Tag: recruiting rankings

College Football Recruiting: Nation’s top corner picks North Carolina

North Carolina has become a hot spot if you’re one of the top recruits in college football. They again landed a big prize on Tuesday

At least in terms of recruiting I could not have been more wrong about North Carolina’s hiring of Mack Brown last off-season.

I thought Brown had been out of the game for too long and wasn’t going to be able to attract the elite kind of talent to North Carolina like he did in his best days at Texas.

Boy was I wrong.

Brown and his staff have done tremendous work on the recruiting trail as they’ve put together what’s widely seen as a top five class nationally.  Now Brown and the Tar Heels have struck again, landing a commitment from the top corner back in the 2021 class.

Tony Grimes, a five-star talent from Virginia chose North Carolina over finalists Georgia, Ohio State and Texas A&M on Tuesday.  Grimes is listed as at 6-0, 180 pounds and comes from Princess Anne High School in Virginia Beach, Virginia.

Last year Brown took North Carolina from an embarrassing 2-9 to 7-6 and winners of the Military Bowl.  Now he’s taken the Tar Heels to the truly elite levels of recruiting, as 247Sports puts their current class as the third best nationally, trailing only Ohio State and Clemson.

Now can Brown get it to translate into wins, and big wins at that on the field?  In an ACC that has been Clemson or bust for the last half of a decade, it’s easy to see how they have the potential to climb so quickly and potentially start to enter the College Football Playoff contender conversation sooner rather than later.

In case you were wondering, Notre Dame’s ACC cycle includes dates with North Carolina in back-to-back years starting in South Bend in 2021.  247Sports currently ranks Notre Dame 14th in their team rankings in the 2021 recruiting class.

Where the Badgers’ class of 2021 ranks nationally after landing three-star CB Ricardo Hallman

Earlier today Paul Chryst and the Wisconsin Badgers added the first cornerback to their class of 2021 in three-star recruit…

Earlier today Paul Chryst and the Wisconsin Badgers added the first cornerback to their class of 2021 in three-star recruit Ricardo Hallman.

The addition of Hallman now gives the Badgers 15 commits in their 2021 class, one which still has sights on landing Nolan Rucci, Terrance Ferguson, Skyler Bell and others.

Before today’s news the class was ranked No. 13 in the nation and No. 3 in the Big Ten.

After Hallman announced his commitment? The class jumped two spots to No. 11 in the nation and stayed No. 3 in the conference.

The Badgers have not had a top-20 class since the beginning of the internet recruiting ranking era, let alone top-10.

If Chryst and company are able to land Rucci, Ferguson and Bell? This class could push well inside the top 10 and cement itself as the best class in program history.

A look at the current SEC recruiting rankings for 2021 – Where is Georgia?

Looking at the SEC’s 2021 recruiting rankings. Where is Georgia?

Currently, Georgia possesses the SEC’s 4th ranked recruiting class for the 2021 cycle with nine commits.

Georgia has one five-star, seven four-stars and one three-star committed in this class so far, with an average player rating of 94.08, which is second highest in the SEC behind Alabama and fourth highest in the nation.

In 247Sports’ SEC recruiting rankings, Tennessee leads the league with the top ranked class.

Here are the full SEC rankings:

  1. Tennessee
  2. Florida
  3. LSU
  4. Georgia
  5. Auburn
  6. Alabama
  7. Texas A&M
  8. Arkansas
  9. Missouri
  10. Mississippi State
  11. Kentucky
  12. South Carolina
  13. Vanderbilt
  14. Ole Miss

Georgia’s class ranks No. 17 nationally.

Georgia commits see shift in updated 247Sports rankings

Commits in the 2021 Georgia football recruiting class saw a shift in 247Sports’ updated rankings.

This week, 247Sports updated its top-247 rankings for players in the class of 2021, putting an emphasis on offensive prospects.

Georgia has seven commits ranked inside the top-247. Here are their updated rankings:

QB Brock Vandagriff: No. 30 –> No. 29

OG Dylan Fairchild: No. 40 –> No. 39

OT Micah Morris: No. 93 –> No. 84

RB Lovasea Carroll: No. 106 –> No. 103

DB David Daniel: No. 126 –> No. 122

DL Jonathan Jefferson: No. 176 –> No. 173

DE Elijah Jeudy: No. 200 –> No. 199

Notre Dame’s Talent is Title Caliber per Blue-Chip Ratio List

Extensive research has found Notre Dame can win a national title this year but also suggests it’d take a ton of luck.

