The 1 Recruit Each Top 25 Class Wishes It Had Signed for 2015
Wednesday afternoon, the 2015 college football recruiting cycle wrapped up as programs across the nation received new recruits' national letters of intent, announced their classes and discussed them with reporters. Coach after coach extolled their class’s virtues, saying they were the greatest class ever assembled at their program and met all of their program’s needs. It’s what coaches do.
But every program, from Alabama to Washington, had a tinge of regret. There was a player who picked another offer over their offer, one who would’ve made their class that much better. He’s the one who got away, and every program has one. Here’s a look at that player for every top 25 recruiting class.
Players for this feature were selected on the basis of their involvement with the schools in the rankings.
25. Missouri
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Missouri has proved that it belongs in the SEC. Following a tough first season, Gary Pinkel’s Tigers have won back-to-back SEC East titles. In the SEC, you need to recruit well to keep up with the proverbial Joneses, and the Tigers haven’t done poorly; Missouri just signed the nation’s No. 25 class.
However, it hurt to see an SEC rival come in and poach one of the Show Me State’s top prospects. That’s exactly what happened with tight end tight end Hale Hentges. The Jefferson City native is the nation’s No. 3 tight end recruit and one of the top three prospects in Missouri. But he chose to sign with Alabama, never making an official visit to Missouri. That had to sting Pinkel and company.
24. Stanford
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2014 was a step back for Stanford, but not a huge one. The Cardinal didn’t compete for a third consecutive Pac-12 title, but did finish strong, blowing out Maryland in the Foster Farms Bowl to build solid momentum for 2015. The Cardinal also did well on the recruiting trail, finishing with the nation’s No. 24 class.
Stanford recruits nationally, which means competing with some of the nation’s best programs. One of the prime targets was Columbus, Georgia, defensive end Mekhi Brown, rated as the nation’s No. 6 weak-side defensive end by 247Sports. The Cardinal were a strong suitor for Brown, but never got an official visit. He signed with Alabama instead.
23. Arkansas
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2014 was a breakthrough season for Arkansas. Following an ugly first season under Bret Bielema’s watch, the Razorbacks surged late and made a bowl game, whipping Texas in the Texas Bowl to finish 7-6. Momentum carried over on the recruiting trail, as Arkansas signed the nation’s No. 23 class.
The Razorbacks signed nine of the top 11 players in the state, but they’ll lament one that got away. North Little Rock receiver K.J. Hill was considered the state’s top prospect by 247Sports and rated as the nation’s No. 16 receiver prospect. He’s the kind of player Bielema needs to keep at home. He visited Alabama, Arkansas and Ohio State in January, and ultimately chose the Buckeyes on national signing day.
Not the way Arkansas wanted to finish, for certain.
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22. Michigan State
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2014 was another banner year for Mark Dantonio and Michigan State’s program. The Spartans’ only losses came to national title finalists Oregon and Ohio State, and they finished 11-2 following a huge fourth-quarter comeback over Baylor in the Cotton Bowl. Recruiting was solid as well. The Spartans finished with the nation’s No. 22 class, third-best in the Big Ten.
Dantonio’s staff didn’t get everyone they wanted, though. The Spartans had interest in defensive tackle Hjalte Froholdt, a 6’4”, 282-pounder rated as the nation’s No. 15 DT. While Froholdt finished his career at IMG Academy in Florida, he is an Ohio native who would’ve been a natural on the Spartans’ nasty defensive line.
Regardless, the pull of the South was too strong. He signed with another Midwestern transplant, Arkansas coach Bret Bielema.
21. Florida
5 of 25By all accounts, national signing day 2015 turned out better than it could’ve for Florida. New coach Jim McElwain and his staff finished strong, salvaging the nation’s No. 21 class after recruiting suffered mightily in the end of the Will Muschamp era.
Muschamp managed to hurt the Gators once more, though. On national signing day, the nation’s top defensive end prospect, Florida native Byron Cowart, chose Auburn over Florida, a huge coup for the Tigers. One of Cowart’s lead recruiters? Muschamp, who had just been hired as Auburn’s defensive coordinator.
Ouch, Florida. Ouch.
AL.com's Joel Erickson reports that Cowart wants to leave the hype of the recruiting process behind at Auburn.
"Being the No. 1 recruit, it was great for the high school level, but I want to kind of leave that behind going to college," Cowart said in a televised interview with Bright House Sports Network. "It's not about what you did, it's about what you're going to do."
20. Arizona State
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Arizona State and Todd Graham are building something special in the desert. The Sun Devils have put together back-to-back 10-win seasons and have a fun offense to watch. Graham’s staff put together another solid effort on the recruiting trail, signing the nation’s No. 20 class.
