Each cycle, the SEC brings in new stars.

Here are five who stand out even among their elite peers.

Shea Patterson, QB, Shreveport, La. (five stars, Ole Miss commit)

I decided to pick one quarterback on this list. Georgia commit Jacob Eason will be the first to play because Georgia has a greater need for improved at the position. However, Patterson’s year as an apprentice under Chad Kelly should help him get out the gates quickly when he takes over as a full-time starter in 2017. As I’ve said before, the 2013 recruiting class at Ole Miss got the Rebels’ program on the map, but this class, led by an elite quarterback prospect in Patterson, will get Ole Miss into the college football playoffs.

Lyndell “Mack” Wilson, LB, Montgomery, Ala. (five stars, uncommitted)

Wilson is the sort of sideline-to-sideline tackling machine I grew up watching. He’s got all the tools you want in a guy playing the position — pursuit, quick reflexes, sure tackler, natural instincts. He’s going to be a guy that fills the stat sheet. He’ll get tackles, he’ll defend passes, he’ll rush the quarterback on occasion, he’ll force fumbles. Wilson is going to be a special player.

Gregory Little, OT, Allen, Texas (five stars, Ole Miss commit)

If Patterson becomes the franchise-type quarterback for Ole Miss I expect him to be, he needs to stand upright most of the time. Little is quite simply the best offensive lineman in this class. He’s not as athletic as Laremy Tunsil, but he’s just as good with his feet and he’s going to be a stellar pass blocker in a league loaded with pass rushers. A starter in 2016 and a top 10 selection in the 2019 NFL Draft.

McTelvin Agim, DE, Hope, Ark. (four stars, Arkansas commit)

As a freshman I see Agim as a player who will use his motor to make plays. By the time Agim is a sophomore and going forward, he’ll grow into 280-pounder who has a full understanding of his tools and how to use them. He’s naturally athletic and has the size and strength you want in a DE. The consistency and the knowledge to know how to attack offenses will be something he improves as a freshman and unleashes on the world as a sophomore.

Kyle Davis, WR, Lawrenceville, Ga. (four stars, Auburn commit)

It was between Davis and uncommitted prospect A.J. Brown, so I looked at how the player would excel in the system. Auburn’s passing game is about going downfield and making big players. Davis, at a shade over 6-foot-2, 215 pounds, is a big receiver who will get down the field and catch deep balls. I look at the film and I see a lot of qualities that Duke Williams had, a little bit of physical power like Laquon Treadwell. He’ll primarily be a deep threat early, but he’ll improve into a all-around receiver with a strong route tree as he gets older.

10 OTHERS TO WATCH

  • DT Raekwon Davis (Alabama/Mississippi State commit)
  • QB Jacob Eason (Georgia commit)
  • RB Devwah Whaley (Arkansas commit)
  • WR A.J. Brown (uncommitted)
  • DT Rashard Lawrence (LSU commit)
  • DB Chauncey Gardner (Florida commit)
  • DE Mark Jackson Jr. (Texas A&M commit)
  • DB Jamarcus King (South Carolina commit, JUCO)
  • TE Isaac Nauta (Georgia commit)
  • OL Landon Young (Kentucky commit)