Ranking the SEC's signing classes of 2007

Head of the class: North Charleston (S.C.) Fort Dorchester defensive end Carlos Dunlap (6-6, 240) is the first Palmetto State product to sign with the Gators since 2002, and he promises to be a good one. Credit co-defensive coordinator Charlie Strong, formerly the defensive coordinator at South Carolina, for pulling Dunlap away from the Gamecocks, for whom Dunlap’s father, Carlos Sr., played basketball in the late 1970s.

Class notes: The Gators signed what was almost universally considered the nation’s top class. Just for good measure, the newly crowned national champions snared previously undecided wide receiver Deonte Thompson, a top-50 national prospect, on signing day. With a number of talented linemen on both sides of the ball, two star QBs in John Brantley and Cameron Newton, tight end Aaron Hernandez and linebacker Lorenzo Edwards, coach Urban Meyer covered all the bases.

Grade: A+

2. Tennessee

Head of the class: There’s no question as to who is the jewel in the Vols’ massive 32-player class. Fairburn (Ga.) Creekside defensive back Eric Berry is a consensus top-10 recruit who should make an immediate impact for the Vols, who must replace three starters in the secondary. The 5-11, 194-pound Berry’s father, James, played tailback for Tennessee from 1979-81. The younger Berry picked UT over the likes of Ohio State and USC.

Class notes: The Vols added two more members to their gargantuan class when Alcoa (Tenn.) defensive end Rae Sykes and Sterlington (La.) receiver Ahmad Paige plumped for them Wednesday. UT also breathed a sigh of relief when Oklahoma City Millwood receiver Gerald Jones made good on his commitment despite a late push by some Big 12 schools. Linebacker Gerald Williams, part of the Vols’ 2005 and ‘06 classes who has yet to arrive at UT due to academics, has enrolled at the City College of San Francisco.

Grade: A

3. LSU

Head of the class: Terrance Tolliver is regarded by nearly everyone as the top wide receiver in this year’s senior crop. At 6-4, 195, the Hempstead (Texas) standout, who chose LSU over Florida, gives the Tigers a big playmaker to head — do we detect a trend in the SEC this year? — an outstanding corps of incoming receivers. It includes Baton Rouge (La.) Southern Lab’s Chad Jones and DeAngelo Benton of Bastrop (La.).

Class notes: The Tigers closed extremely well, landing top-100 recruits like Mobile (Ala.) McGill-Toolen defensive end Sidell Corley, Jones and Reserve (La.) East St. John safety Stefoin Francois in the late going. Coach Les Miles, however, will be disappointed to have seen River Ridge (La.) John Curtis running back Joe McKnight, the nation’s top player according to some observers, sign with USC. LSU does, however, get bonus points for signing Norcross (Ga.) Greater Atlanta Christian center T-Bob Hebert, a legend in the making if for no other reason than his spectacular first name.

Grade: A

4. South Carolina

Head of the class: Garner (N.C.) track star Chris Culliver could be the big-play receiver the Gamecocks need in the wake of Sidney Rice’s early departure for the NFL. Culliver is a standout safety who is just as capable of starring on the offensive side. With as many as nine receivers in this class, South Carolina shouldn’t be lacking for options in the passing game.

Class notes: Steve Spurrier’s Gamecocks led the SEC in rushing and lost to eventual national champion Florida by three points last season. The old ball coach isn’t as far away from winning in Columbia as it might seem. After bringing in the best class South Carolina has had since joining the SEC, he’s even closer. Like Tennessee, the Gamecocks signed a large class, bringing in 31 recruits — 12 of them, tellingly, from Florida, including QB Stephen Garcia. The biggest prizes came from closer to home, though, particularly Cheraw (S.C.) defensive end Cliff Matthews and Anderson (S.C.) T.L. Hannah running back Brian Maddox.

Grade: A-

5. Auburn

Head of the class: The Tigers went into Razorback country and nabbed one of the nation’s top linemen. Huge Rogers (Ark.) tackle Lee Ziemba (6-7, 295), whose parents attended Auburn, could anchor the Tigers’ O-line for years to come. He may be blocking for Lynn Haven (Fla.) Mosley running back Enrique Davis, the standout skill-position player in this year’s class.

Class notes: The Tigers got signatures from a number of key targets on Wednesday. Among them were linebacker Josh Bynes and Carlton Johnson and defensive ends Antoine Carter and Nick Fairley. Ziemba wasn’t the only Arkansas-bred player to end up with the Tigers. Fort Smith Northside QB Kodi Burns is also headed for the Plains, as is Springdale linebacker Adam Herring, the son of Arkansas defensive coordinator Reggie Herring. Auburn’s signing of Olive Branch linebacker Chris Zinn, whose name barely registered on the recruiting Web sites, was something of a surprise. He’s likely on his way to prep school.

Grade: A-

6. Georgia

Head of the class: Norcross (Ga.) Greater Atlanta Christian running back Caleb King could be the next great Bulldogs running back, following the likes of Herschel Walker, Garrison Hearst and Terrell Davis. The 5-11, 186-pound King, who missed much of his senior season with a leg injury, had more than 50 offers and chose Georgia over the likes of Florida, LSU and USC.

Class notes: The Bulldogs engineered a signing day steal when Jeffersonville (Ga.) Twiggs County offensive lineman Chris Little (6-5, 342) backed out of a commitment to Notre Dame and instead signed with his state school. The indecisive Little had previously committed to Florida State. The Seminoles ended up reclaiming one from the Bulldogs, though, with Columbus (Ga.) Hardaway offensive tackle Antwane Greenlee, a one-time FSU pledge who had been committed to Georgia heading into Wednesday, changing his mind again and signing with FSU.

