SEC East Stars of the Class 

Florida
EB Jordan Scarlett, 5-11, 207 – The Gators might be hunting for bigger-game recruits and prospects, but bringing in a speedster like Scarlett late in the game was a little bit of a breath of fresh air after a rough several months trying to rally after the coaching change. The Fort Lauderdale native is a tough, powerful runner who can be used as a kick returner, a receiver, and a workhorse runner – he can do it all. On the radar of every top SEC team, Florida State, Wisconsin, Michigan State, Ohio State and Miami, he should put up big numbers under Jim McElwain. 

Georgia
DT Trenton Thompson, 6-3, 298 – He might be the one. Georgia always has next-level talents across the defense, and it always finds linemen who can look like prototypes and play up to their potential. A rock, he’s not going to get any bigger, and he doesn’t need to. He’s already strong enough, big enough, and athletic enough to be asked to do a variety of things. Need him as an anchor? Okay. How about as an interior pass rusher? No problem. He might be the defensive lineman who brings it all together and finally gets Georgia over the top – he’s just that good. 

Kentucky
LB Jordan Jones, 6-3, 215 – TE C.J. Conrad will be a key part of the passing game with great size and nice hands, but Jones should be a key part of the defensive front for years with an aggressive hitting style and the attitude to want to be a part of the fun early on. He might need to bulk up a bit, but he’s fast and fearless on the outside as a pass rusher and a guided missile against the run. The Wildcats got him away from Oklahoma, Michigan State, Nebraska and Miami. 

Missouri 
QB Drew Lock, 6-4, 204 – The JUCO transfers – RB Chase Abbington and OT Tyler Howell – will be a major factor early on, and incoming freshman A.J. Harris should be the program’s next great center, but it’s Lock who has to be the new star Tiger quarterback. There’s a great blend of size and mobility who can combine excellent rushing skills to go along with a good enough arm to drive the ball deep. He’s a bit too much of a baller and needs to develop into a bit of a pocket passer, but he can soon be the team leader who fits the Mizzou mold. Gary Pinkel got him away from Texas, Ohio State, Tennessee, Michigan and Michigan State. 

South Carolina
DE Marquavius Lewis, 6-4, 270 – Steve Spurrier isn’t going to be South Carolina’s ball coach forever. The class of incoming freshmen will almost certainly have to deal with a new head man by the time their careers are done, so there’s a sense of urgency about this year’s group of recruits. That’s why Lewis is such a big deal as Scout.com’s No. 1 JUCO transfer with the size to thrive on the end and the quickness to work as an outside linebacker. He has NFL talent and upside with just a little bit of work and a few reps, and he should add an instant boost to the pass rush. 

Tennessee
DT Kahlil McKenzie, 6-4, 341 – The phenomenal class being brought in by Butch Jones has plenty of superstar prospects to turn the program from good to playoff great – potentially. McKenzie is the star of stars as a future NFL starting defensive tackle with everything to make the pro scouts drool. He doesn’t take a play off, he’s shockingly fast for his size, and he’s an anchor who won’t be moved off the line and can be a true anchor. It’s all there to be the next great Volunteer defensive lineman both in the SEC and, soon enough, on Sundays. 

Vanderbilt 
DE Nehemiah Mitchell, 6-5, 270 – It might have been a disastrous first season under Derek Mason, but he had a really young, really green team that’s now coming back experienced. The Commodores aren’t going to win the SEC title, but they might be far more competitive with a few key parts. Mitchell is the ideal defensive lineman to work as a pass rusher on the outside or a tough outside linebacker with great bulk. There weren’t many big offers, but out of CC of San Francisco, he should be an instant part of the puzzle. 

SEC West Stars of the Class 

Alabama
DT Daron Payne, 6-2, 335 – With yet another loaded class full of superstar prospects, take your pick of any one of a number of players who’d be the franchise superstar get for just about any other programs. Payne, though, is the type of anchor and tackle who can be the true grit difference-maker in the interior of one of the nation’s top defenses. He’s not going to get into the backfield, and he’s not going to move outside of the phone booth, but he’s next-level strong, massive, and impossible to move off his base. 

Arkansas
QB Ty Storey, 6-3, 220 – The running game is always going to be tough and powerful, and the defense is always going to go 100 miles an hour and be as tough as nails – that’s a Bret Bielema team. Now he needs the quarterback to bring it all together. It might take a little while, but Storey has the size, the bulk, and the right attitude to eventually be the main man who can handle the work. He’s not going to run anywhere, but with his arm and his moxie, he’ll be the type of quarterback who can take a bit of a backseat to the ground game, but will still come through when needed to move the chains. 

Auburn
RB Jovon Robinson, 6-0, 220 – The Tigers have a great class overall, but the JUCO transfers are making it a fascinating one. WR Jason Smith should be part of the passing game rotation right away, and Robinson could explode on the scene from the opening game. The Tigers need to find more rushing options, and Robinson has the size, the quickness and the pop to his game to be the exact right fit for the Auburn, but in a different sort of way. Good enough to have Alabama, Florida State, Georgia and Tennessee all over him, he’s going to put up massive numbers for Gus Malzahn. 

LSU
CB/S Kevin Toliver, 6-1, 193 – Is LSU Cornerback U? The program has the history and pedigree, and it usually owns Louisiana, but it was able to pluck Toliver out of Jacksonville, FL to potentially be the next NFL-caliber defender. While he’ll start out as a very big, very tough corner, he doesn’t have the blazing speed to hang on the outside at the next level. However, eventually, he could turn into a whale of a free safety where he can use his range and ball skills to make plenty of huge plays. He’ll have to turn into a more intimidating hitting force, but there’s a reason he was wanted by everyone – he’s a very, very good football player. 

Mississippi State
WR Donald Gray, 5-11, 175 – The Bulldogs are coming up with a nice class helped by JUCO stars Martinas Rankin for the O line and Donald Gray for the receiving corps, but Peters is going to be the best player in the class over the long haul. Big, talented and really, really fast, he’s a blow-up hitter and a tone-setter who’ll dominate a defensive back seven. All the top SEC teams made the offer, and Florida State and Clemson tried, but his blazing wheels and NFL upside will be making opponents hear cowbells. 

Ole Miss
QB Chad Kelly, 6-3, 220 – The Rebels have come up big on the recruiting trail under Hugh Freeze, and this year he and the staff have come up with some big gets from the JUCO ranks to add to the massive haul of high school talents over the last few seasons. CB Tony Bridges will be a part of the puzzle right away, and DT D.J. Jones will sit in the middle of the D line at some point, and Kelly could be an instant factor for the passing game. Originally a Clemson Tiger, he won a JUCO national championship at St. Joseph Collegiate Institute, and now he appears ready to lead a team as strong as Ole Miss. LSU and Virginia Tech pushed, but he’s in Oxford. 

Texas A&M
WR Christian Kirk, 5-10, 191 – The Aggies are getting their typical big-time talents with great athleticism upside and plenty of explosion, and Kirk is at the top of the list. The Arizona native isn’t huge, but he can move, he’s tough as nails, and he has the right attitude needed to be The Man. Able to be used as a runner or a receiver inside or out, he has the IT factor to blow up in the SEC. Wanted by everyone in the Pac-12, all the SEC big boys, Florida State, Miami, Michigan, Ohio State, Oklahoma, and all the other top-shelf programs, A&M got itself a superstar.