HERO Sports is giving you a feel for all things FCS recruiting.
How did we come to this conclusion — the Top 50 FCS recruiting classes of 2019?
— The Top 10 is the next page of the slideshow …
— This isn’t using the 247Sports “star” rating formula, or Rivals.com’s. It’s only based on scholarship offers. If you held at least three FCS offers? You added bonus points to your school’s ranking. But no matter what? If you signed with your school, you helped in the ranking below in our formula.
— This is based ONLY on incoming true freshmen (high school or prep school). Mixing true freshmen with transfers evaluation is “apples and oranges” in our estimation. Our JUCO and FBS/FCS transfer rankings will come this summer after spring ball has cleared and all transfers have been announced by schools. We separate those rankings. Teams that choose to go heavily the transfer route will get that recognition later when all of the transfer news has finalized.
— We consider all D-1 scholarship offers of the 2,500 or so FCS signees … P5 offers? FBS offers? FCS? How many? The offers are “tiered” and we gave credence to quantity AND quality. Again, everybody who signed with an FCS school helped their school’s rating in our formula.
— Conferences like the NEC and Pioneer League — who tend to sign players late into the NCAA national signing period deep into the spring — will be ranked as a conference at a later date when their full classes have finalized, though some of their players are recognized in our individual signee rankings.
THE CLASS RANKINGS
(Top 10 below)
| NO | FCS SCHOOL | CONF. | RECRUITS |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | Northern Arizona | BIG SKY | 24 |
| 12 | Illinois State | MVFC | 27 |
| 13 | Portland State | BIG SKY | 25 |
| 14 | Richmond | CAA | 19 |
| 15 | Pennsylvania | IVY | 25 |
| 16 | Furman | SOCON | 16 |
| 17 | Mercer | SOCON | 22 |
| 18 | Jacksonville State | OVC | 22 |
| 19 | Dartmouth | IVY | 25 |
| 20 | Holy Cross | PATRIOT | 21 |
| 21 | Kennesaw State | BIG SOUTH | 23 |
| 22 | Alcorn State | SWAC | 19 |
| 23 | ETSU | SOCON | 28 |
| 24 | South Dakota State | MVFC | 33 |
| 25 | Bethune-Cookman | MEAC | 28 |
| 26 | Eastern Washington | BIG SKY | 25 |
| 27 | Southern University | SWAC | 15 |
| 28 | Southern Illinois | MVFC | 27 |
| 29 | Fordham | PATRIOT | 20 |
| 30 | Wofford | SOCON | 21 |
| 31 | Central Arkansas | SOUTHLAND | 25 |
| 32 | Tennessee Tech | OVC | 26 |
| 33 | Eastern Kentucky | OVC | 23 |
| 34 | Murray State | OVC | 23 |
| 35 | Prairie View A&M | SWAC | 26 |
| 36 | Florida A&M | MEAC | 19 |
| 37 | Idaho | BIG SKY | 24 |
| 38 | Chattanooga | SOCON | 18 |
| 39 | Elon | CAA | 19 |
| 40 | Montana State | BIG SKY | 32 |
| 41 | Charleston Southern | BIG SOUTH | 18 |
| 42 | Nicholls State | SOUTHLAND | 20 |
| 43 | Gardner-Webb | BIG SOUTH | 22 |
| 44 | Tennessee-Martin | OVC | 29 |
| 45 | Colgate | PATRIOT | 23 |
| 46 | Maine | CAA | 24 |
| 47 | North Carolina A&T | MEAC | 21 |
| 48 | UC Davis | BIG SKY | 15 |
| 49 | Sam Houston State | SOUTHLAND | 17 |
| 50 | Howard | MEAC | 20 |
THE FCS TOP 10 CLASSES
NO. 10 – WESTERN CAROLINA
TOP 3 RECRUITS: DL Christian Harris, RB Syheam McQueen, DB Neil Ilenrey
RECRUITS IN TOP 500: 8
THE SKINNY: Something was in that cold, crisp mountain water in Cullowhee, N.C. this recruiting cycle, because the Catamounts went nuts when it came to recruiting. While the program has had its ups and downs the past couple of seasons on the field, there were no ups and downs with this recruiting class. It addressed defensive needs (five defensive recruits hold FBS offers) and the offense has always been explosive and only got stronger this past week thanks to signing day.
NO. 9 – DELAWARE
TOP 3 RECRUITS: WR Jourdan Townsend, DB Daniel Walker, DL Akie Nance
RECRUITS IN TOP 500: 8
THE SKINNY: The Blue Hens truly dug deep in 2019 and really added some top flight skill talent on the offensive side of the ball. Several stud wide receivers and tight ends are now on board and could help immediately if needed, and UD already plays pretty tough defense. This was a nice haul for Delaware as it continues to build itself into a national powerhouse again.
NO. 8 – JAMES MADISON
TOP 3 RECRUITS: LB Julio Ayamel, LB Jalen Green, RB C.J. Jackson
RECRUITS IN TOP 500: 9
THE SKINNY: This was really an incredible job of recruiting, for both coaches involved — former head coach Mike Houston and current head coach Curt Cignetti. Houston and his staff helped line up an uber-talented nucleus in what was always going to be a smaller-than-normal group, and Cignetti and his staff kept the vast majority of it intact when he came over from Elon.
