Every SEC team's best in-state, out-of-state commitment in 2019
While we wait for bowl season to kick off, let’s take a look at the recruiting season and how each team in the SEC is doing.
It’s certainly a nationwide search for the top players as indicated by this year’s All-SEC team. Of the 26 first team All-SEC players, only 12 were in-state at their respective schools. Only three teams had more than one first-team All-SEC in-state recruit. Texas A&M, LSU, and South Carolina all had two each. Six other teams had one apiece.
Here’s a look at all 14 teams and their top commitments both in-state and out-of-state as ranked by 247Sports.com. Will these kids join them?
Alabama
In-state: Pierce Quick, 4-star, offensive tackle
Skinny: At 6-5, 287, Quick is ranked No. 6 nationally at his position and the No. 2 overall prospect coming out of Alabama. Quick no doubt will add weight to his frame in college. He’s already an athletic type in comparison to former Alabama standout Barrett Jones.
Out-of-state: Daxton Hill, Tulsa, Okla., 5-star, safety
Skinny: Hill is a sleek 6-foot, 186-pound speedster with 4.3 time. He’s the top-rated safety in the country. He’s compared to New England Patriots Devin McCourty. Hill totaled more than 200 tackles in three high school seasons (13 tackles for loss) and hauled in eight interceptions, returning one for a touchdown.
Arkansas
In-state: Hudson Henry, 4-star, tight end
Skinny: The top-rated recruit in Arkansas, Henry is an imposing blocker who can catch the football as well. The 6-5, 230-pounder out of Little Rock is the No. 2 ranked tight end in the country in the mold of Philadelphia Eagles’ playmaker Zach Ertz. He’s the latest Henry to join the Hogs.
Out-of-state: Trey Knox, Murfreesboro, Tenn., 4-star, wide receiver
Skinny: A big target at 6-5, 215 pounds, Knox is a physical receiver who runs good routes and has good football instincts. He caught 52 passes for 667 yards and five touchdowns in high school during the 2017 season. He is the No. 34 receiver in the country and No. 8 prospect in Tennessee.
Auburn
In-state: George Pickens, 4-star, wide receiver
Skinny: A real playmaker at 6-3, 190 pounds, Pickens is the No. 3-rated recruit in Alabama. In his high school senior season he caught 72 passes for 1,387 yards. Pickens chose to stay home with Auburn over offers from LSU, Alabama and Georgia in addition to Florida State.
Out-of-state: Owen Pappoe, Loganville, GA, 5-star, outside linebacker
Skinny: The nation’s top-rated OLB, Pappoe is a 6-0, 210-pound projected first-rounder in the mold of Roquan Smith. In his senior year of high school, Pappoe recorded 112 tackles, including 14 for losses and 4 sacks. He’s a can’t-miss recruit that could help the Tigers immediately.
Florida
In-state: Diwun Black, 4-star, inside linebacker
Skinny: An athletic 6-3, 216 pounds, Black pledged to Dan Mullen at Mississippi State before flipping to Ole Miss and ultimately deciding to follow Mullen to Florida. He relocated from Mississippi for his senior year of high school.
Out-of-state: Tyron Hopper, Roswell, Ga., 4-star, outside linebacker
Skinny: Highly sought after, the 6-2, 205-pound Hopper chose Florida from a long list of schools that offered, including seven from the SEC. With just three OLBs on the roster, including one freshman, Hopper has an opportunity to step in and make an immediate impact.
Georgia
In-state: Travon Walker, 5-star, defensive tackle
Skinny: Ranked No. 2 nationally at his position, Walker (6-5, 272) is quick and agile. Also a basketball player in high school, Walker chose to play football at Georgia over seven other SEC schools that made offers.
Out-of-state: Nolan Smith, Bradenton, Fla., 5-star, defensive end
Skinny: The Savannah, Ga., product, who relocated to attend IMG Academy in Bradenton, Smith is the nation’s top-rated recruit. He chose Georgia over Alabama and Tennessee. The 6-3, 232-pound Smith is projected out to be a first-rounder in the NFL and is being compared to Chicago Bears Khalil Mack.
If you want a more pure out-of-state get, you don’t have to look far. Clay Webb, a 5-star center from Alabama, is the second-highest rated prospect in the Dawgs’ class. He’s the top-rated center and No. 22 prospect overall.
Kentucky
In-state: Jared Casey, 4-star, inside linebacker
Skinny: At 6-3, 232 pounds, Casey is the No. 7 rated recruit in Kentucky. The Louisville product chose the Wildcats over Oregon. Wisconsin, Louisville, and others. Casey will battle four ILBs, all juniors, on the Kentucky roster.
Out-of-state: Moses Douglass, Springfield, OH., 4-star, safety
Skinny: Douglass (6-2, 186) chose to go out of state to Kentucky despite also receiving offers from Alabama, Ole Miss, Tennessee, and Vanderbilt.
LSU
In-state: Derek Stingley, 5-star, cornerback
Skinny: The top-rated corner in the country and No. 1 recruit out of the state of Louisiana, Stingley is the No. 3 overall prospect nationally. At 6-0, 188 pounds, Stingley possesses 4.3 speed. He’s a solid tackler and a ball hawk. Stingley recorded 64 tackles in the 2017 season with 11 interceptions, earning Class 2A All-State honors.