But it wasn’t perfect. The Sun Devils were very interested in offensive guard Tevita Halalilo, rated as the nation’s No. 11 guard prospect and one of California’s top 30 recruits. However, they wound up second to Pac-12 South rival UCLA. You can’t win every recruiting battle, but this will sting a bit for Graham’s staff.
19. South Carolina
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It wasn’t an easy 2014 for South Carolina. Following a trio of 11-win seasons, the Gamecocks came back to earth with a disappointing 7-6 season that finished in the Duck Commander Independence Bowl. Steve Spurrier’s staff still signed a 30-member class that ranked No. 19 nationally, but it was pocked with late decommitments after Spurrier’s comments that he might only coach two more seasons.
One of the most prominent losses was cornerback Mark Fields. A 4-star recruit and one of the nation's top 10 corners, Fields was a solid South Carolina commit but began looking around after the season ended. He decommitted and wound up with, of all places, archrival Clemson. That’s a tough pill for the Gamecocks staff to swallow, for certain.
18. Mississippi State
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Mississippi State broke through in a big way in 2014. The Bulldogs rose from SEC West mediocrity to spend nearly a month as the nation’s No. 1 team before fading late with losses to Alabama and Ole Miss before an Orange Bowl loss to Georgia Tech. Still, the Bulldogs recruited well, signing a 28-member class that was ranked No. 18 nationally.
One of the keys to Mississippi State’s success is keeping homegrown products at home. So it had to be disappointing to see Oklahoma swoop in on Yazoo City defensive end Gabriel Campbell. The 3-star recruit was rated as the state’s No. 10 prospect, and he visited MSU on Jan. 16.
Still, it wasn’t enough to sway him from a commitment to OU, leaving Dan Mullen’s staff emptyhanded for their efforts.
17. Ole Miss
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Much like the 2014 season itself, the 2015 recruiting cycle was a little bittersweet for Ole Miss. The Rebels had success early but didn’t close strongly, finishing with the nation’s No. 17 class following a major defection to an SEC rival.
Two days before national signing day, one of the class’ biggest prizes—4-star offensive tackle Drew Richmond—decided to decommit from Ole Miss, choosing Tennessee instead. It was a huge blow to the Rebels, who saw him as their left tackle of the future following Laremy Tunsil. Richmond’s loss left a sour taste in the mouth of the Rebels staff and their fans.
16. Oregon
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2014 was a breakthrough season for Oregon. Behind Heisman Trophy winner Marcus Mariota, the Ducks made the College Football Playoff National Championship Game before falling to Ohio State, showing that they are a force to be reckoned with on a national level. That success led to Mark Helfrich’s staff signing the nation’s No. 16 recruiting class.
They recruited on a national level, which means they had their share of misses. One of those misses came from Omaha defensive end Daishon Neal. He was rated as the top player in Nebraska, which would’ve made him a great pull for Oregon. However, new Huskers coach Mike Riley was able to hang onto Neal following a barrage of late interest from Oregon, Oklahoma and Iowa, among others.
15. Oklahoma
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Oklahoma endured a rough 2014 season. Following a great 2013 that finished with a Sugar Bowl rout of Alabama, the Sooners were a major disappointment, finishing the season with a 40-6 Russell Athletic Bowl pasting at Clemson’s hands which sparked major changes on Bob Stoops’ staff. Regardless, OU still signed the nation's No. 15 class.
One of the bigger disappointments came with linebacker Josh Smith. The 4-star prospect from Murfreesboro, Tennessee, was rated as the nation’s No. 3 inside linebacker. He visited Oklahoma two weeks before national signing day, but spurned the Sooners for hometown Vanderbilt. Sure, it’s the SEC, but losing a recruit to Vandy just doesn’t happen very often in Oklahoma’s world.
14. Penn State
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In his first full recruiting cycle, James Franklin put together an excellent class that will help ensure Penn State’s rise back toward national prominence. The Nittany Lions’ 25-member class was ranked No. 14 in the nation and second in the Big Ten behind Ohio State. Franklin and the Lions recruited nationally, but they did have a few misses.
One of their biggest targets (in several ways) was Fairburn, Georgia, offensive guard Marquel Harrell, who checks in at 6’3”, 295 pounds. Harrell is the nation’s No. 13 offensive guard prospect and could’ve seen early playing time on the Nittany Lions’ woeful offensive line. However, Penn State never got more than an unofficial visit out of Harrell, and he later signed with Auburn.
Sometimes going big doesn’t pay off.
