1. Alabama
To no surprise. Alabama takes the throne as the king of recruiting. As is the way of the Tide, Alabama reeled in the top offensive lineman and top strongside defensive end, continuing the legacy of outstanding trench dominance. Including those two, second ranked cornerback Tony Brown completes Alabama’s trio of top ten players, making Alabama one of only two teams with three top ten players.
Contrary to typical trends in Alabama (with last year being an exception), Nick Saban sought after and locked in a top five ranked pro-style quarterback, David Cornwell. Prior to Cooper Bateman from their 2013 class, Alabama did not typically prioritize quarterback.
As Alabama always does, they recruited a highly touted running back. Although Bo Scarbrough is listed as an “ATH,” he will be playing running back behind Alabama’s already stacked running back corps.
2. LSU
LSU scored the most impressive single-year recruiting achievement as Leonard Fournette, the number one overall recruit, committed to their program. Fournette, a running back, has drawn comparisons to Adrian peterson, deservingly so. Despite already having a plethora of talented running backs, Fournette will steal the show and be the SEC’s next sensational running back.
As of late, LSU has produced a number of NFL safeties and they seem to be determined to continue such trend. They landed two top ten safeties in Edward Paris, the better of the two, and Jamal Adams.
Outside of Fournette, LSU’s most impressive get was wide receiver Malachi Dupre. With Odell Beckham Jr. and Jarvis Landry departing, it was necessary to seek after an immediate replacement. Being that he is a top three receiver from this class, Dupre can and will likely come in as an immediate impact player.
3. Auburn
The instant success that Gus Malzahn brought to Auburn was certainly appealing to recruits. Most noteworthy of their 2014 class is the number one wide receiver, D’haquille Williams. At 6’3” and 210-plus pounds, he has the tools to be the next star receiver.
Malzahn’s system is heavily run oriented, so as expected, he went out and recruited the talent to continue the success of his system. Highly touted running back Roc Thomas and top five offensive guard Braden Smith are two crucial pieces to the puzzle that is Malzahn’s offense. In the near future, the two will make Auburn’s rushing offense terrifying. Along with Thomas, who is a speed back, Malzahn recruited Kamryn Pettway as a more powerful runner to compliment Thomas.
4. Texas A&M
For those worried about the departure of Johnny Manziel, there is no need to panic. Kyle Allen, the top overall quarterback, will be taking his talents to Texas A&M. He is more of a natural pocket passer than Manziel, but nonetheless, he is just as, if not more, talented. The Aggies will not lose a step at quarterback.
Like any quarterback, Allen will need weapons around him. Last year, they snagged Ricky Seals-Jones, but this year, they have added Speedy Noil. His name says it all. Much like a Tavon Austin type, Noil will be a threat to score every time he touches the ball.
As well as landing the top quarterback, Texas A&M landed the best defensive end in the class, Myles Garrett. He will provided a much needed pass rushing presence in College Station. In addition to Garrett, A&M also added four other four star defensive lineman in an effort to rebuild their defense.
5. Tennessee
With apparent faith in sophomore quarterback Joshua Dobbs, Tennessee made it a priority to surround him with talented receivers. Josh Malone and Von Pearson are both 6’0”-plus receivers with four star grades. Not only that, but Dobbs has been given a dominant running back to take pressure off of himself. Jalen Hurd stands tall for a running back at 6’3”, but nonetheless, he is an explosive rushing threat.
Along with the offensive weapons, Tennessee made it clear that they intended to improve their edge rushing and safety play. At both positions, two four star recruits were brought in to address the weakness in Tennessee's defense.