The 247Sports team does a tremendous job of compiling lists of the top high school talents in the country every year and then ranking each program’s recruiting class on an annual basis. However, their focus is always on the level of talent that each program recruits rather than where they added the talent. We took the time to look over this year’s class and assess which programs did the best job adding at each position. Here is a look at the college teams that recruited best at every position in 2016.
Quarterback: Ole Miss
Ole Miss landed an absolutely loaded recruiting class for 2016 and it includes the No. 1 rated pro-style quarterback on the board in Shea Patterson. His stock soared following the All-American game as he rose to the top of his class and the fact that the Rebels were able to swoop in and land him was a major win for the program. Patterson will likely spend one year learning behind Chad Kelly, but it won’t shock anybody if he makes a push for the starting job right away. One of the college football teams that earns earns honorable mention is Georgia for landing the No. 2 pro-style quarterback in Jacob Eason.
Running Back: Ohio State
The Buckeyes lost a good one at running back in Ezekiel Elliott, but Urban Meyer and his staff landed a couple of impressive potential replacements in Demario McCall and Antonio Williams. McCall is the No. 2 overall prospect at his position and should thrive in Meyer’s offense as more of a scatback while Williams is the No. 7 ranked running back and more of a traditional back that has the potential to be a workhorse. Both players have the potential to make an immediate impact and it will be interesting to see how quickly they become household names.
Wide Receiver / Tight End: USC
USC did the best job when it came to upgrading its pass catchers in this year’s recruiting class including two of the top-10 wide receiver prospects on the board. They convinced Tyler Vaughns and Michael Pittman to join, as well as the No. 10 overall tight end prospect in Cary Angeline. Juju Smith-Schuster will start on one side for the Trojans next year, but Vaughan, Pittman or even Trevon Sidney could potentially start on the other side as true freshmen.
Offensive Line: Alabama
It was certainly a case of the rich getting richer when it came to the top offensive line class with Alabama addressing its only major weakness from a year ago. The defending national champion Crimson Tide brought in five blockers ranked in the top-200 in the nation including the No. 2 rated tackle in Jonah Williams and No. 2 overall JUCO player tackle Charles Baldwin. Williams and Baldwin are expected to compete for starting jobs from the outset while the No. 9 rated guard Deonte Brown could figure in to the mix at his position.
Defensive Line: Auburn
Auburn lost defensive coordinator Will Muschamp, but did a tremendous job shoring up its defensive line with the top class of recruits at the position. Derrick Brown is the No. 4 rated defensive tackle recruit and he will have the potential to play big minutes from the outset. Meanwhile, defensive tackle Antwuan Jackson and defensive end Marlon Davidson are each top-50 recruits at their positions. The Tigers are also high on this year’s No. 11 rated DE Prince Sammons, who is a 6’8’’ end from Nigeria that has incredible potential and could have an instant impact up front.
Linebacker: UCLA
The Bruins lost Myles Jack, but they were one of the college football teams that recruited best at the linebacker position, so that will soften the blow. Mique Juarez is the No. 1 overall outside linebacker recruit and has the potential to step in immediately and play a starring role in the UCLA defense. Meanwhile, Lokeni Toailoa and Krys Barnes are both top-10 rated inside linebackers and should thrive for the Bruins as they look to follow in the footsteps of elite college linebackers out of UCLA like Jack, Eric Kendricks and Anthony Barr.
Defensive Backs: LSU
LSU’s secondary was already loaded with talented prospects before they landed this year’s top class led by two of the top-five rated cornerbacks in Kristian Fulton and Saivion Smith. Eric Monroe is the No. 3 rated safety in this year’s class and all three players should have an instant impact both on defense and special teams. Tennessee and Alabama both deserve honorable mention for a strong class of defensive back recruits, but the Tigers easily earned top honors after they landed three players ranked in the top-five at their position that have the potential to thrive in their secondary over the next couple of seasons.