If you’re like me you hear the word ratio and you immediately start to wonder who said something dumb on Twitter this time.  It’s probably a sign I need to delete that app from my phone sooner rather than later.

However, Bud Elliott has been doing his Blue-Chip Ratio project for years and released his 2020 version this week.  The research Elliott puts in finds the amount of elite talent, or four and five star recruits who are on the current rosters versus the three star or lesser talents that are also getting scholarships.

It’s worth noting that walk-on’s are not included.

These ratings provide both good news and bad news for Notre Dame fans.

The good?

Notre Dame makes the list, even if it is at twelfth.  The research essentially finds that if a team doesn’t make this list in the pre-season that they’ll have no chance at winning a national championship so clearly just getting on it is an important note.

However, further examination of the list and the numbers that go along with it tell the rest of the story and that’s that Notre Dame still has a ways to go in order to catch up to the truly elite.

54% of Notre Dame’s talent this year is of the four or five star caliber which might seem great and compared to the vast majority of college football it is.

However, when you see Alabama, Georgia and Ohio State all at 80% or above it really opens your eyes.

The biggest surprise to me is how Clemson is “just” seventh on this list and 20% behind Alabama and is significantly closer to being on Notre Dame’s level than on that of the Tide, Bulldogs or Buckeyes, at least on this list.

Texas checking in at four came as a surprise to me, too.  Maybe they are closer to taking over the Big 12 than we think?

So what does this all mean for Notre Dame?

Brian Kelly and the Irish could win a national championship but I wouldn’t hold your breath waiting this fall.  The Irish still have a long ways to go in order to close the depth issues they have compared to the best programs going right now, something Kelly has spoken on time and time again.

247Sports ranks the best Wisconsin recruiting classes since 2002

247Sports’ Evan Flood published an article yesterday that ranked the Badgers’ best recruiting classes since the site started tracking…

247Sports’ Evan Flood published an article yesterday that ranked the Badgers’ best recruiting classes since the site started tracking class rankings in 2002.

It needs to be said, even though the class isn’t yet complete, that head coach Paul Chryst’s 2021 class is in line to be the best of them all. Now ranked No. 16 in the nation, the 2021 class is still set to several more highly-touted recruits and could rise close to top-10 for the first time in program history.

Nevertheless, here are his rankings.

 

Honorable Mentions

  • 2011: Melvin Gordon, Michael Caputo, Derek Watt
  • 2010: James White, Beau Allen, Rob Havenstein
  • 2007: John Clay, Josh Oglesby, Aaron Henry, Phil Welch, Nick Toon
  • 2002: John Stocco, Alex Lewis, Brandon Williams, Mark Zalewski, Joe Stellmacher

 

No. 10: 2004 (No. 36 in the nation)

  • Nick Hayden
  • Jack Ikegwuonu
  • Kraig Urbik
  • Chris Pressley
  • Taylor Mehlhaff

 

No. 9: 2003 (No. 31 in the nation)

  • Joe Thomas
  • Tyler Donovan
  • Kenneth DeBauche
  • Roderick Rodgers
  • Luke Swan

 

No. 8: 2017 (No. 39 in the nation)

  • Jonathan Taylor
  • Logan Bruss
  • Jake Ferguson
  • Tyler Beach
  • Jack Coan
  • Danny Davis
  • Scott Nelson
  • Faion Hicks
  • Kayden Lyles

 

No. 7: 2016 (No. 35 in the nation)

  • Cole Van Lanen
  • Garrett Rand
  • Isaiahh Loudermilk
  • Tyler Biadasz
  • Quintez Cephus
  • A.J. Taylor
  • Kendric Pryor
  • Noah Burks
  • Eric Burrell

 

No. 6: 2008 (No. 37 in the nation)

  • Ricky Wagner
  • Kevin Zeitler
  • Peter Konz
  • Marcus Cromartie
  • Brad Nortmond
  • Michael Taylor

 

No. 5: 2006 (No. 36 in the nation)

  • Lance Kendricks
  • Gabe Carimi
  • Scott Tolzien
  • Bill Nagy

 

No. 4: 2013 (No. 40 in the nation)

