First and 10: Biggest Early Commitments
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It took only one visit for summer camp to convince the five-star quarterback that Georgia was the right place for him. The Lake Stevens, Wash. standout had also developed great relationships with coach Mark Richt and offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Mike Bobo early in the recruiting process and that was key in his decision. The comparisons to Matthew Stafford are unavoidable and when Eason was in Athens he felt like it was the best place for him. -- Adam Gorney, West analyst
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Toccoa (Ga.) Stephens County
Cleveland is a massive get, both literally and figuratively for the Bulldogs. At 6-foot-7 and 320 pounds, Cleveland has the ideal size of an NFL offensive tackle, meaning the only thing he needs to refine is his blocking skills before he's ready to step foot on campus in Athens in 2016. Cleveland has suffered through injuries during his junior season and has played defensive end in addition to tackle for his high school team. For Georgia, landing a player of his caliber so far in advance of Signing Day 2016 is huge, especially one located right in the Bulldogs backyard. -- Wommack
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Savannah (Ga.) Savannah Christian
After a dominant offseason on the camp circuit, Robertson stacked offers in the spring and summer, with schools from all over the country wanting to snag the versatile athlete from Savannah. But Alabama made a hard charge and landed the nation's No. 5 overall player in mid-July. Robertson went through some eligibility issues during the summer but now that he's back to playing full-time he has been torching defenses and looks like a potential game-changing wide receiver in college. He's also an accomplished defensive back and Alabama's coaches have told him he has the potential to play on either side of the ball. Alabama continues to stack talent and landing a name like Robertson early shows the Tide aren't slowing down anytime soon. -- Wommack
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Allen, Texas
Gregory Little is about as big as an early commitment gets. First off, he is a big, athletic tackle with strong technique. He still has plenty of room to grow and add really good weight to his frame and he is developing in the strength department. He is the kind of guy who can jump in and make an early impact in the SEC. Little is also a huge get because he is the early No. 1 prospect in Texas for the 2016 recruiting class. He gives Texas A&M a big early win over pretty much everyone in the country, and he is a guy who creates some strong early momentum for the Aggies with other recruits. -- Midlands analyst Rob Cassidy
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Westlake Village (Calif.) Westlake
Henry said throughout his junior season that he wanted to take an unofficial visit to Florida State before making his decision and the more that was prolonged the less the Seminoles seemed to have a chance. That was not the case, though, as his summer camp visit was enough to convince him that was the perfect fit. Henry loved working with coach Jimbo Fisher over the summer and even though the Jameis Winston comparisons might not be perfectly accurate, there's no arguing with Florida State's success. -- Gorney
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Los Angeles (Calif.) Windward
Brandt's recruitment was not super suspenseful. The five-star spent a lot of time on the UCLA campus, attended a bunch of games and developed a great relationship with the coaches. Others got seriously involved and Brandt was offered by Alabama after working out at its camp this summer but the Bruins were going to be tough to beat. The timing - how early it happened - might have been a slight surprise but there's no question UCLA jumped out early on and he decided to end things instead of prolonging what looked like the inevitable. -- Gorney
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Detroit (Mich.) Cass Tech
Hayes' commitment to USC in July was a surprise on several fronts. First, he nearly committed to Michigan in April before calling off that planned announcement a week before it was scheduled. The Trojans were not even part of the conversation until a week before he took his first visit to Southern California, a visit on which he received his offer and quickly committed. Hayes then moved close to USC's campus and played three games for St. Bonaventure. In late September, though, he moved back to Michigan and now has opened his recruitment up a little more and will be visiting more schools. -- Midwest analyst Josh Helmholdt
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Oxford (Miss.)
Metcalf is a big receiver in the Calvin Johnson-mold. He is a deep threat and he is a huge target for quarterbacks. He is also from Oxford and he committed to Ole Miss very early in the recruiting process. He is constantly around the Ole Miss program and he is the kind of guy who knows the program inside and out. As the No. 1 recruit in Mississippi he will attract other big time recruits and with his knowledge about the program he could help put together another star-studded class. -- Howell
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Cincinnati (Ohio) Elder
Notre Dame worked hard to secure an early commitment from the No. 20 player in the 2016 class, even though they were not among the schools that appeared to have an advantage starting off this recruitment. Kraemer's dad played for Vanderbilt and he grew up following both the Commodores and Michigan. Neither of those two programs ultimately were in his final five, though, and on an early October visit to South Bend the 6-foot-5, 310-pound lineman had seen all he needed to and made the decision to commit. He has been a solid commitment to the Fighting Irish since. -- Helmholdt
Woody Womack
Southeast Recruiting Analyst
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