Top 10 early SEC commitments from the 2017 class
The next National Signing Day may still be 11 months away, but it’s never too early to begin looking ahead at how the SEC’s recruiting hauls are shaping up for next year.
A few top prospects from the 2017 class have already begun flipping from one SEC school to another, including a quarterback who switched pledges from Alabama to Georgia this week.
With that in mind, here’s our list of the SEC’s top 10 early commitments from the class of 2017:
10. ATH Chadarius Townsend; Tanner, Ala. (Alabama)
Townsend, a jack-of-all-trades high school talent who starred at quarterback in 2015, projects as a defensive back or receiver for the Tide. At 6-foot and 190 pounds, he could be the team’s next athletic safety in the mold of Eddie Jackson. But Townsend ran for 1,571 yards for the Class 2A Rattlers last season and told AL.com he wants the ball in his hands.
9. WR Daquon Green; Tampa, Fla. (Florida)
Green’s commitment takes Gators fans back to the glory days of Steve Spurrier or Urban Meyer. Then, all the best Florida-based receivers wanted to go to Gainesville. During the Will Muschamp era? Not so much. Green is “just” the 24th-ranked player in the state of Florida. But add him to Freddie Swain and Joshua Hammond, in-state early enrollees in 2016, and Jim McElwain is starting to reinvigorate the Gators with the surplus of in-state talent at wideout.
8. QB Jake Fromm; Warner Robins, Ga. (Georgia)
Fromm flipped from Alabama to Georgia this week — a big coup for new coach Kirby Smart. Not only has he secured one of the best quarterbacks in the ’17 class just one year after signing Jacob Eason, but he stole from the Tide to do so. At the most important position. Smart’s early returns should make it clear that it’s going to be much more difficult for a school like Bama to come into the Peach State and lift any of the top talent. Fromm’s commitment is very unlikely to waver from here, so anticipate two highly sought quarterbacks on campus in Athens by 2017.
7. WR D.D. Bowie; Morton, Miss. (Ole Miss)
What is it with Ole Miss and the way the Rebels treat receiver prospects especially? In February, Ole Miss convinced Starkville native A.J. Brown, ranked fifth at the position in the ’16 class, to sign on National Signing Day. It was a bit of a shock to Bulldogs fans, and then Brown said that Ole Miss just made him feel more wanted. This cycle, Bowie — another top 10 receiver nationally — was committed to Alabama. But he flipped in October.
“I feel different about it because when I had went to Alabama I asked if I could go in the locker room and they told me no,” Bowie said, according to the Clarion-Ledger. “When I went to Ole Miss I didn’t even have to ask. They just told me to go in and make myself at home. I feel like they treat me better than any other school recruiting me.”
6. OT Alex Leatherwood; Pensacola, Fla. (Alabama)
This fall, two-year starter Cam Robinson and JUCO transfer Charles Baldwin are expected to start for the Tide at left and right tackle, respectively. Robinson is a strong bet to enter the NFL early, and who’s to say that Baldwin won’t do the same? In any case, Alabama will need two new starting offensive tackles at least by 2018. At minimum, the 6-foot-5, 297-pound Leatherwood — rated as the 50th-best player in the ’17 class — will get a chance at backup status early in his career.
5. S Richard LeCounte III; Riceboro, Ga. (Georgia)
At 5-foot-10.5 and 174 pounds, LeCounte didn’t get to be a five-star player by being slow and athletically limited. A dynamic multi-positional player in high school, LeCounte has tremendous ball skills, turns his head to locate the ball early and can outjump taller receivers. He’ll need to add some muscle if he’s going to help the Bulldogs’ run defense in SEC play, but he’s ready to contribute immediately in pass defense. LeCounte also gives UGA commitments from No. 2 and No. 6 in-state players. That would tie the number of top 10 Georgia prospects that Smart signed in February, and the other eight in the ’17 class remain uncommitted.
4. QB Tate Martell; Las Vegas (Texas A&M)
If Kevin Sumlin and company can just survive the 2016 season, the Aggies will be gaining yet another short (5-foot-10.5), fast five-star, dual-threat quarterback. Texas A&M fans can hope that Martell is Kyler Murray with a little more arm talent and less baggage. The program has not faced a shortage of talent at receiver, offensive line and quarterback, but must improve at being able to develop those players and utilize them in a way that leads to equivalent productivity. Martell gives them yet another opportunity, and this time they’d better get it right.
3. DT Tyler Shelvin; Lafayette, La. (LSU)
The top-rated player in the state of Louisiana almost always sticks with LSU. Les Miles landed eight of the state’s top 10 players in the 2016 class, and Shelvin gives him a great start inside the state for the current cycle. At 6-foot-2 and 329 pounds, Shelvin represents a big change in the defensive tackle prototype that LSU was accustomed to playing under former coordinator John Chavis. Two years removed from that, Dave Aranda is expected to play more 3-4 and 3-3 defense, and Shelvin is a great fit, at least physically, to play nose guard.
2. OT Calvin Ashley; Orlando, Fla. (Auburn)
At 6-foot-6 and 305 pounds, Ashley is one of eight offensive tackles ranked in the top 35 of this class. Suffice to say it’s a deeper class of offensive tackles than usual, but Ashley is ranked as the No. 4 recruit in the entire class. Industry insiders still expect Florida State to eventually sign Ashley, and 86 percent of 247Sports Crystal Ball predictions point to the Seminoles. Auburn’s offensive line play has been very good under Gus Malzahn, with several NFL draft picks at tackle in particular. If the Tigers retain Ashley it could give them an excellent left tackle for at least three seasons.
1. RB Najee Harris; Antioch, Calif. (Alabama)
Harris recently unseated Dylan Moses as the composite No. 1 prospect of the entire 2017 class. Alabama got to him early, as he committed in April 2015. But recruiting insiders say the competition to secure him is far from over for the Tide. At 6-foot-2 and 220 pounds, still a high school junior, Harris would continue the run of large Bama ball-carriers with uncanny speed. In recent years, Alabama has signed other California products — players like QB Blake Barnett, OT Dominick Jackson and transfer WR Richard Mullaney. Tosh Lupoi, a Tide assistant formerly with the Washington Huskies, is well-connected out West.
Any reference to star ratings or rankings within the 2017 class comes from the 247Sports Composite rankings.