College Football Recruiting Rankings 2017: Projecting Top Classes and Programs
With national signing day finally upon us, the top college football teams in the country will finalize their recruiting classes for the 2017 season.
Many of the best players have already decided where they'll spend at least the next three years but have yet to put pen to paper on their letters of intent. That will change Wednesday. By the end of the night, fans will have a much better idea of which schools walked away in the best shape ahead of next season.
Looking at the landscape now, the four programs below should be the biggest winners.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
Top Schools
Ohio State
| Chase Young | DE | 12 | 2 | Committed |
| Jeffrey Okudah | CB | 15 | 2 | Signed NLI |
| Wyatt Davis | OG | 16 | 1 | Committed |
| Baron Browning | OLB | 23 | 1 | Signed NLI |
| Tate Martell | QB | 27 | 2 | Signed NLI |
| Haskell Garrett | DT | 55 | 4 | Committed |
| Shaun Wade | CB | 55 | 5 | Signed NLI |
| Josh Myers | OG | 57 | 3 | Signed NLI |
| Trevon Grimes | WR | 63 | 9 | Committed |
| J.K. Dobbins | ATH | 67 | 3 | Signed NLI |
With Ohio State hiring Kevin Wilson as its co-offensive coordinator, the Buckeyes signing Tate Martell to their 2017 class is an even bigger deal.
In his senior year at Bishop Gorman High School in Las Vegas, Martell threw for 2,362 yards and 41 touchdowns while running for another 1,257 yards and 21 touchdowns, per MaxPreps.
Bleacher Report's Tyler Donohue drew parallels between Martell and a former Heisman Trophy winner:
Rivals' Adam Gorney, meanwhile, sees shades of this year's third-place finisher in the Heisman race:
Prior to Wilson's arrival, it would've been fair to wonder if Ohio State could get the most out of Martell. J.T. Barrett—another dual-threat quarterback—has regressed in a big way after Tom Herman left to coach Houston.
Wilson has a proven track record. He molded Sam Bradford into a Heisman winner and set Landry Jones on a path that would lead him to becoming Oklahoma's all-time leading passer. His Indiana offenses consistently performed above expectation as well.
With Barrett returning for 2017, Martell will have to take a back seat in his first season. After Barrett leaves, the Sin City native should become a focal point of the Buckeyes offense.
Alabama
| Najee Harris | RB | 1 | 1 | Committed |
| Alex Leatherwood | OT | 9 | 3 | Committed |
| Dylan Moses | ILB | 14 | 1 | Committed |
| VanDarius Cowan | OLB | 35 | 2 | Committed |
| Tua Tagovailoa | QB | 38 | 4 | Committed |
| Jerry Jeudy | WR | 52 | 7 | Committed |
| Chris Allen | OLB | 74 | 4 | Committed |
| Tyrell Shavers | WR | 13 | 83 | Committed |
| Phidarian Mathis | DT | 95 | 8 | Committed |
| Xavier McKinney | S | 113 | 11 | Committed |
As if Alabama doesn't already have enough talented running backs, the Crimson Tide are set to add Najee Harris, the best player in the country.
Harris' high school stats are almost video game-like. In 41 games for Antioch High School in California, he ran for 7,948 yards, 94 touchdowns and averaged 9.5 yards a carry, per MaxPreps.
At 6'3" and 225 pounds, Harris is the perfect running back for Alabama's offense. The question isn't whether Harris will play a starring role for the Crimson Tide but how long he'll have to wait to do so.
Damien Harris and Bo Scarbrough will return in 2017, with the latter poised to see a bigger workload after running for 454 yards on 63 carries in his team's final four games. Starting quarterback Jalen Hurts will almost certainly remain a consistent presence in the ground game as well.
In an interview with AL.com's Matt Zenitz, Harris' high school head coach, John Lucido, said the player is relishing the stiff competition he'll face in Tuscaloosa: "He wants to play with the best and against the best. When it all came down to it, I think the training, the hard work Alabama puts in, the focus, it's all business, it's all working out, it's all school and it's all getting on the field and winning championships, and that's what he's about."
Harris' career may mimic that of Scarbrough, who was the seventh-best running back in 2014. Scarbrough played in four games as a freshman and was used in a limited role as a sophomore until the second half of the year.
Michigan
| Donovan Peoples-Jones | WR | 22 | 1 | Committed |
| Ambry Thomas | CB | 56 | 6 | Committed |
| Tarik Black | WR | 90 | 16 | Committed |
| Drew Singleton | OLB | 93 | 5 | Committed |
| Cesar Ruiz | C | 98 | 2 | Committed |
| Luiji Vilain | DE | 102 | 8 | Committed |
| Dylan McCaffrey | QB | 134 | 9 | Committed |
| Chuck Filiaga | OT | 139 | 16 | Committed |
| Jordan Anthony | OLB | 153 | 8 | Committed |
| Josh Ross | ILB | 196 | 10 | Committed |
What's the best way to replace your top three leading receivers? Sign two of the top 16 wideouts in the 2017 recruiting class.
Michigan will lose the trio of Amara Darboh, Jake Butt and Jehu Chesson, who combined to account for 138 receptions, 1,908 yards and 13 touchdowns.
While it's unrealistic to expect Donovan Peoples-Jones and Tarik Black to replicate that production right away, they provide the foundation for what should be Michigan's best aerial attack since Jim Harbaugh arrived.
Peoples-Jones in particular could be a big-play threat. According to Hudl, he boasts a 4.4-second 40-yard dash, and Donohue showed how he can get separation from defenders in tight quarters:
The last two years, the Wolverines have had great defenses and not-so-great offenses. It was only a matter of time before Harbaugh turned that around, and signing talented skill position players like Peoples-Jones and Black is what will make Michigan a genuine national title contender.
Georgia
| DeAngelo Gibbs | ATH | 25 | 1 | Signed NLI |
| Jake Fromm | QB | 28 | 3 | Signed NLI |
| D'Andre Swift | RB | 37 | 4 | Committed |
| Isaiah Wilson | OT | 42 | 7 | Committed |
| Richard LeCounte | S | 43 | 4 | Signed NLI |
| Andrew Thomas | OT | 54 | 9 | Committed |
| Walter Grant | OLB | 100 | 6 | Committed |
| Netori Johnson | OG | 110 | 5 | Committed |
| D'antne Demery | OT | 115 | 13 | Committed |
| Jeremiah Holloman | WR | 136 | 19 | Signed NLI |
In 2016, Georgia's offensive line ranked 101st in adjusted line yards and 58th in adjusted sack rate, per Football Outsiders. The Bulldogs couldn't protect Jacob Eason, while Nick Chubb and Sony Michel struggled to find running room.
Judging by the team's 2017 class, head coach Kirby Smart identified the offensive line as a major area of need. The Bulldogs are poised to add three of the top 13 offensive tackles and the fifth-best guard in the country. For good measure, Georgia also signed D'Marcus Hayes, the fifth-best junior college recruit in the country.
Hayes will provide immediate help to the line, while Isaiah Wilson, Andrew Thomas and D'Antne Demery can slowly be groomed to become starters in another year or two.
Kirby Smart had a debut year to forget. Georgia's 8-5 campaign may have culminated with a Liberty Bowl win over TCU, but Bulldogs fans won't soon forget the defeats to Vanderbilt and Georgia Tech.
Putting together a loaded 2017 recruiting class will help Smart rebuild confidence among the fanbase.
Note: Recruit rankings are courtesy of Scout.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