Grade: B+

7. Alabama

Head of the class: Decatur (Ala.) linebacker Rolando McClain committed to Alabama way back in June and never wavered, despite the firing of head coach Mike Shula and the arrival of former Miami Dolphins and LSU coach Nick Saban. The 6-4, 240-pound McClain has vowed to become an All-SEC performer in Tuscaloosa, which will no doubt be music to his new coach’s ears.

Class notes: Saban canvassed the Southeast and beyond in search of talent after joining the recruiting rat race at an advanced stage. Saban’s arrival generated much buzz among recruits — though perhaps not as much as it might have — and Alabama made one major pickup Wednesday when Birmingham (Ala.) Tarrant athlete Marquis Maze (5-8, 160) signed a letter of intent. Maze turned down offers from Michigan and Tennessee to join Saban’s rebuilding program. Saban’s biggest late catch: Hoover (Ala.) defensive tackle Kerry Murphy — all 6-5, 315 pounds of him.

Grade: B

8. Mississippi State

Head of the class: The Bulldogs hooked a major prospect on both the offensive and defensive fronts. Columbus (Miss.) Caledonia offensive tackle Derek Sherrod (6-6, 298) and Hazlehurst (Miss.) defensive end Jazzmen Guy (6-5, 265) are longtime commitments who promise to be the anchors of the future up front for MSU.

Class notes: Feeling the pressure to win now, coach Sylvester Croom hit the junior college ranks especially hard and with some notable success. Receiver Co-Eric Riley, defensive tackle Jessie Bowman and defensive end Jimmie Holmes all have the potential to play right away. The Bulldogs also landed a couple signing day surprises by pilfering a pair of Ole Miss commitments away in the form of Okolona (Miss.) running back Robert Elliott (6-0, 191) and Bastrop (La.) defensive tackle LaMarcus Williams (6-1, 280).

Grade: B-

9. Ole Miss

Head of the class: At least someone stayed true to the Rebels. While other highly touted commitments turned their backs on Ole Miss, Mendenhall (Miss.) Genesis One defensive end Chris Strong (6-3, 251) made good on his pledge and gave coach Ed Orgeron something to smile about. The former South Panola standout registered more than 100 tackles as a senior and should reinforce the Rebels’ defense.

Class notes: Signing day sure had its share of bumps. The Rebels thought they had a good shot at getting star River Ridge (La.) John Curtis running back Joe McKnight, but were disappointed when he instead signed with USC. To make matters worse, the Rebels were spurned by another running back when Okolona (Miss.) standout Robert Elliott, an Ole Miss commitment, chose arch-rival Mississippi State instead. Ouch! Bastrop (La.) defensive tackle LaMarcus Williams likewise said thanks but no thanks, reneging on his commitment and signing with MSU.

Grade: B-

10. Arkansas

Head of the class: The Razorbacks certainly loaded up at the tight end position. Little Rock Central Arkansas Christian’s David Williams and Grant Freeman of Paris (Ark.) give Arkansas a pair of excellent bookends. Williams (6-2, 240) is more of a pass-catching TE, while Freeman (6-7, 243) projects as a possible tackle down the road.

Class notes: Coming off a 10-win season and an SEC Western Division title, the Razorbacks’ recruiting efforts look a tad disappointing on paper. Whether the saga involving the freshmen from Springdale hurt the Hogs’ efforts is unclear, but it’s worth noting that the state’s top three players — Kodi Burns and Lee Ziemba (Auburn) and running back Broderick Green (USC) — chose to leave home. Arkansas did make some nice additions in the form of Garland (Texas) North Garland linebacker Jermaine Love and Chatham (Va.) Hargrave Military Academy defensive tackle Kareem Crowell.

Grade: C+

11. Kentucky

Head of the class: Coach Rich Brooks dipped into his old stomping grounds to land Eugene (Ore.) running back Brandon Jackson (5-11, 192), who chose the Wildcats over a host of Pac-10 schools. The former California commitment compiled more than 2,000 all-purpose yards and scored 30 touchdowns as a senior. Kentucky’s other top recruits are LaGrange (Ga.) defensive end D.J. Stafford (6-3, 263) and Bowling Green (Ky.) tackle Stuart Hines (6-5, 280).

Class notes: The Wildcats picked up a sleeper in College Park (Ga.) Westlake defensive end Charles Mustafaa (6-3, 231), the son of former Minnesota Vikings defensive back Najee Mustafaa. Kentucky also picked up a slightly unexpected signing in Alcoa (Tenn.) receiver Kyrus Lanxter (6-2, 175), a one-time West Virginia commitment who was turned toward Lexington by Kentucky QB coach and former Tennessee offensive coordinator Randy Sanders.

Grade: C

12. Vanderbilt

Head of the class: Memphis University School defensive end John Stokes (6-5, 225) committed to the Commodores in September and remains the jewel in this year’s class. He chose Vandy over the likes of Alabama, Michigan, Ole Miss and Virginia before going on to rack up 85 tackles as a senior for the Owls. Vanderbilt also nabbed Alabama Mr. Football award-winner Larry Smith, a 6-2, 195-pound quarterback from Pratville (Ala.) who also considered offers from Louisville, Memphis and Southern Miss.

Class notes: The Commodores’ 14-man recruiting class was easily the smallest in the SEC but is regarded as perhaps the best of the Bobby Johnson era. Vanderbilt signed a second local prospect in White Station linebacker Chris Marve (6-0, 240) and picked up a couple promising skill-position players in Jacksonville (Fla.) Bolles running back Ryan Van Rensburg (6-1, 225) and Fort Valley (Ga.) Peach County receiver Udom Udoh (5-10, 170).

Grade: C