ACC Breakdown: Inside the numbers

INSIDE THE NUMBERS: SEC | Big Ten

The finish line for the 2017 recruiting class is closing in fast. Check out some interesting numbers relating to the ACC’s recruiting classes.

Class of 2017: ACC commitment lists | Team rankings | Rivals250

There are a total of 30 five-stars in the Rivals.com rankings right now, 28 high school prospects and two junior college prospects. Fourteen of these five-stars are verbally committed and two of them are committed to Clemson. Hunter Johnson, the nation’s top-rated quarterback, and AJ Terrell, the No. 2 rated cornerback, have pledged to play for Dabo Swinney and the Tigers. Clemson is going to have a small 2017 recruiting class but the Tigers have a chance to add some major playmakers that could contribute early in their careers.

Punter Pressley Harvin was the only player committed to Georgia Tech until early June and then Paul Johnson and his staff turned up the heat on the recruiting trail. In an 11-day span in early June, Georgia Tech picked up five commitments, headlined by highly rated three-star defensive back Jaytlin Askew. Three commitments in July from three offensive linemen were extremely important. Georgia Tech had a huge August, adding commitments from three-star OJ Tucker and four-stars Bruce Jordan-Swilling, Tre Swilling and Gentry Bonds.

Florida State has landed a five-star in every class going back to 2007. There are four four-stars with 6.0 Rivals Ratings committed to the Seminoles now and there is a chance some of them could earn that coveted fifth star. It would be shocking if Jimbo Fisher and his staff didn’t sign a five-star this year even if their season hasn’t gone exactly as they had hoped.

Bobby Petrino’s team is sixth in the new College Football Playoff rankings and has the Heisman favorite, so why aren’t more top prospects committing to Louisville? The Cardinals have caught lightning in a bottle with Lamar Jackson and it’s imperative that Petrino and his staff capitalize on this success by picking up commitments from highly rated prospects. There are plenty of top targets still on the market, but Louisville needs to turn up the heat.

Virginia and North Carolina are two of the top talent-producing states on the East Coast but the two biggest football schools in each state only have four commitments apiece from in-state players. The Hokies used to make a living off the Virginia Beach and Hampton Roads area of Virginia and they need to lock it down to continue to upgrade their roster. Big-time defensive linemen and excellent offensive playmakers come out of North Carolina every year and if the Tar Heels hope to continue to have success, they need to keep them close to home.