National Signing Day 2019: Recruit Commitments, Comments and Twitter Reaction
February 6, 2019
If the 247Sports composite class of 2019 ranking is any indication, the SEC is set to dominate the college football landscape into the 2020s.
Four of the top five and seven of the first 12 teams are from the SEC, which landed all three 5-star recruits who committed on national signing day.
You can take a look at some comments and Twitter reaction on that trio below in addition to reviewing a list of the 5- and 4-star players who committed on Wednesday, per Chris Hummer of 247Sports.
5-stars
RB Jerrion Ealy to Ole Miss
WR George Pickens to Georgia
OT Darnell Wright to Tennessee
4-stars (via 247Sports' composite)
DE Khris Bogle to Florida
DE Ja'Darien Boykin to Louisville
CB Kaiir Elam to Florida
DE Isaiah Foskey to Notre Dame
RB Jamious Griffin to Georgia Tech
ATH Devonta Lee to LSU
QB Lance LeGendre to Maryland
DE Charles Moore to Auburn
OT Doug Nester to Virginia Tech
RB Mark-Antony Richards to Auburn
DT Ishmael Sopsher to Alabama
DT Jaquaze Sorrells to South Carolina
LB Henry To'oto'o to Tennessee
OG Enokk Vimahi to Ohio State
CB Christian Williams to Miami
5-Star Reviews
Ole Miss RB Jerrion Ealy
Ole Miss landed its first 5-star recruit right before the deadline when running back Jerrion Ealy chose Ole Miss over Clemson and Alabama. He is a 5'10", 200-pound running back who ran a 4.48 40-yard dash and scored 40 touchdowns in his junior season.
Ealy, who is from Flowood, Mississippi, explained why he made the decision:
Chad Simmons of Rivals offered much praise for Ealy the day before he made his decision official:
Chad Simmons @ChadSimmons_There is so much to like about this young man. Not only his talent, but how he has conducted himself, handled the process, and overall, he has been very impressive. #Rivals100 RB (elite OF too) Jerrion Ealy has made his decision and here is the latest: https://t.co/e63s9o8cus https://t.co/z2nwWgGWXI
And Nick Suss of the Clarion Ledger wrote about Ealy's future educational path:
Ranked as the third overall running back prospect and 29th-best overall by 247Sports' composite, Ealy may not be playing football at Ole Miss, however. A two-sport star, Ealy is ranked 18th on MLB Pipeline's list of the top 2019 MLB draft prospects.
Joe Wilkinson of Sports Illustrated also provided this comment: "When pressed to choose between sports at his announcement ceremony, Ealy said 'baseball has my heart' and expressed a desire to play both sports in Oxford, but if he is taken in the top 20 of this summer's MLB draft, his plans could change."
The good news for Ole Miss is that the Rebels have leading rusher Scottie Phillips back for one more year, so the school has a fallback option if Ealy decides to play baseball. But losing the only 5-star talent in the class still could hurt Ole Miss in an incredibly tough conference.
Georgia WR George Pickens
Class of 2019 wideout George Pickens made an already loaded Bulldogs class even stronger when he flipped from Auburn to Georgia on Wednesday.
Pickens explained to Christina Chambers of WBRC why he made the decision:
Ranked as the fourth overall wideout prospect and 24th overall in the nation, Pickens is now the fifth 5-star recruit in the Bulldogs class of 2019. No other school has more than three 5-stars. The Bulldogs also have the No. 2 class in the country.
Saturday Down South provided more insight on the Bulldogs' class:
Rivals national recruiting director Mike Farrell noted how Georgia recruiting is a machine:
A 6'3½", 190-pound receiver out of Hoover, Alabama, Pickens caught 72 passes for 1.387 yards and 15 touchdowns last season. The Bulldogs seemingly churn out strong offensive talent for the pros every season, and Pickens may be no exception in a few years.
Tennessee OT Darnell Wright
Darnell Wright was the only top-10 overall recruit to make a choice on national signing day, as the offensive tackle picked Tennessee over 22 other schools who made offers, including Alabama and Clemson.
Chris Anderson of Eer Sports noted it wasn't much of a shock:
Bruce Feldman of The Athletic provided his remarks:
Wright explained to Grant Ramey of 247Sports why Tennessee was the choice: "I would say they just kind of welcomed me. Not just at the end, but throughout the whole process. They were always there, it was always comfortable."
The second-best offensive tackle prospect in the nation looks like he can move mountains at 6'6" and 320 pounds. Per Ramey, Wright's high school coach, Billy Seals, said his player could have an NFL future:
As far as his collegiate future goes, Wright could perhaps start on day one as a freshman. The Vols open the 2019 season against Georgia State at home on August 31.