Posted by Bryan Fischer

Another big Alabama commit? Another big Alabama commit.

The Crimson Tide picked up Huntsville (Ala.) offensive tackle Grant Hill Wednesday afternoon as the program continues to move aggressively on the recruiting trail.

The 6-foot-6, 315-pounder was already drawing plenty of interest from programs across the country and held scholarship offers from Auburn, Mississippi State and Tennessee. Hill will be sticking close to home however, having visited Tuscaloosa unofficially last weekend.

"I like how professional they handle everything,” Hill told Scout. “They handle everything so well. They have a great program, atmosphere and fans. Everything about the whole program impresses me. The way coach (Nick) Saban handles everything. He knows how to win."

Hill is versatile enough to play either guard or tackle at the next level and has excellent size already as a rising senior. He becomes the ninth commitment for Alabama's class of 2013 and second offensive lineman to join the program.

Photo by Joe Boyd

Posted by Bryan Fischer

CBS Sports Top 25 Team Rankings
College		Commits	Top 100
	1. Alabama	28	6
	5. Florida	21	5
	11. South Carolina	25	1
	13. LSU	22	2
	14. Texas A&M	21	3
	20. Georgia	19	6
	21. Tennessee	19	0
	22. Auburn	20	5
Search Recruits | Complete Top 25 Rankings

SEC school-by-school
East Division		Commits	Top Players	Notes
	- Team page - Commitment list	21	OL D.J. Humphries	A- The Gators put together a really good class that should boost numbers and talent but it will be remembered for a few of the misses.
	- Team page - Commitment list	19	OL John Theus	B It's not the dream team but it could still be considered one of the better classes in the conference with what they did at RB and on defense.
	- Team page - Commitment list	26	QB Patrick Towles	C A good quarterback helps but there are a few questionable recruits in the group next to some others that could develop into solid SEC players.
	- Team page - Commitment list	17	WR Dorial Green-Beckham	B+ The nation's leading passer and the #1 overall recruit will earn you a good grade but it's not a very deep and talented class otherwise.
	- Team page - Commitment list	24	WR Shaq Roland	B Yet again the Old Ball Coach lands the top recruit in the state and does some very nice things in Georgia, such as landing Mike Davis (a great fit for that offense).
	- Team page - Commitment list	21	DB LaDarrell McNeil	B- A few late decommits took some luster off but a good class nevertheless. They certainly added some offensive weapons but didn't grab an impact defender.
	- Team page - Commitment list	23	RB Brian Kimbrow	A Best recruiting class in school history and win some head-to-head battles against some big name schools? Impressive. It's not the most talented when compared to others but a great job by the staff in 2012.
West Division		Commits	Top Players	Notes
	- Team page - Commitment list	28	DB Landon Collins	A+ One national title in January, one in February. This might be one of the most talented recruiting classes Nick Saban has brought in.
	- Team page - Commitment list	21	RB Jonathan Williams	C+ The Razorbacks figured to have a better class but it's just ok. Striking out on DGB hurt but they still filled needs at the spot and added a good RB in Williams if he can stay healthy.
	- Team page - Commitment list	20	OL Avery Young	B This is the best OL class in the SEC with some tremendous talent there. The skill position players are very good but there's no doubt the Tigers missed out on a few guys.
	- Team page - Commitment list	22	WR Avery Johnson	B- It's hard for a top 15 class to be disappointing but that's what this one was for LSU after some very notable defections on the lead up to Signing Day.
	- Team page - Commitment list	19	DE Channing Ward	B- Pretty good class on short notice, a lot of the recruits will play early and often in talent-deprived Ole Miss.
	- Team page - Commitment list	27	DL Denico Autry	B- It wasn't a great class outside of the defensive line but that looks like it will be the strength of the team down the road with this group.
	- Team page - Commitment list	20	RB Trey Williams	B+ It was an up-and-down ride to Signing Day but the Aggies got better and added talent that will certainly help them on offense in addition to a few guys giving a little boost on defense.
Search Recruits | Complete Top 25 Rankings

Posted by Jerry Hinnen

It seemed unthinkable that any recruit could find a cuter prop for a Signing Day announcement than Georgia commitment Isaiah Crowell's bulldog puppy in 2012. But new Mississsippi State linebacker Richie Brown has come up with a serious challenger, and despite the nickname of his new team in Starkville, he hasn't followed in Crowell's footsteps.

