Recruiting is a 12-month, around-the-clock process that keeps college football coaches active at all times. They’re working the phones to get the top high school players in the fold and the transfer portal stars looking at their programs.
If your favorite team isn’t already on the board with some top-tier players in the 2025 class, it is way, way behind.
Notre Dame already has 18 commitments for next year’s class, none of whom can officially sign until nine months from now at the earliest. The LSU Tigers are pacing the pack with a trio of 5-star players in a class that is shaping up to be a headline-maker.
Which programs are already lighting up the trail for the 2025 recruiting cycle with spring practice getting into full swing and visits ramping up? Let’s take a look at the teams that are chalking up major Ws in living rooms.
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It’s been a tough few weeks for anyone who said new Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer would have a hard time adapting to recruiting in the South. That hasn’t come to fruition yet.
After the mass exodus of Nick Saban’s Crimson Tide players from last year’s roster, the former Washington coach brought in his own reinforcements from the transfer portal. He also secured 5-star wide receiver Ryan Williams in the ’24 class.
When spring practice ramped up in Tuscaloosa last week, DeBoer had more than 70 recruits on campus watching, according to Crimson Tide general manager Courtney Morgan. The Tide are already making waves in next year’s class with five pledges so far, all of whom are 4-star prospects.
Even though the Tide are only 13th on the 247Sports composite rankings as of now, they’re off to a strong start, even if they don’t have a high volume of commitments.
Since the calendar flipped to March, DeBoer picked up strong players from the Yellow Hammer State, including receiver Derick Smith. Defensive lineman Antonio Coleman—a high school teammate of Williams—joined the fray earlier in March, and Maryland athlete Zymear Smith also pulled the trigger.
Add them to 4-star athlete Myles Johnson and No. 91 overall running back Anthony Rogers, and DeBoer has a nice early haul.
While Kalen DeBoer is trying to get his program off the ground at Alabama, intrastate rival Auburn has reinforcements on the way.
Second-year head coach Hugh Freeze has done a great job turning around the direction of the program with two strong recruiting classes to start his tenure. The 2025 class is off to another hot start that could lead to Freeze’s best yet. Auburn has the seventh-rated recruiting class at this juncture, including six 4-star players and a pair of 3-stars.
The Tigers are bolstered by a trio of top-100 defensive linemen, and SEC games are won in the trenches. Malik Autry is a 6’5.5″, 320-pound star from nearby Opelika, and edge-rusher Jakaleb Faulk is the younger brother of Auburn’s Keldric Faulk.
Birmingham’s Jourdan Crawford rounds out that trio, and they are centerpieces of what could be a special group.
When Auburn was at its best in the past few decades, the Tigers were a recruiting force in Georgia, and those fingerprints are on this class as well. Peach State offensive tackle Tavaris Dice, tight end Ryan Ghea and elite cornerback Devin Williams are in the fold, and Freeze will likely continue adding to this list of playmakers.
This time last year, the Clemson Tigers were white-hot on the recruiting trail, and they rode that start to another strong recruiting class. Head coach Dabo Swinney still won’t budge on his transfer portal policy, but he can recruit high school kids with the best of them.
The Clemson culture is a big pull for players all over the country, and Swinney is having success pushing that for the 2025 class, too. They’re currently ranked third nationally with 11 commits, 10 of which are 4-stars.
The Tigers need reinforcements along both lines of scrimmage, and those are on the way in the 2025 class. Defensive linemen Isaiah Campbell and Amare Adams are the top-rated players in Clemson’s class, and 4-star edge-rusher Ari Watford is also a top-50 player.
On the offensive side, tackles Brayden Jacobs and Easton Ware are linchpins who can guard the edges for years to come. Other strong players are sprinkled in as well, such as top-100 running back Gideon Davidson.
This is a strong start to what could be the kind of recruiting classes Clemson won titles with.
Stop if you’ve heard this one before: Kirby Smart is putting together a strong recruiting class.
With Nick Saban retired, Smart has taken the mantle as the best recruiting head coach in college football. Elite recruiting is why the Bulldogs won back-to-back titles in 2021 and 2022 and why they were one bad half away from perhaps winning another one last year.
You may look at UGA’s 10th-ranked recruiting class and not be too impressed. While the Bulldogs have only five commits, their class is currently comprised of two 5-star and three 4-star recruits.
Justus Terry is a 5-star defensive lineman who is the second-rated player at his position in the nation. Tight end Elyiss Williams is also a 5-star prospect and the top-ranked player at his position in the 247Sports composite rankings.
