10 College Football Teams Off to a Fast Start Recruiting the Class of 2017

While the 2016 class is officially in the rearview mirror for teams around the nation, a handful of programs have already laid the groundwork for their classes in 2017.

A few usual suspects such as Ohio State and Alabama—who currently occupy the top two spots in the 247Sports team rankings—are in the running again for the nation’s top overall class. 

However, a few other programs who don’t qualify as recruiting powerhouses have also hit the ground running in the 2017 cycle.

Which programs have already assembled classes that feature quality and quantity in terms of talent?

Here are 10 college football teams off to a fast start recruiting the class of 2017.

*Teams are listed in alphabetical order.

Alabama

Class Rank: 2

No. of Commits: 8

With six straight No. 1 classes under their belt, it’s not a shock to see Alabama Crimson Tide head coach Nick Saban and his staff out of the gates quickly.

The Tide’s class to date is heavy with offensive firepower.

Leading the way are a trio of running backs—including the nation’s top back and 5-star Najee Harris.

Additionally, the Tide have a pledge from touted 4-star passer Jake Fromm.

A pair of 4-stars in running back Cam Akers and safety Xavier McKinney are potential early impact players in Tuscaloosa.

Baylor

Class Rank: 4 

No. of Commits: 7 

The Big 12 has taken its lumps in recruiting in recent years, but the Baylor Bears are one school trying to change that in the 2017 cycle. 

Bears head coach Art Briles and his staff are off to a strong start with 4-star receivers Hezekiah Jones and Jhamon Ausbon.

They also will have another stud potentially on the throwing end of passes in Waco in 4-star quarterback Kellen Mond.

The headliner of the Bears class is 5-star linebacker Baron Browning.

If the Bears can continue to win battles in the state of Texas, this class has the potential to be the best of the Briles era.

Clemson

Class Rank: 5

No. of Commits: 6

Clemson may already have a strong case to land the nation’s top classes at quarterback and offensive line.

Those two positions account for five of the six pledges Tigers head coach Dabo Swinney and his staff have been able to land.

Five-star quarterback Hunter Johnson and 4-star passer Chase Brice are already in the fold—with Johnson representing the early choice as the nation’s top field general in the 2017 cycle. 

Four-star offensive lineman Noah DeHond leads a trio of touted offensive line prospects slated to do work in the trenches. 

Perhaps most impressive about the Tigers' early haul is the fact that all of the prospects committed are from outside the state of South Carolina.

Houston

Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

Class Rank: 15

No. of Commits: 5 

Coming off a 13-1 campaign and a big bowl win over national power Florida State, the Houston Cougars enter the 2017 cycle with a ton of momentum.

Cougars head coach Tom Herman and his staff have been aggressive on the recruiting trail, especially in the home state.

Houston has already landed five commitments—all of which are from homegrown products in the Lone Star State.

The class is led by 3-star corner Terry Petry and 3-star athlete Jaylon Mascorro—both of whom rank inside the state’s top 50 overall prospects.

If the Cougars can capitalize with another strong season in the fall, the 2017 class has the chance to be special.

Kentucky

Matt Bush-USA TODAY Sports

Class Rank: 11

No. of Commits: 6

It may be basketball season, but the Kentucky Wildcats are among the early front-runners in the SEC who have jumped out to a fast start in recruiting 2017 standouts.

Head coach Mark Stoops and his staff have landed six pledges and currently have the No. 2 class in the SEC.

Three of the six members of Kentucky’s 2017 class hail from the state of Ohio—including 4-star defensive end James Hudson and 4-star running back Michael Warren. 

Also included in the cast of early pledges is 3-star wideout Craig Yeast II—whose father was a standout receiver for the Wildcats in the 90s.

Miami

Alan Diaz/Associated Press

Class Rank: 3

No. of Commits: 10

One school in need of a strong class in 2017 is the Miami Hurricanes.

With new head coach Mark Richt running the ship, the groundwork has been laid for the ‘Canes to finish with a top-10 class. 

Miami already has 10 commitments—all of whom are Sunshine State products.

Four-star offensive lineman Navaughn Donaldson and 4-star running back Robert Burns headline a group rich in local flavor. 

Considering the wealth of decommits that plagued Miami's 2016 class, the main task for Richt and his staff will be holding on to a majority of these commitments for another year.

Mississippi State

Nell Redmond/Associated Press

Class Rank: 14

No. of Commits: 5 

The battles in the rugged SEC West on the field are usually preceded by the slugfests on the recruiting trail. 

One school in the SEC West that has gotten off to a hot start is Mississippi State. 

Bulldogs head coach Dan Mullen and his staff have already landed five commits—four of whom are homegrown Magnolia State products.

The one out-of-state commit happens to be from 4-star quarterback Keytaon Thompson—who is from neighboring Louisiana and could be the group’s headliner.

Ohio State

Class Rank: 1

No. of Commits: 11

With the recent addition of 4-star defensive tackle Haskell Garrett, Ohio State now has six of the nation’s top 100 prospects in its class.

Buckeyes head coach Urban Meyer and his staff have assembled an 11-man class with prospects from six different states.

In-state 5-star offensive lineman Josh Myers and 5-star Florida corner Shaun Wade are two of the nation’s elite prospects at their respective positions. 

Given the fast start from Meyer and the Buckeyes, Ohio State has emerged as the primary threat to end Alabama’s six-year streak of signing top-rated classes.

Oklahoma

Brody Schmidt/Associated Press

Class Rank: 7 

No. of Commits: 5

Oklahoma has made a living of recruiting the state of Texas with vigor under the leadership of head coach Bob Stoops. 

All of the Sooners' five pledges in the 2017 class are rated as 4-star prospects. 

Four are from the Lone Star State—including offensive lineman Tyrese Robinson and quarterback Chris Robison. 

The lone in-state commitment is from 4-star linebacker Levi Draper—who is the state’s top overall prospect in this class. 

If the Sooners continue to land their share of studs, they have a chance to significantly improve on last year’s No. 20 overall class.

Texas

Class Rank: 13

No. of Commits: 4

Texas has notoriously started slowly only to close with a furious finish in each of the last two classes under head coach Charlie Strong.

The Longhorns are looking to reverse that trend with the 2017 cycle.

Three of the four early pledges bound for Austin are from 4-star in-state prospects.

Defensive end Lagaryonn Carson and quarterback Sam Ehlinger rate among the nation’s 10 best players at their respective positions. 

With a strong base already in place, the Longhorns have a chance to steadily build a class that could potentially be the best of Strong’s tenure.

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

Follow @SanjayKirpalani