The 2019 recruiting cycle is off and running. Some schools got an earlier start than others and some are laying the groundwork for a major push up the rankings. Take a look at some of the major storylines that emerged with the inaugural release of the 2019 team rankings.

CLASS OF 2019 RANKINGS UPDATE: Rivals100 | Rivals250 | New five-stars | Risers | Position analysis

Building off of last year’s success on and off the field, Georgia is sitting atop the 2019 team rankings. Kirby Smart and his staff have the Dawgs clicking on all cylinders again. There is a lot to like about the commitments they already have and the ones they could end up getting.

Five of Georgia’s seven current commitments are among the top five prospects at their respective positions, including five-star Jadon Haselwood, and six of the seven are in the Rivals250. Plus, five-star Zacch Pickens and Rivals100 prospects Andrew Booth, Wanya Morris, Owen Pappoe, and many others could potentially end up in this class, so the Dawgs have a good chance of repeating as Team Rankings champs.

Mark Richt has had the Canes clicking on the recruiting trail and no team has made more progress on their 2019 class than Miami. With 11 commitments already, the Hurricanes have more commitments than any other team and the next closest teams (Wisconsin and Ole Miss) have eight.

Currently No. 2 in the team rankings, Miami’s held commitments from linebackers Jesiah Pierre (June 2016) and Diamante Howard (Sept. 2016) for a very long time. Rivals250 wide receiver Jeremiah Payton committed earlier this week and is currently Miami’s highest rated commit, and Canes receiver commit Brieon Fuller and defensive end commit Cameron Williams are also in the Rivals250.

Miami could push up to the top of the team rankings with additions from players like Rivals100 wide receiver Frank Ladson, running back Mark-Antony Richards, defensive end Khris Bogle and a few others.

The 2017 campaign was a banner season for Wisconsin as the Badgers finished 13-1 after an Orange Bowl win over Miami and it is showing on their commitment list. With eight commitments, the Badgers are leading the Big Ten and sit at No. 4 in the overall team rankings.

Wisconsin has never finished higher than No. 5 in the Big Ten recruiting rankings (2003, 2008, and 2015), so this is unfamiliar territory for the Badgers. Rivals100 offensive tackle Logan Brown headlines Wisconsin’s current recruiting class but there are also quality Rivals250 prospects like tight end Hayden Rucci and quarterback Graham Mertz. Paul Chryst and his staff will have to keep their feet on the gas to fend off the inevitable push from Ohio State, Michigan, Penn State, and the usual suspects.

There are 14 Group of Five teams in the team rankings right now and that’s more than a lot of Power Five teams can say. Led by USF at No. 33, Connecticut, East Carolina, Houston, Temple, Tulsa and UCF are the seven AAC teams in the team rankings, the most of any Group of Five conference. Conference USA has four teams in the rankings so far followed by the Mountain West (two) and Sun Belt (one).

The early signing period is 10 months away, so there is a long way to go but there are more than a few Power Five programs that still don’t hold a single commitment. USC is the biggest program without a 2019 commitment so far and the Trojans finished the 2018 recruiting cycle at No. 3 in the team rankings. UCLA, Arizona, Arizona State, Utah, and California are the other Pac-12 teams that have yet to pick up a 2019 commitment. The ACC, behind the Pac-12’s six, has four teams without a 2019 commitment. Arkansas and Vanderbilt of the SEC still have a “0” in in the commitment column as does the Big Ten’s Indiana and the Big 12’s Kansas.

There are six schools with new head coaches among the top 28. Ole Miss, Texas A&M, Florida State, Mississippi State, Florida, and Tennessee are all off to solid starts. Jimbo Fisher’s Aggies and Matt Luke’s Rebels have top 10 recruiting classes while Willie Taggart’s Seminoles and Joe Moorhead’s Bulldogs are in the top 20. Florida State and Texas A&M hold the highest rated commitments of the group. Rivals100 cornerback Akeem Dent is committed to Florida State while Rivals100 safety Brian Williams is committed to Texas A&M. Ole Miss holds more commitments (eight) than any of these other five schools.