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No matter what recruiting service at which you look, the SEC has as many as 10 programs in the top-25 and seven in the top-14 of the 2015 rankings.
While you may or may not put a lot of stock into rankings, there’s no question the SEC recruits better than any other conference in the country.
With National Signing Day less than a month away, Saturday Down South looks at the top 20 prospects at each position group and how many will or could play for SEC teams in 2015.
Editor’s Note: Below is a list of the consensus top 20 safeties across all three major recruiting services: 247Sports, Rivals and Scout.
Safety: The 2016 class is led by three Texas recruits with several other elite prospects from California, Florida and Georgia. LSU has commitments from two of the top 20, including No. 2 Eric Monroe, and Auburn also has a top 20 recruit. The SEC is the likely choice of three of the eight top 20 uncommitted prospects.
Uncommitted Targets: The nation’s No. 1 safety Brandon Jones is considered likely to choose Texas A&M. The Aggies are battling Ole Miss for No. 3 Deontay Anderson, and Tennessee, Alabama and Georgia are the primary contenders for No. 4 Nigel Warrior.
TOP 20 SAFETIES
1. Brandon Jones, Uncommitted — Texas A&M is the favorite for the 5-11, 193-pound standout from Nacogdoches, Texas, with Texas still in the running.
2. Eric Monroe, LSU — The Tigers have a commitment from the 6-0, 180-pound Houston prospect, giving them a dream corps of recruits for the secondary.
3. Deontay Anderson, Uncommitted — Another Texan the 6-1, 192-pound Anderson is believed to be leaning toward Ole Miss with Texas A&M also in the fight. LSU is considered a longshot.
4. Nigel Warrior, Uncommitted — The 6-0, 186-pound Atlanta-area prospect is choosing between Tennessee, Alabama and Georgia.
5. Lamar Jackson, Uncommitted — Southern Cal is in the lead for the 6-3, 210-pound Californian with Nebraska the only serious competition.
6. Brandon Burton, Uncommitted — Southern Cal is also the leader for the 6-2, 195-pound Burton, another Californian, but UCLA remains firmly in the picture and Florida State remains in the running.
7. Shurod Thompson, Oregon State — The 6-2, 202-pound Thompson, a California native, is a signature commitment for the Beavers.
8. Demetric Vance, Michigan State — The 6-2, 193-pound Detroit native, is the top safety committed to a Big Ten school.
9. Marquel Dismuke, Nebraska — Another California targeted by Nebraska, the 6-1, 180-pound Dismuke has committed to the Huskers.
10. Dylan Singleton, Duke — The 5-11, 180-pound Atlanta-area player chose the Blue Devils over offers from Georgia, Auburn, Oklahoma and Ohio State.
11. Brady Breeze, Oregon — The 6-0, 185-pound Breeze has committed to stay in his home state.
12. Cameron Lewis, LSU — The Tigers are cleaning up with top secondary recruits, including the 6-1, 192-pound home-state prospect.
13. C.J. Pollard, Southern Cal — The Trojans have another top commitment in the 6-1, 180-pound, home-state product.
14. Andrew Pryts, Penn State — The Nittany Lions have a commitment from the 6-1, 199-pound Pennsylvania native.
15. Romeo Finley — Uncommitted — The 6-1, 198-pound Fort Walton Beach, Fla., native seems headed to the ACC with Georgia Tech, Clemson and Louisville as the frontrunners.
16. Isaiah Simmons, Uncommitted — Missouri is given an outside chance at landing the 6-3, 195-pound prospect from the Kansas side of Kansas City, though Nebraska is considered the favorite.
17. Craig Watts, Uncommitted — The 6-0, 180-pound prospect from St. Petersburg, Fla., has been reported as making commitments to Wisconsin and Colorado, and now North Carolina and Ohio State seem to be the leaders.
18. Marlon Character, Auburn — At 6-0, 170 pounds, the Atlanta prospect chose the Tigers over SEC rivals Georgia, Alabama and South Carolina.
19. Kenney Lyke, Michigan State — The 6-2 Chicago-area product committed last spring and was not heavily recruited by SEC teams.
20. Eric Burrell, Wisconsin — The Baltimore-area native was not heavily recruited by SEC teams.
