Using the 247sports composite rankings, we made 1st and 2nd All-star teams of the SEC's best high school recruits. How does your team stack up?
The chips are all blue
The SEC is the only conference in the country that is represented by players rated four- or five-stars at every single position. It's not unreasonable to suggest that these 50 players are better than the best 50 you could assemble from all of the other conferences. There are a lot of really, really good players left off this list. I would probably take the SEC's second, or hypothetical third teams over the first from any other league.
Tide washes over all
How good is Alabama's class? Consider the following stats:
4- and 5-stars signed: SEC 136 | Pac-12 51 | ACC 50 | Big Ten 49 | Big XII 31
Even in a conference that signed 136 total players rated four- or five-stars (more than double that of any other league), Alabama manages to fill almost a quarter of the slots, including 30-percent of the first team players. Alabama has twice as many representatives than every school but LSU. That is insane in a conference with so much talent across the board. Alabama's share of the SEC is like Ohio State's in the Big Ten or Florida State's in the ACC. It's hard to comprehend.
Shut out
Maybe James Franklin got out at the right time? Vanderbilt didn't place a single player on the team, while yearly cross-division opponent Ole Miss continually improving, and in-state rival Tennessee seems to be getting its recruiting together in a hurry. Vanderbilt signed a class that was comparable to its last three, but other schools are upping their talent level faster than the Commodores.
No reward for volume
Tennessee and Kentucky had very strong classes, but they were rated as such because of quality volume as much as elite talent. This team really highlights who signed the elite of the elite, so while those classes are huge for those programs, they do not represent quite as well in this format as some might expect.
Rebels a 1-year wonder?
After signing a top-5 recruiting class in 2013, many Ole Miss fans believed their program was going to recruit with the elite of the elite on a yearly basis. Ole Miss brought in a solid follow-up class (25 signees, six rated four- or five-stars), but 2013 was a special recruiting year for Ole Miss because of players having special relationships with the program, the hype of a new coach in Hugh Freeze, and some other factors. For Ole Miss to consistently recruit with the SEC's elite (50-percent blue chips and not 25-percent), it will need to start winning more games on the field, and that's tough in a division that signed more blue chip prospects than any other conference. The Rebels are still out-recruiting Mississippi State, however, a major feather in Freeze's cap.
I also wonder if Tennessee will be like Ole Miss next year. The Volunteers are not expected to be drastically better on the field, and they likely won't have the benefit of two four-star legacies (Bates, Kelly). Can they again bring in an elite class, or will it slip down to more historic levels? That's a storyline to watch.
Dominance on the defensive interior, as always
The SEC brought in 14 of the 25 high school defensive tackles rated four- or five-stars. That is a ridiculous numbers, but it's not unexpected. Elite interior defensive linemen are such a rare commodity, and the South has more of them than every other region (Mid-Atlantic, Midwest, Texas/Midlands, West) combined. It has been the major factor separating the SEC's best from the best of most other conferences over the last decade or so. And that's not even mentioning junior college defensive tackles, the best of which are signed in an even greater proportion by the league on a yearly basis.
