College football recruiting: Top 2027 commits in the SEC

To no surprise, the SEC is making its presence felt on the recruiting trail.

According to the Rivals Industry Team Recruiting Rankings, 10 SEC programs currently have a top-25 class. All but two of the 32 five-stars in the Rivals Industry Ranking are committed and 16 of them are committed to an SEC school.

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Texas A&M easily has the nation’s No. 1 class, as of July 6. The Aggies have won out for six five-stars and could very well sign one of the best recruiting classes ever this winter. Texas and Georgia also currently hold commitments from multiple five-stars.

Rivals breaks down the top commits across the SEC so far in the 2027 cycle:

Five-Star Plus+ CB John Meredith — Texas

Rivals Industry Ranking: No. 2 NATL. (No. 1 CB)
School: North Crowley (Texas)
Committed Since: June 19

It came down to the Longhorns and Texas A&M for the nation’s top defensive back, but Texas re-gained momentum after its official visit with Meredith this summer and it never wavered from there. He called his commitment a “business” decision when speaking with Rivals’ Sam Spiegelman last month.

“It was hard,” Meredith said. “I really wanted to go to A&M. I always felt the love at Texas. I was comfortable at A&M, but in reality, you can’t settle where you’re comfortable.”

Earlier this month, On3’s Pete Nakos reported that Meredith is expected to make north of $1 million as a freshman in 2027. He’s one of three five-stars currently committed to head coach Steve Sarkisian and Co.

Five-Star Plus+ IOL Maxwell Hiller — Florida

Rivals Industry Ranking: No. 3 NATL. (No. 1 IOL)
School: Coatesville (Pa.)
Committed Since: April 8

The 6-foot-5.5, 305-pound trench monster worked through his recruitment quickly. Alabama, Ohio State and Tennessee were also finalists, but it was the staff at Florida that made a splash with Hiller and swiped his pledge this spring.

New Florida OL coach Phil Trautwein was pushing hard for Hiller while at Penn State last fall. Once he landed in Gainesville, he kept it rolling and eventually landed his top target this cycle.

“The relationship I have with Coach Trautwein goes back to eighth grade,” Hiller told Rivals’ Steve Wiltfong. “Coach (Jon) Sumrall is a really good guy. I had a couple good meetings with him and he can help me accomplish my dreams as well.”

Five-Star Plus+ OT Mark Matthews — Texas A&M

Rivals Industry Ranking: No. 5 NATL. (No. 1 OT)
School: St. Thomas Aquinas (Fla.)
Committed Since: May 15

The highest-ranked of the six five-stars in A&M’s elite recruiting class, Matthews was the most impressive win of the bunch for Mike Elko and his staff. The Aggies went down to Fort Lauderdale and beat Miami for the elite Sunshine State prospect.

“I visited and I got that feeling, Matthews previously told Rivals. “Coach (Deveonte) Mackey, Coach (Adam) Cushing the whole line staff, Coach Elko, there is something about them and I like the Aggies.”

According to On3’s Pete Nakos, Miami had the bigger offer, but Matthews had his heart set on College Station. Expected to be a day-one difference-maker, Matthews reminds Rivals’ Scouting and Rankings team of longtime NFL tackle Laremy Tunsil.

Five-Star Plus+ WR Easton Royal — Texas

Rivals Industry Ranking: No. 6 NATL. (No. 1 WR)
School: Brother Martin (La.)
Committed Since: Nov. 29, 2025

Royal caught most off guard with his fall pledge to the Longhorns. Nearly eight months later, Texas still holds his commitment, but his recruitment isn’t over just yet.

LSU and Florida each took a big summer swing and got Royal to campus for official visits. Now, the in-state Tigers look like the biggest threat to flip him away from Austin. Lane Kiffin was hired in Baton Rouge one day after Royal committed to Texas.

According to Rivals’ Sam Spiegelman, a final decision is expected sometime this month.

“All three schools, the attention to detail is there. Now, it’s about what’s best for my family and me at the end of the day,” Royal recently told Rivals. “The dust is starting to settle.”

Five-Star Plus+ RB Kemon Spell — Georgia

Rivals Industry Ranking: No. 7 NATL. (No. 1 RB)
School: McKeesport (Pa.)
Committed Since: Feb. 2

The consensus top running back prospect in the cycle, Spell has had a topsy-turvy recruitment. He made a very early commitment to Penn State, and that stuck until the Nittany Lions fired head coach James Franklin back in October.

From there, he re-opened his process and multiple contenders emerged. Penn State never gave up and nearly got him back in its class, while the likes of Notre Dame, Miami and Ohio State were all in the mix. He would go on to name multiple leaders over the next few months.

It was a visit to Georgia that really made its mark, however. Spell was in Athens in November, then returned at the end of January. He left that trip and locked in with Kirby Smart and the Bulldogs. His process has been fairly quiet since.

