College Football's Most Important Offers of the Week

With the book now closed on the 2016 class, college football coaches across the nation have turned the page and are refocusing their recruiting efforts on the 2017 class.

One school looking to build on a strong 2016 class is the Tennessee Volunteers. Head coach Butch Jones and the Vols landed the nation’s No. 14 class last week and were active in searching for studs in the 2017 cycle.

One player they have targeted is 3-star quarterback Jack Sears. 

According to Scout’s Greg Biggins, the Vols offered the rising senior out of California's San Clemente High School.

Sears, who is the nation’s No. 25 pro-style quarterback and the No. 55 prospect overall from the Golden State, has seen his stock rise in recent weeks.

According to Tom Loy of 247Sports, Sears was excited to land his first offer from a SEC program:

"

I’ve been talking to (graduate assistant) Coach Nick Sheridan for about a month now. I got on the phone with (offensive coordinator) Coach (Mike) DeBord and Coach Sheridan Wednesday morning and we had a great talk. Then they were talking to my head coach and they said that they really liked me and what they saw on film. Then tonight, I called them up and Coach DeBord let me know I had an offer. He said that he wanted me to come up to campus for a visit and see what it’s like at Tennessee and what it feels like to go to school there for a day or two.

"

As Loy noted, Sears racked up 3,559 yards of total offense and 46 total touchdowns as a junior.

If the Vols can get Sears to make a trip to Knoxville, things could heat up between the two parties.

Rick Scuteri/Associated Press

Ohio State Offers In-State DB

On the last weekend before signing day, Ohio State and head coach Urban Meyer hosted a junior day for the 2017 class.

One top target in attendance was 4-star safety Amir Riep—who netted an offer from the Buckeyes following the event.

The 6’0”, 180-pounder also landed offers from Duke, Penn State and Purdue last week. 

However, the Buckeyes' involvement with the in-state safety could become a major factor with Riep moving forward.

Big Ten, Pac-12 Powers Offer Alabama Pledge

Alabama has already jumped out to a fast start in the 2017 cycle, with 4-star offensive lineman Alex Leatherwood one the studs already bound for Tuscaloosa.

Last week, the Crimson Tide pledge landed offers from Michigan and USC. 

"

extremely blessed to say I received a dream offer from the University Of Southern California ‼️ #FightOn  pic.twitter.com/oLkvpe2bKe

— Alex Leatherwood (@Alskee_) February 2, 2016"

The 6’5”, 297-pounder rates as the nation’s No. 19 offensive tackle and the No. 128 player overall in the 2017 class.

While Leatherwood seems firm in his pledge at this point, his growing list of suitors could make things interesting in his recruitment if he opts to take visits.

Alan Diaz/Associated Press

Miami After Stud OL

Now that new Miami head coach Mark Richt has his first recruiting class under his belt, he and his staff can focus on starting their first full cycle with the Hurricanes in 2017.

Last week, Richt and his staff offered 4-star offensive lineman Marcus Minor. 

"

Thankful to receive an offer from the University of Miami  #AllGloryToGod pic.twitter.com/zVz8eBIopW

— Marcus Minor (@AyeeMarcus_) February 2, 2016"

The 6’4”, 283-pounder holds early offers from programs such as Boston College, Duke, Maryland, North Carolina and West Virginia.

Minor is the nation’s No. 26 offensive tackle and the No. 165 player overall in the 2017 class.

Best of the Rest

• Loy reported that Notre Dame offered 4-star receiver Trey Blount.

• The Irish joined Oklahoma in offering 4-star defensive end Zachary Carter.

• Georgia Tech offered safety Josh Talbott.

• Florida State offered 4-star athlete Deejay Dallas.

• NC State offered 4-star quarterback Jake Bentley.

• Barton Simmons of 247Sports reported that Wake Forest offered 3-star defensive tackle Rutger Reitmaier.

• The Demon Deacons joined Duke and Tennessee in offering 3-star tight end Jake Marwede.

• Pittsburgh offered 3-star defensive tackle Kurt Hinish.

• Maryland offered 3-star quarterback Lindell Stone.

• Nebraska offered 4-star offensive lineman Aaron Banks.

• Ohio State offered 4-star defensive tackle Haskell Garrett.

• Wisconsin offered 4-star athlete Markquese Bell. The Badgers also offered 4-star running back A.J. Dillon.

• Iowa State, Kansas State and TCU all offered safety Garret Wallow.

• Oklahoma State offered corner Tyon Merchant.

• Arizona State offered 4-star corner Elijah Molden. The Sun Devils also offered 3-star offensive lineman Alan Ali.

• California offered 4-star receiver Taariq Johnson. The Golden Bears also offered 3-star offensive lineman Ryan Nelson.

• Stanford offered 4-star receiver Osiris St. Brown.

• UCLA offered offensive lineman Kanan Ray. Biggins reported that the Bruins also offered 3-star offensive lineman Andrew Vorhees.

• USC offered 4-star linebacker and current Georgia pledge Breon Dixon.

• Florida offered 4-star offensive lineman Walker Little.

• The Gators joined Michigan State in offering 4-star offensive lineman Grayson Reed.

• Florida, Oklahoma, South Carolina and Utah all offered 4-star offensive lineman Chuck Filiaga.

• Scout’s Corey Bender reported that Georgia offered 3-star quarterback and current Miami pledge N’Kosi Perry.

• The Bulldogs also offered 4-star linebacker and current Baylor commit Baron Browning. 

• LSU offered 4-star receiver and current Baylor pledge Jhamon Ausbon.

• The Tigers also offered 4-star linebacker Santino Marchiol. Adam Gorney of Rivals reported that LSU also tendered 5-star offensive lineman Wyatt Davis.

• Mississippi State offered 4-star offensive lineman Cesar Ruiz.

• Missouri offered 3-star tight end Tre McKitty.

• Ole Miss offered 3-star corner Cheyenne Labruzza.

• South Carolina and Iowa State offered 4-star corner Tre Brown.

• Tennessee offered 3-star tight end Moses Robinson-Carr.

• Texas A&M offered 4-star receiver Omar Manning.

• Florida State offered defensive tackle Robert Cooper.

• Auburn and North Carolina offered receiver Brian Hightower.

• Mississippi State offered athlete Marcus Murphy.

• Rusty Mansell of Dawgs247 reports that Oklahoma offered quarterback Trevor Lawrence.

• Tennessee offered offensive lineman Max Wray.

Sanjay Kirpalani is a National Recruiting Analyst for Bleacher Report. Unless otherwise noted, all quotes obtained firsthand and all recruiting information courtesy of 247Sports.

Follow @SanjayKirpalani