  • T.J. Watt
  • Corey Clement
  • Leon Jacobs
  • Troy Fumagalli
  • Sojourn Shelton
  • Rob Wheelwright
  • Garret Dooley
  • Jazz Peavy
  • Jack Cichy and Ryan Connelly (both walk-ons)

 

No. 3: 2019 (No. 29 in the nation)

  • Graham Mertz
  • Logan Brown
  • Keeanu Benton
  • Leo Chenal
  • Semar Melvin
  • Spencer Lytle
  • Joe Tippmann
  • Maema Njongmeta

 

No. 2: 2009 (No. 45 in the nation)

  • Chris Borland
  • Travis Frederick
  • Montee Ball
  • Ryan Groy

 

No. 1: 2005 (No. 30 in the nation)

  • Travis Beckum
  • Jonathan Casillas
  • Matt Shaughnessy
  • DeAndre Levy
  • Garrett Graham
  • O’Brien Schofield
  • P.J. Hill

 

My take: I have no arguments with No. 1-6, though given with Jonathan Taylor did in his three years at Wisconsin I would’ve liked to see the 2017 class ranked a bit higher. Aside from that this list makes a lot of sense, but if you ask me what the top-10 will be when we check back in four years from now the 2021 class has a great shot to take a top-5 spot.

You may notice the highest-ranked class is the 2019 group at No. 29. 2021’s squad is again already No. 16 with five-star offensive tackle Nolan Rucci, four-star defensive end T.J. Bollers, four-star tight end Terrance Ferguson and more highly-rated players still on the Badgers’ radar and yet to announce their commitments.

Check back in to our “Wisconsin football recruiting 2021 commitment tracker” as Chryst and the Badgers keep rising in the national rankings.

Top-10 HS football recruits out of Georgia in the class of 2022

Here are the top-10 high school football recruits out of Georgia for the class of 2022.

Earlier this week, Georgia got its first commitment in the class of 2022 from 4-star cornerback Marquis Groves-Killebrew (Snellville, Ga.).

The state of Georgia looks to be erupting with talent yet again for the 2022 recruiting class, and it’s only a matter of time before the Dawgs secure more commitments from some of these in-state prospects.

Related: A few of Georgia football’s top 2021 recruiting targets – with predictions

According to 247Sports, here are the top-10 high school football players in the Peach State for the 2022 recruiting class.

Top-10 2022 recruits out of Georgia, according to 247Sports:

1. DT Tyre West (Tift County HS in Tift, Georgia)

At 6-foot-3, 260 pounds, West ranks as the nation’s No. 7 overall player and as the top player in Georgia.

2. CB Travis Hunter (Collins Hill HS in Suwanee, Georgia)

A Florida State commit, Hunter ranks as the nation’s No. 10 overall player and as the second player in Georgia.

3. ATH Deyon Bouie (Bainbridge HS in Bainbridge, Georgia)

At 5-foot-11 and 165 pounds, Bouie ranks as the nation’s No. 22 overall player and as the third player in Georgia.

4. QB Gunner Stockton (Rabun County HS in Tiger, Georgia)

Stockton is the top ranked dual-threat quarterback, No. 29 overall player and the No. 4 player in Georgia.

5. QB MJ Morris (Carrollton HS in Carrollton, Georgia)

Morris ranks as the nation’s No. 2 ranked dual-threat QB, right behind Stockton. He is the No. 41 overall player in the 2022 class and the fifth ranked player in Georgia.

6. OLB Daniel Martin (Marietta HS in Marietta, Georgia)

At 6-foot-3 and 190 pounds, Martin is the nation’s 48th ranked player and sixth ranked prospect in Georgia.

7. OT Addison Nichols (Greater Atlanta Christian School in Norcross, Georgia)

At 6-foot-5 and 270 pounds, Nichols is the nation’s No. 61 overall prospect and No. 7 in Georgia.

8. CB Marquis Groves-Killebrew (Brookwood HS in Snellville, Georgia)

The nation’s 64th ranked player, Groves-Killebrew is Georgia’s first commit in the class of 2022.

9. Strong-side defensive end Mykel Williams (Hardaway HS in Columbus, Georgia)

The nation’s 77th ranked prospect, Williams stands at 6-foot-5, 258 pounds.

10. ATH CJ Washington (Cedartown HS in Cedartown, Georgia)

From a place that’s been kind to UGA, Washington is the nation’s No. 88 player and the 10th ranked guy in Georgia. He is 6-foot-2, 205 pounds.

