College football recruiting rankings: Alabama, Tennessee lead SEC in early signing period
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High school recruiting has taken a weird turn for the SEC during the 2026 recruiting cycle.
Through the first day of the early signing period ― which opened on Wednesday, Dec. 3 ― no SEC teams were in the top three for the 2026 recruiting team rankings, per 247Sports. However, Alabama and Tennessee showed recruiting prowess, sitting in the top five, behind USC, Oregon and Notre Dame.
While 13 of the last 19 national champions have emerged from the SEC, the Big Ten has won the last two national titles and has the two-highest-ranked teams in both the College Football Playoff and 2026 recruiting cycle, respectively.
As the 2026 early signing period is underway, here’s what you need to know about the recruiting efforts of the SEC’s 16 programs and what top players they’re bringing aboard:
SEC football recruiting rankings
As of 4:30 p.m. central time on Wednesday, Dec. 4, SEC programs accounted for a remarkable eight of the top 16 recruiting classes in the FBS, including five of the top 10, according to 247Sports’ Composite Rankings.
All but three of the league’s 16 programs have top-33 classes. Auburn (52), Arkansas (60) and Kentucky (69) have all had coaching changes, as has Ole Miss (33). However, LSU (12) and Florida (16) have continued to put together strong classes despite a coaching change.
With Big Ten powers USC and Oregon, along with independent Notre Dame notching the top three positions, Alabama is the highest-ranked SEC program in recruiting rankings this cycle. Tennessee has joined the top five this season, while Texas and Georgia remain as top-10 contenders and Texas A&M is in the top 10.
Here’s a look at how SEC programs measure up in their 2025 recruiting class, in the order of their national recruiting ranking, heading into the early signing period:
- 4. Alabama
- 5. Tennessee
- 6. Georgia
- 8. Texas
- 9. Texas A&M
- 12. LSU
- 15. Oklahoma
- 16. Florida
- 27. Mississippi State
- 30. Vanderbilt
- 32. Ole Miss
- 33. Missouri
- 52. Auburn
- 60. Arkansas
- 69. Kentucky
SEC football best recruits
Of the top 50 recruits nationally according to 247Sports’ Composite Rankings, 21 have given a verbal commitment or signed a letter of intent to an SEC program, as of Wednesday, December 4.
Here’s a look at players in the top 25 of the rankings who have committed to an SEC program, along with their national recruiting ranking:
- (1). QB Jared Curtis, Vanderbilt
- (2). ATH Lamar Brown, LSU*
- (7) QB Faizon Brandon, Tennessee
- (9) QB Dia Bell, Texas
- (11) WR Tristan Keys, Tennessee
- (14) RB Ezavier Crowell, Alabama
- (17) LB Xavier Griffin, Alabama
- (20) LB Tyler Atkinson, Texas
- (25) CB Jorden Edmonds, Alabama
- (28) Edge Richard Wesley, Texas
- (29) DL Richard Anderson, LSU*
- (30) S Bralan Womack, Mississippi State
- (32) S Jireh Edwards, Alabama
- (33) OT Ekene Ogboko, Georgia
- (34) ATH Brandon Arrington, Texas A&M
- (35) TE Kaiden Prothro, Georgia
- (37) IOL Darius Gray, South Carolina
- (40) WR Cerdian Morgan, Alabama
- (43) RB KJ Edwards, Texas A&M
- (45) ATH Salesi Moa, Tennessee
- (49) WR Davian Groce, Florida
*indicates not signed letter of intent as of Wednesday, Dec. 3
When is the early signing period for college football?
The early signing period for the 2026 recruiting class begins on Wednesday, Dec. 3 and runs through Friday, Dec. 5.
Last season, it ran from Dec. 4 through Dec. 6, and from Dec. 20 through Dec. 22 in 2024. The early signing period was moved up in March to avoid overlapping with the opening of the transfer portal window.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: College football recruiting rankings: Alabama, Tennessee lead SEC
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