Brown instead borrowed his infant nephew, whose Mississippi State onesie helped the Long Beach (Miss.) linebacker announce his pick of the Bulldogs over Southern Miss, Tennessee and Ole Miss. Video:

Brown has more going for him than clever Signing Day announcements, though. Here's Tom Lemming's scouting report on the 6'2", 228-pound linebacker:

Right now he ranks as the #1 LB prospect in the state. He shows good range and a nose for the ball. Has the frame to weigh 240 in college and can run with the best of them. One of the more competitive ball players in the state.

We're guessing you can go ahead and add "creative" to that last sentence, too.

HT: SBNation. 

Keep up with all the latest from National Signing Day at CBSSports.com's NSD Central.

Posted by Jerry Hinnen

A long night for Ole Miss got even longer as the Rebels' Memphis target Sheldon Dawson committed to Georgia Monday instead.

A top athlete projected to play cornerback at the collegiate level, Dawson had long been committed to hometown Memphis but was expected to flip to either the Bulldogs or the nearby Rebels once he began receiving SEC offers. Dawson told Scout.com that he is "100 percent committed" to Georgia and will not consider a late switch to any other team.

"I am definitely signing with Georgia, and I feel relieved to end this process," Dawson said. In addition to the Bulldogs' and Rebels' offers, Dawson visited Cincinnati and claimed interest from Arkansas, Tennessee, Vanderbilt and Mississippi State.

Maxpreps' Tom Lemming agrees with the consensus that Dawson -- a 5'11", 170-pound athlete from Memphis's Ridgeway High School that has also seen time at running back and wideout -- is "best suited" for cornerback:

Proves to be a flexible athlete with excellent speed, he can flip his hips and run vertically, can support the run, and is also an explosive punt returner.

Dawson is Georgia's 17th commitment for 2012, a class currently ranked 22nd in the Maxpreps team recruiting top 25. For Ole Miss, Dawson's decision was insult to the already sizable injury of seeing hometown quarterback Jeremy Liggins announce in downtown Oxford he would be signing with LSU instead.

Looking for Signing Day video? We've got you covered from all angles here.

Posted by Chip Patterson

Dual-threat quarterback Jeremy Liggins made his commitment official at a restaurant on Oxford's Square. The Lafayette (Oxford, Miss.) High School star was choosing between Alabama, Auburn, LSU, Mississippi State, and staying home at Ole Miss.

Any potential hometown celebrations were spoiled when Liggins spurned both in-state schools and chose LSU.

Liggins, with Mardis Gras beads around his neck, told the crowd that he was "100 percent" committed to LSU. The 6-foot-4, 265 pound signal caller joins a LSU class lacking a quarterback after Gunner Kiel flipped his commitment to Notre Dame. He led his high school team to back-to-back 4A state championships, including 32-straight wins. In 2011, he there for 1,678 yards and 16 touchdowns, while rushing for 953 yards and adding 18 touchdowns on the ground.

LSU's 2012 commits were ranked No. 14 nationally in the latest update to MaxPreps Top Classes, catch up on the last minute targets at the SEC Signing Day Overview.

Keep up with the latest college football news from around the country. From the opening kick of the year all the way through the offseason, CBSSports.com has you covered with this daily newsletter. View a preview.

Get CBSSports.com College Football updates on Facebook   

Posted by Jerry Hinnen

A strong finish on the trail by Jim L. Mora and UCLA continued Monday as they added a fifth offensive lineman to their growing 2012 class. And unfortunately for Gary Pinkel, this one came at the expense of Missouri.

Tiger commitment Simon Goines announced Monday that he would be signing with the Bruins instead, bringing Mora's first class in Westwood to 26 players overall and further cementing their spot among the nation's top 20 classes according to Maxpreps.

