It’s been a busy recruiting season in SEC basketball, with teams trying to add depth to their roster heading into next season.
The conference should still take an even bigger step forward after getting a record eight teams into the NCAA Tournament, and it will likely be aided by a lot of talented players in the 2018 recruiting class.
Kentucky leads the way once again with the No. 2 class in the nation, as John Calipari has picked up commitments from three top-20 players in EJ Montgomery, Keldon Johnson, and Immanuel Quickley while also adding 4-star shooting guard Tyler Herro.
Meanwhile, LSU ranks second in the SEC and fourth nationally thanks to the highly-coveted group of players that Will Wade will bring to Baton Rouge.
Wade has signed a pair of 5-star power forwards in Naz Reid and Emmitt Williams, 4-stars Ja’Vonte Smart and Darius Days, and JUCO guard Marlon Taylor.
Vanderbilt isn’t far behind at No. 12 in the country, as Bryce Drew has put together the Commodores’ best class in the rankings era by adding 5-star prospects Simi Shittu and Darius Garland. Drew will also bring in Aaron Nesmith, who figures to play a big role right away in Nashville.
According to 247Sports, here’s where SEC teams rank in the conference along with their national ranking in parentheses:
- Kentucky (2)
- LSU (4)
- Vanderbilt (12)
- Mississippi State (15)
- Florida (19)
- Arkansas (32)
- Alabama (45)
- Georgia (49)
- Ole Miss (53)
- South Carolina (64)
- Missouri (68)
- Texas A&M (119)
Auburn and Tennessee, who shared the SEC regular season title this past season, do not currently have any commitments for the 2018 class.
The Vols will likely return their top six scorers while the Tigers’ roster still has a few unknowns due to three rotation players declaring for the NBA draft.
All early entrants for the draft have until May 30 to withdraw from the process to retain their college eligibility.
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