How SEC recruiting in South Florida during 2017 cycle compares with the past two years

So many times, during so many seasons, you can watch a dominant SEC team, a national-championship SEC team, and trace it all back to the school’s ability to recruit South Florida, and recruit it hard.

Amari Cooper (below) comes immediately to mind, and I was there to witness Cooper, a product of powerhouse Miami Northwestern High, tear through Notre Dame’s defense as Alabama captured the 2012 national championship. Ironically, that game was played in Miami, Cooper’s backyard and home to so many annual jewels that are the seeds of SEC winners.

Fast-forward to 2016, and Georgia star running back Sony Michel is another South Florida-bred star, from Plantation American Heritage. Wide receiver Antonio Callaway is a star-in-the-making at Florida, and he came by way of Miami Booker T. Washington, another perennial South Florida heavyweight. Robert Conyers, out of Miami Braddock, will be a key to Ole Miss’ offensive line this fall.

And back at Alabama, there is five-star wideout Calvin Ridley (below) out of Monarch High in Coconut Creek, Fla. All Ridley did last year was set the Alabama single-season freshman receiving record with 1,045 yards, breaking the record set by … Cooper in 2012. And Ridley did it in a national championship season.

So there you have it. Recruit South Florida well and things tend to turn out well. With that, let’s take a look at how well the SEC has recruited the rich region in the 2017 cycle as compared to the previous two years.

2017

South Florida players committed to SEC

5-stars: None.
4-stars: Florida — Jake Allen, QB, Fort Lauderdale St. Thomas Aquinas; Kemore Gamble, TE, Miami Southridge; Alabama — VanDarius Cowan, OLB, Palm Beach Gardens.
3-stars: Florida — Kadeem Telfort, OT, Miami Booker T. Washington; Mississippi State — Tyler Dunning, OLB, St. Thomas Aquinas; South Carolina — Kyshaun Bryan, RB, St. Thomas Aquinas.

The skinny: Not surprisingly, the Gators are the leader in the clubhouse with three of the six South Florida commits so far for the 2017 cycle. Allen is a pro-style quarterback from powerhouse St. Thomas Aquinas who returned from a back injury to help lead the Raiders to their ninth state title. … Nick Saban once again has dipped into South Florida with Cowan, who flipped his commitment from Florida State to Alabama in April. … Will Muschamp’s Gamecocks got their hands on the versatile Bryan. The equally versatile Dunning is listed as a linebacker but played defensive line in St. Thomas’ Blue & Gold scrimmage. … There are two five-star prospects in South Florida and neither has committed: cornerback Stanford Samuels and receiver Trevon Grimes. Grimes is Allen’s top target at Aquinas.

5-star WR Trevon Grimes vs 5-star DB Lamont Wade. Florida QB Jake Allen on the throw pic.twitter.com/IadRKktKEl

— Woody Wommack (@RivalsWoody) June 11, 2016

2016

South Florida players who signed with SEC

5-stars: None.
4-stars: Georgia — Riley Ridley (below), WR, Deerfield Beach; Florida — Joshua Hammond, WR, Hallandale.

3-stars: Florida — McArthur Burnett, APB, Pahokee; Eddy Pineiro, K, ASA College, North Miami Beach; Vosean Joseph, OLB, Miami Norland; Christopher McWilliams, CB, Southwest Miami; Vanderbilt — Frank Coppet, CB, St. Thomas Aquinas; South Carolina — Keir Thomas, DE, Miami Central; Aaron Thompson, DE, Fort Lauderdale Dillard; Tennessee — Brandon Johnson, WR, Plantation American Heritage; Arkansas — Alexy Jean-Baptiste, LB, Coconut Creek; Alabama — Aaron Robinson, CB, Deerfield Beach.

The skinny: It’s hard to predict which of these South Florida-bred freshmen will make the biggest impact this fall, but Ridley, Calvin’s younger brother, is already drawing rave reviews from Georgia coach Kirby Smart. The South Florida factor isn’t lost on Smart, that’s for sure. “He’s a competitive kid, and he’s tough,” Smart told Gridiron Now. “He’s got to work on his vertical speed; he’s not a super-fast guy. But he’s a kid from South Florida that is not afraid to compete.” … The other four-star gem, Hammond, is the younger brother of former Gator and current Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Frankie Hammond. The younger Hammond is sure-handed and polished and has a shot to play right away in Gainesville. No five-star guys in this class, but that hardly means these South Florida SEC imports won’t have a big impact this fall.

2015

South Florida players committed to SEC

5-stars: Alabama — Calvin Ridley, WR, Coconut Creek Monarch.
4-stars: Florida — Jordan Scarlett, RB, St. Thomas Aquinas; Jordan Cronkrite, ATH, Miami Westminster Christian; Alabama — Shawn Burgess-Becker, ATH, Coconut Creek Monarch; Auburn — Tim Irvin, ATH, Miami Westminster Christian; Carlton Davis, CB, Miami Norland.
3-stars: Florida — Antonio Callaway (below), WR, Miami Booker T. Washington; Keivonnis Davis, DE, Miami Central; Richerd Desir-Jones, DT, St. Thomas Aquinas; Fredrick Johnson, OT, West Palm Beach Royal Palm Beach; Rayshad Jackson, LB, Miami Norland; Georgia — Shaquery Wilson, ATH, Miami Coral Gables Senior; Deandre Baker, CB, Miami Northwestern; Juwan Taylor, LB, Hallandale; South Carolina — Rashad Fenton, CB, Miami Carol City; Auburn — Jeremiah Dinson, CB, Hialeah American; Ole Miss — Shawn Curtis, LB, Miami Doral Ronald Reagan.

The skinny: The dynamic Ridley certainly paid immediate dividends for the Crimson Tide, with a record-setting freshman season that helped them win another national title. He acted the part of a South Florida five-star guy. Now we’ll see if his brother Riley can do the same for Georgia. … The South Florida Jordans, Scarlett and Cronkrite, showed glimpses in Gainesville and their production should only increase as sophomores though they’ll be battling for playing time. … Callaway made a huge impact as a freshman despite the Gators offense struggling overall. … Irvin became a starter in Auburn’s nickel package.

Dinson saw a lot of action early in the season before sustaining a knee injury that required season-ending surgery. … Fenton became the first Gamecock to take a kickoff return for a touchdown since the 2002 season. Put simply, this South Florida SEC class made its imprint, like they all seem to do.

Cory Nightingale

Cory Nightingale, a sports copy editor at the Miami Herald, lives for Saturdays. He especially enjoys the pageantry, tradition and history of SEC football.