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Three-star safety Gabe Nealy de-commits from Michigan State

Michigan State’s 2021 recruiting class now sits at 11 players.

It’s going to be a really weird recruiting year, so strap in.

After a blazing month of April on the recruiting trail, Michigan State and Mel Tucker have their first setback with three-star defensive back Gabe Nealy rescinding his commitment to the Spartans.

Speculation had been abound in the last week regarding the Miami product, who was one of the more outspoken and excited member’s of MSU’s 2021 recruiting class. Nealy–as prospects sometimes do–changed his social media pictures away from him in Michigan State gear and started tweeting social media graphics from other schools.

Crootin’.

Michigan State’s class is now down to 11 players. Three of those 11 still defensive backs. Prior to Nealy’s removal the class was ranked 31st in the country.

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Buford, Georgia RB Gabe Ervin releases top-five schools

Gabe Ervin of Buford, Georgia released his top-five schools and included the UGA football program.

Running back Gabe Ervin has released his top-five schools.

Out of Buford, Georgia, Ervin released a top-five of Georgia, Duke, Arizona State, Nebraska and Michigan State.

Considered a 3-star back in the class of 2021 by 247Sports, Ervin ranks as the nation’s No. 734 overall player, No. 54 running back and as the No. 61 ranked player in Georgia. (247Sports Composite)

The 6-foot-0, 200 pound ball carrier was tasked with trimming a list of 16 reported scholarship offers down to five finalists.

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Schools like Tennessee, Ole Miss, Georgia Tech, FSU and Virginia Tech all offered but did not make the cut.

Georgia running back coach Dell McGee extended a scholarship offer to Ervin back in January.

 

2021 recruiting: Tennessee fans, stop bragging. Georgia fans, stop panicking.

Looking at the 2021 recruiting class, Tennessee Vols fans should stop bragging and Georgia football fans need to stop panicking.

Georgia football’s 2021 recruiting class is as follows (all rankings via 247Sports)

5-star QB Brock Vandagriff: No. 2 QB, No. 12 overall

4-star OT Micah Morris: No. 9 OT, No. 61 overall

4-star ATH David Daniel: No. 4 ATH, No. 78 overall

4-star RB Lovasea Carroll: No. 7 RB, No. 117 overall

4-star SDE Jonathan Jefferson: No. 13 SDE, No. 145 overall

4-star WDE Elijah Jeudy: No. 10 WDE, No. 170 overall

3-star DT Marlin Dean: No. 28 DT, No. 447 overall

Right now, this is the nation’s 20th ranked class. Given the fact that Georgia has only seven commitments, being ranked No. 20 is just fine. It’s clear that Georgia is going for quality over quantity in this class, with its commits carrying an average rating of 94.52, which is third in the country.

For comparison purposes, Tennessee has the No. 2 class in the nation. But Jeremy Pruitt is certainly going for quantity in this class. With 23 verbals, Tennessee commits carry an average rating of 89.84. That’s the lowest in the top-five.

(Fun fact: Florida, which has the nation’s No. 7 ranked class, has an average rating of 87.41, which is the lowest in the top-10 and the second-lowest in the top-15).

Georgia commits, fans and coaches all know that Kirby Smart has plenty of time to work his magic and climb the rankings by the time the early signing period rolls around in December. Maybe enlisting a little help from current players and commits on Twitter is what it takes to expedite that process, which is something we’ve seen a lot of this month. 5-star quarterback commit Brock Vandagriff has led the surge, tweeting at a number of top players in the 2021 class recruiting them to Georgia.

It’s too early to start doing two things: Bragging and panicking.

Look at Alabama. Nick Saban currently has the nation’s No. 46 raked class for the 2021 cycle. Nobody thinks for a second that the Tide will finish outside of the top-five when all is said and done. There’s just too much time and too many elite players remaining.

And let’s stick with Tennessee for a moment. The No. 2 class is nice, but in the end I’d prefer a class of around 22 players filled with elite commits than a class consisting of 30+ players where a majority of them are three-stars.

Tennessee’s 23 commitments broken down by star rating:

  • One 5-star
  • Nine 4-stars
  • Thirteen 3-stars

Georgia has plenty of highly ranked uncommitted recruits still on its board, not to mention the ones that Kirby will try to flip to UGA.

NEXT…Georgia’s top remaining targets in the 2021 class

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