10 Class of 2015 Recruits from SEC Country Who Should Play Outside the SEC

One of the main reasons the SEC has risen to prominence in college football is because of the fertile recruiting grounds located in the league’s geographic footprint.

However, plenty of schools from other power-five conferences are entering the southeastern part of the country in search of top talent. Schools such as Oregon, USC, Michigan State and Ohio State are among those who fit this category. 

Additionally, ACC schools who occupy similar territory are proving to be worthy of butting heads with SEC powers on the recruiting trail.

For recruits, the decision to play in a league outside the SEC may come down to the way they fit in a school’s system, their bond with a particular coach or a better opportunity to find playing time early in their careers. 

Which remaining recruits in SEC country in the 2015 class would fit better playing their college football elsewhere?

*Players listed in alphabetical order.

Micah Abernathy

Credit: 247Sports

Over the last few seasons, Oregon’s rise as a national power has extended to the Ducks’ recruiting efforts. Oregon landed 3-star safety Juwaan Williams from the Peach State in the 2013 cycle and currently has 4-star running back Taj Griffin committed in this year’s class.

The Ducks aren’t done in Georgia yet, as they hosted 4-star Atlanta corner Micah Abernathy two weeks ago for their huge win over Michigan State. The 6’1”, 187-pounder, who has narrowed his choices to Georgia, Ohio State, Oregon, Penn State and Tennessee, was impressed with what he saw from the Ducks defensively. 

"It's an aggressive defense, and I love how they get after it,” Abernathy told Justin Hopkins of Duck Territory (subscription required) last week. "I had not met coach (Don) Pellum or coach (Mark) Helfrich before, and they were great. I really liked them a lot.”

With three of the Ducks’ top four corners being seniors, the opportunity is ripe for a young and athletic corner with Abernathy’s size to step in and play right away, should he opt to sign with Oregon.

Ben Edwards

Credit: 247Sports

Jacksonville, Florida, is another area where SEC schools such as Florida, Georgia and South Carolina have scored big on the recruiting trail.

Trinity Christian Academy is a school loaded with talent with top recruits such as 5-star corner and LSU commit Kevin Toliver, 4-star linebacker Jeffery Holland and 4-star safety Ben Edwards.

Holland is favoring Auburn and Florida, while Edwards has already decommitted from Ohio State and Auburn.

Among the schools now in the running for the 6’0”, 196-pound Edwards are Stanford and Miami.

“Distance is not really a big factor for me, but I do want to play early,” Edwards told Nate Adelson of Inside The U (subscription required) recently. “That’s basically up to me at the end of the day and what I decide to put in. Education is also big for me. Tradition, atmosphere, environment—I look at all that stuff.”

While there are still some SEC schools in the picture with Edwards, both the Cardinal and the Hurricanes are appealing options considering the requirements the hard-hitting safety is searching for in a school.

Damian Harris

With his hometown less than 45 minutes away from the campus of the University of Kentucky, 5-star running back Damian Harris is arguably the top target of Mark Stoops and the Wildcats coaching staff.

The primary challenger threatening to poach the 5’11”, 205-pounder away from the Bluegrass State is Urban Meyer and the Ohio State Buckeyes.

He’s very familiar with the lay of the land in Columbus, as he visited for the Buckeyes’ huge recruiting weekend two weeks ago when they hosted Virginia Tech. 

“I’ve been up there a few times, and I’ve formed a great relationship with Coach (Urban) Meyer, Coach (Stan) Drayton and Coach (Tim) Hinton,” Harris told Bill Kurelic of Bucknuts (subscription required). “Really, the entire staff for the most part. I just look forward to getting back up there and continuing to build that relationship. I’m starting to get closer to some of the guys on the team.” 

While Stoops has things trending in a positive direction in Lexington, the Buckeyes are a proven power who present Harris with a chance to make an impact at a school that is expected to compete for championships every year.

Albert Huggins

One of the defining traits of the SEC’s recent run of dominance has been the league’s superiority in the trenches. After all, South Carolina’s program ran off three consecutive 11-2 campaigns after Steve Spurrier landed uber-recruit and 5-star defensive end Jadeveon Clowney.

This year, 4-star Albert Huggins is the top defensive tackle from the Palmetto State, with SEC stalwarts such as Alabama, Auburn, Georgia and South Carolina among his group of primary suitors. 

However, it’s Dabo Swinney’s Clemson Tigers who represent the most appealing situation for the 6’3”, 279-pounder who has 135 tackles and 18 sacks over the last two years. 

That’s because four of the Tigers’ top five interior defensive linemen are seniors. In addition, Clemson has produced a number of quality defensive line prospects who have moved on to the NFL during Swinney’s tenure.

Clemson provides Huggins an opportunity to stay close to home while making an early impact at a program that has won 10 or more games in each of the last three seasons.

