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National Signing Day 2017 conference power rankings

By Nathaniel Reeves

Jan 9, 2017; Tampa, FL, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide head coach Nick Saban on the field prior to the 2017 College Football Playoff National Championship Game against the Clemson Tigers at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 9, 2017; Tampa, FL, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide head coach Nick Saban on the field prior to the 2017 College Football Playoff National Championship Game against the Clemson Tigers at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports /
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How do the recruiting classes of the Power Five stack up following National Signing Day 2017?

With National Signing Day 2017 in the rearview mirror, fans around the nation can now look forward to top recruits playing for their respective programs over the next few years.

February 1 was the first day prospects in the class of 2017 could sign a binding National Letter of Intent for a college football team. As always, National Signing Day was one of the most entertaining events of the year, with unexpected last-minute decisions and wild announcement ceremonies.

For the seventh consecutive season, Nick Saban’s Alabama Crimson Tide finished with the top recruiting class in the nation according to 247Sports Composite Rankings. Alabama landed six five-star prospects, including the nation’s No. 3 overall recruit in running back Najee Harris.

While we’ve come to expect that from the Crimson Tide, much of the SEC enjoyed success on Wednesday following a down year for the conference as a whole. Five of the top ten recruiting classes in the nation belong to SEC programs, including Georgia ranking third heading into Kirby Smart’s second year as head coach.

With the SEC leading the way, here’s how the recruiting classes of the Power Five rank as a whole.

5. Big 12

The Oklahoma Sooners pulled in another strong class, but the Big 12 doesn’t have the strength at the top to match the other four power conferences.

Bob Stoops reeled in the No. 8 class in the country, Oklahoma’s first finish in the top 10 since 2010.  Oklahoma had a huge class with 27 players coming in, including 18 different four-star prospects, led by the nation’s No. 7 pro-style quarterback in Chris Robison.

The Big 12’s next best class is Texas at No. 26, a mark which figures to improve in the coming years under Tom Herman. While programs like TCU (No. 31) and Oklahoma State (No. 38) have found success in prior years without bringing in a bunch of blue chip talent, it was still a disappointing recruiting cycle for the conference as a whole.

Kansas, Kansas State and West Virginia were all among the bottom classes in the Power Five this season. Oklahoma’s No. 8 class trails that of every other major conference leader, and no five-star prospect from the class of 2017 will attend a Big 12 school.

After getting left out of the College Football Playoff in 2016, the Big 12 has some work to do again after falling behind the rest of the nation on National Signing Day. The Sooners will again be favored to finish atop the conference next season, and the deep class could make an immediate contribution.

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