SEC Spotlight: Teams that won on the recruiting trail in October
From September to the end of October, there wasn’t a lot of movement in the Rivals team recruiting rankings among SEC teams. Arkansas, South Carolina, Tennessee and Vanderbilt held their commitments without bringing on new players, while Kentucky and Texas A&M came out with a net positive gain of one recruit. Mississippi State, on the other hand, lost in-state talent Dante Kelly.
Although all was relatively quiet, there was still some movement among college football’s powerhouse conference along the recruiting trail. We look at the teams that won the recruiting race in October.
OCTOBER RECRUITING WINNERS: The ACC | Big 12
RELATED: 2023 SEC team rankings
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CLASS OF 2023 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Team | Position | State
CLASS OF 2024 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Team | Position | State
CLASS OF 2025 RANKINGS: Rivals100
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FLORIDA
Although the Gators lost athlete Creed Whittemore to Mississippi State, October was a winning month as they landed four-stars Dijon Johnson and Roderick Kearney, along with three-star defensive back Bryce Thornton. As an added bonus, Johnson was a one-time commitment to Ohio State and Kearney was a flip away from rival Florida State.
Florida enters November slotted at No. 10 in the team recruiting rankings, and it's poised to make more noise in the coming weeks. Twenty-two commitments are tied to the class, with Florida looking to sign a total of 27 to 30 prospects.
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GEORGIA
The Bulldogs were positioned at No. 7 nationally in early September, and they are now back where most expect them to be: inside the top five. Georgia found its 2023 running back in four-star Roderick Robinson II, flipping the San Diego-area talent away from UCLA.
The other addition to the class was out of North Carolina’s Providence Day, speedy defensive back Chris Peal. Georgia has a great opportunity to challenge for the top spot, as it is in the mix for defensive ends Damon Wilson and Samuel M’Pemba and defensive tackle Jordan Hall. The Bulldogs are also trying to flip receivers Anthony Evans and Deandre Moore.
The emphasis every year is on the senior class, but it is worth noting UGA added an outstanding 2024 athlete in Sacovie White and found its 2024 quarterback in Ryan Puglisi in October.
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TENNESSEE
In the 2023 class, Tennessee has not picked up a fresh verbal since Jordan Matthews in mid-August, which is a surprise given how well the Volunteers have performed on the field. The Vols jumped on this list by adding four-stars Mazeo Bennett and Kaleb Beasley to their 2024 class.
It seems all the influential players in the 2023 class were on hand to see Tennessee topple Alabama 52-49 in mid-October. The hottest ticket in the country will attract all the top prospects this weekend when Tennessee and Georgia meet. The outcome of the game could sway final recruiting decisions.
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OLE MISS
The Rebels ended September by picking up Texas four-star defensive back Braxton Myers and added another four-star DB in Missouri’s Marvin Burks on Oct. 21. Of the 13 verbal commitments to Mississippi’s 2023 class, seven different states are represented.
The Rebels are on a bye week and then finish with Alabama at home and Arkansas on the road before coming back to Vaught-Hemmingway Stadium to host MSU in the Egg Bowl. A clean sweep - with an SEC championship game appearance - should change hearts and minds about heading to Oxford come the Early Signing Period.
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AUBURN
Just as momentum was picking up for head coach Bryan Harsin and his staff in regards to recruiting, the second-year head coach was given a pink slip on Monday. Until the end of August, the Tigers had struggled to add commitments but ramped it up by increasing from five to 11 through October. The big win last month was flipping four-star offensive tackle Clay Wedin from Michigan State, a really impressive feat with all knowing Harsin’s time on The Plains was limited.
Undoing some of that fall success, after Harsin’s termination was announced, three-star Florida offensive tackle Gernorris Wilson decommitted. The coaching staff has 10 verbal pledges, with commits unsure of the future at Auburn. This class will slide in the rankings before making a push back up the board once a successor is brought on board.