce his decision. He’s scheduled to make his commitment on Monday.

“I have a tough decision to make,” Alaka told Rivals.com.

Texas A&M has made Johnson’s decision more difficult. He was favoring Texas before his visit to Texas A&M last week. Now, the Aggies appear to have the edge.

“I feel like I was more impressed by what I saw and I felt more into the game by being allowed on the sideline the entire scrimmage,” Johnson told Rivals. “I was down there before they started (at Texas) but then we were sent to the stands.”

And so the battle continues.

Florida flips Clemson running back

Florida received good news last weekend when running back Dalvin Cook from Miami Central High School decided to switch his commitment from Clemson to the Gators.  Read the rest of this entry »

If Johnny Manziel is college football’s must-watch player on offense in 2013, then South Carolina defensive end Jadeveon Clowney is college football’s must-watch player on defense.  But he himself will likely do nothing more than watch for the rest of USC’s spring practice.

Last week, Clowney suffered a minor neck sprain when he collided with one of his defensive teammates during a practice drill.  He was still sore yesterday and team doctors decided not to clear him for Tuesday’s work.

According to GamecockCentral.com — the Rivals site covering USC — Clowney “will probably remain in street clothes for the final three workouts, including Saturday afternoon’s spring game.”

“My back and neck are hurting me, but I should be ok coming out of spring ball and should come around,” Clowney said.  “We’ll have to see (about practice).  That’s up to the coaches.  It’s not really about being out here.  It’s about learning the playbook.  We put in some new stuff, so all I have to do is learn the play calls.  The rest of it, I’ll catch up on.”

Defensive coordinator Lorenzo Ward added: “His neck and back is still stiff.  Whether he goes another snap (this spring), I don’t care.”

It’s expected Carolina will use its veterans only briefly during Saturday’s spring game, seizing the opportunity to focus on younger players instead.

Clowney’s profile was lifted into the stratosphere thanks in part to a remarkable play against Michigan in last year’s Outback Bowl.  The play was subsequently featured on ESPN somewhere north of a million times.

Clowney was an All-American last year and is expected to be the top pick in the NFL draft next spring.  There has even been talk of him being a Heisman Trophy candidate.

Earlier this year some debated whether the junior should even play this fall and risk injury.  Well, sure enough, he didn’t make it through spring practice without an injury.  But at least the injury is not believed to be a serious one.

Nearing the finish line of the first academic year in the SEC, Missouri A.D. Mike Alden gave an interview to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that covers a variety of issues.  Alden had plenty to say on everything from expansion to renewing ancient rivalries.

1. Why he believes the immediate future of the SEC is 14 teams

“The goal there is to continue to improve that brand, and I think they can do that with the 14 institutions that they have. “But the one thing commissioner (Mike Slive) always says is, ‘We can’t sit back on our laurels.’ ”

An additional league-wide note. While not quoted in the story on the topic, Alden told the paper going from an eight-game conference schedule to a nine-game schedule is still being debated.

2.  On the importance of football and Missouri’s 5-7  record in 2012

“That’s the reality of college athletics. How are you utilizing that asset of football? … That’s our key…

“That was challenging to our fans to see that. … We don’t want to become accustomed to something like that. We’re used to bowl games and used to winning games, and I’m confident we’ll get back in there as we head into the 2013 season.”

3. The NCAA case against Miami, the former employer of Missouri basketball coach Frank Haith

“Just following that pattern and seeing where it currently is, certainly it gives us confidence in Frank. We’ve always had a lot of confidence in Frank, but it just reinforces for us a lot of the things that we’ve always seen in him.”

Asked if the NCAA’s credibility was at stake, Alden replied, “Yes, yes, and not just in the Miami case.”

4. Resuming competition with former Big 12 opponents

“We have relationships with all of those people in the Big 12. So I think once the dust settles on the move — it is settling; it hasn’t settled yet — I think there’s going to be more opportunity for us to schedule one another.

“I also think the relationship with the SEC and the Big 12, whether it has to do with the bowl game (the leagues have formed) or whether it has to do with a basketball challenge that we’re working on right now, those types of things are also going to help that.”

5. Missouri’s standing offer to resume the rivalry with Kansas

“And we’re going to keep it there. We will keep it there. With (KU chancellor) Bernadette Gray-Little, I know (MU chancellor Brady) Deaton has done that. I certainly have done that on several occasions with (Kansas AD Sheahon Zenger).

“And we understand that Kansas, who we have a high respect for, they need to make that decision. We understand that. We’ll be patient on that, because we do think that the opportunity to compete against one another, that’s a generational thing. …

“The immediacy of leaving the league is, ‘We’re ticked,’ but the long-term play is this is a generational opponent and why wouldn’t you want two great institutions … to be able to compete against each other? And hopefully that will happen somewhere down the line.”

Alden was also asked about playing St. Louis University in basketball and indicated that part of the  challenge was geographical.  ”Our focus has to got to be instead of having two games in St. Louis, how can we have one game in St. Louis and one in Kansas City?”

