Rumors Swirl Around Robert Nkemdiche, but Clemson’s Class Continues to Rank Among Country’s Best

We’ve revamped recruiting coverage since last month’s update, now showing more in-depth comparisons from several services, as opposed to just one. While in-season recruiting has slowed up some, we still saw movement over the past month, with some of the top teams adding to their stockpile of solid recruits. The speculation around number-one recruit Robert Nkemdiche also continues, as Clemson fans hold their breath and hope he remains committed.

Below you’ll find a breakdown of ACC recruiting rankings from Rivals, 247Sports and Scout, as well as a breakdown of ACC players currently ranked in the ESPN 300.

ACC Football 2013 Recruiting Rankings (October 26)

Each service compiles rankings with a different scoring system, using the total number of points accumulated per school to decide their rank compared to all other classes. However, this also provides an unfair advantage to larger classes, emphasizing quantity over quality. With that in mind, we also included averages, to account for high-quality, smaller classes. For some schools, like Miami, numbers jumped up considerably under this guidance, while schools like Maryland and Pittsburgh saw their rankings plummet when emphasizing averages. Also note that while Scout and Rivals use the standard “stars” system (1-5), 247Sports has an algorithm out of 100 that they explain on their site. Under “composite” below, you’ll find the average ranking score for each school (using both total score and average score), so we can get a much fuller picture on the quality of respective classes using a variety of methods.

When checking out the ESPN 300 rankings, you can also see that the majority of the ACC’s top recruits went to the top-ranked schools. A look at the top 10 ACC recruits:

No surprises there, and there were few shocks when looking at the full ESPN 300 either. In total, 37 of those named on that list are heading to ACC schools, with Florida State leading the way at 10 recruits. Unfortunately, however, just half of the conference currently has a top-300 recruit signed on for next season.

Some additional thoughts:

• Syracuse‘s small class of nine so far fared much better when looking at averages than total score — as we would expect. The team’s total class will likely end up under 20, which could push rankings down, but the quality of player being pursued right now should also help balance that out (should they sign).
• It’s no secret that the success of Clemson’s class will hinge on Nkemdiche’s decision, but at the same time, the school still has eight other top-300 recruits — which would still easily finish second in the conference.
• Miami has a smaller class at just 11, however they’ve made those players count, with three-stars and higher on virtually every one. That’s why, when you look at the average scores, the ‘Canes typically rank in the top 15.
• Despite some concerns in the middle of pack, the conference still has the second-most schools in the top 20 in 247 and Rivals (five, versus SEC’s eight), and tie for second in Scout’s rankings (Pac-12 and ACC each have three, versus SEC’s nine).

Check back next month, since we’re compiling recruiting rankings on a monthly basis. We’ll have additional notes on individual commitments as deemed necessary/important.

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