SEC football recruiting grades: Texas A&M, Alabama and Georgia top class, but how did others fare?
Midterms are over for the college football recruiting season. Final exams were Wednesday, on the traditional National Signing Day.
For SEC schools, most of the homework was done by the end of the December early signing period, but there was still movement as some programs failed to add any late signees and were passed by others who did.
The experts who cover SEC football for the USA TODAY Sports Network have graded each league school's signing class, considering not only overall ranking but how needs were met and what advantages and disadvantages each school faces on the recruiting trail.
Here are their final marks:
More SEC recruiting: Is Georgia football built to last like Alabama, or headed for a backslide like LSU Tigers?
Portal into the future?: Is signing recruits passé? Ole Miss, Florida, LSU and others in SEC are raiding transfers
Alabama
247Sports Composite class rank: No. 2 overall, No. 2 SEC
Top signees: Edge Jeremiah Alexander, No. 1 edge defender, No. 17 overall; Edge Jihaad Campbell, No. 2 edge defender, No. 21 overall; QB Ty Simpson, No. 3 QB, No. 25 overall
Top February signee: TE Danny Lewis, No. 31 tight end, No. 611 overall
Biggest miss: Jaleel Skinner, a four-star tight end who flipped to Miami during the early signing period. Alabama signed Long on Wednesday to add a piece at that position.
Grade: A- — Alabama might not win the recruiting title for the Class of 2022, but the Crimson Tide continues to reload with top talent. Alabama’s strong class is headlined by four five-star prospects, all at positions where the Crimson Tide has lost or will lose elite players this offseason or next.
— Nick Kelly
Arkansas
247Sports Composite class rank: No. 28 overall, No. 13 SEC
Top signees: WR Isaiah Sategna, No. 29 wide receiver, No. 185 overall; OL Andrew Chamblee, No. 22 offensive tackle, No. 290 overall; OL E’Marion Harris, No. 25 offensive tackle, No. 321 overall
Top February signee: None
Biggest miss: After LSU cornerbacks coach Corey Raymond left for Florida, rumors flew that four-star cornerback Laterrance Welch could flip to Arkansas. He didn’t, opting to stick with the Tigers.
Grade: A – Arkansas’ class is Sam Pittman’s best yet despite ranking on par with last year’s in national and conference standings. The Razorbacks signed 10 of the top 15 players in the state, including five four-stars.
— Christina Long
Auburn
247Sports Composite class rank: No. 18 overall, No. 8 SEC
Top signees: LB Robert Woodyard, No. 13 linebacker, No. 139 overall; CB JaDarian Rhym, No. 21 cornerback, No. 179 overall; CB Austin Ausberry, No. 22 cornerback, No. 183 overall.
Top February signee: None
Biggest miss: Former LSU commit TreVonte' Citizen, a four-star running back, had Auburn in his final four but committed to Miami. He would have been the highest-rated prospect in Auburn's class.
Grade: D+ – Auburn's class was ranked No. 12 at one point, but Bryan Harsin failed to add anyone in February. There's talent in this class, but only signing one offensive lineman is a concern.
— Bennett Durando
Florida
247Sports Composite class rank: No. 19 overall, No. 9 SEC
Top signees: DB Kamari Wilson, No. 2 safety, No. 28 overall; LB Shemar James, No. 7 linebacker, No. 64 overall; DL Chris McClellan, No. 17 defensive lineman, No. 100 overall.
Top February signee: RB Trevor Etienne, No. 14 running back, No. 186 overall
Biggest miss: Texas five-star linebacker Harold Perkins. The former Texas A&M commit decommitted 10 days after visiting Florida, but he ended up picking LSU on Wednesday.
Grade: B- – New coach Billy Napier was able to add some nice pieces in February – Etienne, edge rusher Jack Pyburn and wide receiver Caleb Douglas – but the Gators missed out on some big names Wednesday.
— Jon Santucci
Georgia
247Sports Composite class rank: No. 3 overall, No. 3 SEC
Top signees: DL Mykel Williams, No. 2 defensive lineman, No. 4 overall; ATH Malaki Starks, No. 1 athlete, No. 18 overall; EDGE Marvin Jones Jr., No. 3 Edge, No. 23 overall
Top February signee: DL Christen Miller, No. 14 defensive lineman, No. 102 overall
Biggest miss: No. 1 wide receiver Luther Burden had Georgia in his top three, but chose the hometown Missouri Tigers. UGA still finished with four receivers and can get more help from the transfer portal.
Grade: A- — There might be some added help from UGA getting to recruit with a national championship trophy in hand, but the Bulldogs still fared well. Georgia filled every position with several guys who could see the field next season.
— McClain Baxley
Kentucky
247Sports Composite class rank: No. 13 overall, No. 5 SEC
Top signees: OT Kiyaunta Goodwin, No. 6 offensive tackle, No. 37 overall; WR Barion Brown, No. 16 wide receiver, No. 96 overall; OLB Tyreese Fearbry, No. 18 outside linebacker, No. 181 overall
Top February signee: DL Noah Matthews, No. 154 defensive lineman
Biggest miss: Kentucky was viewed as the favorite for four-star Ohio offensive tackle Aamil Wagner, but he signed with Notre Dame.
Grade: A – On paper, this is the best class Mark Stoops has signed in his Kentucky tenure. Ten consensus four-star prospects puts the class at a level never seen before in Lexington.
— Jon Hale
LSU
247Sports Composite class rank: No. 12 overall, No. 4 SEC
Top signees: LB Harold Perkins, No. 2 LB, No. 8 overall; OT Will Campbell, No. 4 OT, No. 34 overall; QB Walker Howard, No. 4 QB, No. 40 overall.
