Simmons Mailbag: UGA, SEC recruiting, elite D-linemen
SIMMONS' ROAD SHOW: Alabama prospects eye out-of-state options
There is nothing better than interacting with all the college football and college football recruiting fans out there. We opened it up to Twitter, to see what questions were out there and I am happy to answer your great questions.
It will be very difficult for Georgia to win a third-straight recruiting title, largely because of the numbers more than anything else. The Bulldogs have always recruited well, but under Kirby Smart, they are recruiting nationwide for the top talent.
Georgia signed 24 prospects in 2019, and the way it looks today, the Bulldogs are not expected to sign that many in 2020. That will make it difficult to finish on top of the Rivals.com Team Recruiting Rankings. There will likely be some attrition between now and February, but the number looks to be around 22 for Georgia this cycle.
The Bulldogs already have five commits, all are four-stars and three are ranked in the Rivals100. This again will be an elite class for Georgia, and the program will battle for many elite targets in the coming months, but if I had to say yes or no on a prediction to finish with the No. 1 recruiting class in 2020, I would have to predict no.
If we just look at the top-10 prospects in the country and see where they stand at this point, there are a lot of SEC programs in the mix.
The No. 4 prospect, cornerback Elias Ricks of California, is committed to LSU, so there is a check for an SEC school.
Paris Johnson, the nation's top offensive tackle, checks in at No. 5, and is committed to Ohio State, but he recently visited Georgia and Tennessee and there was some buzz around the Bulldogs after the visit to Athens.
Those are the only two prospects in the top 10 that are committed right now, so lets go to the top, and give you a quick glance at the other eight.
D.J. Uiagalelei: Clemson is the favorite, so, at this time, an ACC school is projected the winner for this prized recruit. When he released his top seven in December, Alabama, Georgia and LSU represented the SEC on his list. LSU looks to have the best shot of the three SEC programs, but I do not expect Uiagalelei to end up in the SEC.
Zachary Evans: Alabama, Georgia, LSU and Texas A&M are some of the SEC programs involved with Evans, but Texas is considered the team to beat at this time.
Justin Flowe: Georgia has the most buzz with Flowe right now.
Bryan Breese: Ohio State and Penn State are two programs up north to watch, but this one may be turning into a Clemson-Georgia battle.
Arik Gilbert: Alabama, Auburn, Georgia and Tennessee are in this race, with the Bulldogs and Volunteers appearing to be slightly ahead at this time. Clemson is still being considered as well. Odds are in favor that Gilbert ends up in the SEC.
Sav’ell Smalls: Smalls currently has a list of 12 favorites and there are a few SEC programs scattered on it. Alabama looks to be the SEC program he is giving the hardest look at, at this time. He is nowhere near a decision and will take official visits later this year.
Kelee Ringo: It doesn’t look like Ringo will end up in the SEC, but he plans to take his time, so we will see if things change. The school with the most buzz around it now is Texas. He spent a couple of days in Austin recently.
Justin Rogers: Will Georgia land another one from Oak Park High School in Michigan? The Bulldogs swooped in on Signing Day in December and landed quarterback Dwan Mathis, who was committed to Ohio State. The Bulldogs may have the best shot out of the SEC programs, but LSU, Kentucky and Tennessee are in this too.
The 2020 defensive line class is a very strong group, especially at the top. Bryan Breese, Sav’ell Smalls, Myles Murphy, Jordan Burch and McKinnley Jackson are all five-stars and top-25 prospects in the country.
Will those five end up the top five in the country in the end? I would lean toward no. We still have a long way to go between now and when the final 2020 rankings are released in January.
Four-stars Desmond Evans and Darrion Henry round out the top seven right now.
Here are some names to watch, who could make a move for a spot in the final top seven 10 months from now:
Vernon Broughton: A versatile defensive lineman who plays a lot of end now, but could be better long-term on the inside at tackle.
Demonte Capehart: The Clemson commit has a great frame and can play anywhere along the line.
Jay Hardy: A very athletic defensive end out of Tennessee who can play standing up or with his hand in the dirt.
Jaquelin Roy: I just saw Roy compete at the Rivals 3 Stripe Camp presented by adidas in New Orleans, and he has slimmed down, added quickness and is likely headed for the Rivals100.
Nazir Stackhouse: Stackhouse is a sleeper in this group. He is No. 184 in the Rivals250 right now, but he had a strong junior year and is athletic.
It is hard to predict the top seven this far out, but I will say I think Roy and Capehart make big moves in the coming months.
Based on what most of the experts are saying, this is the year the top seeds will prevail. I watch NCAA basketball when I can, but I just don’t have the time to watch a lot of it. I did watch all three Duke vs. North Carolina match-ups though, and I always try to watch those games. I really feel like the Tar Heels should have won all three. Their offense went completely cold in the second half of the ACC Championship game.
With that said, I am going with North Carolina to beat Michigan State in the championship game. It is fun to see upsets and a Cinderella in the mix, but really, I am one who likes to see the best play the best, so I hope the basketball experts are right, and we see the top seeds play their way to the Elite 8 to give up great games.
North Carolina is my pick to win it all behind Coby White, Luke Maye and Cameron Johnson.
This is a tough one… A very tough one.
I have been in this business now for 15 years and I have seen/covered a lot of elite athletes. I have covered at least one All-American game every year but two, so I have seen the best against the best to close out the cycle much of the time. I am going to go with guys I personally covered though, not guys I just saw on tape or guys I saw in a game.
I have always been based in the South, and for about seven years, I was over rankings for nine states. With that said, my top guys will come from the South. I could name many, but here are the five for me as we stand today:
1. Trevor Lawrence, 2018 QB, Cartersville (Ga.), Clemson
2. AJ Green, 2008 WR, Summerville (S.C.), Georgia
3. Eric Berry, 2007 ATH, Fairburn (Ga.) Creekside, Tennessee
4. Jadeveon Clowney, DE, Rock Hill (S.C.) South Pointe
5. Tray Blackmon, 2005 LB, Lagrange (Ga.), Auburn
Lawrence is fresh on the mind being the No. 1 player in the 2018 class, but he is one of the few kids I started following in high school, and with him being less than 30 minutes from me, I saw him countless times and he is special. All five are special, but Lawrence is the best I have personally covered on a day to day basis.
Green is not far behind. I saw him make a catch in a rain storm his junior year that I will never forget. It was a one-handed catch to convert a big third down in a playoff game. His ball skills and body control set him apart.
Berry did it all. He was also a track and baseball start, and in football, he played quarterback for his team. He did it all at a five-star level, including academics.
Clowney was a freak. The only thing about him that kept him at No. 4 was, he did take plays off. I think he got bored at times. When he wanted to take over, he could, and most of the time, he did.
Tray Blackmon was unreal on the high school level. He had some off the field issues, and he never did what was expected at Auburn, but at Lagrange, he was a machine. I saw him knock a player out, I saw him break a facemask and I saw him register 20 tackles in a game on two separate occasions. He is one of the most explosive players I have ever seen.