SEC Basketball: Reviewing the 2018 early signing period for the conference
While Kentucky once again dominated the recruiting cycle, the rest of SEC basketball also secured some talented recruits in the early signing period.
In 2017, Florida, Kentucky, and South Carolina claimed three spots in the Elite Eight before sending South Carolina to the Final Four. SEC basketball then followed up its on-court success with Alabama, Auburn, Florida, Kentucky, LSU, and Missouri scoring recruiting classes ranked in the top 25 for 2017.
The 2018 early signing period brought more success, along with some drama, to the SEC.
Top programs at the top
Kentucky rolled again as they currently hold the No. 4 ranked recruiting class in the nation. Also building on last year’s recruiting success are LSU and Florida. The Bayou Bengals owned the No. 6 ranked class and the Gators have the No. 14 ranked recruiting class at the end of early signing.
Four big movers
Mississippi State’s 2017 recruiting class was ranked at No. 62. The Bulldogs have soared in 2018 so far and can claim the No. 16 ranked class in the early going.
Neither Alabama or Missouri sustained their 2017 success. Alabama owns the No. 34 ranked recruiting class and Missouri the No. 93 for 2018.
Auburn lost its entire recruiting class in the wake of the “shoes for players” FBI investigation. Joining Auburn in the failed-to-score category is Tennessee and South Carolina.
Drama along the Mississippi
Mississippi State’s success came at the expense of Arkansas. The Bulldogs stole away longtime Arkansas commitment Reggie Perry, the top recruit in the state of Georgia and nationally the third-ranked power forward.
The linchpin to an expected national top-5 Arkansas class, Perry was part of the Arkansas Hawks AAU team which included Arkansas’ 2018 signees Ethan Henderson, Desi Sills, and Isaiah Joe, along with 2019 commit Justice Hill. Instead, Perry now headlines the Mississippi State class, and Arkansas ends early signing with the No. 24 ranked class.
Successful small recruiting classes
Despite limited available spots, Georgia, Texas A&M, and Vanderbilt helped themselves. Georgia signed four-star power forward Amanze Ngumezi along with three-star guard JoJo Toppin. Texas A&M took advantage of the “shoes for players” FBI investigation fall out at Oklahoma State. The Aggies signed former OSU commitment four-star guard Antwaan Jones.
Vanderbilt’s early signees are Darious Garland from nearby Brentwood and forward Aaron Nesmith. Garland is the top prospect in Tennessee and third-ranked point guard in the nation while Nesmith is the No. 2 ranked prospect in South Carolina.
Next: Previewing the PK80 Victory Bracket
No SEC basketball team should rejoice or despair yet. There will be more drama, more moves, more successes, and surely more failures during the late signing period in April.