Strengths and weaknesses of the SEC's 2016 recruiting class

Nine months from signing day, the SEC doesn’t have the death grip you’d expect at the top of national recruiting rankings.

Based on 247Sports’ current team composite, Florida State, Ohio State and Miami own college football’s most impressive classes up to this point with Georgia and Ole Miss rounding out the Top 5. Only four more teams from the SEC are featured in the next 10 slots with Duke and Southern Cal coming in ahead of Tennessee.

247Sports’ team composite 2016 recruiting rankings

Florida State
Ohio State
Miami
Georgia
Ole Miss
LSU
Kentucky
UCLA
Michigan State
Alabama
USC
Duke
Tennessee
Clemson
Penn State

It marks the second consecutive year the SEC’s projected to have only (using that loosely here) six teams finish in the Top 15 nationally after having at least seven squads among the the elites the two previous cycles.

The slow start will pick up steam if several of the 16 uncommitted five-stars head south with their final decisions, but until then, the SEC’s chasing two ACC programs and Urban Meyer.

Looking at the league’s 2016 verbal commits thus far, here’s how the collection of talent stacks up:

SEC’s 2016 recruiting strengths

Quarterback: The league’s taken a beating under center since 2012’s stellar crop of quarterbacks, but there’s help on the way. After all five senior starting quarterbacks from last fall went undrafted in May, most of us media types went directly began scanning rosters and prospective depth charts to find the next pro-ready quarterback. There aren’t many that jump off the page besides Mississippi State’s Dak Prescott who is a projected second-rounder in 2016, but a few years from now the SEC could have quite an exodus of top-notch talent at the position. Four of the nation’s top four quarterbacks have already committed to SEC schools, headlined by five-star pro-style passers Jacob Eason (Georgia) and Shea Patterson (Ole Miss). In addition, Tennessee has a future replacement for Joshua Dobbs in four-star Jarrett Guarantano while Feleipe Franks, the nation’s highest-rated dual threat, sees early playing time as a primary draw at LSU. Further down the line, four-star Brandon McIlwain has said yes to Steve Spurrier for next season, perhaps the Head Ball Coach’s last quarterback signee (if he sticks).

Cornerback: Of the eight currently committed Top 25 cornerbacks according to 247Sports’ individual player rankings, six have pledged to SEC programs including five-star Saivion Smith from Sunshine State power IMG Academy in Bradenton. He’s headed to LSU to join forces with 2015 five-star ballhawk Kevin Toliver. The Tigers are also expected to land four-stars Kristian Fulton and Trayvon Mullen. If they do, Les Miles’ haul on defense at the back end would further earn LSU the distinction of ‘DBU’ in the SEC. Alabama’s made secondary help a priority in next year’s class and already has a commitment from four-star Shyheim Carter, the nation’s third-best corner ranked just ahead of Fulton and Mullen. Based on current crystal ball predictions, the SEC could land as many as 14 of the country’s 25-best cornerbacks on signing day, an impressive number.

Offensive tackle: Three SEC teams have zeroed in on five-star Willie Allen, a 6-foot-8, 300-pound beast of a blocker out of New Orleans. If he commits to either Alabama, Ole Miss or LSU, the league will have secured non-binding verbal agreements from five of the nation’s top nine players at the position. Gregory Little, the top-ranked player in Texas and second-best player in the country overall, committed to Kevin Sumlin last June and is considered solid with his decision. Georgia has two possible four-star replacements for current senior tackles John Theus and Kolton Houston in E.J. Price and Ben Cleveland. Alabama beat out Southern Cal, Auburn and several other SEC programs in April for Jonah Williams’ pledge, a four-star from Folsom, Calif.

SEC’s 2016 recruiting weaknesses

Running back: Despite the nation’s best collection of current sophomores at the position, the SEC appears to be losing ground from a recruiting standpoint at running back. The nation’s only five-star at a relatively weak position in 2016, Kareem Walker is committed to Ohio State along with the second highest-rated ballcarrier, Demario McCall. James Franklin at Penn State has received a verbal agreement from four-star Miles Sanders, a 2016 Under Armour All-American. Texas A&M is trying to pry Devwah Whaley away from Oklahoma and Texas and is expected to do so, which would give the SEC only three of the nation’s Top 10 players at the position. Georgia (B.J. Emmons) and Ole Miss (Justin Connor) have the others. The projections look even worse for the SEC at the all-purpose back position. Five-star track star Tavien Feaster’s heading to Clemson while the nation’s other top six most versatile players have either committed elsewhere or are currently trending outside of the SEC.