Five storylines to follow during the 2019 recruiting cycle

Now that the first full rankings release for the 2019 class has finished up, fans are starting to see how this class could play out for their team. There are plenty of storylines to keep an eye on as this cycle moves forward and this season gets underway. Here are five storylines that could shape this recruiting cycle.

NEW RELEASE: New No. 1 in 2019 | Key players in the Rivals250 | Position rankings

It wasn't long ago many critics were saying "Jim McElwain can't recruit." The Gators surged into the top 10 in the 2018 team rankings after an outstanding summer and they top the initial 2019 team rankings as well. Their class is loaded with major wide receivers like Rivals100 prospect Maurice Goolsby. McElwain, known as an offensive-minded head coach, will have plenty of dangerous weapons on the outside for his future quarterbacks. That wide receiver arsenal is, perhaps, a result of the commitment of 2018 five-star quarterback Matt Corral. Expect Florida to add to their two offensive line commitments and continue building up their front seven on defense.

Led by the aforementioned Gators, Florida State, Georgia, and LSU round out the top four 2019 recruiting classes at this point. While it's not surprising that four teams from the Southeast are recruiting well, the distance between Georgia and the fourth place LSU Tigers is substantial.

The four-headed monster the Seminoles boast on defense (defensive linemen Michael Morris and Quashon Fuller and defensive backs Kenyatta Watson and Akeem Dent) is formidable and Georgia's 2019 class features three prospects ranked in the top 40 of the Rivals100, including a five-star (Jadon Haselwood, Dominick Blaylock and Nolan Smith). Both schools already have six commits in the Rivals250 but Florida State's class features two more commitments at this time.

LSU's dominate offensive line duo of Kardell Thomas and Kenyon Green really helped boost the Tigers up the rankings and LSU's five Rivals250 commitments kept them among the nation's elite recruiting classes early in the process.

Under Jim Harbaugh the Wolverines have made major in-roads in the Southeast and that shows when looking at the team rankings. Half of Michigan's fifth-place 2019 class is from the Southeast (three-quarters if you consider Louisville as part of the Southeast). Calling Harbaugh an "elite recruiter" isn't a hot take, but the way he and his staff have started to build this 2019 class shows that they have real staying power in 2019 and they should be a constant presence near the top of the team rankings.

There are only four prospects committed to Michigan so far, but three of them (five-star Christopher Hinton, four-star Stephen Herron and four-star Nolan Rumler) are in the Rivals100.

A commitment from 2018 four-star quarterback Joe Milton won't dissuade Harbaugh from signing another elite quarterback in 2019. Signing a top-flight running back and a talented group of defensive backs will also be top priorities for Michigan in 2019.

It's no secret that Alabama isn't recruiting at the same clip in the 2018 cycle compared to recent years. Nick Saban's squad just entered the top 30 of the 2018 team rankings earlier this month, but things look like they will return to normal in the 2019 class. The three-player class features elite offensive linemen Pierce Quick and Dayavie Hammond as well as running back Trey Sanders. All three players are in the top 65 of the Rivals100 and there are still plenty of big fish left in the pond from which Alabama can choose. The Crimson Tide will look to continue bringing in elite talent at all positions in 2019 but a potentially smaller offensive line group in the 2018 class could signal that offensive line will be a point of emphasis in the next cycle.

USC hasn't won a recruiting title since 2015 but that could change in 2019. Clay Helton and his staff only have two commitments so far but both are impressive prospects. Quarterback JT Daniels is the best player in the country and its nowhere close to surprising that USC has a commitment from a top-flight quarterback from California. Daniels is elite in every sense of the word and will be hard to knock off that No. 1 spot in the Rivals100. Linebacker De'Gabriel Floyd is also in the Rivals100 and was the first 2019 prospect to announce his commitment to USC. There are lots of spots left in USC's 2019 class, but the offensive line, defensive back and wide receiver positions should take up a large chunk of this class.