College Football Recruiting Rankings 2020: Projecting Top Classes and Programs

LSU may have won the national championship this past season, but the rest of the SEC is focused on preventing that from happening again.

Alabama and Georgia have put in impressive work on the recruiting trail to try to get its respective programs back to the College Football Playoff. This past season marked the first time in the CFP era that the Crimson Tide didn't reach the Playoff, while the Bulldogs haven't made it since reaching the national championship game in the 2017 season.

But both Alabama and Georgia are putting themselves in position to potentially return to that stage with their 2020 recruiting classes. And after National Signing Day on Wednesday, it wouldn't be a surprise to see the two schools at the top of the 247Sports Composite team rankings. (The Bulldogs and Tide currently rank Nos. 1 and 2, respectively.)

Here are predictions for which three teams will have the top 2020 classes by the time signing day is over.

Top Class Predictions

1. Alabama

In order for the Crimson Tide to end up with the top class, they're likely going to need to land McKinnley Jackson, a 4-star defensive tackle from Lucedale, Mississippi.

Jackson, who is ranked No. 61 in the 247Sports Composite rankings, is one of the top recruits who hasn't yet committed to a school. He's likely heading to the SEC, as he's taken visits to Alabama, Auburn, LSU and Texas A&M since December.

After a competitive battle on the recruiting trail for Jackson, it will be the Crimson Tide who emerge as the winners. They've been pursuing Jackson for a long time, and head coach Nick Saban visited with the defensive tackle last week. Those efforts will pay off as they edge their SEC rivals.

It won't be anything new for Alabama to finish a recruiting cycle with the top-ranked class. That's happened in eight of the last nine years, according to Hank South of 247Sports.com.

The Crimson Tide will be on top again, and they'll be looking to get back to the College Football Playoff after a rare off season (by their standards) in 2019.

2. Georgia

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If Alabama lands Jackson, it becomes much more difficult for Georgia to finish with the No. 1 class. As South broke down, the Bulldogs would stay No. 2 in that scenario even if they hold on to commitments from 5-star tackle Broderick Jones and 4-star center Sedrick Van Pran while also adding three 3-star recruits.

Nonetheless, it's still going to be an impressive class for Georgia, especially because it likely will get Jones and Van Pran to sign on Wednesday.

Jones has been committed to the Bulldogs since April 26, 2018, but he's been taking visits to other schools. That included a trip to Arkansas, which has hired former Georgia offensive line coach Sam Pittman to be its head coach. But Jones cancelled a trip to Auburn this past weekend after visiting Georgia the prior weekend, so it appears the Bulldogs should be in good shape.

Van Pran committed to Georgia on Aug. 17, and although he took official visits to Alabama and Florida last month, he should honor that commitment and become a key part of this class.

So, even though the Bulldogs are losing some talented players, such as quarterback Jake Fromm and running back D'Andre Swift to graduation, their recruiting efforts will help them continue to be one of the top programs in the country.

3. Clemson

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The Tigers may end up ranked third, but they've got three of the top 10 recruits in the 2020 class joining their program, all of whom are 5-star prospects—defensive tackle Bryan Bresee (No. 1), defensive end Myles Murphy (No. 7) and quarterback DJ Uiagalelei (No. 10).

So, while Clemson isn't really in the running for any top uncommitted recruits heading into National Signing Day, the impressive players it has already landed will keep it at No. 3 in the 2020 class rankings.

With five 5-star recruits, the most in the nation, the Tigers have set themselves up well to continue their recent success. They've reached the College Football Playoff five consecutive seasons, winning a pair of national titles over that span.

Even though it will be a quiet National Signing Day for Clemson, it can be pleased with the work it did ahead of the Early Signing Period that allowed it to add some of these top recruits and build its potential core for the future.