Roundtable: Biggest debate of NSD
Rivals.com football recruiting analysts weigh in on National Signing Day topic every day leading up to Feb. 2.
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Mike Farrell: I'll go in a little different direction here than everyone else, I think. Rather than debates over which team had the best class or pulled the best surprise or which coach is the best young recruiter, I'll go with the best prospect in the class of 2012. It's a question we often get asked early and often on National Signing Day, especially as the commitments wind down. Keep in mind last year a lot of people thought James Wilder Jr.Click WHAT WILL BECOME THE LARGEST DEBATE ON NATIONAL SIGNING DAY?Here to view this Link. was the surefire No. 1 guy and he ended up outside our top 10. What names will be thrown around as the No. 1 prospect in the 2012 class? It will be discussed for sure.
Adam Gorney: I believe the biggest debate will come from Auburn fans that will gripe about Brent Calloway losing his fifth star and Christian Westerman not getting his in the final Rivals.com rankings. If Calloway kept his star and Westerman added one, the Tigers would be one of only two teams in the country right now with three five-star commits, the other being LSU. Kris Frost added a star after outstanding performances at the Shrine Bowl of the Carolinas and the U.S. Army All-American Bowl. If the Tigers finish around eighth in the team rankings, some fans might have a lot of issues and leave room for debate on what could have been.
Chris Nee: The battle for SEC supremacy. When National Signing Day concludes, there is a good chance that four of the top 10 recruiting classes in the nation will belong to the SEC. Alabama and LSU are battling for the top spot, but national champion Auburn is making a charge, followed closely by Georgia. The Dawgs are attempting to secure a major haul in the Peach State. When the dust settles, numerous four- and five-star prospects will be calling the SEC home and the debate will quickly move to which team filled holes and added depth to help them win the SEC championship in years to come.
Keith Niebuhr: The biggest debate might be this: Which SEC program gave Alabama the biggest push for the honor of being the league's top overall class - Auburn, Georgia or LSU? In 2010, Florida easily finished with the SEC's best group. A year later, Alabama currently holds the No. 1 spot in our rankings. Can any of the three surpass the Tide? Truthfully, maybe not. Alabama, which isn't done filling its class, has two five-star commits and an off-the-charts average player ranking of 3.81. It also is considered the solid frontrunner for five-star offensive tackle Cyrus Kouandjio of Hyattsville (Md.) DeMatha.
Brian Perroni: The argument has been raging all year on different boards as to the talent levels between the states of Florida, Texas and California. We have a larger amount of top prospects from the state of Florida this year than usual. It is just an unreal top-heavy class in the Sunshine State this year. With teams such as Alabama, Florida State, Florida and Georgia signing many of the top players from the state, it will be interesting to see how they do. Fans in the states of Texas and California are crying foul over the rankings this year and they have argued their points quite often.
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