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No matter what recruiting service at which you look, the SEC has as many as 10 programs in the top-25 and seven in the top-14 of the 2015 rankings.
While you may or may not put a lot of stock into rankings, there’s no question the SEC recruits better than any other conference in the country.
With National Signing Day less than a month away, Saturday Down South looks at the top 20 prospects at each position group and how many will or could play for SEC teams in 2015.
Editor’s Note: Below is a list of the consensus top 20 defensive tackles across all three major recruiting services: 247Sports, Rivals and Scout.
Defensive tackles: The Class of 2015 is stocked with some very good defensive tackles. However, only 30 percent are committed to SEC programs.
Uncommitted Targets: Daylon Mack leads a pack of three uncommitted prospects, all of who are expected to join other conferences.
Top 20 defensive tackles
1. Trent Thompson, Georgia — The nation’s top defensive tackle chose to stay in-state and attend Georgia, where he should be a force on the Bulldogs’ defensive line.
2. Khalil McKenzie, Tennessee — Butch Jones snagged the son of a former NFL player from the West Coast. McKenzie should develop into a star in Knoxville.
3. Daylon Mack, uncommitted — Mack had a strong showing at last week’s Under Armour events. With a pair of SEC schools among his top five, Mack’s decision seems to be between Texas A&M and TCU.
4. Daron Payne, Alabama — The Shades Valley star gave the Crimson Tide defensive front a boost with his commitment over the weekend. Payne is powerful on the defensive interior and could be the best Alabama lineman of the last few years.
5. Shy Tuttle, Tennessee — Tuttle is a force on the interior of the defense and could play early for the Volunteers.
6. Christian Wilkins, Clemson — Dabo Swinney nabbed this Connecticut product who will be star for the Tigers in coming years.
7. Breiden Fehoko, Texas Tech — The four-star prospect from Hawaii will make his way to the mainland and give Kliff Kingsbury some talent along the defensive line.
8. Jacob Daniel, USC — Daniel is huge along the defensive front — he stands 6-foot-4, 310-pounds — and is a huge pickup for the Trojans.
9. Neville Gallimore, Oklahoma — Gallimore, a native of Canada, will suit up for Bob Stoops and the Sooners. He has a great story, but should become a great player in the Big 12 also.
10. Tim Settle, Virginia Tech — Settle has the size to play early, but perhaps his greatest asset is his quick first step from the middle of the defense.
11. Albert Huggins, Clemson — The Orangeburg-Wilkinson needs to beef up some, but is a solid addition for the Tigers.
12. Adam McLean, Maryland — McLean is a Maryland product who adds some needed talent to the Terrapins defensive front.
13. Joseph Wicker, uncommitted — Wicker has huge upside. He’ll make his choose from a set of Pac-12 and Big 12 schools.
14. Hjalte Froholdt, Arkansas — Froholdt is an underrated pickup for Bret Bielema. The Bradenton, Fla., native is already on campus.
15. Darvin Taylor, Florida State — The Seminoles grabbed another prospect from the state of Virginia. Taylor needs to put on some weight, but will be a solid player for Charles Kelly’s defense.
16. Fletcher Adams, Mississippi State — At 6-foot-3, 260-pounds, Adams needs to beef up but could be the next in a growing list of great Bulldogs defensive linemen.
17. Raequan Williams, Michigan State — The Chicago product will head to East Lansing and join a physical Spartans defense.
18. Marquise Overton, Oklahoma — Overton, weighing in at 301 pounds, has the size to play early for the Sooners.
19. Thomas Toki, Washington State — Toki is perhaps the cornerstone piece to a good Cougars defensive class.
20. Darrion Daniels, uncommitted — The four-star prospect out of Dallas is considering Missouri, but likely will end up in the Big 12.
Recruiting by position
- Quarterbacks
- Running backs
- Wide receivers
- Tight ends
- Offensive line
- Defensive ends
- Linebackers
- Cornerbacks
- Safeties
- Kickers/punters
After living in Birmingham, Ala., Jordan left the ground zero of SEC Nation to head south to Florida to tell the unique stories of the renowned tradition of SEC football. In his free time, his mission is to find the best locales around.
