As the Early Signing Period arrives this week, and the first phase of the Class of 2020 official process comes to an end, three SEC teams have been noted by an ESPN recruiting expert as having the chance to close strong.

Craig Haubert, who is the National Recruiting Coordinator for ESPN, said on the Herbie & Pollack podcast with Kevin Negandhi that he has noticed something that stands out about Alabama, Georgia and Tennessee in late recruiting efforts.

Haubert said Tennessee closed strong a year ago in the February period and jumped to the cusp of the top 10. This year, he sees more of the same, although without the sizzle.

“They’re not going to have quite the impact as far as the big names, but I think there’s still a lot out there for them,” he said. “… They were able to close with a string of wins and head out on the recruiting trail and I could see them adding three or four quality kind of 4-star prospects to the class and kind of bump it up more towards the top 15.”

Since 2005, Haubert said he doesn’t remember as competitive a race for the No. 1 recruiting class as this year. He said five teams are in the mix to win that title by February. Alabama and LSU are in that conversation, along with the Bulldogs, who could get back into a top three slot.

“Georgia’s sitting there at five, where they’re in the mix for several players,” he said. “Things could really get interesting over the next few weeks. I look at the boards, and those teams with the most to gain in terms of volume, and it might be Alabama and Georgia. Georgia may be a little bit of a delayed reaction because there are some players that they seem to be the favorite for, Kevin, that may not publicly announce until after the early signing period during that All-American bowl stretch. They’re in the market for quite a few top-rated corners and defensive backs, and they’re also in the mix for one of the top tight ends in the nation, Darnell Washington out of Las Vegas. I think Georgia’s kind of the one sitting back who maybe a little bit too far out to get the No. 1, but could certainly push back into that top three.”