Out-of-state: Marcel Brooks, Flower Mound, Texas, 4-star, outside linebacker
Skinny: The No. 3-rated recruit nationally at his position, Brooks has good size at 6-3, 195, and should bulk up even more in college. He chose LSU over four other SEC offers in addition to Ohio State, Oklahoma, Penn State and Texas.
Mississippi State
In-state: Nathan Pickering, 4-star, defensive tackle
Skinny: The No. 3-rated recruit in Mississippi, the 6-3, 286-pound Pickering chose to stay home with the Bulldogs over 11 other SEC schools that made offers. He will only get bigger and stronger at the college level.
Out-of-state: Garrett Shrader, Charlotte, NC., 4-star, dual-threat quarterback
Skinny: The 6-4, 215-pound quarterback is ranked No. 6 nationally among dual-threat QBs. Over the 2016-17 seasons, Shrader threw for 4,866 yards and 53 touchdowns while rushing for another 1,406 yards.
Missouri
In-state: Jalani Williams, 4-star, safety
Skinny: The No. 4-rated recruit out of the state of Missouri, the versatile and athletic 6-2, 170-pound Williams also played wide receiver in high school, and quarterback as a youth. He is one of six safeties in the 2019 Class who are verbal commits to Missouri.
Out-of-state: Connor Bazelak, Dayton, Ohio, 3-star, pro-style quarterback
Skinny: At 6-3, 207 pounds, Bazelak has excellent size and arm strength to be a good one at the college level. With Clemson transfer Kelly Bryant coming to Missouri, Bazelak probably will redshirt his freshman year and then compete for the starting role the following year.
Ole Miss
In-state: Jerrion Ealy, 4-star, running back
Skinny: Ranked No. 4 at his position nationally, Ealy is rated the No. 2 overall recruit in Mississippi. At 5-10, 200 pounds, Ealy is a bruising back who rushed for 1,743 and 32 touchdowns in his high school season of 2017. In addition, the sure-handed Ealy hauled in 13 touchdown passes and totaled another 578 receiving yards. He’s not a lock to play football, however. He’s considered a potential first-round pick in the June baseball draft.
Out-of-state: Darius Thomas, Jonesboro, Ark., 4-star, offensive tackle
Skinny: Already an imposing figure at 6-6, 340 pounds, Thomas will enter the college ranks as the No. 4 overall recruit from Arkansas. He is one of seven offensive tackle commits to Ole Miss in the 2019 class.
South Carolina
In-state: Zacch Pickens, 5-star, defensive end
Skinny: Ranked No. 2 nationally at his position, Pickens is the top-rated recruit out in South Carolina. He’ll be Will Muschamp’s first 5-star to sign at South Carolina. The 6-4, 285-pounder is freakishly athletic, carrying the ball for 889 rushing yards in his senior season to go along with 87 tackles during the season, 15.0 of those for loss.
Out-of-state: Ryan Hilinski, Orange, Calif., 4-star, pro-style quarterback
Skinny: At 6-4 and 237 pounds, Hilinski is the prototypical pocket passing quarterback. Ranked No. 2 nationally at his position, Hilinski threw for more than 8,000 yards and 74 touchdowns in three high schools seasons, completing 64 percent of his 997 passing attempts.
Tennessee
In-state: Jackson Lampley, 4-star, offensive guard
Skinny: A quick and physical lineman, Lampley (6-4, 300) is ranked ninth among all recruits from Tennessee. The Nashville product is one of three commits at his position to the Vols in the 2019 class.
Out-of-state: Wanya Morris, Loganville, Ga., 5-star, offensive tackle
Skinny: At 6-5, 311 pounds, Morris already possesses the size and strength needed to play at this level. Rated No. 3 nationally at his position, Morris is the No. 2-ranked recruit in Georgia, and the No. 13 overall recruit nationally.
Texas A&M
In-state: Kenyon Green, 5-star, offensive tackle
Skinny: A physically imposing 6-4, 330 pounds, Green is the top-rated recruit in Texas. He is the No. 2-ranked offensive tackle in the 2019 class and the No. 11 overall recruit nationally. He could very well make an immediate impact considering the three offensive tackles currently on the Aggies’ roster are all sophomores.
Out-of-state: Andre White Jr., Harrisburg, Pa., 4-star, inside linebacker
Skinny: The No. 2-rated recruit from Pennsylvania, White (6-3, 224) has a nose for the football. Over the past two high school seasons he has piled up 219 tackles (22 for loss) and 6 sacks while forcing 4 fumbles. The Aggies need inside linebackers with just three on the roster (two sophomores, one freshman), but they must hold onto this recruit as Penn State remains highly interested as well.
Vanderbilt
In-state: Devin Boddie, 3-star, athlete
Skinny: The 5-11, 165-pounder from Memphis is a potential receiver for the Commodores. Boddie chose to stay home and play at Vanderbilt despite offers from ACC schools Louisville, Georgia Tech, and Virginia.
Out-of-state: Anfernee Orji, Rockwall, Texas, 3-star, safety
Skinny: The younger brother of Vandy LB Alston Orji, a 4-star recruit in the 2018 class, Anfernee Orji (6-1, 200) is athletic enough to play other positions as well. During the 2016 and 2017 high school seasons, Orji totaled 180 tackles (15 for loss) and intercepted 3 passes.