re: Class of 2017 Recruiting MEGATHREAD: Say Your Goodbyes Edition

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He is going to:
UNC
Duke
N.D.
In that order as of now. Double blood bank guarantee.

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Guy on BOL is saying McPherson is a huge Alabama fan.

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Don't count out Vandy as probably the only SEC school with a chance.

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Two weekends remain before National Signing Day and 247Sports takes a look around the country at who’s hosting the biggest names.

In the SEC

Alabama and LSU are hosting the most impressive list of prospects anywhere in the United States.

In Tuscaloosa, Nick Saban and company continue to try and build on a class that 247Sports ranks No. 1 nationally. I have three weekend visitors Crystal Balled to the Tide in five-star receivers Devonta Smith and Henry Ruggs III along with the No. 1 recruit in the state in five-star defensive end LaBryan Ray. The other two uncommitted visitors in Top247 safety Todd Harris and Top247 defensive tackle Phidarian Mathis will likely end up at Alabama or LSU, and after visiting Baton Rouge a week ago now get a chance to see their other finalist.

Meanwhile, Ed Orgeron and his staff keep up with their push to finish with a top five class. Currently sitting at No. 7 with a huge need at linebacker, the Tigers will see their top two linebacker targets on campus in Top247 recruits Willie Gay and Oklahoma commit Jacob Phillips. In Gay, I already have him Crystal Balled to the Tigers and in Phillips, an Oklahoma commit, I’m on the verge of picking LSU for him as well. Top247 defensive end Markaviest Bryant is another headliner in town.

Florida is bringing in a big group including two I have forecasted to finish as Gators in U.S. Army All-American offensive tackle Tedarrell Slaton and Top247 cornerback Christopher Henderson. The Gators also look to be in the top three for four-star defensive tackle Elijah Conliffe as he also considers Tennessee and Penn State. The Vols are my current pick and they had him in Knoxville last weekend. Florida has the No. 23 recruiting class in America.

A pair of four-star cornerbacks will be in Fayetteville checking out Arkansas in Chevin Calloway and Brad Stewart. I have Calloway forecasted to the Razorbacks but I’m keeping a close eye on Texas. Bret Bielema's class checks in at No. 27.

Two four-stars will also be at Auburn in defensive end Ryan Johnson and linebacker Tyler Taylor. The Tigers are the heavy 247Sports Crystal Ball favorite for Johnson but watch out for Stanford here. Taylor will decide this coming week between the Tigers, Oklahoma and LSU. 247Sports ranks Auburn's class at No. 8.

Georgia brings in South Carolina Top247 cornerback commit Jamyest Williams as he considers the Bulldogs as his other option. The Bulldogs class ranks No. 3 nationally per 247Sports.

Mississippi State will have Ole Miss Top247 receiver commit D.D. Bowie in town and the U.S. Army All-American has been speaking highly about the Bulldogs. Dan Mullen's class sits at No. 25.

Perhaps the best running back in Florida, Auburn commit Devan Barrett is the headliner in Knoxville this weekend. The Vols class currently ranks No. 10 nationally.

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It’s hard to get five stars. The odds of being even a three-star college football recruit are microscopic, and the chances of being a five-star are basically a rounding error. The 2016 class had 33 five-stars out of about 300,000 high school seniors playing the sport.

This year’s got 32 five-star prospects, according to the final 247Sports Composite ratings. And just like they were last year, they’re clustered in a few areas.

For the most part, recruits are in a few states. Six are from Florida, five from California, and four from Texas, the three best recruiting states by far. Tennessee has three five-stars this year, and Georgia has two. A wide swath from the Midwest to the Rockies has none at all. New England also doesn’t have any five-stars, as is common.

This year’s Five-Star Desert, with none of the top 32 recruits in the country anywhere in it, is about 2.2 million square miles. It touches about half of the 50 states.

Even if there’s some evaluator bias that repeatedly boosts their numbers of top-rated prospects, a few big states are blowing everyone else away. The fourth most populous state (Illinois) has one five-star this year. The fifth (Pennsylvania) has none.

College football hasn’t had a national champion located deep within this year’s Five-Star Desert since Oklahoma, which is able to regularly recruit Texas, in 2000. Nothing about that is coincidental. (The Longhorns are technically a bit within this year’s Desert, but have easy access to as many five-stars as anybody.)

Even programs with strong traditions like Wisconsin and Nebraska have to reach way beyond their natural geographic footprints to get the best players. The Alabamas, USCs, and Florida States of the sport do not, and that’s a huge built-in advantage for Southeastern and Western teams.

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