The Major League Baseball Draft starts tonight, and it’s the one day of the year every college coach dreads.

Nothing can ruin their highly-ranked recruiting class quite like the first 2 rounds of the draft — when some of those prized prospects hear their name called and suddenly have a million-dollar decision to make.

It’s an annual predicament for SEC coaches. This year, there’s a huge twist: At least one SEC football coach also will be forced to sweat out the night.

With the drama set to unfold starting at 7 p.m. Monday night, here are the top 5 storylines involving SEC teams, players and recruits.

1. Jerrion Ealy soon will be on the clock

It feels like we’ve been building toward tonight’s baseball-football collision for the better part of the past 2 years. Ealy’s football recruiting provided enough drama for a mini-series. After numerous head fakes and first dates, he decided to stay home and signed with Matt Luke and Ole Miss.

All that did, however, was elicit the follow-up question: Will he ever play a down there?

Ealy is one of the best running backs in the country, the prize of Luke’s recruiting class. He’s also an extremely talented outfielder who just led Jackson Prep to a third consecutive state championship.

Ealy entered his baseball season as a potential first-round pick. His stock has slipped a bit, and most consider him a mid-to-late second round pick. Part of that is football, which most consider his best sport.

He’s a running back, though, not a quarterback. There is a shelf life on running backs and he’s at least 3 years from getting an NFL check. Baseball could make him a millionaire this summer, though there is no guarantee he’d ever reach the major leagues. He also could play both sports at Ole Miss and delay the NFL vs. MLB question for another 3 years.

Want more suspense? Ealy reportedly arrived on campus this past weekend. We’ll have a much better idea after tonight about how long he’ll stay on campus.

2. Matt Allan, we hardly knew ya …

Allan won’t have to wait nearly as long as Ealy. Allan is considered one of the best high school arms in the draft. MLB.com projects him to be taken within the first 15 picks tonight. Those signing bonuses approach and often exceed $4 million.

He committed to play college baseball at Florida, but few expect him to throw a pitch for the Gators. Scouts rave about his arsenal and his projectable frame (6-3, 210). MLB.com rated his curveball the best in the draft.

He capped his stellar prep career with a perfect game in the Florida Class 9A state playoffs, part of Sanford (Fla.) Seminole High’s run to its first state championship.

3. Florida’s 2019 recruiting class: What could have been …

Florida’s staff put together a top 5 recruiting class. Because of the draft, there’s always a “but” in baseball recruiting.

Allan isn’t even Florida’s top recruit. That honor goes to fellow in-state star Riley Greene, who is considered the best prep hitter in the draft class and a likely top 10 pick tonight. Greene was the Gatorade Player of the Year in Florida. He doesn’t have a ton of power, yet, but most scouts believe it’s only matter of time and tweaking mechanics before the home runs become a staple.

4. Oh, neaux, not LSU, too

LSU commit Daniel Espino has the best fastball in the draft. He’s reached 100 mph, which is otherworldly for a prep prospect who hasn’t come close to filling out. He broke an Under Armour All-Star Game record with a 99 mph fastball.

He’s from Panama and only moved to the U.S. full-time a few years ago. He’s not as big or as polished as Allen, which is why he’s projected to be taken later in the first round.

Still, that right arm plays, and even late first-rounders typically draw bonuses north of $2 million. His idol is countryman Mariano Rivera. That’s an impossibly high bar to chase, but it’s not difficult to envision Espino closing games at the major league level within 4 years.

It would be an upset if he wound up at LSU, not that the Tigers would mind.

5. Nervous night for the Vandy Boys? Maybe not …

Vanderbilt had the No. 1-ranked recruiting class, according to Perfect Games.

Unlike Florida’s class, Vandy loaded up with really good prospects, rather than first-round contenders.

As many as 7 Vandy recruits show up on various Top 100 lists, but most are much closer to the bottom of those projections. It typically takes more than 3rd- or 4th-round money to prevent a kid from going to Vandy.

Al Leiter’s son, Jack, will be interesting to watch. A fringe first-round pick tonight, he’s the highest-rated potential Vandy Boy, but clearly, he doesn’t need the money.

Jerrion Ealy cover photo via @MLBPipeline