Three years in, early signing day continues to be the de facto signing day for the vast majority of recruits (check out last year’s early signing day primer for the full rundown). Recent years have seen roughly 75% of recruits sign in the early period, and those numbers go up for the highly rated recruits. Last years top 10 classes featured a lot of the usual names. Alabama finished a clear No. 1, Georgia finished a clear No. 2, and the Texas/Texas A&M/LSU trio finished with nearly identical classes to round out the top five.
This year’s current Top 10 has a lot of familiar names as well. Alabama is a virtual lock to finish in the top two or three as they do every year. Clemson has SIX five-star players, but they can probably add a few more players at most after last year’s larger class. This means Clemson will have a hard time finishing No. 1 or No. 2 in the rankings even with a lot of firepower at the top. LSU and Ohio State each have classes that would have ranked No. 3 last year, and they both should finish in the top five when signing day concludes. Currently, teams five through ten are bunched pretty tightly. Expect teams like Texas (16), Georgia (14), and Oklahoma (19) to make the biggest jumps based purely on class size. The only team that sits outside the top 10 that looks to have a decent shot of finishing there is Notre Dame with two five-star commits (tied for fourth most) already amongst the 17 total commits.
Georgia Recruiting
Georgia finished up last year with the No. 2 recruiting class, with two of the top twelve players in the state of Georgia and four five-star recruits from out of state. Georgia currently has commitments from both two of the top five OR two of the top 25 players in the state of Georgia, depending on how you want to look at it. There are only four uncommitted prospects in the top 25 in-state players, so this is unlikely to change drastically. This level of recruiting in state is similar to the past few years where Georgia’s recruiting has become increasingly national, and a lot of top talent left the state. Georgia managed to sign an elite class regardless in recent years and will look to do so again.
A class comprised almost completely of blue chip recruits is shaping up nicely so far for Georgia, and only fourteen current commits means there is still room to add a lot of quality players. With so much room left in the class, Georgia is still pursuing a lot of highly regarded players, and while there is little chance that Georgia lands even a majority of these remaining players, it’s expected that at least some will commit/sign with Georgia. Adding only the three players heavily expected to choose Georgia would put a theoretical 17 man class roughly No. 4 or No. 5 nationally, while adding four or five players from the below list would have Georgia as the toss-up for the No. 1 overall class. There’s a lot of uncertainty in recruiting right now, with coach hirings and firings sorting themselves out nationally, but the expectation for the current Georgia class is a final class of around 23 signees and another top three finish.
Last Year
Best finish: 1
Likely finish: 2
Worst finish: Top 5
Actual Finish: 2
This Year
Current: 8
Best finish: 1
Likely finish: 2-3
Worst finish: Top 5
Georgia Tech Recruiting
Tech’s first recruiting class under Geoff Collins was in line with the results from the Paul Johnson era (51st nationally). Despite fielding it’s worst team since 1994, this years class currently ranks 22nd nationally. It’s no surprise that Collins (known to be a good recruiter) is having more success than Johnson (famously disinterested in ‘crootin), and sustaining this level of success will likely lead to vastly improved teams in the future. Last year’s class was short on numbers with only 22 recruits; this year’s class currently has 23 commits, and it’s likely the coaching staff is aiming for a class of 26 or 27 total players. Maintaining a top 25 class would mean being able to sell alumni and administration on the direction of the program, and it just might happen if Georgia Tech can land a few more four-star players and hold on to top commit Jahmyr Gibbs.
Tech’s final recruiting class is going to finish as its best in over a decade. Adding a couple more four-star players like Sims and Morton would give Tech a legitimate shot at a Top 25 class, and it would add a nice feel-good ending to Geoff Collins’ first true recruiting class in Atlanta. Collins did a solid job of holding last year’s class together, which is the best that can be asked during a head coaching transition, but this year’s class presents a chance to make a statement. Keeping Jahmyr Gibbs while the Alabama, Georgia, LSU, and Ohio States of recruiting come calling would be a huge win.
Last Year
Best finish: Top 35
Likely finish: Top 45
Worst finish: Top 60
Actual Finish: 51
This Year
Current: 22
Best finish: Top 25
Likely finish: Top 30
Worst finish: Top 35
*Commitments and team rankings current as of Friday Dec, 13th 2019