This is the last stop on our journey taking a look at the best recruits signed by all of the major college football programs. Today, we tackle the behemoth that is the SEC. With Texas and Oklahoma set to join the league in the coming years that would make it 15 out of the 16 teams that have signed at least one 5-star since 2000. Everyone except…

No 5-Star Loser Club

Vanderbilt

Tough sledding out there for Clark Lea! Vanderbilt’s highest-ever recruit was wide receiver Chris Young (0.9639) all the way back in 2000 who was the No. 106 overall player during that cycle. He’d finish his career with the Commodores catching 44 passes for 502 yards and 2 touchdowns.

The Top Recruits of the SEC

Texas A&M – DL Walter Nolen 2022-Present (0.9988)

Would you look at that, now. In a cycle where Texas A&M assembles their bag men from all corners of the state, they land the top recruit in their school’s history. Following a late dalliance with the hometown Tennessee Volunteers, we saw Nolen stick with the Aggies. He was the No. 2 overall recruit from this past 2022 cycle. He arrives in College Station this summer and is expected to be a combo nose guard and 3-tech defender.

Alabama – OT Cyrus Kouandjio 2011-13 (0.9994)

In most cycles, Kouandjio would’ve been the No. 1 overall recruit but he trailed another player to be featured later in this article. He’d play as a true freshman but suffered a knee injury only to come back and start at left tackle for Alabama in the 2012 Championship team and later garnering All-SEC honors in 2013.

Kouandjio was the 44th overall pick in the 2014 NFL Draft by the Bills and never established himself as a full-time starter. He’d be cut after the 2016 season, played sparingly for the Broncos for 2017-18, and was out of the league for the 2019 season.

Georgia – QB Justin Fields 2018-20 (0.9998)

Speaking of nearly being the top recruit of a cycle, Fields was just beaten out by Trevor Lawrence for 2018 as both are top 10 all-time recruits. He would play a little bit in a backup role to Jake Fromm as a freshman but then bolted for Ohio State that off-season where he was granted a waiver to play immediately by the friendly NCAA.

Fields quickly blew up into a national star for the Buckeyes and would declare early for the NFL Draft. In college, he threw for 5,701 yards with 67 touchdowns and just 9 interceptions. Fields was taken with the 11th overall pick in the 2021 Draft by the Bears and started 10 games with 2 wins, 1,870 passing yards, 7 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions, plus a healthy 420 rushing yards and 2 more scores.

Kentucky – OT Antonio Hall 2000-2003 (0.9946)

Hailing from Canton, Ohio in the 2000 class, Hall was the 2nd tackle and No. 12 overall player during this cycle. He would start all 4 seasons with Kentucky, including making an impressive 45 straight starts. Hall wouldn’t stick in the NFL as an undrafted free agent in 2004 then went on to play 6 seasons in the CFL. He’s currently the athletic director at Canton McKinley where he went to high school.

Missouri – WR Dorial Green-Beckham 2012-14 (0.9998)

DGB was the No. 1 overall recruit for the 2012 cycle and quite comfortably the highest rated wide receiver ever since 2000. So lofty expectations! On the field, he was a dominant receiver. In 25 games at Missouri, DGB totaled 87 receptions, 1,278 yards, and 17 touchdowns. However, he was suspended as a true freshman for a few games and ultimately dismissed from the team after the 2013 season.

He’d transfer to Oklahoma where he sat out the year only later to declare for the 2015 NFL Draft where he was selected 40th overall by the Titans. After a decent rookie season in Nashville, DGB was traded to Philadelphia where he struggled even more. While dealing with legal issues, he’s been out of the league since 2016 and caught 68 passes for 941 yards and 6 touchdowns in his career.

Auburn – DE Byron Cowart 2015-18 (0.9987)

Cowart was the top rated defensive end and No. 3 overall player in the 2015 class. He’d spend just a little over 2 seasons at Auburn being a major disappointment with just 15 tackles and 1.5 tackles for loss before leaving mid-season for Hillsborough Community College. Cowart then transferred to Maryland for his final season in 2018 producing 38 tackles and 3 sacks.

He was taken in the 5th round and 159th overall by the Patriots while playing minimally as a rookie. In 2020 he started a bunch of games but was put on the PUP list for 2021 and is on track to return to New England for 2022.

Tennessee – RB Bryce Brown 2009-11 (0.9992)

Brown would commit to Miami in 2008, had a handler dealing with his recruitment which led to a months-long NCAA investigation, and eventually ditched the Hurricanes in favor of signing with Tennessee. He was the top running back and No. 2 overall player in the country for the 2009 cycle.