Tennessee coach Butch Jones inherited a mess when he was hired on Dec. 7.

The Vols had just finished their third straight losing season and fourth in the last five years. At the same time, Tennessee’s 2013 class was hanging around the bottom half of the SEC while its top rivals in the league were preparing to bring in more championship-caliber players.

So it’s no surprise Jones and his staff made the 2014 class a priority before the 2013 class was even signed.

“Recruiting is a relationship business, and you’re trying to work as fast as you can to build those relationships,” Jones said on signing day on Feb. 6.

Jones has had to work even harder because of the damaged relationships between in-state high schools and the previous coaching staff at Tennessee, led by former head coach Derek Dooley.

The Vols failed to sign one of the top five players in the state in 2013. Top-rated prospect Jalen Ramsey (Florida State signee) from Brentwood visited Tennessee but never strongly considered the Vols. Chattanooga safety Vonn Bell signed with Ohio State because Dooley didn’t built a relationship with Bell, according to his father.

Other Tennessee high school coaches claim to have never met Dooley. But they’ve met Jones, and his effort appears to be paying off.

Tennessee received commitments from Webb School of Knoxville safety Todd Kelly Jr. on Sunday and followed that up on Thursday with a pledge from Beech (Hendersonville) High School running back Jalen Hurd, the state’s top-ranked player and the No. 15 overall prospect for the 2014 class, according to Rivals.

Both Hurd and Kelly took closer looks at Tennessee, which has five commitments for 2014, after the coaching change. In fact, the Vols were barely on Hurd’s radar less than four months ago.

“I didn’t have much of a relationship with Coach Dooley or his staff,” Hurd told the Chattanooga Times Free-Press in November.

Jones made sure that changed, letting Hurd know he was a priority shortly after taking over at Tennessee. Another boost for the Vols came on Christmas Day when athlete Vic Wharton from Independence High School in Nashville, Tenn., became Tennessee’s first commitment for the 2014 class.

Wharton has since focused on spreading the word about Tennessee to recruits throughout the state and nation. He’s done so with his twitter account, which is filled with messages promoting the program.

Do you wanna #RiseToTheTop or get Left at the Bottom!? The decision is obvious! #VOLS

— Victor LaRoy Wharton (@VWharton5) March 15, 2013

Hurd and Kelly have gotten into the mix as well. Kelly said Monday he would call several prospects to help recruit them to Tennessee. Hurd was one of them.

Read the rest of this entry »

LSU had a successful week in recruiting.

The Tigers received a commitment on Monday from safety Edward Paris of Timberview High School in Mansfield, Texas.

Paris, who’s ranked the nation’s No. 38 overall prospect by Rivals.com, is LSU’s sixth commitment for the class of 2014.

And he could turn out to be the most important.

That’s not because he will be the most talented prospect in the class (athough he could be) or play the most important position.

But Paris could provide early momentum for what already looks like a strong class.

Five of LSU’s six commitments are rated inside the Rivals250, which leads the SEC and is tied with Texas for most in the nation.

Paris believes he can help bring more talent with him to Baton Rouge.

“Yeah, I’ll call guys,” he told Rivals. “In a lot of ways this adds momentum to the class. Other guys can see if I can do it, they can as well.”

Top targets for LSU in the 2014 class include cornerback Tony Brown from Beaumont, Texas, running back Leonard Fournette from New Orleans and wide receiver Trey Quinn from Lake Charles, La.

And with Paris’s lead, more prospects like him could be headed to LSU.

Rebels, Vols must replace quality recruiters

Ole Miss and Tennessee each lost a top recruiting assistant this week.

Read the rest of this entry »

February 27, 2013.  Mark down the date.  South Carolina’s Steve Spurrier — long a needler of Georgia’s football program — decided to say some nice things about the Bulldogs’ in-state recruiting yesterday.

(We’ll pause for the shock to wear off.)

Asked if beating Georgia in three consecutive seasons helped his Gamecocks recruit the Peach State, Spurrier told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution:

“I don’t know how much winning three in a row against them helps there.  It just helps that we’ve gone 11-2.  I don’t think we out-recruit Georgia very seldom.  We may get one every now and then that could go to Georgia.  But overall, Georgia gets most of the Georgia kids.  Not all of them, but they’ve almost always recruited the state well, the ones they are after.

You know, there’s a whole bunch of guys there, and they can’t recruit them all.  And I tell people all the time, if there’s 40 defensive backs that sign, how do we know who is going to the best in college?  Someone is going to rate a 5-star and another one a 3-star.  But again, who knows until they go to college and start playing?

There are so many good players in that state. Maybe Georgia gets the most of the top-ranked ones.  But there’s plenty of outstanding players after that.”

Spurrier is correct in saying that UGA usually locks up the best players within its home state.  This past year, however, was an exception.  The Dawgs signed just one of the top 12 players in Georgia (as ranked by Rivals.com).  Still, Mark Richt and crew inked the #12 ranked class in the country.  Carolina’s class finished just behind them in the #16 slot.