College Football Recruiting: Ranking the SEC's 2011 Classes

We may be a long way away from National Signing Day for the 2011 recruiting class, but it's never too early to start evaluating the talent each school has received commitments from.

There are still a ton of prospects out there that have yet to commit, but some of the best names long ago voiced their intentions to play ball for certain schools.

So how do the schools of the SEC stack up against each other to this point?

It's a tight race at the top and several schools have the makings of top 10 classes.

12. Vanderbilt

Commitments: Two

5-Star: 0
4-Star: 0
3-Star: 0

Top Prospect: James Lewis, OT

Vanderbilt has only two players committed for next season, two star quarterback Damien Fleming and two star offensive tackle James Lewis. Neither are too appealing and it doesn't look like things are going to get any better.

Head coach Bobby Johnson stunned the program with his announcement to retire Wednesday. He's a well-respected guy in this league and it'll be difficult to convince many players to attend without him.

11. Tennessee

Commitments: Seven

5-Star: 0
4-Star: 0
3-Star: 5

Top Prospect: Justin Worley, QB

Tennessee hasn't had much success to this point in the year, having lost out on several big names to other SEC schools. But they do have some potential in guys like Worley, safety Brian Randolph and offensive tackle Alan Posey.

Considering the heat the program is taking the last few days after the now infamous bar brawl involving several Vols, an influx of new talent could go a long way toward taking away some of the bad press.

10. South Carolina

Commitments: Seven

5-Star: 0
4-Star: 0
3-Star: 5

Top Prospect: Martay Mattox, QB

South Carolina is in the same boat as Tennessee and haven't brought in any 4- and 5-star talent to this point, though they're in the mix to land No. 1 overall recruit Jadeveon Clowney, so their might be some light at the end of the tunnel.

Until that plays out, the Gamecocks class is headlined by 3-star quarterback Martay Mattox, a guy with a lot of upside who could be one of the biggest surprises of the class down the line.

9. Kentucky

Commitments: 12

5-Star: 0
4-Star: 2
3-Star: 2

Top Prospect: Jon Davis, TE

Kentucky has already handed out 12 scholarships so they're running a little low on room at this point to add to their total of 3- and 4-star talent on the books.

They do have Davis at tight end, the No. 5 prospect at his position, and offensive tackle Darrian Miller, who's a top 15 lineman in the 2011 class. They're far and away the top two prospects of the class though.

8. Mississippi State

Commitments: Seven

5-Star: 0
4-Star: 2
3-Star: 4

Top Prospect: C.J. Johnson, MLB

It's a close call between Mississippi State and Ole Miss and if we'd done this list a couple weeks ago the Bulldogs would have been at the No. 7 spot, but the Rebels came on strong this month to pass them over.

Mississippi State still has the makings of a good class though, one that includes the No. 7 MLB in the class in Johnson as well as the No. 21 cornerback in Jermaine Whitehead.

7. Ole Miss

Commitments: Seven

5-Star: 0
4-Star: 2
3-Star: 5

Top Prospect: Gerrod Holliman, S / Andrew Johnson, CB

Holliman and Johnson are both from Miami Southridge high school and committed on the same day to leave the state and head up to Mississippi. They're great additions to the Rebals' class, which was average until this pair of 4-star prospects jumped aboard.

As stated previously, that gives them the slight edge over Mississippi State and should go a long way toward continuing to recruit higher levels of players.

6. Arkansas

Commitments: 11

5-Star: 0
4-Star: 3
3-Star: 5

Top Prospect: Brey Cook, OT

Arkansas missed out on the ultimate in-state prize when they were spurned by quarterback Kiehl Frazier, but they were able to bolster the 2011 class with the addition of offensive tackle Brey Cook last week.

Cook is the No. 7 prospect at his position and joins Mitch Smothers as the second 4-star offensive tackle on the books for 2011. The two of them have the potential to form the columns of the Razorbacks' line for years.

5. Auburn

Commitments: Eight

5-Star: 0
4-Star: 4
3-Star: 4

Top Prospect: Kiehl Frazier, QB

Auburn's class is a little underrated at this point, but that's mostly because the experts don't believe that Frazier is a 5-star prospect even though he's put up comparable production and has as much upside as any of the quarterbacks rated above him.

Frazier will be huge for Auburn; he's a star just waiting to be unleashed on the rest of the league. Add in Auburn's three other 4-star prospects and four 3-star prospects and you have yourself a solid class to this point; although it doesn't look like it'll reach their 2009 levels.

4. Florida

Commitments: 10

5-Star: 0
4-Star: 7
3-Star: 2

Top Prospect: Jeff Driskel, QB

The Gators have failed to land a 5-star prospect to this point, but they're in the mix for several big names and should be the favorite to land coveted athlete James Wilder Jr; if they get him we'll have a very interesting debate at the top on our hands.

Florida does have Rivals' No. 1 quarterback committed as well as six other 4-star prospects with huge upside so the argument for the Gators to be higher on the list would be valid in most years.

3. Georgia

Commitments: 13

5-Star: 1
4-Star: 6
3-Star: 6

Top Prospect: Christian LeMay, QB

Georgia and Alabama have the most commitments in the conference with 13 and 14, respectively, but the Bulldogs have only snagged one 5-star prospect to this point; less than the teams ahead of them .

Nothing will be more important to the future of the program than LeMay though. He's a top 5 QB in the 2011 class and a playmaker with extraordinary upside and leadership skills. Joining him with a solid supporting cast should make for a lot of success in Georgia.

2. LSU

Commitments: 11

5-Star: 2
4-Star: 4
3-Star: 5

Top Prospect: La'el Collins, OT

It's a very close call between LSU and Georgia, but the top-end talent the Tigers have snagged is better to this point. Not only do they have Collins, arguably the top offensive tackle in the class, but one of the top defensive tackles in Anthony Johnson.

Add in 4-star talents Trevon Randle at linebacker, Kenny Hilliard at running back and Jarvis Landry at wide receiver and LSU has a very good argument to be No. 1 in the SEC; all three of these guys have 5-star talent.

1. Alabama

Commitments: 14

5-Star: 2
4-Star: 6
3-Star: 6

Top Prospect: Ha'Sean Clinton-Dix, S

Nick Saban has put together yet another top recruiting class and should have his team in the top five by the National Signing Day. Alabama has 14 commitments already and none have received worse than a 3-star grade.

On the defensive side, the Crimson Tide has the top safety in the class in Clinton-Dix, one of the best 5-star linebackers with Brent Calloway and five other players all ranked in the top 25 at their position.