| Player | School | Stars | Committed to |
| Quarterback | |||
| Kyle Allen | Scottsdale (Ariz.) Desert Mountain | 5 | Texas A&M |
| Allen is the most polished quarterback recruit in the country. | |||
| Backs | |||
| Leonard Fournette | New Orleans (La.) St. Augustine | 5 | LSU |
| Fournette is maybe the best high school running back prospect since Adrian Peterson. | |||
| Bo Scarbrough | Several High Schools | 5 | Alabama |
| Scarbrough can play a number of positions, but at 6'2 and 225 pounds, he may just end up at running back. | |||
| Receiver | |||
| Speedy Noil | New Orleans (La.) Edna Karr | 5 | Texas A&M |
| Noil will be an immediate terror for the Aggies in the slot. He is incredibly quick and dangerous with the football in his hands. | |||
| Malachi Dupre | New Orleans (La.) John Curtis | 5 | LSU |
| Dupre's combination of all-around attribues, especially size, speed and athleticism, is almost unparallelled. | |||
| Josh Malone | Gallatin (Tenn.) Station Camp | 4 | Tennessee |
| Malone is one of the best receivers in the country, combining great size and speed. | |||
| Tight End | |||
| Jeb Blazevich | Charlotte (N.C.) Christian | 4 | Georgia |
| Blazevich is a very well-rounded tight end who will block well and get open underneath. | |||
| Offensive Line | |||
| Cameron Robinson | West Monroe (La.) | 5 | Alabama |
| Robinson is one of the best offensive tackle prospects to come along in quite a while. | |||
| Roderick Taylor | Jackson (Miss.) Callaway | 4 | Ole Miss |
| Taylor is an incredible prospect at guard and is perhaps good enough to play tackle as well. | |||
| Braden Smith | Olathe (Kan.) South | 4 | Auburn |
| Smith has great size and strength, and he is one of the most athletic offensive linemen in the class. | |||
| Ross Pierschbacher | Cedar Falls (Ia.) | 4 | Alabama |
| This is one of the best guard prospects in the country and like Taylor above, some believe he can play tackle. | |||
| Brian Wallace | St. Louis (Mo.) Christian Brothers College | 4 | Arkansas |
| Wallace is one of the best offensive tackle recruits in the country. | |||
| Defensive Line | |||
| Da'Shawn Hand | Woodbridge (Va.) | 5 | Alabama |
| Hand has a great blend of power and quickness from his defensive end position. | |||
| Myles Garrett | Arlington (Texas) James Martin | 5 | Texas A&M |
| Garrett has an awesome combination of length, strength and explosiveness off the edge. | |||
| Lorenzo Carter | Norcross (Ga.) | 5 | Georgia |
| Carter is one of the best pass rushing prospects in the country thanks to his great length and burst. | |||
| Gerald Willis | New Orleans (La.) Edna Karr | 4 | Florida |
| Willis is a jumbo defensive end with a nasty demeanor who might make an early impact in the Swamp. | |||
| Linebacker | |||
| Rashaan Evans | Auburn (Ala.) | 5 | Alabama |
| Evans has great quickness and agility for his size. | |||
| Clifton Garrett | Plainfield (Ill.) South | 5 | LSU |
| Garrett has great size but can also move and will play early for LSU. | |||
| Tre' Williams | Mobile (Ala.) St. Paul's | 5 | Auburn |
| Williams is very big at 235 pounds and fits Auburn's 4-2-5 scheme quite well. | |||
| Christian Miller | Columbia (S.C.) Spring Valley | 4 | Alabama |
| Meet Alabama's next big time pass-rusher off the edge at 6'4, 225. | |||
| Defensive back | |||
| Tony Brown | Beaumont (Texas) Ozen | 5 | Alabama |
| Brown is a ridiculously fast cornerback who will also run track. | |||
| Marlon Humphrey | Birmingham (Al.) Hoover | 5 | Alabama |
| Humphrey is a disciplined and fundamentally-sound player with great physical tools. | |||
| Jalen Tabor | Washington (D.C.) Friendship | 5 | Florida |
| Tabor is extremely physical for a cornerback recruit. | |||
| Jamal Adams | Carrolton (Texas) Hebron | 5 | LSU |
| There might not be a better safety in the country than Adams, who has great size and cover skills. | |||
| Ed Paris | Arlington (Texas) Mansfield | 4 | LSU |
| Paris gives LSU some incredible flexibilty with his coverage skills at safety. | |||
Second Team
| Quarterback | |||
| Will Grier | Davidson (N.C.) Day | 4 | Florida |
| Grier has excellent accuracy and is fairly mobile. In time he can be an excellent player in the SEC. | |||
