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Continuing our late-season daily series looking at the recruiting circuit in the SEC, we analyze the conference’s top all-purpose backs who have verbally committed for the 2015 recruiting class.
Athletes with dynamic speed and agility often find their niche in spread offenses and there’s several headed to the SEC that should be worthy of mention next season. One of the top players remaining on the board is Kirk Merritt, a four-star bruiser out of Destrehan, La. Merritt’s offer list is expansive, but he favors Oregon, Texas A&M and Auburn.
SEC’s Top Commits Series
- Quarterbacks
- Running Backs
- Tight Ends
- Interior offensive linemen
- Defensive Ends
- Defensive Tackles
- Cornerbacks
Using each player’s 247Sports Composite rating, here’s how the SEC’s top all-purpose backs commits stack up and where they stand nationally against other standouts at the same position:
1. TENNESSEE — Vincent Perry, 5-11, 170, Nashville, Three-Star (14)
2. MISSISSIPPI STATE — Keith Mixon, 5-8, 165, Birmingham, Ala., Three-Star (22): There aren’t many 165-pound ballcarriers in Power 5 college football, but Mixon’s explosiveness is what separates him from the competition. The undersized playmaker will likely see his first collegiate action on special teams.
Top undecided SEC targets
1. Kirk Merritt, 5-11, 206, Destrehan, La., Four-Star (3)
2. Nyheim Hynes, 5-9, 190, Garner, N.C., Four-Star (5)
3. Bryce Love, 5-10, 180, Wake Forest, N.C., Four-Star (6): Like Hines, many believe this North Carolina product will stay in-state and sign with one of four ACC schools within a two-hour radius of Rolesville High. He runs a consistent 4.30 and flexes the rare addition of power with that speed.