With less than a month until college football‘s early signing period begins, the recruiting world is ablaze with a blend of commitments and decommitments shaking up the rankings.
Alabama still leads the pack, but competition is fierce for positioning. Notre Dame edged past Georgia to land back at No. 2 thanks to the addition of ESPN 300 QB Kenny Minchey. The former Pitt commit is a dual-threat weapon who possesses a strong arm, runs well and throws nicely on the move.
Michigan is enjoying success on the field as well as the recruiting trail, and new commitments, combined with several other classes around them falling, help the Wolverines to jump into the top 25. Their latest additions may not grab headlines like their win over rival Ohio State, but they strengthened the depth of their class. Jason Hewlett could contribute at WR but projects to defense, where he brings excellent range and upside. OL Nathan Efobi is a nice underrated big man with good strength and flexibility.
Cincinnati was in contention for a top-25 finish, but coach Luke Fickell leaving for Wisconsin led to multiple decommitments, sending the Bearcats down double-digit spots.
Auburn is a program with a new coach that inherits a class trending in a positive direction. The Tigers broke into the class rankings with a pair of strong defensive line additions in Darron Reed, a former LSU commit, and Brenton Williams. While Hugh Freeze and staff have work to do with seven conference foes ranked within the top 20 overall, he inherits a strong foundation to build upon.
ESPN 300 commits: 18 | Previous ranking: 1 
SEC rank: 1 of 14
Top offensive commit: RB Richard Young (No. 19)
Top defensive commit: S Caleb Downs (No. 12)
The Crimson Tide are positioning themselves to contend once again for one of the best classes in the nation. They landed some impressive talent to their secondary with in-state pickup Tony Mitchell, who has a nice blend of length, fluidity and speed, as well as Jahlil Hurley, an agile and smooth corner with good length. Downs is the No. 1 safety who can provide a physical presence with his aggressive, hard-hitting style of play. Yhonzae Pierre might not be among the most touted names in this class, but he is a very strong in-state pickup, as he is a quick, flexible defender who can develop into a disruptive edge defender. They landed the top two RB prospects in the nation in Young, an explosive and versatile back out of Florida, and Justice Haynes, who rushed for over 2,000 yards as a junior, out of Georgia. This could very well be Bryce Young‘s last season in Tuscaloosa, and to prepare, the Tide landed two ESPN 300 QBs. Eli Holstein, a one-time Texas A&M commit, is an accurate passer with good arm strength and mobility for his size (6-foot-4, 225 pounds). Dylan Lonergan, who is also a very talented baseball prospect, is a poised and promising QB as well.
