Three-Point Stance: Ranking recent commits, SEC hot seats, Big 12 comedy

Rivals.com National Recruiting Director Mike Farrell’s thought-provoking Three-Point Stance is here with the biggest recent commitments, ranking the SEC coaches on job stability and some amazing Big 12 comments from Bob Bowlsby.

MORE FARRELL: #TwitterTuesday | Top Big Ten Five-Stars

I haven’t done this in a few weeks since commitments slowed down, but it’s time to once again look at the biggest commitments of the last three weeks or so because there were some huge ones. Here are my top 12 since June 28 (the last time I did this), in order:

1. RB Zamir White, Georgia – Far and away the biggest commitment of the last three weeks or so. White is a franchise back who could keep the Georgia running back tradition going and maybe even take it to the next level.

2. DE Greg Emerson, Tennessee – A big-time in-state commitment at a position of need, Emerson sends a message to others that the Vols should be the destination for homegrown talent.

3. WR Al’Vonte Woodard, Texas – Tom Herman continues to add speed and athleticism to the 2018 class and Woodard is a very good red zone threat and a guy who will also make tough catches over the middle.

4. WR Dominick Blaylock, Georgia (2019) – An elite athlete and very good after the catch, Blaylock is a huge get for the Dawgs for 2019 to add to Jadon Haselwood as an inside-outside 1-2 punch.

5. DE Stephon Wynn, Alabama – Many felt Wynn was headed to Georgia or his home-state favorite South Carolina, but Alabama flexed its recruiting muscles here and stole away a potentially elite end who could also play defensive tackle.

6. WR Jordyn Adams, North Carolina – A great fit in Larry Fedora’s offensive scheme, Adams brings great route running with excellent speed and athleticism to the UNC recruiting class.

7. WR Daniel George, Penn State – George isn’t as highly ranked as others on this list, but that could change as George brings size, power and excellent hands to the table for James Franklin.

8. TE Jeremy Ruckert, Ohio State – An athletic tight end who can stretch the field, Ruckert can be a key weapon in the Ohio State offense. While some have him as a five-star talent, we don’t see him that high but there’s no doubting his potential as a pass-catching tight end in a creative offense.

9. QB Spencer Rattler, Oklahoma (2019) – Rattler isn’t the biggest quarterback, but he’s a playmaker who will be perfect for the Big 12 and what Lincoln Riley wants to do with his offense.

10. QB Dylan Morris, Washington (2019) – Another 2019 quarterback makes the list as Washington is loading up at the position. Morris was a must-keep in-state commitment.

11. OT John Campbell, Miami – Campbell is raw and could end up playing inside or outside at the next level, but he has a very high ceiling and continues Miami’s in-state recruiting momentum.

12. OL Verdis Brown, Florida State – Some wanted him as a defensive tackle but FSU will give him his first look as an interior lineman and he is an accomplished run blocker and physical.

13. TE John Fitzpatrick, Georgia – A huge target, Fitzpatrick will be a great bail out or check down option for all that quarterback talent at UGA. He can stretch the field a bit to boot.

SEC Media Days were a bit uneventful overall but what struck me the most in following the action is how many coaches are on the hot seat in that conference. So over the next many columns, I’ll rank the job security of each coach in the Power Five and will start today with the SEC hottest seat to safest …

1. Hugh Freeze, Ole Miss – Coming off a 2-6 record in SEC play and with the NCAA ready to hammer him, Freeze tops the list.

2. Kevin Sumlin, Texas A&M – His AD has come out and said this is a big year for Sumlin, and that’s never good.

3. Butch Jones, Tennessee – Back-to-back nine-win seasons still doesn’t equal an SEC East title and the pressure is on more than ever.

4. Gus Malzahn, Auburn – The Jarrett Stidham hype is huge and if Malzahn doesn’t make a serious run at ‘Bama this year, some might want him gone.

5. Bret Bielema, Arkansas – A 10-22 mark in the SEC isn’t getting it done; this needs to be a big year for Arkansas.

6. Barry Odom, Missouri – Only one year in, Odom is under some pressure with recruiting struggling and coming off an awful season.

7. Jim McElwain, Florida – Two SEC East titles aren’t enough to put McElwain lower on this list because of offensive struggles and average recruiting.

8. Derek Mason, Vanderbilt – A bowl game last year was nice, but a 13-24 overall record and five wins in three seasons in the SEC isn’t great.

9. Dan Mullen, Mississippi State – Mullen is sought after by other schools but last season was a step back. Would another rough year put him under more pressure?

10. Mark Stoops, Kentucky – Stoops broke through with a bowl game last year and expectations for Kentucky football are low, but he needs to keep the momentum going.

11. Kirby Smart, Georgia – His first season wasn’t great but he’s not under excess pressure just yet. Another average year and we will see.

12. Will Muschamp, South Carolina – The Gamecocks surprised everyone last year and Muschamp has a lot of people backing him.

13. Ed Orgeron, LSU – The Tigers wanted Tom Herman but they will give Orgeron at least three seasons to push LSU past Alabama.

14. Nick Saban, Alabama – Only a massive scandal could send Saban out of Tuscaloosa.

Big 12 commissioner Bob Bowlsby is an impressive spin doctor. But that’s to be expected when part of your job is salesmanship and you have to compensate for the tremendous losses your conference has experienced in recent years as you’ve dipped to fifth in the Power Five when it comes to depth of talent.

Here are a few things he said at the opening of Big 12 Media Day on Monday that made me chuckle:

Bowlsby said .... that “top to bottom” the Big 12 is the best in the country when it comes to balance. Really? C’mon, there’s no way he can possibly believe this. This is a top-heavy conference and the bottom is ugly.

Bowlsby said ... that his league is the only league that plays full round-robin and the only league that guarantees the two best teams will play in the championship game. Factual, yes, but that’s out of necessity since the league lost some key members, made other conferences stronger and couldn’t lure any true value to join in. C’mon Bob, let’s not brag about a massive failure.

Bowlsby said ... the Big 12 was first in scoring defense in the postseason. Did he forget the regular season? That pesky thing that happens from late August to the beginning of December when the Big 12 was horrid on defense?

Bowlsby said ... when asked about missing the College Football Playoff, that it gets a little tiresome because he knows the Big 12 plays at a very high level. The Big 12 has had one playoff representative, Oklahoma, but arguably should have had more. The lack of a championship game and the lessening luster of the conference – two things Bowslby spun in earlier comments – killed any additional chances.

Bowlsby said ... new head coaches Tom Herman, Lincoln Riley and Matt Rhule are superstars in their own right. Rhule was 28-23 at Temple, Herman was 22-4 at Houston and Riley has never been a head coach. These guys are talented young coaches, but superstars?