Last year, HERO Sports recognized Harvard's stellar 2017 recruiting class as the No. 1 group in the FCS. The year before that, we had Yale at No. 2. This year, it's Princeton's turn at or near the top.
EDITOR'S NOTE: Ivy League recruiting classes, and in some cases the Pioneer League's classes, are usually not released by the schools until after the regular national signing period has ended later in the spring. We worked with current recruits to verify class commitments.
[divider]MORE: Compare Any Two FCS Players or Any Two FCS Teams[divider]
2018 FCS RECRUITING: HERO Sports ranked the Top 250 recruits
2018 FCS RECRUITING: HERO Sports ranked the Top 50 teams
We know what fans in the Missouri Valley, Big Sky, CAA and the rest are wondering — Ivy League teams are attracting recruits like we do?
The answer is: Absolutely.
The Ivy's elites are attracting serious talent — and no one epitomized that more than 4-star quarterback Brevin White, who was on board with Princeton from last July all the way through now. That includes late January when Alabama made a serious push for him and invited him to take an official visit.
Yes, Alabama. Yes, Nick Saban.
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Princeton QB recruit Brevin White is a 4-star prospect and had Alabama after him in January[/credit]
"For me it's a no brainer," White told HERO Sports this week. "Princeton is the best fit for me as a person. It checks all the boxes off when it comes to what I want in a school. It's the best fit overall and it offers the best experience as well — the best academics while I also get to play the sport I love. Everybody has their own two cents to throw in there. It really depends on what view you're taking this from.
"If it is only football, hey, Alabama's the right fit for you. Why are you even debating it? But if you take somebody who isn't just going straight on football? You go to Princeton. It's kind of funny getting all those mixed views, but I picked the best spot for myself."
Along with featuring the No. 1 recruit in the FCS this year, Princeton also happened to haul in the No. 1 class (see entire class below story) as a whole. While White was the cherry on top with this class, players like DT Tola Banjako, DE Michael Azevedo, LB Isaac Hall and O-linemen Connor Scaglione, Zack Zambrano and Emmett McNamara were just a few of the prospects coveted by Power Five schools. It is a great class all across the board.
"(Recruiting coordinator Andrew) Aurich is besides himself about how great the O-line group is coming in, and how such great athletes are coming to Princeton and how they buy in to the Ivy League type system," White said. "I haven't met many of the guys yet, but I'm actually taking my official visit in March and most of them will be there. Just getting to talk to them in group chats and on social media, the common goals … I just think there's a bright future ahead."
Indeed.[divider]
A LOOK BACK AT LAST YEAR'S RATINGS
2017 FCS RECRUITING: HERO Sports ranked the Top 250 recruits
2017 FCS RECRUITING: HERO Sports ranked the Top 50 teams[divider]
PRINCETON'S FULL 2018 RECRUITING CLASS
Source: Princeton recruits
POS | RECRUIT | HOMETOWN | HGT | WGT |
DL | Alex Kilander | Santa Margarita, CA | 6'2" | 265 |
WR | Andrei Iosivas | Honolulu, HI | 6'3" | 185 |
QB | Brevin White | Lancaster, CA | 6'2" | 185 |
ATH | Caden Dumas | Wallingford, CT | 6'6" | 230 |
TE | Carson Bobo | Birmingham, AL | 6'5" | 220 |
WR | Che Rogers | Tacoma, WA | 5'11" | 175 |
DB | Christian Brown | Delray Beach, FL | 5'11" | 180 |
OL | Connor Scaglione | Demarest, NJ | 6'5" | 265 |
ATH | Daniel Beard | Mobile, AL | 6'0" | 190 |
DB | Dawson De Iuliis | Philadelphia, PA | 5'10" | 195 |
WR | Dylan Classi | Oradell, NJ | 6'0" | 190 |
OL | Emmett McNamara | Red Bank, NJ | 6'6" | 250 |
OL | Ford Roberts | Norcross, GA | 6'4" | 270 |
P | George Triplett | Elkins, WV | 6'0" | 170 |
TE | Harrison Caponiti | Greenwich, CT | 6'4" | 235 |
OL | Henry Byrd | Nashville, TN | 6'5" | 250 |
LB | Isaac Hall | San Diego, CA | 6'2" | 210 |
OT | Jack Carter | Davidson, NC | 6'5" | 270 |
DB | Larkin Ison III | Augusta, GA | 6'2" | 190 |
DT | Luke Aschenbrand | Phoenix, AZ | 6'4" | 270 |
LB | Matthew Jester | Spring, TX | 6'3" | 220 |
DE | Michael Azevedo | San Diego, CA | 6'4" | 250 |
ATH | Michael Polk | Cerritos, CA | 6'0" | 175 |
WR | Preston Parsons | Princeton, NJ | 6'5" | 210 |
DT | Tola Banjoko | Alexandria, VA | 6'5" | 245 |
ATH | Trey Gray | Piedmont, SC | 5'11" | 170 |
ATH | Uche Ndukwe | Dedham, MA | 6'4" | 235 |
LB | Zach Beagle | Cocoa, FL | 6'0" | 220 |
OL | Zack Zambrano | Fort Lauderdale, FL | 6'3" | 290 |