13. Notre Dame
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Despite an inconsistent 2014 season, Brian Kelly and Notre Dame’s staff put together another stellar recruiting class. The Fighting Irish signed 24 players, ranking No. 13 nationally. The Irish recruit nationally and are always in competition for recruits with other national powers. So, naturally, you’re going to have some disappointments in your classes, and Kelly’s staff did in this cycle.
One of the biggest letdowns was Minkah Fitzpatrick, a 5-star cornerback who ranks as one of the nation’s top 30 overall prospects. The Jersey City, New Jersey, native would have been an excellent fit, but the Irish never got an official visit from the Alabama commit, who eventually signed with the Crimson Tide.
12. Texas A&M
14 of 25Kevin Sumlin and Texas A&M had an up-and-down season following Johnny Manziel’s departure to the NFL. The Aggies kept scoring but had serious defensive struggles, leading to John Chavis’ arrival as the new defensive coordinator. Sumlin’s staff recruited very well, signing the nation’s No. 12 class.
But when you’re recruiting at a high level, you take a few misses with all the makes. This A&M class was no different.
In-state cornerback Kendall Sheffield would’ve been an excellent addition to the Aggies defense. He was rated as a 5-star prospect and the nation’s No. 20 overall recruit. He visited A&M in mid-December, but three weeks later, he committed to SEC West rival Alabama. So instead of having him in their secondary, the Aggies will be throwing against him for the next four years.
11. Texas
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Charlie Strong’s first season at Texas ended in disappointment when the Longhorns were blown out by Arkansas in the Texas Bowl, but Strong’s first full recruiting class built some momentum for the Horns program. Texas signed the Big 12’s top class, a 28-member group which ranked No. 11 nationally.
The Longhorns signed a pair of quarterbacks, flipping 4-star QB Kai Locksley late from Florida State. But the class would’ve been far sweeter with 5-star QB Kyler Murray in the fold.
Murray was a longtime Texas A&M commit, but made an unofficial visit to Texas on Jan. 21, raising eyebrows around the state. Murray would’ve been an excellent fit for the Texas offense, but he ultimately decided to stay with his A&M commitment, leaving Longhorn fans disappointed.
10. Georgia
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As always, Mark Richt and Georgia were more than competitive on the recruiting trail. The Bulldogs signed a 28-member class highlighted by the nation’s top overall recruit in defensive tackle Trent Thompson, and it ranked No. 10 nationally. UGA signed four offensive tackles in the class, but missed out on one that was right under its nose in the Atlanta area.
Mitch Hyatt, 5-star offensive tackle, had Georgia’s attention for certain, but the Bulldogs were never really players in his recruitment. Hyatt committed to Clemson on 2014’s national signing day and stuck with the Tigers from there on out, enrolling at Clemson in January. The standout tackle and in-state product would’ve been an excellent addition to an already good class.
9. Auburn
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On the field, Auburn slipped a bit in 2014. The Tigers went from national runner-up to an 8-5 season that was full of defensive breakdowns down the stretch, which led to the firing of defensive coordinator Ellis Johnson, with former Florida head coach Will Muschamp replacing him. Muschamp’s presence was strong, however, as the Tigers signed a strong class that was rated No. 9 nationally.
Auburn didn’t get everyone it targeted, though. The Tigers badly wanted 5-star receiver Deon Cain, a longtime Clemson commit, and even got Cain to visit during the final recruiting weekend, a move that raised eyebrows and anxiety levels on Clemson’s campus. However, Cain chose to stay with the ACC Tigers, preventing Auburn from adding a huge offensive cherry to its class.
8. Clemson
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Clemson and Dabo Swinney signed a tremendous class that ranked No. 8 nationally, with talented recruits across the board. But it still could have been better. The Tigers have needs on the defensive line after losing their entire starting front to graduation, and they signed a solid class led by 5-star defensive tackle Christian Wilkins.
However, the Tigers also went hard after Albany, Georgia, defensive tackle Trent Thompson. At 6’2.5”, 313 pounds, Thompson is a man-child who has the potential to become an immediate starter. He is rated by 247Sports as the nation’s top overall recruit.
Clemson got his attention, but Thompson signed with in-state Georgia. At least the programs’ home-and-home series is over and the Tigers won’t have to see Thompson again, save a bowl matchup.
7. UCLA
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Jim Mora Jr. has built UCLA back into one of the West Coast’s true rising programs. The Bruins won 10 games in 2014 for the second consecutive season and signed an excellent recruiting class that ranks No. 7 nationally.
