The postseason lineup is set. The transfer portal is open. And the early signing period begins in a few weeks.
Let’s get into some (more) recruiting thoughts to set the table for the rest of December. Part 1 was published yesterday.
• Michigan’s 2024 class currently ranks No. 16 nationally in the 247Sports Composite. There are no five-star prospects, though three of the 25 members in the class are ranked in the top 100, including quarterback Jadyn Davis of Charlotte (N.C.) Providence Day School. This is a difficult situation to break down. On the surface, the Wolverines are not recruiting well enough to maintain the program they have become under Jim Harbaugh. Michigan has won three straight games over Ohio State — despite being at a stark talent disadvantage on paper — and has gone on to win the Big Ten and make the College Football Playoff in all three of those seasons.
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• Before and during Michigan’s resurgence, I’ve maintained that the Wolverines aren’t equipped from a talent standpoint to compete at the highest level in the sport. Though Michigan hasn’t won a Playoff game (yet), it’s become abundantly clear that I’ve been wrong. Michigan has defeated Ohio State three times — twice with ease — and now is a betting favorite against Alabama in the Playoff semifinal. That means Michigan has done such a phenomenal job evaluating and in the portal that it’s hard to criticize Harbaugh’s classes, even if on paper it seems like they haven’t met the standard.
Know where we at this weekend〽️…#GoBlue @CoachKCampbell
— Jadyn Davis (@iamjadyndavis) November 24, 2023
• By now, Michigan fans were hoping the Wolverines would have turned on the jets in recruiting and started signing classes with eight or more top-100 players. Michigan hasn’t done that. Why is that? Maybe due to NIL limitations or Harbaugh’s consistent flirtation with the NFL or now, maybe, the program’s issues with the NCAA, which causes uncertainty with the future. But one thing is for sure: Michigan has done a tremendous job in the transfer portal and in player development, which shows up in the NFL Draft numbers. Yes, there are more three-stars on Michigan’s roster than Ohio State’s, but those may be unfair evaluations given those players have clearly produced more than their recruiting rankings indicate.
• If there is one thing we could learn from Georgia, it’s that a program — regardless of where it’s located — needs to go national in recruiting to win big. Georgia’s ascension coincided directly with the Bulldogs kicking their recruiting into overdrive. This brings us to LSU, which has a class that ranks No. 14 nationally. But here is the kicker: 16 of the Tigers’ 26 commitments are in-state prospects. On one hand, I want to give Brian Kelly a lot of credit for making sure LSU didn’t give up its dominance in the state. The Tigers have commitments from all but three of the top 10 players in Louisiana (and are favored to land another one). That’s very good. What isn’t good is that LSU doesn’t have a single five-star prospect committed. Where is all of the national star power this program usually signs to complement its in-state dominance? This must change if Kelly has any designs of returning the Tigers to the national stage.
• There are only four programs that currently have three five-star prospects committed. Texas is one of them. The Longhorns just made the Playoff for the first time, but that doesn’t mean their roster hasn’t always been loaded. It has. There are too many good players in the state of Texas for the Longhorns to ever be left wanting for more, which makes going national a little easier, too. Texas’ three-star prospects include an offensive lineman out of California (Brandon Baker), a receiver out of St. Louis (Ryan Wingo) and an edge rusher from in-state (Colin Simmons). Texas’ class ranks No. 10 nationally and includes four top-100 players.
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• Texas’ class could be better, though. The Horns just haven’t been good enough in the state. The top 18 players in the Lone Star State are ranked in the top 100 nationally. Texas has commitments from one (Simmons). In a banner year on the field, you’d think the Longhorns would be crushing it in-state. Texas could be on the verge of signing a mega class, but it isn’t.
• The same goes for Texas A&M. The Aggies, too, have a commitment from only two of the 18 top-100 national players in-state It’s more understandable that Texas A&M is in this position, though, given the Aggies had a poor season on the field and just committed to pay Jimbo Fisher more than $70 million to not work. Texas A&M hired former defensive coordinator Mike Elko to take Fisher’s place, so it will be interesting to see how the Aggies finish the 2024 cycle. So far, Texas A&M’s class ranks No. 17 overall, with three top-100 players committed. Can Elko and his staff add to the class in the next few weeks?
• USC has done a poor job in this cycle. There is no other way to say it. The Trojans will not sign any of the four top-75 national prospects from nearby Mater Dei, though we don’t know how heavily the staff pursued them. But this isn’t just a Mater Dei problem. In total, it looks as though USC is going to sign only three of the 12 players from California who rank in the top 100 nationally. When Lincoln Riley took the job, I thought he was going to own the state in recruiting and, frankly, he hasn’t. USC’s class ranks No. 18 nationally and has three top-100 players, so it isn’t terrible. It just isn’t elite, which is what the Trojans expect from their head coach.
• Luke Fickell is flirting with signing a top-25 class in his first full cycle at Wisconsin. That’s been done only once in the modern recruiting era (No. 16 in 2021). Wisconsin currently has 21 commitments (including three top-250 prospects) in a class that ranks No. 24 nationally. That’s a solid foundational class for Fickell’s build. The one thing that isn’t great is the lack of high-end skill position talent. The highest-rated player in the class is a running back, but there isn’t a quarterback or a receiver set to sign with Wisconsin who ranks in the top 300 nationally. Wisconsin did land four-star quarterback Mabrey Mettauer out of The Woodlands, Texas, which is probably something previous staffs at the school wouldn’t have pulled off.
• Oklahoma’s second season under Brent Venables started off with a bang on the field, which was a nice change from the losing season the Sooners suffered through in Year 1. It didn’t end the way Venables wanted, but the future looks bright. One thing has been undeniable about Oklahoma since Venables took over — a resurgence in recruiting results. In the 2023 cycle, Oklahoma had one of the best classes in program history — even better than Riley’s top classes — and the Sooners are back at it in 2024. This year’s class has 27 commitments, including five ranked in the top 100 and two five-stars. The best part about Oklahoma’s class is the diversity. It’s not just all skill position players and quarterbacks. It has defensive linemen, receivers, tight ends and edge rushers in the top half of the class. It still has a ways to go before it is on par with Alabama or Georgia, which is going to be its new competition in the SEC, but Venables and his staff are doing a nice job.
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• Tennessee’s class ranks No. 12 nationally and includes commitments from two five-star prospects in edge rusher Jordan Ross of Birmingham (Ala.) Vestavia Hills and receiver Mike Matthews of Lilburn (Ga.) Parkview. Give the Vols staff credit for grabbing some elite talent from the backyards of two of the program’s biggest rivals. That said, Tennessee has been viewed as an NIL juggernaut that has the resources to buy big-time recruiting classes. There is some star power at the top of the class, but only three of the 20 commitments rank in the top 100 nationally. The Vols’ average player rating of 91.70 is strong, but this isn’t a mega class by any stretch.
• Alabama has 20 commitments and its class ranks No. 4 nationally. Seven of the Crimson Tide’s commits rank in the top 100 nationally, including five-star quarterback Julian Sayin of Carlsbad (Calif.) High. But Alabama has actually lost the in-state recruiting battle to Auburn, which flipped five-star receiver Cam Coleman of Phenix City Central — the No. 1 player in the state — from Texas A&M on Dec. 1. Auburn landed three of the top five and four of the top 10 players in Alabama in this cycle, all of whom rank in the top 125 nationally. Alabama’s class is more than fine, but it’s interesting how Georgia and Alabama both are going to sign top-five classes without dominating in their own states.
GO DEEPER
College football is as scared of the unknown as the known, and rightfully so
(Photo: Aaron J. Thornton / Getty Images)