Top February signee: Perkins
Biggest miss: Four-star safety and top-50 recruit Jacoby Mathews chose Texas A&M.
Grade: B- – LSU let many of the top recruits in Louisiana, like Mathews, flee for different pastures around the SEC. But the Tigers landed Perkins, the top unsigned recruit in the nation entering National Signing Day.
— Koki Riley
Mississippi State
247Sports Composite class rank: No. 27 overall, No. 12 SEC
Top signees: DL Trevion Williams, No. 24 defensive lineman, No. 187 overall. WR Marquez Dortch, No. 37 wide receiver, No. 240 overall. DL Jacarius Clayton, No. 45 defensive lineman, No. 366 overall
Top February signee: WR Zavion Thomas, No. 57 wide receiver, No. 399 overall
Biggest miss: CB Khamauri Rogers. Rogers, a Lexington, Mississippi, native, chose Miami instead.
Grade: B- – Mississippi State’s recruiting class isn’t very highly-ranked, but the players added fit the areas of need. The Bulldogs’ focus on wide receivers and defense was especially strong.
— Andy Kostka
Missouri
247Sports Composite class rank: No. 14 overall, No. 6 SEC
Top signees: WR Luther Burden, No. 1 wide receiver, No. 3 overall; QB Sam Horn, No. 9 quarterback, No. 125 overall; RB Tavorus Jones, No. 13 running back, No. 161 overall
Top February signee: LB Carmycah Glass, No. 52 linebacker, No. 804 overall
Biggest miss: Four-star offensive lineman Deshawn Woods had been committed to Missouri since 2021 before flipping to Wyoming. He would’ve been the Tigers’ eighth four-star or higher signee in the class.
Grade: A – Even if Missouri hadn’t added a player in February, the 2022 signing class is one of the best, if not the best, in program history. Coach Eli Drinkwitz followed through as a top-billed recruiter.
— Chris Kwiecinski
Ole Miss
247 Sports Composite Rank: No. 23 overall, No. 10 SEC
Top signees: DL Zxavian Harris, No. 19 DL, No. 135 overall; CB Davison Igbinosun, No. 20 CB, No. 159 overall; LB Jaron Willis, No. 19 LB, No. 184 overall
Top February signee: None
Biggest miss: In December, Ole Miss pushed hard to get four-star defensive tackle Jaheim Oatis to flip on Alabama but couldn't, forcing the Rebels to look for help in the transfer portal.
Grade: B- — Leaving transfer portal acquisitions out of the conversation, Ole Miss' recruiting class was merely fine. Adding plenty of bodies at linebacker, offensive line and defensive back helps a ton. Not filling out the class with offensive skill positions wasn't great. Most signees won't have to play in 2022, and if they can develop they might be useful contributors by 2023.
— Nick Suss
South Carolina
247sports Composite team rank: No. 26 overall, No. 11 in SEC
Top signees: QB Tanner Bailey, No. 14 quarterback, No. 217 overall; WR Keenan Nelson, Jr., No. 19 receiver, No. 219 overall; QB Braden Davis, No. 22 quarterback, No. 323 overall
Top February signee: None
Biggest miss: Maryland native Jaishawn Barham verbally committed to the Gamecocks two days before the early signing period. He flipped to Maryland when the period started.
Grade: B- — Shane Beamer and his staff signed all of their 21 freshmen during the early signing period. South Carolina addressed depth needs at plenty of positions.
— Cory Diaz
Tennessee
247Sports Composite class rank: No. 16 overall, No. 7 SEC
Top signees: DL Tyre West, No. 22 defensive lineman, No. 161 overall; OL Addison Nichols, No. 6 interior offensive lineman, No. 140 overall; QB Tayven Jackson, No. 13 quarterback, No. 205 overall.
Top February signee: DL Jayson Jenkins, No. 148 defensive lineman, not ranked overall
Biggest miss: Defensive lineman Walter Nolen, the No. 2 overall player, signed with Texas A&M despite playing at Powell High School, about 10 miles from UT.
Grade: B – Josh Heupel and his staff salvaged the class after Jeremy Pruitt’s firing and amid an NCAA investigation and COVID-19 protocols limiting in-person recruiting. It’s better than expected.
— Adam Sparks
Texas A&M
247Sports Composite class rank: No. 1 overall, No. 1 SEC
Top signees: DT Walter Nolen, No. 1 DT, No. 2 overall; DL Shemar Stewart, No. 3 DL, No. 10 Overall; WR Evan Stewart, No. 4 WR, No. 11 Overall
Biggest miss: LB Harold Perkins was committed to Texas A&M for 22 days before decommitting recently. The eighth-ranked player in the country chose LSU on signing day.
Grade: A+ – With seven of the top 25 recruits, the Aggies have entered best-class-ever territory. This potential on the defensive line for this class is sky-high with three of the top four recruits in the country.
— Maxwell Donaldson
Vanderbilt
247Sports Composite class rank: No. 31 overall, No. 14 SEC
Top signees: Daniel Martin, No. 26 linebacker, No. 269 overall; Ja'Dais Richard, No. 31 safety, No. 368 overall; AJ Swann, No. 25 quarterback, No. 408 overall; Darren Agu, No. 41 edge, No. 509 overall; Langston Patterson, No. 50 linebacker, No. 511 overall
Top February signee: Leyton Nelson, No. 43 offensive tackle, No. 511 overall
Biggest miss: Connor Lingren, an interior defensive lineman with ideal size, was a Vanderbilt target but ended up choosing TCU.
Grade: B-plus. Clark Lea had a plan and stuck to it, getting players with good measurables and upside. This class has a better average ranking than even James Fraklin brought in; the problem is that the rest of the SEC has stepped its game up too.
— Aria Gerson
This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: SEC football recruiting grades: How signing day impacted league classes