| Backs | |||
| Sony Michel | Ft. Lauderdale (Fla.) American Heritage | 5 | Georgia |
| Michel has been a prep legend for years in South Florida and has a great blend of size, speed and moves. | |||
| Racean "Roc" Thomas | Oxford (Ala.) | 5 | Auburn |
| Thomas is perhaps the most explosive back in the country, and he's a five-star because of his explosiveness at almost 200 pounds. | |||
| Receiver | |||
| Frank Iheanacho | Houston (Texas) Westside | 4 | Texas A&M |
| Iheanacho is very raw, but this kid is a freak at 6'6 and 220 and if he puts it together he can be the best receiver in college football down the line. | |||
| Cameron Sims | Monroe (La.) Ouachita Parrish | 4 | Alabama |
| Big and with great hands and a natural feel for the game, the only thing lacking in Sims' game is top-end speed. | |||
| Trey Quinn | Lake Charles (La.) Barbe | 4 | LSU |
| Quinn has great hands and is very quick, easily separating from defenders. | |||
| Tight End | |||
| Jacory Washington | Westlake (La.) | 4 | LSU |
| Washington is a good athlete with a very good tight end frame (6'5, 220). | |||
| Offensive Line | |||
| Garrett Brumfield | Baton Rouge (La.) University Lab | 4 | LSU |
| If Brumfield can add 25 pounds and keep his ridiculous quickness, he can be an All-American at guard. | |||
| David Sharpe | Jacksonville (Fla.) Providence | 4 | Florida |
| Sharpe has great size (6'6, 315) and athleticism. If he drops the idea of playing basketball, he can more quickly become a great player. | |||
| Isaiah Wynn | St. Pete (Fla.) Lakewood | 4 | Georgia |
| Wynn is incredibly athletic, and if he can keep that once he gains 30 pounds in college, he can be an All-Conference guard. | |||
| Donell Stanley | Latta (S.C.) | 4 | South Carolina |
| At 6'4, Stanley has excellent length at offensive guard. | |||
| Andy Bauer | St. Louis (Mo.) DeSmet | 4 | Missouri |
| Bauer has college-ready tackle size at 6'5 and 300 pounds. He could be in the mix for early playing time with the Tigers. | |||
| Defensive Line | |||
| Travonte Valentine | Champagnat Catholic - Hialeah (Fla.) | 4 | LSU |
| Valentine should be a huge force in the middle who commands double teams. | |||
| Thomas Holley | Brooklyn (N.Y.) Abraham Lincoln | 4 | Florida |
| Holley was a last-minute flip to the Gators from Penn State. Relatively new to football, Holley has a ton of potential. | |||
| Bijhon Jackson | El Dorado (Ar.) | 4 | Arkansas |
| Jackson is a classic run stopper. He's almost never moved off his mark in high school. | |||
| Josh Frazier | Springdale (Ar.) Har-Ber | 4 | Alabama |
| Frazier is a massive nose guard, perfect for Alabama's defense. | |||
| Linebacker | |||
| Ronnie Clark | Calera (Ala.) | 4 | Alabama |
| Clark is extremely active and all over the field in high school. Tide fans might see a little of C.J. Mosley in him. | |||
| Dillon Bates | Ponte Vedra Beach (Fla.) | 4 | Tennessee |
| A Tennessee legacy (Bill Bates), Dillon has tremendous coverage skills from his linebacker position. | |||
| Bryson Allen-Williams | Ellenwood (Ga.) Cedar Grove | 4 | South Carolina |
| Allen-Williams is very versatile and a perfect fit for South Carolina's 4-2-5 defense. | |||
| Otaro Alaka | Houston (Texas) Cypress Falls | 4 | Texas A&M |
| He's a strong open-field tackler with the first-step explosiveness to get into the backfield quickly from the edge. | |||
| Defensive back | |||
| Nick Harvey | Richmond (Texas) Travis | 4 | Texas A&M |
| Harvey is undersized but sticks to receivers like glue and can get a bit bigger. | |||
| Todd Kelly | Knoxville (Tenn.) Webb School | 4 | Tennessee |
| Kelly is a UT legacy and has excellent range at safety. | |||
| Malkolm Parrish | Quitman (Ga.) Brooks Co. | 4 | Georgia |
| Parrish is an undersized cornerback recruit with tremendous athleticism. | |||
| C.J. Hampton | Meridian (Miss.) | 4 | Ole Miss |
| Hampton is a playmaker at safety with a ton of other top SEC offers. | |||
| Laurence Jones | Monroe (La.) Neville | 4 | Alabama |
| Jones is a linebacker type at safety and will be a great run defender from Day 1. | |||
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