SEC Basketball Recruiting: Every team's top class from past decade

SEC Basketball Recruiting: Every team’s top class from past decade

By Dakota Cox | May 13, 2019

NEW ORLEANS, LA - APRIL 02: Anthony Davis #23 of the Kentucky Wildcats celebrates before he cuts down the net after the Wildcats defeat the Kansas Jayhawks 67-59 in the National Championship Game of the 2012 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on April 2, 2012 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Jeff Gross/Getty Images) /

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ATLANTA, GA – MARCH 27: Scottie Lewis #23 of Ranney School in New Jersey greets Trae Young of the Atlanta Hawks before the 2019 McDonald’s High School Boys All-American Game on March 27, 2019 at State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Scott Cunningham/Getty Images) /

Florida Gators: 2019

Florida has had some quality recruiting classes recently, but this 2019 class has the potential to be something special. It’s tough to rank a bunch of high school players on potential against college graduates on proven results, but I’m going to stick with this 2019 group. If there was a class that was top-tier, I would probably choose them. However, there hasn’t been one that comes close to what this 2019 class.

I honestly believe that this class will carry the Florida Gators this season. To start, you have two of the 20 best recruits in this class with Scottie Lewis and Tre Mann. Their games flow really well together, and they both fill needs for the Gators.

Also, Omar Payne will give this team some size in the front court. If Lewis and Mann declare for the draft after one season, Payne might stay for another year to continue his Gator legacy. You also have two three-star players that will probably become key role players by their senior year.

I usually don’t include transfers in recruiting classes, but the Gators are also getting Anthony Duruji from Louisiana Tech. He didn’t necessarily fill the stat sheet with Tech, but he is still a quality player for the bench.

There will always be players you sign that don’t pan out, but Florida has the potential to have three studs in this recruiting class, and they will also have two or three rotation players for future years. When you look at the floor of this class, it is better than the ceiling of most others.

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