SEC Spotlight: Five developing recruiting storylines
Rivals national recruiting analyst Sam Spiegelman examines five developing recruiting storylines in the SEC as June visits loom.
MORE SEC: Will No. 1 prospect choose UGA?
CLASS OF 2025 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Team | Position | State
CLASS OF 2026 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Team | Position | State
CLASS OF 2027 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Team | Position | State
TRANSFER PORTAL: Full coverage | Player ranking | Team ranking | Transfer search | Transfer Tracker
GEORGIA BEGINNING TO SURGE
Don't blink, but all of a sudden Georgia holds a spot inside the top 10 of the Rivals Team Rankings for 2026. The Dawgs have quietly caught fire over the last month, landing commitments from a string of blue-chippers, including five-star quarterback Jared Curtis.
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Georgia isn't done either. The Bulldogs are in pole position for Rivals' No. 1 prospect OT Jackson Cantwell ahead of today's announcement. The Dawgs also have an edge with priority 2026 targets Jae Lamar, Mark Bowman, Kaiden Prothro and Khamari Brooks.
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LSU, TEXAS A&M BATTLING FOR FIVE-STAR RECEIVER
Boobie Feaster is down to four contenders as official visits near and they loom particularly large for the five-star wide receiver as he sifts through his options and approaches his July 4 commitment date.
Of the finalists, LSU and Texas A&M are hovering at the top.
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Feaster has family ties to Louisiana and was moved in a big way by his spring visits back to Baton Rouge. The Aggies have evened this race significantly over the past month, getting him on campus multiple times and moving the needle in their favor in a big way.
I shifted my Rivals FutureCast from LSU to Texas A&M earlier this month.
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LONGHORNS STACKING BIG RECRUITING WINS IN LOUISIANA
It's difficult for rival SEC programs to come into Louisiana and procure talent. Nick Saban's Alabama program did it best, beating LSU for several notable recruits such as Dylan Moses, Cam Robinson, Landon Collins and Chris Allen.
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No team has done it better the past few years, however, than Steve Sarkisian and the Longhorns, who scooped up four-star cornerback Hayward Howard Jr. out of New Orleans (La.) Edna Karr last week.
Since Sark arrived in Austin, he's been able to successfully land blue-chippers year in and year out of Louisiana, beginning with five-star QB Arch Manning and continuing with Derek Williams, James Simon and Wardell Mack, among others. Add Howard to that continually growing list.
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LSU, OKLAHOMA BATTLING OVER FOUR-STAR QUARTERBACK
Four-star quarterback Bowe Bentley is down to LSU and Oklahoma following Curtis' commitment last week. LSU and Oklahoma have been in the driver's seat with the touted blue-chip passer, who will make official visits to Norman and Baton Rouge on June 13 and 20 before locking in his college commitment.
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The Sooners laid strong groundwork with Bentley, but the Tigers have closed the gap significantly this spring.
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LSU, TEXAS A&M JOCKEYING FOR ELITE LINEMAN
Elite 2026 lineman Lamar Brown is set to come off the board on July 10. The No. 25 overall player in the Rivals250 is down to LSU, Miami, Florida State and Texas A&M, but this race has long been between the Aggies and Tigers.
If a decision were made today, it's hard not to like where LSU stands. However, the Aggies have been trending at the top with Brown on various occasions over the past 11 months, including three trips back to College Station this spring.
Official visits back to Aggieland and LSU in June loom incredibly large.
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