Looking ahead: A breakdown of the SEC’s best 2015 recruiting classes
By Ethan Levine
Published:
Once again, Alabama and Georgia are putting together two tremendous recruiting classes that are certain to keep both programs near the top of the SEC in the coming years.
For most programs, those classes would be a once-in-a-generation opportunity; for Alabama and Georgia, it’s business as usual.
The Crimson Tide and Bulldogs have both amassed top-10 recruiting classes for four consecutive years, and both power programs are well on their way to making it five straight with this year’s haul. National Signing Day may still be two months away, but the two schools already have 47 hard commitments between them, including six five-star prospects, 26 four-stars and 12 players ranked in the top-100 of the 247 Sports composite rankings.
Alabama has the deepest recruiting class in the SEC, featuring four five-star players and 14 more four-star prospects. Georgia’s is nearly as deep, and the Dawgs have attracted the SEC’s best high school prospect from the Class of 2015 (so far) in defensive tackle Trent Thompson.
Thompson is the No. 2 player in the nation from this year’s class, and all five of Georgia’s top-100 commitments hail from the state of Georgia.
Four other schools in the SEC boast multiple top-100 prospects in their current recruiting classes, setting up a bright future for a conference already loaded with talent.
Here are the SEC’s best Class of 2015 recruiting hauls to date, featuring each school’s top-100 commitments as of Dec. 8.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Saturday Down South’s references to recruiting rankings are to 247Sports.com industry composite ranking.
1. Alabama: Hard commits — 22; Five-stars — 4; Four-stars — 14; Top-100 players — 7
| NAT RK | PLAYER | H.S. (CITY, STATE) | STAR | POS | HT | WT |
| 12 | Blake Barnett | Santiago (Corona, Calif.) | 5 | DUAL | 6’4” | 200 |
| 14 | Calvin Ridley | Monarch (Pompano Beach, Fla.) | 5 | WR | 6’0” | 170 |
| 30 | Minkah Fitzpatrick | St. Peters Prep (Jersey City, N.J.) | 5 | CB | 6’1” | 198 |
| 37 | Deionte Thompson | West Orange-Stark (Orange, Tex.) | 5 | S | 6’2” | 181 |
| 43 | Lester Cotton | Central (Tuscaloosa, Ala.) | 4 | OG | 6’4” | 325 |
| 54 | Richie Petitbone | Gonzaga (Washington, D.C.) | 4 | OG | 6’4” | 301 |
| 87 | Desherrius Flowers | Vigor (Mobile, Ala.) | 4 | RB | 6’1” | 212 |
2. Georgia: Hard commits — 25; Five-stars — 2; Four-stars — 12; Top-100 players — 5
| NAT RANK | PLAYER | H.S. (CITY, STATE) | STAR | POS | HGT | WGT |
| 2 | Trent Thompson | Westover (Albany, Ga.) | 5 | DT | 6’4” | 292 |
| 20 | Terry Godwin | Callaway (Hogansville, Ga.) | 5 | ATH | 6’0” | 168 |
| 73 | Jonathan Ledbetter | Tucker (Tucker, Ga.) | 4 | SDE | 6’4” | 265 |
| 80 | Natrez Patrick | Mays (Atlanta, Ga.) | 4 | WDE | 6’3” | 220 |
| 97 | Rashad Roundtree | Lakeside (Evans, Ga.) | 4 | S | 6’1” | 195 |
3. Tennessee: Hard commits — 25; Five-stars — 2; Four-stars — 7; Top-100 players — 4
| NAT RANK | PLAYER | H.S. (CITY, STATE) | STAR | POS | HGT | WGT |
| 3 JUCO | Alvin Kamara | Hutchinson C.C. (Hutchinson, Kan.) | 5 | RB | 5’10” | 212 |
| 10 | Kahlil McKenzie | Clayton Valley (Concord, Calif.) | 5 | DT | 6’4” | 319 |
| 29 | Preston Williams | Lovejoy (Hampton, Ga.) | 4 | WR | 6’4” | 191 |
| 41 | Shy Tuttle | North Davidson (Lexington, N.C.) | 4 | DT | 6’3” | 311 |
4. Texas A&M: Hard commits — 21; Five-stars — 2; Four-stars — 10; Top-100 recruits — 2
| NAT RANK | PLAYER | H.S. (CITY, STATE) | STAR | POS | HGT | WGT |
| 19 | Daylon Mack | Gladewater (Gladewater, Tex.) | 5 | DT | 6’1” | 330 |
| 24 | Kyler Murray | Allen (Allen, Tex.) | 5 | DUAL | 5’10” | 180 |
5. So. Carolina: Hard commits — 27; Five-stars — 0; Four-stars — 11; Top-100 recruits — 2
| NAT RANK | PLAYER | H.S. (CITY, STATE) | STAR | POS | HGT | WGT |
| 2 JUCO | Marquavius Lewis | Hutchinson C.C. (Hutchinson, Kan.) | 4 | SDE | 6’4” | 271 |
| 96 | Mark Fields | Monarch (Pompano Beach, Fla.) | 4 | CB | 5’11” | 183 |
6. Auburn: Hard commits — 19; Five-stars — 1; Four-stars — 10; Top-100 recruits — 2
| NAT RANK | PLAYER | H.S. (CITY, STATE) | STAR | POS | HGT | WGT |
| 1 JUCO | Jovon Robinson | Georgia Military College (Milledgeville, Ga.) | 5 | RB | 5’11” | 225 |
| 39 | Kerryon Johnson | Madison Academy (Madison, Ala.) | 4 | ATH | 6’0” | 200 |
A former newspaper reporter who has roamed the southeastern United States for years covering football and eating way too many barbecue ribs, if there is such a thing.
