SEC Football: 1 Word to Describe Every Team's National Signing Day

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College football's national signing day is in the books and once again the SEC is cleaning up on the recruiting boards.

Any wonder why this conference owns the last seven national championships in a row?

So, as we evaluate the SEC's 2013 recruiting classes, what one word best describes them? Read on.

No. 14 Missouri Tigers: Last

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Having the No. 48 ranked recruiting class in the country isn't a bad thing, but it just won't cut it in the SEC.

Missouri signed no 5-star players and just one 4-star athlete in Chase Abbington. After that you just get a whole bunch of 3-star athletes. This places the Tigers a full 17 spots behind the next SEC team.

Unless Gary Pinkel can really coach up these prospects into stars, chances are he'll finish on the field the same way he finished on the recruiting trail:

Dead last in the SEC.

No. 13 Arkansas Razorbacks: Meh

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In just about any other conference Arkansas' recruiting class would at least be somewhat impressive.

In the SEC, particularly in the tough SEC West, all I can say is "meh."

The Razorback's class has just three 4-star recruits and no 5-star players. Alabama gets those kind of recruits years in advance. 

At least Bret Bielema beat his old team Wisconsin by 25 spots...

No. 12 Kentucky Wildcats: Beginning

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While Kentucky is only No. 12 in the SEC, Kentucky's 2013 class represents a massive improvement over 2012.

Besides, this is Kentucky, traditionally known as the SEC's basketball only school. For them to get three 4-star defensive players is pretty impressive.

I'm sure new head coach Mark Stoops would say this is just the beginning.

No. 11 Mississippi State Bulldogs: Jealous

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Dan Mullen and the Bulldogs broke the recruiting Top 25 with their latest class, They have 5-star recruit DE Chris Jones aboard and that will certainly come in handy in the defensive-minded SEC.

So why did I pick "jealous?"

Did you see what Ole Miss reeled in? Mullen and the Bulldogs seem to be losing ground to their instate rival.

No. 10 Tennessee Volunteers: Second

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Butch Jones put together a solid but not overly flashy recruiting class without any five 5-star recruits but coming in at No. 20 in the country.

But the fact remains that the Vols finished second in their own state. Vanderbilt edged them out for recruiting supremacy in the Volunteer State.

That has to drive Tennessee fans out of their mind.

No. 9 Vanderbilt Commodores: Miraculous

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Is that a halo I see on James Franklin?

The man is working miracles.

I don't think anyone following college football thought they'd ever see the day that Vanderbilt's recruiting class would finish in the Top 20 in the nation. Franklin's class is solid with five 4-star recruits including LBs Nigel Bowden and Zach Cunningham plus QB Johnathan McCrary.

This is despite the fact that Vandy has high academic expectations and zero history of being anything but a bottom-dweller in the SEC.

Maybe we should call Coach Franklin him St. James from now on...

No. 8 South Carolina Gamecocks: Southern

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The Old Ball Coach's latest class has an even stronger Southern flavor than is usual even in the SEC.

Twenty of South Carolina's 21 recruits came from south of the Mason-Dixon line. However, with no 5-star recruits and just eight 4-star recruits, Steve Spurrier has to wish he was still at Florida...

No. 7 Georgia Bulldogs: Quantity

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The Bulldogs tied with Western Kentucky for largest recruiting class in the country with 32. 

Now, this isn't a case of quantity over quality per se despite the fact that Georgia didn't get any 5-star recruits. The entire class is made up of 15 4-star athletes and 17 3-stars.

So, no top-tier players but a whole bunch of solid athletes. Not bad at all.

No. 6 Texas A&M Aggies: 4-Star

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Kevin Sumlin and the Aggies didn't get a 5-star recruit this season, but they've got a Heisman Trophy winner entering his sophomore season.

Instead, they got 15 4-star players. That's a strong supporting cast to the legend of Johnny Manziel. 

Yeah, it's not quite good enough to rise to the top of the SEC, but it's good enough to get to the Top 10 in the nation. 

Amazing, isn't it?

No. 5 Auburn Tigers: Maintain

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Gus Malzahn has only been a head coach for a couple months, but he's done well enough to maintain Auburn's recruiting levels under former head coach Gene Chizik with his first class. 

Yeah, they lost 5-star recruit Reuben Foster to Alabama, but they did pick up Montravius Adams and Carl Lawson, who are both 5-star defensive linemen.

Auburn has to hope that Malzahn does better than Chizik did at developing his recruits into elite college players.

No. 4 Ole Miss Rebels: Astonding

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Even Hugh Freeze himself might be pleasantly surprised with how well his recruiting class turned out.

The rest of us are astounded.

Ole Miss took home the top recruit of the 2013, defensive end Robert Nkemdiche. Not only that, he also took home the No. 5 recruit in the nation Laquon Tredwell and No. 14 Laremy Tunsil.

Add another nine 4-star recruits and it's hard to beat Freeze's effort in year two at Ole Miss.

No. 3 LSU Tigers: Return

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After falling all the way to No. 18 in last year's ratings, Les "Mad Hatter" Miles got the Tigers back up into the Top 10 again.

With 5-star athletes Tre'Devious White and Frank Harron highlighting a terrific class, Miles is showing the SEC that he's still got it.

Still, I wonder if Miles offers his recruits some grass from Death Valley when they come to Baton Rouge...

No. 2 Florida Gators: Huge

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Will Muschamp's 2013 class is massive in terms of both sheer size and the amount of talent he's picked up.

The Gators got 5-star players Alex Anzalone and Vernon Hargreaves III, both of whom will make big impacts on opposing offenses. 

In addition, Florida got 27 recruits, good for the second-largest class in the SEC.

And in the SEC, bigger is definitely better.

No. 1 Alabama Crimson Tide: Champion

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There's no trophy for winning the national championship of recruiting, but if there was it would go to Nick Saban.

Again.

Saban put together another national championship-level class headlined by 5-star athletes Johnathan Allen, Reuben Foster, A'Shawn Robinson and O.J. Howard. And remember, Foster was the kid that got an Auburn tattoo after initially committing to the Tigers.

He's probably going to want to get that removed before coming to Tuscaloosa.

Plus, Saban has 12 4-star athletes ranging all the way from Salt Lake City, Utah (Cooper Bateman) to Monaca, Pennsylvania (Robert Foster). Oh, and he cleans house in his own state of Alabama with seven recruits coming from in-state.

You just expect Saban to win championships with this kind of recruiting, don't you?