Soso Jamabo

The Lone Star State is one of the most fertile recruiting grounds in the country, with schools from coast to coast making recruiting Texas a priority.

In fact, one of the reasons Texas A&M has risen to national prominence since raiding the SEC has been the Aggies' success in the state—and particularly their recruiting wins in the metro Dallas/Fort Worth area. 

One of the biggest remaining prizes left in the region in the 2015 cycle is Plano West High School 4-star running Soso Jamabo—who has SEC powers such as Alabama, Arkansas and Texas A&M among those in contention for his services. 

The 6’3”, 210-pounder also has Notre Dame, Oklahoma and UCLA among his lead group of schools. 

While his physical style of running would fit in the SEC, it appears that the Irish and the Bruins have been the most consistent schools pursuing the Texas standout rusher. Both schools have seniors who are in the two-deep and present a great opportunity for him to find the field early.

Tyron Johnson

Last year, Texas A&M was able to go in the state of Louisiana and pluck 5-star receiver Speedy Noil—who was the top pass-catcher in the Pelican State—away from LSU.

This year, it’s Texas Tech and Clemson who pose the biggest threat to Les Miles and his staff in their pursuit of 5-star receiver Tyron Johnson.

Thanks to hotshot head coach Kliff Kingsbury, the Red Raiders have emerged as one of the favorites at this stage of Johnson’s recruitment.

“I want younger guys because they have more energy than older guys,” Johnson told Daniel Paulling of WreckEm247 (subscription required) on his attraction to potentially landing in Lubbock, Texas. “They’re going to teach me and explain how I should do this, how I should do that.”

On the surface, playing receiver at either Texas Tech or Clemson appears to be more beneficial to an explosive receiver such as Johnson. Given that both of those offenses tend to air it out more than LSU, Johnson’s best opportunity at the next level may lie outside of his home state.

Jalen Merrick

Credit: 247Sports

The Central Florida area has been kind to the Florida Gators in recent years. One of the biggest prizes in the region this cycle is 4-star offensive lineman Jalen Merrick. 

While out-of-state powers such as Alabama, Oklahoma, Wisconsin and South Carolina are chasing him, the recruitment of the 6’5”, 295-pounder is likely to come down to the Sunshine State’s Big Three of Florida, Florida State and Miami. 

"Florida was my clear-cut leader for a pretty long time," Merrick told Chris Hays of the Orlando Sentinel recently. “But after my Florida State visit [in July], that kind of evened things back up. Now I'd say [UF and FSU] are kind of even along with Miami, as well."

With Florida’s offense breaking in a new system and a new offensive line coach in Mike Summers, Merrick’s best option may be to cast his lot with Art Kehoe at Miami or Rick Trickett at FSU—two coaches who have produced a number of elite linemen over the course of their careers.

Kirk Merritt

Credit: 247Sports

Part of what has made Oregon’s offense so deadly is that the Ducks have found skill talent in places such as Texas and California to enhance their spread scheme.

This year, Mark Helfrich has landed 4-star all-purpose back Taj Griffin out of the metro Atlanta area, and his staff is all over 4-star Louisiana athlete Kirk Merritt. 

The 5’11”, 206-pound Merritt—who won the Sparq testing championship at The Opening in July, as B/R’s Tyler Donohue detailed—could fit into the Ducks’ attack as either a running back or a receiver, or both. 

While LSU, Auburn and Texas A&M are some of the SEC schools trying to keep him closer to home, Merritt appears to be the perfect scheme fit for the Ducks’ explosive attack.

Jacques Patrick

Alabama, Florida and Texas A&M are among the SEC powers trying to land Orlando 4-star running back Jacques Patrick. 

However, it’s Jimbo Fisher and the Florida State Seminoles who are the undisputed favorite to land the 6’2”, 230-pound power back, according to 247Sports' crystal ball. 

“FSU has been recruiting me since my freshman year,” Patrick told Josh Newberg of Noles247 last month (subscription required). “Coach (Jay) Graham actually told me he heard about me in eight grade back when he was at Tennessee. Coach Fisher gave me my first offer. He got me up there for camp and offered me in person in front of my mom and my brother. That was special.” 

With senior Karlos Williams set to graduate and move on after this season, FSU also gives Patrick a chance to come in and make an immediate impact.

Bradrick Shaw

Credit: 247Sports

Despite the trend of spread offenses sweeping the country, the SEC has steadily produced elite running backs in recent years.

Hoover, Alabama, 3-star running back Bradrick Shaw has schools such as Alabama, Mississippi State and Vanderbilt among his favorites. However, his best fit may be at Wisconsin—a team that has thrived on featuring talented rushers as the main attraction for its offense.

The 6’1”, 205-pound Shaw is scheduled to visit Madison at the end of the month.

Considering his options, the Badgers offense—which will lose star rusher Melvin Gordon to graduation following this season—is an appealing situation for the talented rusher from the Yellowhammer State.

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

Follow @SanjayKirpalani