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Thomas Boyd/Associated Press

15. Syracuse: C

There's nothing wrong with a program staying the course and maintaining its recruiting standards. Syracuse ranks 57th, which is about on-par for where it has been in recent years. More importantly, the Orange added a mixture of talent ready to play now and a handful of developmental projects.

Of their four top recruits, three will bolster a linebacker corps that needed speed and versatility. The other, safety Cornelius Nunn, is a speedster from Florida who brings playmaking and upside to the defense. Watch for the rest of the class to take a few years to get to requisite playing weight, which is to be expected from 3-star prospects.



14. Michigan: A

One year after finishing 22nd and causing some concern as to whether Jim Harbaugh was resonating with recruits anymore, the Wolverines struck with a terrific class. Though they had a lower average rating than Ohio State, Harbaugh landed several impact playmakers in the 27-man group. They are seventh in the composite rankings.

The stars to watch for in 2019 are running back Zach Charbonnet, safety Daxton Hill and defensive tackles Chris Hinton and Mazi Smith. The Wolverines needed explosiveness and playmaking, and these four can help revitalize the team right away. Harbaugh should be salivating at the opportunity to maximize this talent base.



13. Washington: B+

This was a very workmanlike haul for Chris Petersen's Washington Huskies. Entering a new era as Jake Browning, Taylor Rapp, Byron Murphy and Myles Gaskin depart the program, the Huskies had clear needs. Petersen had to beef up the trenches and identify a quarterback for the post-Jacob Eason era.

He accomplished the mission with a rock-solid class. With three 4-star defensive tackles and 4-star quarterback Dylan Morris in tow, the Huskies will continue to be one of the best Pac-12 competitors in coming years. They weren't able to find star pass-catchers, which would be the biggest knock against this class.



12. Kentucky: B-

Based on the above-average recruiting classes they've assembled, it's surprising the Kentucky Wildcats took as long as they did to reach double-digit wins for the first time since 1977. But Mark Stoops has been the right coach to develop their talent, and it culminated in a great season and another ranking in the mid-30s composite scores.

What's not surprising is Stoops added the bulk of the talent on the defensive side of the ball. Only seven of 21 signees were offensive playmakers, with two more offensive linemen added. They must hope that one of their quarterbacks—Nik Scalzo and Amani Gilmore—develops into a high-end SEC signal-caller.



11: UCF: C-

Going a combined 25-1 over two years should've given UCF a huge boost on the recruiting trail. The Knights also boast a beautiful campus and terrific locational advantage over other AAC teams, yet they rank 53rd in the country in composite score. While not a failing haul, it's in the same range as they've been in over the last few years.

With 21 of their 22 recruits being 3-star players (the other being a 2-star), the Knights finished with fewer 4-star players than Wake Forest, Arizona, Boise State, Iowa State, Colorado, Duke, Illinois and Utah. That just shouldn't have been the case for Josh Heupel's team. The class does have excellent size throughout, making it possible the players outperform their assigned stars.