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NO. 10 – EASTERN WASHINGTON
Top three recruits: LB Tre Weed, WR Anthony Stell, ATH Freddie Roberson
Recruiting coordinator: Cherokee Valeria
The skinny: Not surprisingly for the Eags, they landed some of the top wide receivers in the 2018 class, and also not surprisingly — they landed another highly regarded quarterback from the Pacific Northwest in Simon Burkett. Along with that, an impressive group of linemen — on both sides of the ball — came aboard. This is an impressive group.
NO. 9 – CENTRAL ARKANSAS
Top three recruits: DB Imani Partlow, TE Donavon Foley, DT Alejandro Ramirez
Recruiting coordinator: Gunnar Boykin
The skinny: There may have been a coaching change at the top, but the continuity of the staff helped the Bears not miss a beat with recruiting. Probably the most impressive collective job was done on both sides of the line … this is a big and nasty (in a good way) group of elite linemen.The other thing that jumps out is how well the Bears did in Florida — four players hail from what we in Florida call “the I-4 corridor”.
NO. 8 – CHATTANOOGA
Top three recruits: DT Josh Walker, DB Kohl Henke, DE Mychal Austin
Recruiting coordinator: Ryan Aplin
The skinny: The two things that jump out here are the elite players coming in on the defensive side of the ball and the talent of the receivers coming in. While not listed immediately above, keep an eye on FCS No. 126 receiver Genuine Potts, who caught the eye of dozens of FBS schools.
NO. 7 – JACKSONVILLE STATE
Top three recruits: DB Cagan Campbell, DE Tacorrie Russell, WR Ahmad Edwards
Recruiting coordinator: J.R. Sandlin
The skinny: Along with Cagan Campbell listed above, this overall crop of defensive backs is one thing that jumps off the page about Jacksonville State’s recruiting class. It is an extremely talented group of future secondary stars for the Gamecocks.
NO. 6 – HARVARD
Top three recruits: DT Justin Kakala, WR Kym Wimberly, RB DeMarkes Stradford
Recruiting coordinator: Mike Morris
The skinny: Last year’s mythical FCS national recruiting champions didn’t disappoint this time around, either. This collective of talent has multiple prospects who attracted Power Five scholarship offers. The amount of defensive talent coming in, along with offensive skill talent, makes this group a top 10 class once again.
NO. 5 – JAMES MADISON
Top three recruits: WR Reggie Brown, DB Willie Drew, OL Amelio Moran
Recruiting coordinator: Tripp Weaver (just left for Western Carolina)
The skinny: Five future defensive backs joined the Dukes, and that was truly a strong point for JMU last fall. Along with that, there will be some familiar surnames to Dukes fans in Devin Ravenel and Rakeem Davis, two younger brothers of past JMU standouts. Dukes fans are fired up about this group of recruits, which mostly signed in December’s early period.
NO. 4 – NORTH DAKOTA STATE
Top three recruits: ATH Saybein Clark, QB Trey Lance, WR Phoenix Sproles
Recruiting coordinator: Hank Jacobs
The skinny: This massive class mostly came together in December prior to the FCS national championship win by the Bison. The linemen are always going to be an NDSU strength, but what really jumps out about this group is the skill kids brought in from mostly out of state. Trey Lance, a 6-foot-3 quarterback who the recruiting services had rated the No. 1 prospect in Minnesota at one point, brings in one major part, while athlete Saybein Clark could contribute in many ways.
NO. 3 – MONTANA STATE
Top three recruits: RB Sherod White, OL Donny Long, DBs Ty’Rese and Ty’Rhae Gibson
Recruiting coordinator: Matt Miller
The skinny: Aside from the usual group of in-state talent, Bobcats dipped into California and Washington for the majority of its class — and boy did they come out winners. Montana State repeatedly beat out FBS programs for top kids, giving a good indicator of where head coach Jeff Choate’s football program is heading. Don’t be surprised if some of these players play a role immediately this fall.
NO. 2 – YALE
Top three recruits: RB Trenton Charles, OL Tate Goodyear, QB Nick Henkel
Recruiting coordinator: Art Asselta
The skinny: This is just an uber-balanced class that is full of talent from all over the country. Whether it was a California product, Texas, Alabama or Indiana, the Bulldogs went there and got the talent. No wonder this program looked so strong last fall, using a ton of young talent. And of course all of this begs the question when it comes to these talented Ivy League classes … what would these teams do in the FCS Playoffs?
NO. 1 – PRINCETON
Top three recruits: QB Brevin White, DT Tola Banjoko, OL Zack Zambrano
Recruiting coordinator: Andrew Aurich
The skinny: How good is this class? Well, Alabama’s Nick Saban made a last-minute run at its 4-star quarterback, its list of prospects with Power Five scholarship offers is in the double digits, and nearly every recruit had at least one FBS offers. This is a highly coveted group, and it’s heading to Princeton to see if it can change the order at the top of the Ivy League. This isn’t the only strong Ivy class this year.
