Report Card: Breaking down early signings in Big East

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The dust has settled on the Early Signing Period, and while some Big East programs cleaned up, others have more work to do in the spring.

Dan McDonald breaks down the SEC's best and worst of the early period.

MORE: EARLY SIGNING PERIOD WINNERS AND LOSERS

Jay Wright and the Villanova staff took advantage of winning their second national title in three years by signing the No. 2 overall class. The Wildcats surprised a lot of people by reeling in five-star big man Jeremiah Robinson-Earl last month after it had long been speculated that Kansas would be tough to beat. Alongside him in the class is five-star guard Bryan Antoine, four-star guard Justin Moore, and four-star big man Eric Dixon.

Xavier’s first recruiting class under new coach Travis Steele looks to be in line with what Chris Mack had been doing the past several years. The Musketeers check in at No. 14 overall with a strong five-man class, headlined by four-star prospects Dahmir Bishop, KyKy Tandy and Daniel Ramsey.

The bad news for the league is that Villanova (No. 2) and Xavier (No. 14) are the only two programs ranked inside the top 25 classes. DePaul surprisingly is next at 27th overall, but for the Big East to stay among the top nationally, it needs a better effort on the recruiting trail.

Cole Anthony remains unsigned as we close out the early signing period, but Georgetown remains in the mix for the top guard in the class. North Carolina has generated a lot of buzz with Anthony so far, but it will be interesting to see if the Hoyas can gain some ground on the Tar Heels and possibly sign him.

Butler: C+. Butler landed a commitment from four-star guard Khalif Battle, one of the better scorers around, and he’s joined by a three-star big man Jon-Michael Mulloy.

Creighton: C-. Creighton’s lone signee is three-star point guard Shereef Mitchell from right down the street in Omaha.

DePaul: B. DePaul’s class is headlined by Romeo Weems, but the Blue Demons added a commitment from former Kansas commit Markese Jacobs late to add some firepower to the backcourt.

Georgetown: C. Patrick Ewing added some frontcourt depth early with Malcolm Wilson and Timothy Igohoefe in the early signing period.

Marquette: C-. Three-star guard Dexter Akanno is the lone signee for the Golden Eagles but he brings some scoring punch.

Providence: C+. Ed Cooley also only signed one prospect early, but he made it count with a really talented four-star forward out of North Carolina, Greg Gantt.

St. John’s: C-. The Red Storm are shooting high in the 2019 class for some of the best prospects in the country, but have only broken through with junior college point guard Cameron Mack.

Seton Hall: Incomplete. Across the river in New Jersey, Seton Hall is also still looking for its first commit in the 2019 class.

Villanova: A. Simply put, Villanova’s class is about as good as it gets when it comes to quality of players and fit.

Xavier: B+. Signing a trio of four-star prospects and a pair three-star prospects has to be considered a big win for the Musketeers.