Ranking SEC recruiting classes via average commit distance

Since the summer, there have hardly been any changes to 2027 recruiting classes. Ranking updates and the occasional flip or decommitment looks to be what’s left on the table ahead of the December signing period.

To the surprise of no one, the SEC is featured heavily throughout the top of the Rivals Industry Team Recruiting Rankings. Of the 16 teams in the conference, 11 currently have a top-25 class nationally. That includes five who are in the top 10.

$19.99 gets you a FULL year of On3 | Rivals national coverage

SEC programs can go from coast to coast when building recruiting classes, but many still have elite local recruiting trails that they dominate. Rivals is looking at which SEC classes are the closest to home, based on average distance from the commits to their respective school:

1. Mississippi State

Average Commit Distance: 184 miles
In-State: 41%
Rivals Industry Team Rankings: No. 38 NATL.

Jeff Lebby finally has some momentum going in Starkville this fall. Mississippi State has always honed in on keeping top local talent home and seven of their 17 commits are in the Magnolia State, including the four-star RB duo of Christian Alexander and Yoshawn Hudson. The Bulldogs haven’t left the South for any of their commits this cycle. Georgia, Louisiana, Tennessee, Alabama and Texas are the other states featured.

2. Tennessee

Average Commit Distance: 234 miles
In-State: 47%
Rivals Industry Team Rankings: No. 24 NATL.

The state of Tennessee is loaded with impressive prospects this cycle and the Vols have taken advantage. Five of the top 11 players in the state are committed to Josh Heupel and Co., with the headliner of course being Five-Star Plus+ RB David Gabriel Georges. Each of the five highest-ranked commits in the class are playing in-state, with the likes of four-star WR Kesean Bowman and four-star LB Kenneth Simon II also helping Tennessee hold a top-25 class nationally.

3. South Carolina

Average Commit Distance: 268 miles
In-State: 18%
Rivals Industry Team Rankings: No. 25 NATL.

The Gamecocks’ in-state percentage may be low, but Shane Beamer and his staff have dominated recruiting in North Carolina this cycle. Each of their three highest-ranked commits are playing in NC this fall: five-star CB Joshua Dobson, four-star safety Davion Jones and four-star DL John Archer. Four-star IOL Nate Carson, the No. 4 player in South Carolina, is one of three in-state commits in the class. Georgia, Virginia, Tennessee and Florida are among the other states represented in the Southeast-heavy haul.

4. Kentucky

Average Commit Distance: 280 miles
In-State: 24%
Rivals Industry Team Rankings: No. 22 NATL.

Kentucky’s usual recruiting hotbeds are a bit different than the rest of the conference and Will Stein has made a serious splash in his first year as head coach. The trio of Kentucky, Ohio and Indiana account for 13 of UK’s 25 commits. Four-star WR Tyler Fryman is the No. 4 player in the Bluegrass, while four-star IOL Dominic Black is the No. 10 player in Ohio. The Wildcats have also gone over to Illinois to land their highest-ranked pledge in four-star QB Jake Nawrot.

5. Auburn

Average Commit Distance: 292 miles
In-State: 20%
Rivals Industry Team Rankings: No. 12

Alex Golesh has assembled a top-15 class in his first year at the helm of the Tigers. There’s just five in-state commits in the class, but four are top-15 players in the state, including four-star LB Isaac McNeil and four-star DL Donivan Moore. Auburn, of course, has also recruited the Peach State heavily. Four-star CB Chance Gilbert is the top-ranked commit in the class and one of seven prospects from Georgia that’s in the mix.

SEC Average Commit Distance Nos. 6-16

6. Missouri — 323 miles
7. Arkansas — 358 miles
8. Alabama — 393 miles
9. Ole Miss — 437 miles
10. Florida — 469 miles

11. Texas — 471 miles
12. Oklahoma — 472 miles
13. Vanderbilt — 601 miles
14. Georgia — 699 miles
15. Texas A&M — 961 miles
16. LSU — 1,509 miles