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The top-rated recruit for every SEC East program since 2000
By JC Shurburtt
Published:
The modern era of recruiting rankings can be traced back to the turn of the century (2000) and when you dig into them, there have been fascinating mixed results with many of the highest-rated prospects in specific classes.
According to 247Sports Composite rankings, which uses an algorithm to determine a recruiting industry-consensus on top prospects factoring in data equally from all major recruiting media outlets, the following are the highest-rated prospects to sign with each program in the SEC East since the 2000 class.
As is the case with most historical look backs at rankings and ratings (and really with any sort of football evaluation — including high NFL draft picks), the results vary quite a bit.
Florida
Top recruit: Ronald Powell, DE, Moreno Valley (Calif.) Rancho Verde (Class of 2010, 0.9999 247Sports Composite rating, No. 1 overall)
Post-high school career: Powell had an up-and-down collegiate career mostly due to injuries (he tore his left ACL twice in one calendar year) but still had enough raw talent to be a fifth-round pick of the New Orleans Saints in the 2014 draft. He now plays for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Georgia
Top recruit: Trent Thompson, DT, Albany (Ga.) Westover (Class of 2015, 0.9991 247Sports Composite rating, No. 1 overall)
Post-high school career: Thompson saw a good bit of playing time as a true freshman this past season and a had a season-high eight tackles in the Bulldogs’ 38-31 loss to Tennessee in Knoxville this past October. The 6-foot-4, 307-pounder has a bright future ahead of him and his considerable talent (barring injury) will only continue to shine through under the guidance of UGA defensive line coach Tracy Rocker, who is one of the top developers of defensive line talent in college football.
Kentucky
Top recruit: Antonio Hall, OT, Canton (Ohio) McKinley (Class of 2000, 0.9946 247Sports Composite rating, No. 12 overall)
Post-high school career: Hall was a huge get for the Wildcats out of the Buckeye State in the 2000 class and went on to have a very good career for Kentucky as a two-time All-SEC selection. His pro career, however, was a different matter. He signed as a free agent with the Indianapolis Colts and spent some time in the Canadian Football League.
Missouri
Top recruit: Dorial Green-Beckham, WR, Springfield (Mo.) Hillcrest (Class of 2012, 0.9997 247Sports Composite rating, No. 1 overall)
Post-high school career: Landing him was one of the finest recruiting achievements of the Gary Pinkel era at Mizzou. Unfortunately, Green-Beckham never lived up to his end of the bargain, only showed flashes of his enormous potential and ended up getting kicked off of the team. He then transferred to Oklahoma and left that program, after Sooners head coach Bob Stoops took some heat for accepting him, without ever playing a down for the NFL. His pro career, however, has been promising. After being drafted in the second round by the Tennessee Titans last April, he had a solid rookie campaign, catching touchdowns with each of his first two receptions and posting a season-high 119-yard receiving effort against Jacksonville. There’s a good chance his potential is realized in the professional ranks, thus counterbalancing the fact he was bust city in college.
South Carolina
Top recruit: Jadeveon Clowney, DE, Rock Hill (S.C.) South Pointe (Class of 2011,1.000 247Sports Composite rating, No. 1 overall)
Post-high school career: Clowney set plenty of records during his career with the Gamecocks, was an All-American and SEC Defensive Player of the Year as a sophomore and was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2014 NFL draft by the Houston Texans, where he has helped that franchise make the playoffs this past season. Clowney was the first football player in the modern era of recruiting to be ranked as a consensus No. 1 overall prospect and also be the top overall pick in the NFL draft.
Tennessee
Top recruit: Bryce Brown, RB, Wichita (Kan.) East (Class of 2009, 0.9991 247Sports Composite rating, No. 2 overall)
Post-high school career: Brown was one of the most overrated recruits in the modern era. The shame of it was, it had little to do with his potential to be a good back at the college level. The problem was that Brown, and some close “advisors” failed to realize that football is a developmental sport and you certainly haven’t arrived just because recruiting networks put five stars by your name and because you run wild over less-than-stellar competition in Wichita, Kan. He signed with the Vols, showed flashes his freshman year under Lane Kiffin. Kiffin left UT. Brown then left for Kansas State where his brother Arthur Brown actually became a good football player after transferring in from Miami. But, just like Green-Beckham, Brown never played a down at the school that gave him a new opportunity and declared for the NFL draft. The good news here is that just like Green-Beckham, his career has been better in the pros. Brown has actually hung around the NFL at a position that chews players up and spits them out. He’s a backup for the Seattle Seahawks at present and actually scored a touchdown in their last game. Brown is the poster child for not believing your own hype, particularly when it is being delivered by people who have an agenda.
Vanderbilt
Top recruit: Chris Young, WR, Batesville (Miss.) South Panola (Class of 2000, 0.9639 247Sports Composite rating, No. 107 overall)
Post-high school career: Young’s recruitment perhaps produced more fireworks than did his career. He verbally committed to Ole Miss prior to signing day, but ended up in Nashville, joining his brother who was a linebacker for the Commodores. Young was a stellar high school quarterback who was going to have to change positions once he got to college. He did, to wide receiver, and played in 41 games in four seasons, catching 44 passes for 502 yards and two touchdowns during that time. That Young was the highest-rated Commodores recruit during the past 15 cycles ratings-wise speaks to the fact that most of Vanderbilt’s best players during that time period (Jay Cutler and Earl Bennett come to mind) have been grossly underrated by the recruiting industry.
Recruiting writer for Saturday Down South
