Breaking Down how the SEC Finished Top to Bottom in Rankings on National Signing Day

Written by Ryan Wright

Twitter: @HogManInLA

Recruiting rankings are always to be taken with a grain of salt and an objective eye. The star power associated with various recruits can be accurate or inflated leading to various programs and their fan bases to have an overly optimistic outlook about an incoming class only to be disappointed on down the line when a couple of 4-stars never make an impact.

When the dust settled on National Signing Day 2016, the Top 5 teams in the SEC certainly cleaned house restocking the talent within the ranks but none more than Alabama and LSU. Alabama impressed with a strong close but LSU had put together a great class throughout the process weathering the storm by losing 5-star linebacker Erick Fowler to Texas but picking up in-state 5- or 4-star, depending on the recruiting service, cornerback Kristian Fulton. Per Rivals, Alabama had five 5-star recruits and 10 4-star prospects while LSU had zero 5-stars but had 15 4-stars. The difference for the Tide was nine 3-star signees compared to six for the Tigers.

Ole Miss continued to shock the nation with their recruiting haul landing 24 overall with two 5-stars, 10 4-stars, and 12 3-star recruits ending at No. 3. Auburn scrambled at the end to get to 21 signees landing five on Wednesday; 5-star DT Derrick Brown, 4-star WR Nate Craig-Myers, 4-star DE Prince Sammons, 3-star Jayvaughn Myers, and 2-star DB Daniel Thomas.

Georgia finished at No. 5 but this is where Bulldog Nation, like many other teams, can claim a different type of success. The overall rankings are a point total system thus a team with 30 commits with five 4-stars and 26 3-star players could in theory be higher ranked than a class of 19 commits that includes four 5-stars, 10 4-stars, and five 3-star players.

Per the “star ranking average” Georgia finished second in the SEC in perceived total talent, Bama still ruled the roost. Auburn was No. 3 followed by Ole Miss, LSU, Tennessee, Texas A&M, Florida, Mississippi State, Arkansas, South Carolina, Kentucky, Missouri, and Vanderbilt.

No matter which site one gives more credibility to for player rankings, the SEC landed five teams in the Top 10 by both Rivals and 247Sports; Alabama, LSU, Ole Miss, Auburn, and Georgia. Florida, Tennessee, and Texas A&M firmly rounded out the SEC in Top 25.

A break in the next level comes with Arkansas coming in with the 10th best team per 247Sports slightly ahead of South Carolina. Mississippi State also takes a jump in the rankings coming in ahead of Kentucky just missing the Top 30 at No. 31 with Kentucky dropping to No. 34. No matter how one views the rankings, Missouri and Vanderbilt finished No. 13 and No. 14 respectively in both lists.

Recruiting Rankings SEC/Nationally – Rivals vs. 247Sports

Alabama – No. 1, No. 1 – No. 1

LSU – No. 2, No. 6 – No. 3

Ole Miss – No. 3, No. 7 – No. 6

Auburn – No. 4, No. 9 – No. 9

Georgia – No. 5, No. 10 – No. 7

Florida – No. 6, No. 14 – No. 13

Tennessee – No. 7, No. 15 – No. 14

Texas A&M – No. 8, No. 16 – No. 18

South Carolina – No. 9, No. 26 – No. 26

Kentucky – No. 10, No. 29 – No. 34

Arkansas – No. 11, No. 32 – No. 25

Mississippi State – No. 12, No. 36 – No. 31

Missouri – No. 13, No. 53 – No. 53

Vanderbilt – No. 14, No. 60 – No. 54

Photo credit: fansided.com; Nick Saban hoist 2015 national championship trophy.