In the recent tradition of snagging top-tier linebackers, the Dawgs have another one coming in 4-star Jadon Perlotte. Tight end Ethan Barbour and running back Bo Walker also are 4-star prospects in the composite rankings.
All of Georgia’s commitments so far hail from the Peach State, but Smart is going to pull players from everywhere. This is just the start of what figures to be another great haul.
Brian Kelly has recruited well since coming to Baton Rouge, but he still isn’t being recognized as a top-of-the-heap recruiter alongside the classes put together by Alabama, Georgia, Texas, Ohio State and Texas A&M. This year’s LSU class may change that.
If the Tigers can sign all of their current commits and keep adding to their class, they’re going to challenge for the top group in the country.
A trio of 5-star playmakers lead the way for this second-ranked group, bolstered by quarterback Bryce Underwood. The 6’3.5″, 205-pound signal-caller is the No. 1 overall prospect in the class and is the most athletic player with the highest upside at the position in a long time.
Add in top-rated wide receiver Dakorien Moore and 5-star running back Harlem Berry, and this offense is going to churn out some big plays in the future. Four-star linemen Devin Harper and Tyler Miller will help pave the way for all of those plays.
Kelly revamped his defensive staff in the offseason, which was a major need after last year’s disaster. Recruits are responding to those moves, too. Elite cornerback Jaboree Antoine and linebacker Keylan Moses didn’t have to go far to play their college ball, and both guys eventually could be great.
Other schools could surge up the rankings as well, but this LSU class is rated second right now and is the top in overall quality. It should continue to stay at or near the top.
Notre Dame’s Marcus Freeman and Penn State’s James Franklin have both gotten a lot of players to commit early in the past few years. Freeman just has to do a better job of keeping recruits from flipping.
A few years ago, the Fighting Irish lost guys like Keon Keeley (Alabama) and Peyton Bowen (Oklahoma) to other programs, but Freeman stabilized the 2024 Notre Dame class. If he keeps the 2025 group together, he’ll compete for the top-rated class.
Notre Dame already has 18 commits, which would comprise a full class some years. Ten of them are 4-star prospects, which gives the Irish the top-ranked class as of now. There aren’t any 5-stars in the fold yet, which will keep Notre Dame from finishing with the top-rated class, but there is plenty of time to change that.
Of the current Irish commits, several are big-time athletes.
Southpaw 4-star quarterback Deuce Knight has huge upside and will battle CJ Carr for the future of the position in South Bend. Joining him in the class are 4-star tight end James Flanigan, 4-star running back Justin Thurman and 3-star wide receiver Elijah Burress. Four-star offensive tackle Owen Strebig looks like another in a long line of strong linemen, too.
Defensively, players like 4-star safety Ivan Taylor, 4-star edge-rusher Christopher Burgess Jr., and 3-star cornerback Cree Thomas should keep the Irish anchored on that side of the ball, too.
They must continue to build on both sides of the ball, but having 18 commits at this point is amazing. Freeman can be very selective from here on.
Whether it’s in high school or the transfer portal, the Buckeyes have recently raised their recruiting game. Head coach Ryan Day and Co. are doing big things once again on the trail in all facets, outfitting their roster looking for an annual championship run.
The nation’s fourth-ranked class already has a pair of 5-star pledges, and that doesn’t include quarterback Tavien St. Clair, who is 247Sports’ sixth-ranked overall prospect. The quality of the class rates up there with LSU.
The strength of this class is in the defensive backfield, as Jim Knowles is seemingly trying to get Ohio State back to producing first-round talent at the position every year in the NFL draft. The Buckeyes landed 5-star cornerbacks Devin Sanchez and Na’eem Oliver, the latter of whom was a stunning pull from the heart of SEC country. Throw in 4-star cornerback Blake Woodby, and this is a dynamic bunch.
Beyond St. Clair, offensive tackle Carter Lowe, edge-rusher Zahir Mathis and wide receiver Jayvin Boggs are all 4-star commits and high-upside players. It’s going to be fun to see how high the Buckeyes climb the recruiting rankings.
Texas is geared up for the SEC this year after a College Football Playoff run and loaded recruiting the past few cycles, but is Oklahoma? The “other” great Big 12 program took a large leap forward in 2023 by going 10-3.
Whether that will translate in the SEC remains to be seen, but the Sooners have done a great job stacking recruiting classes since head coach Brent Venables arrived a few years ago.
Oklahoma is arguably in a better position now than it was under former head coach Lincoln Riley. But the Sooners still have a ways to go in the toughness needed to withstand the rigors of the deepest conference.
The 2025 class is off to a nice start to help out. The Sooners have the sixth-ranked class early on, and while last year’s group brought the beef, this one has athletes in the fold right away.
