Just one month on the job, Georgia Southern head football coach Tyson Summers has far surpassed expectations.

Who would have thought Summers would not only keep the majority of the recruiting class built by former coach Willie Fritz intact, but add 12 new commits to the list?

And not just any commits. We're talking about three-star prospects (and even one four-star) - guys like defensive end Traver Vliem from Midland, Texas, who chose Southern over Boise State, a mid-major program that's played in BCS bowls. Or how about Houston County receiver Darion Anderson, who's rated as a four-star prospect by ESPN?

It's safe to say that as of today, the Class of 2016 is already the most talented in the program's history. Any additions made on Wednesday's national signing day are just icing on the cake.

And Georgia Southern still has plenty of room to grow this offseason since the program was still short of 85 scholarship players, the maximum number allowed for an FBS program, last season.

Rivals recruiting services currently has GSU ranked as the No. 67 class in the nation and tops in the Sun Belt Conference. That's no surprise, but look at some of the programs who are behind the Eagles in recruiting: South Florida, Colorado State, Cincinnati, Memphis, Toledo and Navy. The latter three teams were ranked in the Top 25 for much of last season.

So why not Georgia Southern? If Summers and his staff continue recruiting like this, a top 25 ranking is a very reasonable and reachable goal within the next few seasons.





Work left to do

If Summers can add two or three more pieces on Wednesday, the Eagles might even crack the top 50. They have a good chance to do so. Last week was slow in terms of commitments, but the remaining players who have yet to announce their decisions are just waiting for the national signing day spotlight.

Here's a look at some high-level talent that GSU still has a chance to land:

Aaron Dowdell (OG, Creekside HS): Dowdell is the most talented prospect still on the board and maybe in GSU's entire class. He's rated four stars by Rivals and was formerly committed to Georgia. The 6-foot-3, 306-pounder visited Statesboro this weekend. If he chooses Southern, he would be the second player in this year's class to flip from the Bulldogs to the Eagles (the other was Anderson). GSU seems to be a late entrant into Dowdell's list of choices, but scheduling an official visit with the Eagles shows a massive sign of interest on his part.

Jordan Johnson (OG, Ed White HS, Jacksonville, Fla.): Another highly touted offensive guard who has put the Eagles near the top of his list, Johnson took his official to Southern on Jan. 22 and also visited Central Florida on Jan. 15 and Georgia Tech last week. Those seem to be the schools with the inside track to land him. Johnson originally committed to Georgia Tech in July but opened his recruitment back up in late November. Summers' connection to Central Florida seems to have drawn Johnson's interest to the Eagles. If the Eagles can sign either Johnson or Dowdell to join commits Cade Stewart and Drew Wilson, they will be loaded on the offensive line for the coming years.

Monquavion Brinson (WR, Mays HS): Another player who was formerly committed to an FBS program. Brinson announced his decommitment from Syracuse just two days before the recruiting dead period ended. Since then, the Eagles have been all over the three-star prospect. The Eagles have received verbals from Anderson and Colquitt County standout Ty Lee. If Brinson joins the party, it could jump the GSU receiving corps ahead light-years from where it's been.





Savannah ties

There are also a pair of Savannah-area recruits whom Georgia Southern fans hope to see play in Paulson Stadium, and after speaking with those who know both players, I can offer my predictions on where they'll sign:

Martial Washington (safety, Liberty County): On his Twitter account, Summers posted Wednesday night that he had "Just got off the phone with a 912 Eagle who jumped in the boat!" All signs indicate that recruit was Washington, who had decommitted from the Eagles three weeks ago. Washington made that decision because he wasn't sure of the coaching turnover at GSU, but Summers seems to have gained his trust. Washington will sign with his college choice at 10 a.m. on Wednesday. Expect him to don a Georgia Southern hat.

Arkeem Byrd (running back, Jenkins): Byrd is an electric playmaker and is probably the prospect that Georgia Southern fans want the most right now. He's also probably underrated as a 3-star recruit. The Eagles will have to beat out Wake Forest, Georgia Tech, Minnesota and Missouri to get him. I don't think they will. He visited Missouri this weekend, Georgia Tech the week before and Wake Forest on Jan. 15 and didn't make room for GSU.

There appears to be a good possibility he will join Liberty County running back and friend Jacquez Williams at Wake Forest. Byrd announces his decision at 3:30 p.m. Wednesday.

Nathan Deen covers Georgia Southern sports for the Savannah Morning News. Contact him at 912-652-0353 or nathan.deen@savannahnow.com. Follow him on Twitter @NathanDeenSMN.