Winners, Losers from College Football Recruiting Trail for Month of September
With the college football season in full swing, teams across the country are also jockeying for position with the nation’s top recruits in hopes of landing an elite class in February.
While things slowed down a bit in September recruiting-wise, there were still some developments that made headlines—good and bad.
Some teams landed commitments while others were dealing with decommitments.
Meanwhile, a handful of schools benefited from large visit weekends while other programs lost momentum they had built up in the offseason.
Which schools represented the biggest winners and losers on the recruiting trail over the first full month of the season?
Winner: Florida
1 of 8With new head coach Jim McElwain taking over the program, Florida entered the 2015 season as one of the biggest mysteries in both the SEC and from a national perspective.
So far, the early returns are overwhelmingly positive out of Gainesville following the Gators' thrilling comeback win over Tennessee in Week 4.
As GatorBait.net’s Luke Stampini reports, the Gators are trending with elite prospects such as 5-star receiver Nate Craig-Myers and 5-star defensive tackles Shavar Manuel and Dexter Lawrence, among others.
It’s still early, but McElwain has the Gators in position to make a strong push down the stretch of the 2016 cycle.
Loser: Tennessee
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For a program with hopes of competing for the SEC Eastern Division crown, Tennessee is another squad who has endured a tough month.
After blowing double-digit fourth-quarter leads against Oklahoma and Florida, the Vols will now have to rebound on the field and on the recruiting trail.
Tennessee currently has the nation’s No. 15 class. However, head coach Butch Jones and his staff have the Vols in the thick of the race with a handful of blue-chip recruits such as 5-star athlete Mecole Hardman, 5-star receiver Kyle Davis and 4-star safety Nigel Warrior.
While all is not lost for the Vols, the first month of the season brought about more questions than answers for recruits interested in the future of the program.
Winner: Texas A&M
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Texas A&M’s revival under head coach Kevin Sumlin has been fueled by the job he and his staff have done on the recruiting trail.
Some of that momentum was lost with decommitments from high-profile prospects such as 5-star offensive lineman Gregory Little and 4-star receiver Tyrie Cleveland.
However, the Aggies have received a boost in September thanks to a 4-0 start and quality wins over Arizona State and Arkansas away from College Station.
Additionally, the Aggies received a commitment from in-state 4-star defensive end Justin Madubuike, who chose A&M over powers such as Alabama, Baylor, Ohio State and Texas.
Landing another impact pass-rusher such as the 6’3”, 255-pound Madubuike—who has recorded 21.5 sacks and eight forced fumbles over the last two seasons—is another big piece that should help the Aggies continue their defensive overhaul.
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Loser: Texas
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Tumultuous may be the single best word to describe the happenings surrounding the Texas football program over the last month.
The firing of athletic director Steve Patterson was a relief to many Longhorns fans. However, the season-opening drubbing at the hands of Notre Dame led to the demotion of offensive coordinator Shawn Watson, according to the Associated Press (via USA Today).
Agonizing losses in consecutive weeks to California and Oklahoma State leave the ‘Horns limping into October at 1-3 with a tough slate ahead of them as conference play heats up.
With a little more than five months left until national signing day, Texas has just nine commitments and a class that is rated No. 50 in the country.
As Jeff Howe of 247Sports notes, Strong is banking on being able to close strongly in the 2016 class like he did in last year’s cycle.
“It's going to be just like [what] happened last year where it's going to go down to the end,” Strong told Howe.
However, unless the Longhorns can right the ship and show that the program is going in the right direction, it will make Strong’s goal of closing with a bang that much tougher.
Winner: Notre Dame
5 of 8Similar to the Aggies, Notre Dame and head coach Brian Kelly have enjoyed a hot start to the 2015 season.
Despite the injury bug hitting the Irish roster, the team enters this weekend’s contest with Clemson at 4-0 and with plenty of momentum building on the recruiting trail.
The Irish picked up a big commitment on Sunday when 3-star safety D.J. Morgan pledged to Notre Dame.
Additionally, according to Tom Loy of 247Sports, 4-star linebacker and current USC commit Daelin Hayes has set up an official visit with the Irish in October.
Loy also notes that the team has made a big move with 4-star athlete Demetris Robertson, who took an official visit to South Bend for the season-opening win over Texas.
Loser: Florida State
6 of 8It sounds hard to believe, but for a program that has lost only once in its last 31 games, Florida State is a team that could use a shot of momentum on the recruiting trail.
Head coach Jimbo Fisher and his staff have pulled in top-five classes in four of the last five years, and the ‘Noles currently sit with the nation’s No. 3 class.
Florida State began the month by adding a big commitment from 4-star tight end Naseir Upshur.
However, the decommitment of 4-star JUCO linebacker Tyree Horton is the third defection in the last three months.
Furthermore, as Josh Newberg of Noles247 notes, commitments such as 4-star defensive end Janarius Robinson are on shaky ground.
Given the amount of recent success that FSU has enjoyed on the field and in recruiting, it’s certainly not time to panic in Tallahassee.
Winner: Michigan State
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Michigan State’s win over Oregon in Week 2 produced one of the most electric atmospheres of the young season.
More than 200 recruits were in attendance to see the Spartans hold on for a 31-28 win.
While the Spartans didn’t land any commitments in the aftermath of their big win, they were certainly able to leave an impression on a number of top targets who were present in East Lansing.
Given that Michigan State is primed to compete for the Big Ten title and a spot in the College Football Playoff, the Spartans also appear to be loading up to crack the top 10 in the 247Sports team rankings when February rolls around.
Loser: Auburn
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Among the biggest disappointments early in the season are the Auburn Tigers—who sit at 2-2 after being touted among the favorites to capture the SEC title.
The offense has looked lost at times and average at best in others, while the defense is still learning to adjust to new defensive coordinator Will Muschamp.
The Tigers began the month reeling in a big fish with the commitment of longtime lean and 5-star defensive end Marlon Davidson.
Auburn’s current class rates No. 26 nationally and just 10th in the SEC. However, the Tigers were buzzing this summer with a number of elite recruits such as 5-star defensive tackles Rashan Gary and Derrick Brown, 5-star linebackers Ben Davis and Lyndell Wilson and 4-star defensive tackle Antwuan Jackson.
Heading into October, it seems as if the Tigers will need to recapture the momentum they had in the offseason in order to finish up the 2016 cycle strongly.
Sanjay Kirpalani is a National Recruiting Analyst for Bleacher Report. Unless otherwise noted, all quotes obtained firsthand and all recruiting information courtesy of 247Sports.
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