High school football recruiting soon takes a backseat as the spring transfer portal window opens Tuesday, but that does not mean staffs across the country are completely neglecting roster management for the future. The chase for the recruiting champion in the 2025 class is heating up as a new No. 1 sits atop the team rankings.
Ohio State surged to the top spot with recent commitments in April, passing Notre Dame, which long held the position following a strong early start to the 2025 cycle. Momentum will continue to build for the Buckeyes and Fighting Irish, as well as other power programs this spring with the start of the contact period on Monday. Coaches can once again make in-person visits off campus for the next five weeks.
The early signing period is 33 weeks away with the new start date moved to Dec. 4 for the 2025 class. So, which teams have the early edge in the recruiting race?
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Below is a look at the top 25 recruiting classes for the 2025 cycle as of Monday (April 15) at 12:25 p.m. ET:
18. Texas Longhorns — 133.20
Commits: 6
Texas sits just inside the top 20 of the team recruiting rankings for the 2025 class, but its average Composite rating for the six early commits ranks fourth-best nationally. Four of the Longhorns commits are Top247 prospects with Dallas (Texas) Skyline Elijah Barnes being the latest newcomer on Friday. Head coach Steve Sarkisian and the staff proved they can hang with the other SEC powers ahead of its conference move in July.
16. Miami Hurricanes — 137.61
Commits: 7
Miami nearly doubled its number of commitments in the 2025 class during the past three weeks. The Hurricanes added a trio of new pledges in the cycle with Leo (Ind.) Top247 tight end Brock Schott being the latest on Saturday. Mario Cristobal helped secure back-to-back top 10 classes nationally in the previous two cycles and could be in position for a third-straight. Four of the seven early commitments for Miami rate as four-star recruits.
15. UCF Knights — 140.22
Commits: 8
UCF proved it can be one of the best recruiting programs in the Big 12 with an impressive haul in the 2024 cycle. Now, the Knights are backing up those efforts with another strong class of early commitments for 2025. UCF added two new pledges so far in April with Cincinnati (Ohio) Anderson three-star tight end Caden Piening and Covington (Ga.) Newton three-star defensive lineman RyShawn Perry locked in on the Knights. UCF currently sits second among Big 12 programs in the 2025 team recruiting rankings.
12. Texas Tech Red Raiders — 153.60
Commits: 10
Texas Tech is on track to secure the top-ranked class in the Big 12 for the second consecutive cycle. The Red Raiders are the only conference member with double-digit commitments so far in the 2025 class, but gained just one new pledge since the beginning of February. Texas Tech is accustomed to fast starts on the recruiting trail under Joey McGuire and could see another influx of commitments this spring and summer. Mineral Wells (Texas) three-star athlete Preztynn Harrison joined the Red Raiders early haul in late March.
7. Alabama Crimson Tide — 197.78
Commits: 10
Alabama typically did not make its big recruiting push until the summer months under Nick Saban. However, new head coach Kalen DeBoer and the staff in Tuscaloosa are wasting no time putting together a strong early haul in the 2025 cycle. Since the beginning of March, the Crimson Tide added eight new commitments, including four Top247 prospects. Eastman (Ga.) Dodge County four-star linebacker Darrell Johnson headlines the class up to this point as one of four top 100 recruits locked in to Alabama.
4. USC Trojans — 218.71
Commits: 12
USC is among the hottest teams on the recruiting trail in April with six new commitments in the 2025 class since the beginning of the month. The Trojans soared up the team rankings and into the top five for this current cycle. Lincoln Riley and USC also made big moves in March, adding a trio of top 100 recruits, including flipping Manchester (Ga.) five-star defensive lineman Justus Terry from Georgia. There is still a long way to go until the end of the 2025 cycle, but the Trojans are tracking to potentially build their highest-ranked recruiting class since Riley arrived in 2022.
3. LSU Tigers — 235.03
Commits: 12
Brian Kelly and LSU maintain their spot in the top three of the team recruiting rankings for the 2025 class. A pair of five-star commits — Belleville (Mich.) quarterback Bryce Underwood and Duncanville (Texas) wide receiver Dakorien Moore — headline the early haul en route to Baton Rouge. The Tigers added three more four-star pledges to the class since the beginning of March, including Top247 offensive tackle Tyler Miller from Laurel (Miss.) LSU looks to secure its third consecutive top-10 recruiting class.
2. Notre Dame Fighting Irish — 249.85
Commits: 19
Notre Dame still has the largest haul of early commitments up to this point as it approaches 20 pledges in the 2025 class. The Fighting Irish held the No. 1 spot in the team recruiting rankings for most of the early portions of the cycle, but added just two new pledges since the beginning of March. Notre Dame holds commitments from five Top247 recruits so far after landing Philadelphia (Pa.) St. Joseph’s Prep School safety Anthony Sacca in late March.
1. Ohio State Buckeyes — 255.50
Commits: 13
Ohio State grabbed a hold of the top spot in the early 2025 team recruiting rankings with a pair of new commitments on Saturday shortly after the spring game. The Buckeyes added to their list of Top247 pledges this cycle with Washington (Okla.) tight end Nate Roberts joining the significant early haul. Ohio State also landed Cleveland (Ohio) St. Ignatius three-star safety Cody Haddad. Not only do Ryan Day and Ohio State occupy the No. 1 ranking in the 2025 recruiting race, they also own the highest average Composite rating per commit in the class — 94.69.
