Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/787374
T H E C L A S S O F 2 0 1 7 >> I t seems as though the national recruit- ing storyline never changes. For the fifth time in the past six years, Alabama has recruited the No. 1 class in the coun- try based on rankings compiled by Ri- vals.com. Nick Saban and his staff landed 28 players in their Class of 2017. Included in that total are seven five-star recruits, the most that Alabama has been able to sign in Saban's decade as head coach. The biggest name in Alabama's class is five-star running back Najee Harris of Antioch, Calif. Harris, who enrolled in January, is Rivals' No. 1 overall prospect in the Class of 2017. The Crimson Tide's other five-star recruits are juco defen- sive end Isaiah Buggs of Gulf Coast (Miss.) Community College; juco offen- sive lineman Elliott Baker of City Col- lege of San Francisco; offensive linemen Jedrick Wills of Lexington, Ky., and Alex Leatherwood of Pensacola, Fla.; line- backer Dylan Moses of IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla.; and wide receiver Jerry Jeudy of Deerfield Beach, Fla. Alabama also signed 14 four-star re- cruits. At the top of that list are defen- sive backs Xavier McKenney of Roswell, Ga., and Daniel Wright of Fort Laud- erdale, Fla.; receiver Tyrell Shavers of Lewisville, Texas; linebackers Markail Benson of Phenix City, Ala., and Van- darius Cowan of Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.; quarterbacks Mac Jones of Jack- sonville, Fla., and Tua Tagovailoa of Honolulu; and running back Brian Robinson of Tuscaloosa, Ala. It's also interesting to note that 12 of Alabama's 28 recruits enrolled in Janu- ary and will participate in spring prac- tice next month. The Crimson Tide may have lost the national championship in heart- breaking fashion this past January, but at the rate they're stockpiling blue- chip talent, they'll get a few more shots. Alabama wasn't the only Southeastern Conference school to enjoy tremendous success on signing day. Eight SEC schools ended up in Rivals' top 20, with Georgia ranking third, fol- lowed by LSU (eighth), Florida (ninth), Texas A&M (10th), Auburn (14th), Ten- nessee (15th) and South Carolina (16th). Former Alabama assistant Kirby Smart, who is enter- ing his second year as Geor- gia's head coach, recruited what many believe to be the No. 1 offensive line class in the country. That group in- cludes five-star tackle Isa- iah Wilson of Brooklyn, N.Y.; four-star tackle D'Marcus Hayes of Gulf Coast (Miss.) Community College; four-star linemen D'Antne Demery of Brunswick, Ga., and Natori Johnson of Ellenwood, Ga.; and three-star lineman Justin Shaffer of Ellenwood, Ga. It is interesting to note that 17 of the Bulldogs' 26 signees are in-state recruits. The top prospects in LSU's 24-mem- ber class are linebacker Josh Phillips of Nashville, Tenn.; defensive back JaCoby Stevens of Murfreesboro, Tenn.; and defensive tackle Tyler Shelvin of Lafayette, La. All are five-star players. After the SEC, the confer- ence that made the biggest headlines on signing day was the Big Ten with five schools ranked among the top 20 classes in the coun- try: Ohio State (second), Michigan (fourth), Penn State (12th), Maryland (17th) and Nebraska (20th). The Buckeyes led the way with a 21-member class that included six five-star recruits. Michigan, which suffered heavy graduation losses following the 2016 season, brought in 30 play- ers, including three five- star signees. Penn State signed its first top-15 class under James Franklin, while Maryland pulled off one of the year's most surprising performances, landing six four-star recruits to finish with the first top-20 class in the program's history. The Atlantic Coast Conference has three teams ranked in Rivals' top 25: Florida State at No. 5, Miami at No. 11 and Clemson at No. 22. The Seminoles landed a trio of five-star recruits: run- the middle of the pack in the Football Bowl Subdivision. Michigan State fared the best, ranking 33rd overall, but that still was disappointing for head coach Mark Dantonio and his staff. The Spar- tans undoubtedly were hindered by their 3-9 finish in 2016. Trailing Michigan State were Wisconsin (35th), Iowa (40th), Rutgers (43rd), Illinois (48th), Northwestern (55th), Min- nesota (59th), Indiana (65th) and Pur- due (68th). In the end, Ohio State, Michigan, Penn State, Maryland and Nebraska put to- gether top-20 classes, but it was not the type of top-to-bottom success story that the Big Ten was hoping for a?er a season in which the Buckeyes made the College Football Playo> and the Nittany Lions, Wolverines and Badgers all played in New Year's Six bowls. ■ Alabama continues to dominate signing day RIVALS NATIONAL 1. Alabama 2. Ohio State 3. Georgia 4. Michigan 5. Florida St. 6. USC 7. Oklahoma 8. LSU 9. Florida 10. Texas A&M 11. Miami 12. Penn State 13. Notre Dame 14. Auburn 15. Tennessee 16. S. Carolina 17. Maryland 18. Oregon 19. Stanford 20. Nebraska