Though the Bruins and Tigers were Goines' two finalists, the 6'7", 290-pound tackle from Central High School in Keller, Texas, also claimed offers from Arkansas, Baylor, Mississippi State and others.

Maxpreps' Tom Lemming writes that Goines should be a major addition to a Bruin offensive line that has struggled mightily with depth in recent seasons--at least once he's given time to fill out:

He proves to be one of the more aggressive LT prospects in the Southwest. Blessed with quick feet, he's passionate about the game of football, works hard to improve his game, and is athletic enough to have played a little TE in 2010. Looks thin at 272 and should weigh between 310 and 320 in college. He's not there yet but his potential is unlimited.

So why is a prospect from Texas spurning dozens of offers to stay closer to home to hit the far left coast? A big part of the answer is likely Adrian Klemm, the former SMU assistant turned ace recruiter for Mora's staff at UCLA--one of those offers was also from the Mustangs.

Mora may not have been seen as a smash hire at the time of his arrival and will still have plenty to prove no matter how well the Bruins finish in recruiting, but to date there's no arguing with the success of his staff selections so far.

Posted by Bryan Fischer

National Signing Day is almost here and recruits across the country are gearing up for plenty of last-minute pitches and school visits as head coaches look to shape their program for years to come. Nobody treats the day more like a national holiday than those in the SEC and this year could be a banner year for the conference, especially with newcomers Texas A&M and Missouri. There's a chance half the league ends up with a top 15 class and it is looking favorable that one team signs the country's top recruit. The rich, it seems, just seem to get richer on Signing Day.

• Full SEC conference commitment list

• SEC recruiting news and commitments

• SEC college football news

MaxPreps.com Top 25 Team Rankings, SEC
College		Commits	Top 100	Moving
	1. Alabama	27	6
	4. Florida	19	5
	8. LSU	20	1
	11. Texas A&M	20	2
	12. South Carolina	24	1
	16. Auburn	16	4
	18. Georgia	17	5
	19. Tennessee	21	0
	22. Arkansas	22	1
	23. Vanderbilt	21	1
Search Recruits | Complete Top 25 Rankings

Top storylines

1. Is this an all-time great class for Alabama?

As good as Nick Saban is at winning games and building all-time great defenses, he might be even better at recruiting. It hurts to lose trusted lieutenant Sal Sunseri to Tennessee but this still has the makings of one of Alabama's greatest hauls ever. In addition to the elite players the Crimson Tide have already landed, they have a really good chance at grabbing defensive tackle Eddie Goldman and there's still an outside chance they can flip quarterback Jameis Winston. Still, as presently constructed, there's no doubt Alabama winds up #1 in the team rankings and is in the discussions for one of the top classes in recent memory.

2. How well do the newcomers fare?

Welcome to the big, bad SEC Missouri and Texas A&M. Now, how well do you recruit? At the moment, not bad at all. Despite a head coaching change, the Aggies have several talented top 100 players and should finish in the top 12 if they don't crack the top 10. The Tigers grabbed one of the best high school quarterbacks in the country and are in the running for the nation's top recruit (though they may be behind, they're still in the race). The quality depth might be present like elite classes Florida or Alabama have but it appears that the move to a new league hasn't hurt either program.

3. Does Auburn expereince a championship bounce?

It's a catch-22 for the Tigers, on one hand they won a BCS national championship not too long ago and were cleared by the NCAA. On the other hand they've lost both their coordinators and have seen some waffling from some of their commitments. It still looks like they're destined for a top 15 class but it's also possible they lose a top player or two, such as recent decommit Ricardo Louis (whose recruitment isn't over). If they can land one of the elite prospects left on their board, such as lineman Avery Young or linebacker Kwon Alexander, it would be safe to say Auburn's class got a nice uptick from winning a title. If they don't, the staff turnover might have negated it.

4. Can Vanderbilt top Tennessee in the class rankings?

The fact that this is even a storyline is a testament to what James Franklin has done. Neither team has an incoming class that screams 'wow,' but each has a few impressive recruits. Tennessee will probably finish with a deeper class but it might lack an elite prospect while Vanderbilt could wind up with a few top players and solid but not great depth. It's a pivotal year for both programs and you wonder if getting someone like current pledge and top 25 running back Brian Kimbrow to sign will provide a boost for the Commodores over their in-state rival.