“It’s a great school, great program,” Spell told DawgsHQ. “They’re great at football. As soon as I got the offer, they showed me love right off the rip. That’s something I always look for when I go places.”

Rivals Industry Ranking: No. 11 NATL. (No. 1 S)
School: Hampton (Ga.)
Committed Since: Nov. 1, 2025

The best defensive back class in the nation still belongs to Texas A&M and Dorsey is the headliner. He committed to the Aggies as a four-star and has continued to bolster his stock since. Rivals’ Scouting and Rankings Team compares him to Derwin James.

“Dorsey has the ability to walk in and compete as a heavy nickel early on at the next level that will eventually develop into a true three-dimensional defensive back that has the ability to play man, zone, and stop the run,” Rivals National Scout Cody Bellaire wrote.

A&M has stacked commitments from all over the country this cycle. Dorsey, the No. 2 recruit in the Peach State, made his pledge early and has since “shut down” his recruitment.

5-star CB Joshua Dobson — South Carolina

Rivals Industry Ranking: No. 12 NATL. (No. 3 CB)
School: William Amos Hough (N.C.)
Committed Since: July 1

In one of the biggest upsets of the cycle, South Carolina ultimately beat out Texas A&M and Michigan for Dobson at the beginning of this month. While the Gamecocks had been in the mix for the playmaker for a long time, they didn’t really grab momentum in his recruitment until the home stretch.

Shane Beamer and Co. got Dobson back to Columbia for his final official visit. It was that trip that helped remind the five-star why he’s been coveted by the SEC program since before he was in high school.

“South Carolina has been with me for a long time,” Dobson told Rivals’ Chad Simmons. “It goes back to the eighth grade. They have recruited me for a long time … I know the staff so well. They got to know me, they got to know my family and I have always been comfortable around the people at South Carolina.”

Dobson helped kick off a run of July commitments that has vaulted South Carolina from No. 37 to No. 25 in the Rivals Industry Team Recruiting Rankings. He’s one of, if not the biggest recruiting win of the Beamer era.

Rivals Industry Ranking: No. 16 NATL. (No. 1 QB)
School: Dunham School (La.)
Committed Since: April 25

Haven has been the industry No. 1 QB in the 2027 cycle for some time. Alabama had always been mentioned in his recruitment and the elite passer out of The Boot teased an early commitment multiple times dating back to the fall.

It was indeed the Tide that received good news at the end of April. The 6-foot-4.5, 200-pounder also considered Auburn, Florida and others, but head coach Kalen DeBoer and his staff never took their foot off the gas — despite already having a commitment from four-star QB Trent Seaborn.

“It came down to they had some coaching changes,” Haven told Rivals’ Adam Gorney last month, explaining why his decision came later than expected. “We always thought Bama was great but they had some coaching changes in the offensive room, we wanted to make sure it was still consistent with how they recruited me. It was, so Bama was ultimately the right place for me and my family.”

Rivals Industry Ranking: No. 21 NATL. (No. 1 TE)
School: Ruston (La.)
Committed Since: May 3

A quintessential LSU target, Hudson had been considered the Tigers and Nebraska for months. Many expected LSU to eventually come out on top, but his decision on May 3 was announced without warning.

Head coach Lane Kiffin and Co. weren’t complaining, though. Hudson is also an elite basketball prospect, checking in as the No. 29 prospect and No. 4 center in the Rivals Industry Rankings. He plans on playing both sports at the next level.

“When you speak to a head coach, it shows how much they care about you,” Hudson previously told Rivals’ Sam Spiegelman before committing. “Coach Kiffin was texting me before the state championship game, wishing me good luck. Not a lot of people like that have the time to really do that, so that shows that he took time out of his busy day as the head coach of Louisiana State University to wish me good luck. It’s just different.”

Hudson has continued to give Nebraska some consideration this summer, but LSU won’t be keen on letting him leave his home state at the next level. He’s the headliner for a class that now ranks 11th nationally.

Rivals Industry Ranking: No. 23 NATL. (No. 2 TE)
School: East Lincoln (N.C.)
Committed Since: April 30

Dollar had a no-nonsense recruitment and he moved quickly towards his decision as his stock really began to soar. Georgia had everything he was looking for and that helped it land his pledge over the likes of Notre Dame and Miami.

“There wasn’t a bad opportunity remaining on the board,” Dollar told Rivals’ Steve Wiltfong via his brother, Cam. “Georgia checked the boxes on the things that were most important to me from a relationship standpoint, from a confidence standpoint, from a ability to win National Championships standpoint.”

Rivals has been high on Dollar longer than any other recruiting service. He’s now the No. 19 prospect and No. 2 TE in the Rivals300. Director of Scouting and Rankings Charles Power comps the elite recruit to recent first-round NFL Draft pick Kenyon Sadiq.

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