Breaking Down Recruiting: Top Classes By Position

[AUChizad]

http://blog.al.com/segrest/2010/01/breaking_down_sec_recruting_to.html

Breaking down SEC recruting: top classes by positions
By Doug Segrest -- The Birmingham News
January 23, 2010, 7:59AM

Forget the recruiting team rankings. Just for a minute.

Look at how championship teams are built, instead. And how's that?

"From the inside out," said ESPN recruiting analyst Tom Luginbill. "It all starts with the defensive front, the offensive front and quarterback.

"Look at Alabama, Florida, (U)SC and Texas. There's a very fine line between these programs, but what sets them apart, I will venture, are the differences up front -- especially the defensive front."

Take Notre Dame, for instance.

"Offensively, they have the skill personnel to start for SEC teams. But they couldn't play with some teams in the Sun Belt on defense," Luginbill said.

With that in mind, we asked ESPN's Luginbill and Scout.com's South assistant regional manager, Andrew Bone, to rank the top three SEC classes by position groups. OFFENSIVE SKILL PLAYERS

> Luginbill's top three -- 1. Florida; 2. Auburn; 3. Alabama.

> Bone's top three -- 1. Alabama; 2. Auburn; 3. Florida.

> The skinny -- Auburn has JUCO quarterback transfer Cameron
Newton and at least one of the top three running backs in Michael Dyer (Marcus Lattimore may be a last-minute addition, too).

Luginbill believes Florida has a deep receiver corps that, when combined with the rest of the offensive signees, could make memories for years to come.

Bone believes Alabama and Auburn are similarly matched, but the Tide has the tiebreaker at quarterback.

> Final word I -- " On paper, Florida's offensive class could go down as one of the best of all time, up there with '93 FSU and 2003 USC. It's that good," said Luginbill.

> Final word II -- " Alabama gets the nod (at the skill positions) with five-star quarterback Phillip Sims," Bone said.

OFFENSIVE LINEMEN

> Luginbill's top three -- 1. Auburn; 2. Georgia; 3. South Carolina.

> Bone's top three -- 1. Auburn; 2. South Carolina; 3. Georgia.

> The skinny -- Auburn has a solid class and JUCO player Roszell Gayden is already taking classes.Georgia is replenishing.

Meanwhile, South Carolina is proving the Papajohns. com Bowl debacle was a mere bump in the road.

> Final word -- " Auburn's filled a need in a big way, with two junior college guys and some quality depth. Eric Mack was a big pickup," Luginbill said.

DEFENSIVE LINEMEN

> Luginbill's top three -- 1. Florida; 2. Alabama; 3. Georgia.

> Bone's top three -- 1. Florida; 2. LSU; 3. Georgia.

> The skinny -- The hardest positions to find elite players are on the Dline, and the league's best teams are finding more than anyone else. Once again.

> Final word -- " Florida's defensive line unit, which includes four National 100 prospects, is the best in the country," Bone said.

LINEBACKERS

> Luginbill's top three -- 1. Florida; 2. Georgia; 3. Auburn.

> Bone's top three -- 1. Auburn; 2. Georgia; Florida.

> The skinny -- Florida has an interesting mix of athletic prospects who could stay put or move around to defensive end or safety. In terms of natural linebackers, Auburn's class is tops.

> Final word -- " Auburn filled a key position with four commitments. LaDarius Owens is the one player who is rated a fourstar," Bone said.

DEFENSIVE BACKS

> Luginbill's top three -- 1. Florida; 2. Alabama; 3. Georgia.

> Bone's top three -- 1. Florida; 2. Alabama; 3. LSU.

> The skinny -- Again, depth is the key for the Gators. Florida isn't trying to replace only Joe Haden and Major Wright in 2010, but Will Hill and Janoris Jenkins as early as 2011.

Yet Alabama landed the top-rated prospects at safety and cornerback.

> Final word -- " Keenan Allen is the No. 1 safety, but expects to play wide receiver for the Tide," Bone said.

[jmar]

I think it as important to get 2 DTs as much as it is another 5 star back.
 

[Mr. Sensible]

I think it as important to get 2 DTs as much as it is another 5 star back.
 

This

[Buzz Killington]

I think it as far more important to get 2 DTs as much as it is another 5 star back.
 

Agreed

[AUChizad]

I think it as important to get 2 DTs as much as it is another 5 star back.
 

I don't think the two are mutually exclusive.

I'm pretty sure the coaches' priorities are like this.

1. Whitaker or Jones
2. Whitaker or Jones
3. Lemonier
4. Lattimore
5. Ambles

If it doesn't shake out that way, I don't think it's for lack of the coaches trying to make it that way.