SEC Football Recruiting: Latest Buzz Ahead of National Signing Day

Following the trend set in recent years, the SEC boasts some of the top recruiting classes in the country. With only one day left until national signing day, however, its classes are far from complete.

Five of the top eight current recruiting classes are held by SEC schools, including top-ranked LSU and No. 6 overall Alabama.

While SEC schools will likely land some of the top uncommitted recruits in the nation, No. 1 overall prospect Rashan Gary won't be one of them.

Brian Dohn of Scout.com reported on Monday that Gary cut both Auburn and Alabama from his list of finalists. Gary is now down to two non-SEC schools: Clemson and Michigan.

With Gary now out of the picture for SEC teams, 5-star defensive tackle Derrick Brown becomes the top uncommitted recruit. Brown, the No. 9 overall prospect, is being heavily recruited by his home-state Georgia Bulldogs in addition to Alabama, Auburn and Tennessee.

Brown will be announcing his commitment on Wednesday at 3:10 p.m. ET on ESPNU, ESPN2 and WatchESPN, although he has already chosen his school. According to Cody Chaffins of Fox 5 Sports, Brown "will be calling coaches tonight" to let them know where he'll commit:

Georgia was long considered the favorite to land Brown, but Auburn has closed the gap after hosting Brown's Jan. 15 official visit.

247Sports' Crystal Ball predictions still have UGA as the favorite with 50 percent of the picks, but it's barely ahead of Auburn's 42 percent. It would be a major hit for the Dawgs to lose their home-grown talent to their most bitter SEC rival.

Including Brown, the Dawgs are well in the mix for five of the top seven uncommitted prospects, including in-state 5-star recruits Mecole Hardman Jr. and Demetris Robertson.

Though Hardman named Alabama his leader back on Jan. 3, Georgia has fought hard to get back in favor with the nation's No. 13 overall prospect, and it appears to be paying off. 247Sports considers Georgia a clear front-runner for Hardman, with the Dawgs garnering 91 percent of predictions.

Robertson's recruiting chase has been both interesting and unpredictable. After he decommitted from Alabama last April, Georgia emerged as the favorite to sign him.

In recent months, however, Notre Dame has emerged as a strong contender to land Robertson, and 45 percent of 247Sports' predictions are leaning toward the Fighting Irish compared to 40 percent for Georgia.

Even though Robertson will likely wait until after national signing day to commit—247Sports' Kipp Adams (h/t FoxSports.com) reported that Robertson booked a visit to Georgia for the weekend following national signing day—things look good for the Bulldogs.

Last Friday, Robertson told Kipp Adams of Dawgs247 that he was "sold" on UGA: "My mom...I need to take this visit to show her around," Robertson told Adams. "I am sold on the school, I just got to let her see the school."

Adding Hardman and Robertson to the No. 9-ranked recruiting class in the nation would be a nice welcoming gift for new Georgia head coach Kirby Smart.

Alabama is looking to bolster its strong class as well. The top two prospects in the state of Alabama—5-star linebackers Ben Davis and Lyndell "Mack" Wilson—are nearing their decisions, and things look good for the Tide.

Davis, the son of Alabama all-time leading tackler Wayne Davis, has narrowed down his list to five schools:

Davis has been considered a lock for Alabama for quite some time, even when he named UGA his leader in the wake of Georgia hiring Kirby Smart as its head coach. 247Sports unanimously predicts that Davis will stay home to play for Nick Saban and the Crimson Tide.

Wilson's perceived choice is somewhat murkier. Having earlier named Florida as his favorite, he surprisingly dropped the Gators from his list last week. Like Davis, Wilson's top two choices are Alabama and Georgia.

Wilson raved about his Jan. 15 official visit to Athens, calling it "a perfect 10" and inspiring optimism among Bulldogs fans with this tweet:

Despite his apparent interest in Georgia, national recruiting pundits aren't buying it, as 96 percent of 247Sports' experts are picking Alabama to bring in Wilson.

Even with Davis and Wilson as likely options, Alabama is looking to land a trio of 5-star linebackers. It also has its sights set on 5-star linebacker Mique Juarez, a California native. Though Juarez is considered an overwhelming favorite to sign with UCLA and is also considering Ole Miss, his official visit to Tuscaloosa on Jan. 22 was a success for the Crimson Tide:

If Alabama can land even two of these three linebackers, its recruiting class could very well become the best in the nation.

In order for the Tide to claim the top spot, however, they would have to unseat LSU. The Tigers may not be in the mix for the likes of Brown, Davis and Juarez, but their top-ranked class is far from done.

Prized 5-star cornerback Kristian Fulton, the top recruit in the state of Louisiana and No. 21 overall player in the class, is a heavy favorite to sign with LSU. Fellow cornerbacks Trayvon Mullen and Shyheim Carter—both 4-star prospects—are also considering LSU. The Tigers are also in the mix for 4-star defensive tackle Stephon Taylor, a New Orleans native.

Much like the Tigers, No. 4 overall Ole Miss has already landed many of its top recruits. But if they can add in-state 5-star defensive end Jeffery Simmons, the Rebels would cement their impressive recruiting class.

Simmons will decide between Ole Miss, Mississippi State, Alabama, Tennessee and Auburn on Wednesday, and according to Yahoo Sports' Andrew Bone, he has gone to great lengths to ensure that he will pick the best school for him:

Although somewhat overshadowed by LSU, Alabama and Ole Miss, the Florida Gators have also put together quite an impressive recruiting class, ranked No. 7 in the nation.

The Gators have 25 commitments to date and are looking to steal Fulton from LSU. After his official visit to Gainesville on Jan. 29, that scenario looked much more possible:

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New Era1️⃣ pic.twitter.com/74WVwy53lx

— YoungKing (@Kriss1_) January 31, 2016"

The SEC is once again dominating recruiting, and it is landing prospects from all across the country. LSU's top-ranked class has thrived on in-state recruiting, Ole Miss has landed its big 5-star targets and the Crimson Tide can boast the top class in the country if things play out well for them.

Georgia and Florida are each a stone's throw—or a few blue-chip prospects—away from a Top Five recruiting class.

Much like in any other year, the SEC will boast many of the top teams in the nation come September. But each team's national title hopes begin with an elite recruiting class via national signing day.

Unless otherwise noted, recruiting information courtesy of 247Sports.