Three-star quarterback Kevin Sperry is in the fold, and the Sooners are surrounding him with players on both sides of the ball, including 4-star pass-catcher Elijah Thomas. The best player in the class so far, though, is 4-star offensive tackle Ryan Fodje, who is the exact type of road-grader whom OU needs to thrive in the SEC.
Sperry will have some familiar faces around him in Carl Albert High School teammates Trynae Washington and Marcus James. Washington will likely slot in as a tight end, while James will probably play defense, likely at linebacker.
Behind Fodje and Thomas, there aren’t a lot of top-level prospects in this class yet. But nine commitments means the Sooners are off to a good start in numbers, and they can outfit the class with top targets the rest of the way.
They still need more difference-makers, but this is a good start, bolstered by a big year instate.
James Franklin must not love those end-of-the-cycle decisions by players looking for all the pizzazz and hubbub associated with recruiting, hat grabs and decisions. In his Penn State tenure, the Nittany Lions typically have their class in the bag by the time all of that happens.
Even though winning the Big Ten and competing for national championships have consistently eluded Franklin, he’s built a strong program this way. The 2025 recruiting class is off to a similar start.
The Nittany Lions have 11 commits thus far, and everybody in blue and white should be excited about the 4-star linebacker duo of DJ McClary and Dayshaun Burnette. That tandem has size, speed and a lot of ability in a position of need. Three-star linebacker Alex Tatsch isn’t as highly rated as McClary and Burnette, but he’s set to provide additional help at that position.
Penn State also landed 4-star running back Kiandrea Barker, which adds to an embarrassment of riches for Franklin and Co. at the position over the past three recruiting cycles. They seemingly get a great runner every year, and 3-star running back Tiqwai Hayes will join Barker in this class.
Barker’s high school teammate, 3-star quarterback Bekkem Kritza, is an intriguing prospect who isn’t highly rated but one that Franklin identified as a need. His high school career has gone from Colorado to California to Miami, back to Colorado and now back to Miami.
It’s fair to wonder whether that’s a red flag, but Franklin clearly likes Kritza’s ability. It bears watching whether if he can stick with a prep team and a college commitment.
When you have an electric offense and are known as a guru on that side of the ball, quarterbacks tend to flock to your program. That’s happening for Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel.
In the 2023 class, Heupel landed 5-star Nico Iamaleava, who is set to take over for the Vols this season. In last year’s class, they got 4-star Jake Merklinger, who is a high-upside signee who could develop into a strong starter.
Tennessee already has its signal-caller of the future in the fold for 2025, too. That would be 5-star George MacIntyre from Brentwood Academy outside of Nashville, whom Heupel identified early on as his biggest target and made the pledge back in January.
MacIntyre anchors a top-12 class that has a lot of quality players potentially on the cusp of pulling the trigger, too.
Texas tight end Jack Van Dorselaer is a major early pull at a huge position of need for the Vols. While instate 3-star receiver Joakim Dodson isn’t highly rated for now, his recruitment has blown up in recent weeks, and he might surge up the rankings.
A trio of Atlanta-area commitments in running back Justin Baker and cornerbacks Tyler Redmond and Dylan Lewis round out a class ofonly six pledges, but there is a lot to love about this start. MacIntyre is the nation’s third-rated quarterback behind LSU’s Bryce Underwood and Ohio State’s Tavien St. Clair, but he may be the best pure passer in the class.
The Vols still have plenty of work to do in the loaded SEC, but they’re getting there.
The biggest reason for Texas Tech to hire head coach Joey McGuire a few years ago was the recruiting ties he had in the Lone Star State. Boy, has it ever paid off.
Just how deep-rooted are McGuire’s ties? Two years ago, 22 of his 26 pledges were from Texas. In the 2024 cycle, all 21 signees were from instate, including 5-star receiver Micah Hudson.
This year, it’s more of the same. Of McGuire’s nine pledges, every single one of them are from right there in the high school football Mecca.
Why go anywhere else? Texas outfits the top teams around the nation with top-tier talent every year.
Stephenville’s Tristian Gentry is an elite wide receiver who leads McGuire’s commitments so far in this class, and Hitchcock quarterback Lloyd Jones is the guy whom McGuire hand-selected to be the man in this year’s class.
Wideout Leyton Stone and Isaiah Robertson will team with Gentry and join Hudson to give the Red Raiders a fast, diverse group of pass-catchers over the next few years. They are the clear strength of this year’s class so far.
Just how far up the rankings can Texas Tech go? If McGuire can keep convincing highly ranked recruits to play for the Red Raiders, the potential is limitless.