However, the Bruins did have one key miss in one of the nation’s most talent-rich areas. Keller, Texas, offensive guard Maea Teuhema was a 4-star prospect, the No. 2 offensive guard prospect in the nation and the No. 37 player overall. UCLA recruited him heavily, and he gave the Bruins his last official visit. However, Teuhema wound up sticking to what had been a yearlong commitment to LSU, signing with the Tigers instead.
6. Ohio State
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What a year it was for Ohio State. The Buckeyes returned to national elite status under Urban Meyer’s watch, sweeping through the first College Football Playoff for a surprising national title.
The rich got richer on national signing day, too. The Buckeyes signed a 27-member class that was the best in the Big Ten and rated No. 6 nationally. However, even the national champs miss on a guy occasionally.
Ohio State signed four cornerbacks in the class, but did not sign a safety. Derwin James, a 5-star safety and the nation's No. 5 overall recruit, would have been an excellent addition. The Buckeyes had interest, as did many others, but James stuck with home-state Florida State and enrolled at FSU in early January.
5. LSU
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As always, Les Miles and the LSU staff recruited well, keeping the talent flowing into a program that has consistently been one of the nation’s best over the past 15 years. The Tigers signed a 25-player class that ranks No. 5 nationally, which is essential to staying competitive in the SEC West.
And while LSU did sign a quarterback in this cycle in Justin McMillan, it missed on a high-profile quarterback that could have pushed his way into an unsettled quarterback situation almost immediately.
Torrance Gibson of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, was interested in the Tigers, visiting LSU along with Ohio State, Auburn and Miami. But Gibson, rated as the nation’s No. 6 athlete, ultimately signed with Ohio State, which already has three high-profile quarterbacks on its roster.
It was a miss for Miles’ staff.
4. Tennessee
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Tennessee had a breakthrough season in 2014, going 7-6 and capping the year with a TaxSlayer Bowl blowout of Iowa. Butch Jones played 23 freshmen this fall, and the Volunteers will get younger and better in 2015. The Vols signed 29 players and had a great class that ranked No. 4 nationally.
Jones’ staff flipped standout tackle Drew Richmond from Ole Miss in the final hours before signing day, but they did miss on 4-star offensive tackle William Sweet from Jacksonville, Florida. Sweet, rated as the nation’s No. 23 offensive tackle prospect, made one of his four official visits to Tennessee, but wound up signing early and enrolling at North Carolina.
3. Florida State
23 of 25Jimbo Fisher has recruited well ever since arriving at Florida State, and 2015 was no different. The Seminoles capitalized on the momentum of a College Football Playoff berth with another excellent class, ranking No. 3 nationally. That isn’t surprising.
However, FSU fans were left with a lingering feeling that the class could’ve been better. Tomahawk Nation's Bud Elliott noted that the poor finish kept FSU from landing an all-time great class.
Fisher’s staff pursued a number of high-profile prospects who announced on national signing day, but the only significant addition to the class was 4-star cornerback Marcus Lewis. Terry Beckner, a 5-star defensive tackle prospect, would’ve been an exceptional addition to a defensive line that lost multiple players to the NFL draft, but he chose to sign with nearby Missouri instead of trekking to Tallahassee.
Fisher’s haul will keep FSU competitive nationally, but you always remember the ones that get away, too.
2. Southern California
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Steve Sarkisian’s second class at Southern California’s helm was an impressive one. The Trojans signed 26 players, and the class ranks No. 2 nationally. It was yet another sign that USC is emerging from the haze of NCAA probation and is on the route to becoming a national power once again.
But it could have been better. The Trojans targeted a number of elite players, but didn’t get all of them. One of those players was Pompano Beach, Florida, wide receiver Calvin Ridley. The Alabama signee stands 6’0”, 170 pounds and was rated as the nation’s top wide receiver prospect and its No. 11 overall player. Sarkisian offered Ridley early on, but it wasn’t enough to sway him from the Crimson Tide’s grasp.
1. Alabama
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Alabama and Nick Saban, once again, signed an outstanding class. The 24-man class met needs across the board and was rated as the nation’s top class by 247Sports. It’s hard to find players who got away from the Crimson Tide, but they’re out there.
The Tide wants to control its own state, but that doesn’t always happen. Occasionally, a player gets away.
Hoover, Alabama, linebacker Darrell Williams looked seriously at Alabama before committing to Auburn last May, and still made multiple unofficial visits to Alabama after his commitment. He is a 4-star player and rated as Alabama’s No. 7 player and the nation’s No. 12 outside linebacker prospect. But for the next four years, he’ll be lining up across from Alabama in the Iron Bowl.
All recruit and class rankings come from 247Sports' composite rankings.
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