Most impressive class: Alabama

Most underrated class: South Carolina

Work left to do: Ole Miss

Top Players to Watch Name Pos Committed 1. Dorial Green-Beckham WR Uncommitted 7. John Theus OL Georgia 10. Landon Collins DB Alabama 13. Nelson Agholor ATH Uncommitted 14. Stefon Diggs WR Uncommitted 17. Eddie Goldman DT Uncommitted 18. D.J. Humphries OL Florida 19. Shaq Roland WR South Carolina 20. Keith Marshall RB Georgia 23. Geno Smith DB Alabama Complete Top Players Page

Assistant recruiters of note:

Jeremy Pruitt, Chris Rumph, Kirby Smart and Lance Thompson, Alabama
Curtis Luper, Trooper Taylor and Tommy Thigpen, Auburn
Kris Cinkovich, Tim Horton and Chris Klenakis, Arkansas
D.J. Durkin, Aubrey Hill, Derek Lewis and Dan Quinn, Florida
Todd Grantham and Rodney Garner, Georgia
Tee Martin, Randy Sanders and Chuck Smith, Kentucky
Brick Haley, Greg Studrawa and Frank Wilson, LSU
Maurice Harris and Chris Kiffin, Ole Miss
Greg Knox, Tony Hughes and Chris Wilson, Mississippi State
Andy Hill and David Yost, Missouri
G.A. Mangus, Steve Spurrier Jr. and Lorenzo Ward, South Carolina
Darin Hinshaw, Terry Joseph and Sal Sunseri, Tennessee
Clarence McKinney, Brian Polian and Terrell Williams, Texas A&M
John Donovan, Herb Hand and Ricky Rahne, Vanderbilt