After being a backup for the Vols, Brown would transfer out of the program after Lane Kiffin left while joining his brother at Kansas State. With additional eligibility questions swirling around Brown he played in 2 games with the Wildcats then left the program to declare for the NFL Draft. In college, he ran for 476 yards total. Brown became a 7th round pick by the Eagles and spent 4 seasons in the NFL with 1,076 yards and 7 touchdowns.

LSU – RB Leonard Fournette 2014-16 (0.9996)

Fournette was the top overall recruit in his class and is the 16th best recruit since 2000. He would not disappoint in college until an ankle injury slowed him down in his junior season. In 32 career games at LSU, Fournette ran for 3,830 yards and 40 touchdowns.

Taken 4th overall in the 2017 NFL Draft by Jacksonville he played 3 seasons for the Jaguars before being cut and signed by Tampa Bay where he’s played for the last 2 seasons. Fournette just re-signed with the Bucs for $21 million over the next 3 seasons. Through 5 seasons in the NFL, he has rushed for 3,810 yards and 31 touchdowns.

Arkansas – QB Mitch Mustain 2006-2010 (0.9964)

Ah, here’s a name and a blast from the past. Mustain was the No. 9 overall player in his class (one spot below Notre Dame’s Sam Young) and the 2nd highest rated quarterback in this cycle behind Georgia’s future Super Bowl-winning quarterback Matthew Stafford. In contrast, Mustain turned out to be an enormous flop.

He threw 9 interceptions on 132 attempts as a true freshman with Arkansas, starting some games, while the Hogs offense was successful around their strong running game. Mustain lost the job in November and would eventually seek a transfer. After sitting out 2007 at USC, he would back up Mark Sanchez in 2008 and then lost the starting competition with the younger Matt Barkley in 2009 and 2010.

Mustain’s only start at USC would be the fateful rivalry against Notre Dame in which his late interception sealed the game for the Irish. He would finish his college career with 1,399 passing yards, 13 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions.

South Carolina – DE Jadeveon Clowney 2011-13 (1.000)

We have arrived at the top overall recruit since 2000. Clowney was the number 1 player in the 2011 cycle over the aforementioned Kouandjio and 8 spots higher than the next-best defensive end that year, Aaron Lynch from Notre Dame.

In college, Clowney lived up to all of the hype. He was SEC Freshman of the Year and a freshman All-American in 2011 and would go on to finish 6th in the Heisman voting as a sophomore. In his final junior season Clowney was slowed by several nagging injuries but finished his career with 129 tackles, 47 tackles for loss, and 24 sacks with 9 forced fumbles.

He has been a very good pro in the NFL after being taken No. 1 overall by Houston but hasn’t quite lived up to the hype from college. Clowney has made 3 Pro Bowls and enters 2022 looking for his 5th team while totaling 292 tackles, 86 tackles for loss, and 41 sacks since 2014.

Mississippi State – DE Deljuan Robinson 2003-06 (0.9934)

Robinson was the top recruit from Mississippi and strong-side defensive end from the 2003 class. Originally a part of the 2002 recruiting class, he had surgery to repair a leaky heart valve and spent the year in rehab. Robinson played immediately as a freshman in 2003 and was a defensive tackle right away due to his size. He only missed 1 game over his 4-year career and finished 2006 with an impressive 12.5 tackles for loss. However, Robinson went undrafted and only spent a couple years in the NFL with Houston.

Ole Miss – DE Robert Nkemdiche 2013-15 (1.000)

If not for Nkemdiche it would’ve been Jaylon Smith as the top recruit from the 2013 class. However, it was the Ole Miss product who led the cycle and is the 2nd overall top recruit since 2000. Nkemdiche was good in college but left a lot to be desired, especially with some off-field concerns. In 3 seasons with the Rebels, he totaled 81 tackles, 16 tackles for loss, and 6 sacks.

A Cardinals first round pick 29th overall in the 2016 NFL Draft, it hasn’t been a very bright career so far. Primarily an interior defensive tackle he’s produced just 59 tackles, 10 tackles for loss, and 4.5 sacks. Nkdemdiche is currently a free agent.

Florida – LB Ronald Powell 2010-13 (0.9999)

Powell was the top recruit of 2010 and is the No. 6 overall recruit of all-time. He played both linebacker and defensive end in high school and would play the latter for the Gators. As a freshman, Powell was a quality depth player before breaking out in 2011. However, he tore his ACL twice in 2012, took a redshirt, and came back in 2013 and was never the same again.

Overall, his college career was pretty good with 79 tackles, 18.5 tackles for loss, and 11 sacks given he only played one truly healthy season as a starter. The Saints picked Powell with the 169th overall pick in the 2014 NFL Draft after 2 separate trades landed him in New Orleans where he spent 1 season before being placed on practice squads for 4 seasons and never making an impact in the league.