The Dukes may not be signing 30-plus athletes, but the quality of this group is as good as any in the FCS.
NO. 7 – PRINCETON
TOP 3 RECRUITS: DL Cole Aubrey, WR Jojo Hawkins, TE James Stagg
RECRUITS IN TOP 500: 12
THE SKINNY: The Tigers — last year’s FCS recruiting champions — followed up their stellar 2018 recruiting class and their undefeated season on the field with another incredible effort. Whether its offensive skill talent or black-and-blue defensive talent, this class is balanced and coveted. Of the recruits on board, 12 of them held FBS options — but they’re coming to Princeton, not the FBS.
NO. 6 – YALE
TOP 3 RECRUITS: RB Josh McKenzie, DB Ben Montgomery, OL Brandon Babcock
RECRUITS IN TOP 500: 12
THE SKINNY: How deep is this class? Let’s put it this way — 10 of its members had FBS options but have chosen to come to play for the 2017 Ivy League champion Bulldogs. Yale is just another Ivy League example of why the conference should let its teams compete in the FCS postseason. Hey, the basketball teams do March Madness, right (hint hint)? Stump speech over … at least for the next couple of lines of text.
NO. 5 – NORTHERN IOWA
TOP 3 RECRUITS: LB Cameron Baker, QB Nate Martens, QB Justin Fomby
RECRUITS IN TOP 500: 7
THE SKINNY: Let’s not mince words here — UNI has some serious “quality” at the top of its 30-man class this year. Four of its recruits are inside the HERO Sports’ Top 80, which includes two of the top quarterbacks in the FCS — Nate Martens and Justin Fomby.
Why should we remember those two names? Because they both will get a shot at the starting job this fall, and they’re both super talented and held Power Five Conference scholarship offers.
NO. 4 – NORTH DAKOTA STATE
TOP 3 RECRUITS: LB Luke Weerts, DL Reed Ryan, DB Cameron Smith
RECRUITS IN TOP 500: 8
THE SKINNY: Why would it be surprising that the team that has won seven of the last eight FCS national titles would be high up in the national recruiting rankings? Even through a coaching transition — which by the way didn’t feel like your average, every day coaching transition?
The Bison did what they always do in recruiting — they went after players that fit the NDSU template. The program went for the big boys who can grow in Fargo, grow into the future bruisers that give this program its image, its personality. The top five NDSU recruits are on the defensive side of the ball. Does that tell you anything? Look for more of the usual success here.[divider]
NO. 3 – STEPHEN F. AUSTIN
TOP 3 RECRUITS: DL Carl Williams, DB Myles Brooks, OL Jaret Porterfield
RECRUITS IN TOP 500: 9
THE SKINNY: If somebody had asked me in September if Stephen F. Austin would have a top five recruiting class, I would have thought they’d gone nuts. But then again, I had no idea how good a job new coach Colby Carthel and his staff would do.
The Lumberjacks were patient, waiting to see how the recruiting stars of Texas would align before pouncing. The method worked wonders, as countless talented recruits became available in the proverbial 11th recruiting hours and the program added 12 signees who held FBS options.
If SFA fans wanted a spark after a tough 2018, they just received one. Count on several of these recruits playing a factor this fall.
NO. 2 – VILLANOVA
TOP 3 RECRUITS: DL Jack Stanton, LB Josh Slay, DB Jaaron Hayek
RECRUITS IN TOP 500: 13
THE SKINNY: What can we say? Villanova isn’t just stellar in hoops. This group is loaded, and really was the only other collective that even came close to touching the No. 1 spot. The Wildcats loaded up on talent on their favorite side of the ball — defense — but didn’t stop there, adding skill talent and a good nucleus of offensive linemen on the other side of the ball, too. Overall, one has to think Mark Ferrante and his staff are smiling right now.
NO. 1 – HARVARD
TOP 3 RECRUITS: DL Nate Leskovic, QB Curt Casteel, QB Charlie Dean
RECRUITS IN TOP 500: 17
THE SKINNY: OK, why are we skirting the elephant question in the E-room here? Why can’t we see this Harvard team — and it’s Ivy League cohorts — in the FCS playoffs? There, I said it. Again. With this kind of talent pouring in with the likes of Harvard, Princeton, Yale, Dartmouth et al, one has to wonder how fierce a matchup the Crimson or other Ivy League power would provide a James Madison or North Dakota State.
Again, we all know why top recruits pick Ivy League schools, but it’d be fun to see how they stack up in the postseason, too. And trust me, the players and coaches want it as badly as we do in the media. At any rate …congratulations to the clearcut FCS national recruiting champions of 2019 — Harvard.
It’s work along the trenches alone make it not only the best class in the FCS, but one that many FBS programs would salivate over, also.
FLASHBACK TO PAST CLASSES
2018 Top 50 FCS Recruiting Classes
2018 Top 250 FCS Signees
2017 Top 50 FCS Recruiting Classes
2017 Top 250 FCS Signees
2016 Top 30 FCS Recruiting Classes