Head coach under pressure: Derek Dooley, Tennessee

Top SEC class prediction: Alabama

Top SEC signee: Dorial Green-Beckham

SEC school-by-school
East Division		Commits	Top Players	Notes
	- Team page - Commitment list	20	DE Jonathan Bullard OL Jessamen Dunker OL D.J. Humphries TE Kent Taylor	Will Muschamp has a chance to reload quickly with the current group of commits. He's got good depth coming in along both lines and is in the running for several elite players like Diggs, Nelson Agholor and Tracy Howard.
	- Team page - Commitment list	16	RB Todd Gurley DL Jordan Jenkins RB Keith Marshall OL John Theus	It's not a 'Dream Team' like last year but there's several players like Gurley and/or Marshall who will play early on. They have to land their remaining targets, such as OL Avery Young, to go from solid to a great class.
	- Team page - Commitment list	24	DB Zach Blaylock DT Thomas Chapman QB Patrick Towles	Towles is the headliner for this group and one of UK's best quarterback commits in a long time. There's three Blaylock's that are supposed to sign and Zach is the best of the bunch. The Wildcats might add one or two more on top of the 24 committed.
	- Team page - Commitment list	17	OL Evan Boehm OL Simon Goines QB Maty Mauk	This is very solid first effort as the Tigers look to join the SEC and could get even better if they land #1 overall recruit Dorial Green-Beckham. Mauk looks to fit right into the Mizzou system and make the transition from prolific high school passer to prolific college passer.
	- Team page - Commitment list	24	RB Mike Davis DB Jordan Diggs DB Chaz Elder WR Shaq Roland	There's not the buzz with this group like there was last year grabbing #1 overall recruit Jadeveon Clowney. Still, they have two great pick ups in Davis and Roland on offense and several other pieces that should make this a top 8-12 class come February 2nd.
	- Team page - Commitment list	21	DB Devante Bourque WR Jason Croom DB LaDarrell McNeil TE Justin Meredith	With mass staff changes and a down year, the Vols haven't gotten the elite player or two that everybody is used to seeing. Croom and Meredith are excellent weapons on offense though but there's a chance they could lose one of their top defenders on Signing Day too.
	- Team page - Commitment list	21	DB Brandon Banks RB Brian Kimbrow QB Patton Robinette	Kimbrow and Robinette appear to be the future of the Commodores offense and that's a great start for a group that might end up as good or better as their counterparts in the state.
West Division		Commits	Top Players	Notes
	- Team page - Commitment list	27	DB Landon Collins DB Geno Smith ATH Eddie Williams RB T.J. Yeldon	The Crimson Tide have already won a title in January and it's possible they'll get another come February 1st. This group has so many playmakers on both sides of the ball that several in this group will have to redshirt. Alabama is also in the running for several top commits so the rich might get even richer.
	- Team page - Commitment list	21	OL Cordale Boyd OL Jeremy Ward RB Jonathan Williams	This isn't a great recruiting class for the Hogs but it could be if Dorial Green-Beckham signs, as many expect. Williams has injury concerns but might be the sleeper running back in the class of 2012.
	- Team page - Commitment list	15	DB T.J. Davis TE Darrion Hutcherson RB Jovon Robinson WR JaQuay Williams	Coordinator changes hurt this group, especially in terms of depth, but there are quality ball players from top to bottom. It wouldn't be surprising if Hutcherson and Williams leave a mark as freshmen.
	- Team page - Commitment list	21	OL Vadal Alexander DE Torshiro Davis LB Trey Granier WR Avery Johnson	The Tigers are still in the running for some elite players when Signing Day rolls around but Les Miles has to be happy with the speed and athleticism the current class has. Johnson, if he sticks, could fill in quickly for the departed Rueben Randle.
	- Team page - Commitment list	15	RB I'Tavius Mathers QB Bo Wallace DE Channing Ward	This isn't a big class so far as Hugh Freeze looks to completely rebuild Ole Miss but Wallace is one of the top Juco QBs and Ward might be a the best player in-state, so landing him is a huge boost.
	- Team page - Commitment list	26	DT Quay Evans DE A.J. Jefferson ATH Will Redmond	There's nothing that sticks out about this group in particular but it could move from solid to good if Dan Mullen can secure commitments from QB Jeremy Liggins and LB Richie Brown. Adding those two to recent pledge Jefferson would make for a very nice year for the Bulldogs.
	- Team page - Commitment list	20	QB Matt Davis DB DeVante Harris LB Jordan Richmond RB Trey Williams	This was a top 10 class before Mike Sherman was fired and it looks like Kevin Sumlin will be able to keep the Aggies right around there. Davis and Williams are two dynamic players on offense and it's possible they'll be joined by former Texas commit, wide receiver Thomas Johnson too.
Search Recruits | Complete Top 25 Rankings

Posted by Bryan Fischer

 UCLA's Jim Mora has made some good moves with his assistants to make an impact in recruiting.

Ohio State's scholarship limitations means some numbers crunching.

 The Tenneessee recruiting class is more stable than the Vols coaching staff.

 Nicky Baratti made the early decision to go to Notre Dame.

 Despite loses, LSU should still reel in a top recruiting class.

 North Carolina's strong class is mostly headed out of state to Georgia, Florida and others.

 Alabama and Vanderbilt are two schools winning the in-state recruiting battle.

 Offensive tackle Kyle Murphy visited USC this weekend and will not take any more trips.

Commitments

North Carolina added a commitment from defensive end Justin Thomason.

 Wide receiver Joshua Stanford committed to Virginia Tech.

 A pair of recruits, Kenneth Crawley and Derek McCartney, committed to Colorado on Sunday.

 Athlete Guito Ervilus overcame an ACL tear to commit to USF.

 Oklahoma State added two yesterday in offensive tackle Michael Wilson and wide receiver Chance Allen.

 Punter Ryan Rodwell is pledge #17 for Georgia Tech.

 Troubled cornerback Deion Bonner committed to Tennessee.

 Very big pick up for Mississippi State in defensive end A.J. Jefferson.

 Marshall commit Sean Connolly flipped to Kansas.

Minnesota tight end Cal Bloom committed to UCF.

 Illinois added two in running back Devin Church and defensive back Jevaris Little.