The 2024 college football recruiting class is firmly in the rearview mirror. As coaches shift their focus to 2025 and beyond, we decided to look back at how several of the nation’s premier programs recruited this cycle compared to past years. We averaged out class rankings from the previous three cycles (2021-23) and compared them to our 2024 team rankings to determine which teams are trending up and down.
Georgia and Alabama battled for the No. 1 overall class for a second-straight year, with the Bulldogs pulling ahead of the Crimson Tide late. Fellow SEC teams, Texas (No. 6), LSU (No. 7), Oklahoma (No. 8) and Auburn (No. 10), joined the Bulldogs and Crimson Tide with top-10 classes. No other conference had more than two programs finish in the top 10.
Ohio State signed five-star wide receiver Jeremiah Smith, the nation’s No. 1 overall recruit, despite late charges from Florida State and Miami. Several other teams mentioned on this list, including Texas A&M, Tennessee, Penn State and Nebraska, inked a five-star recruit but are trending in different directions.
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Here are where some of the nation’s top college football programs are trending on the recruiting trail:
Trending Up: Auburn Tigers
2024 Class Ranking: No. 10
Average Class Ranking (2021-23): 19.3
Auburn is one of the highest risers on this list, thanks to Hugh Freeze’s efforts since taking the helm ahead of the 2023 season. Under former head coach Bryan Harsin, with some Gus Malzahn recruits mixed in, the Tigers finished at No. 19 and No. 21 in the recruiting rankings in 2021 and 2022, respectively. Auburn signed the No. 18 class in 2023 and just inked the fifth-best class in the SEC, headlined by five-star wide receiver Cam Coleman, the conference’s highest-rated offensive commit in 2024.
Trending Down: Texas A&M Aggies
2024 Class Ranking: No. 19
Average Class Ranking (2021-23): 8.0
It was always going to be hard for Texas A&M to recreate the recruiting magic used to sign the nation’s No. 1-ranked class in 2022. In fact, the Aggies signed four-straight top-10 classes from 2019-22. Disappointing results on the field dropped the program outside the top 15 the last two cycles, but there’s already hope that new head coach Mike Elko, and the university’s strong alumni base, will get the Aggies back in the top 10 for 2025.
Trending Up: Florida State Seminoles
2024 Class Ranking: No. 12
Average Class Ranking (2021-23): 20.7
Willie Taggart left Florida State recruiting in shambles. Though Mike Norvell hasn’t quite got the Seminoles into the upper-echelon of high school talent, his classes have improved year over year, and he just notched his highest-rated signing group overall at No. 12. Florida State didn’t land a five-star this cycle but pulled in a whopping 16 four-star prospects and 10 players rated in the Top247.
Trending Up: Tennessee Volunteers
2024 Class Ranking: No. 13
Average Class Ranking (2021-23): 16.3
Tennessee continues to trend up on the recruiting trail even though its 2024 class couldn’t quite match the top-10 haul Josh Heupel and Co. pulled in last season. The Volunteers signed its highest-rated recruit since 2009 in five-star quarterback Nico Iamaleava in 2023. Tennessee landed top-10 edge prospect Jordan Ross and got Iamaleava some added weapons with top-100 wide receivers Mike Matthews and Braylon Staley.
Trending Down: Penn State Nittany Lions
2024 Class Ranking: No. 15
Average Class Ranking (2021-23): 13.7
James Franklin is still searching for his first College Football Playoff appearance. His Nittany Lions haven’t recruited at the level of rival Ohio State and haven’t developed players to the extent Jim Harbaugh did at Michigan. Penn State signed the No. 6 overall class in 2022 but hasn’t achieved that same level of success in the two classes since, though five-star tight end Luke Reynolds looks like a future first-round NFL Draft pick.
Trending Up: Georgia Bulldogs
2024 Class Ranking: No. 1
Average Class Ranking (2021-23): 3.0
Georgia signed the No. 4 class in 2021 and has gradually crept up the rankings. The Bulldogs finished No. 3 in 2022, No. 2 in 2023 and atop the rankings at No. 1 overall this cycle. Five-star cornerback Ellis Robinson is the highest-rated defensive player to commit to an SEC school, and Kirby Smart and Co. further bolstered the defense with linebacker Justin Williams and safety KJ Bolden, both the top-ranked players at their positions. Alabama must find its footing under Kalen DeBoer, and Georgia is poised to strengthen its grip atop college football recruiting.
Trending Up: Notre Dame Fighting Irish
2024 Class Ranking: No. 9
Average Class Ranking (2021-23): 9.3
Notre Dame is arguably the most consistent recruiting team in the nation. The Fighting Irish pull in fringe top-10 classes year in and year out but are still looking for their first top-5 finish under head coach Marcus Freeman. Elite defensive lineman Bryce Young headlines Notre Dame’s 2024 class and is the first five-star prospect to commit to the Fighting Irish since Michael Mayer in 2020. Freeman and Co. signed 12 Top247 players in 2023 and eight this cycle.
Trending Down: Michigan Wolverines
2024 Class Ranking: No. 16
Average Class Ranking (2021-23): 13.0
Michigan built its 2024 national championship roster with little blue-chip talent in the fold, speaking to the Wolverines’ elite developmental staff. With Jim Harbaugh and strength coach Ben Herbert off to the NFL, head coach Sherrone Moore will have his work cut out for him. The Wolverines signed the No. 9 class in 2022 but tumbled down the rankings the last two years, finishing No. 17 and No. 16 in 2023 and 2024, respectively.
Trending Up: Nebraska Cornhuskers
2024 Class Ranking: No. 18
Average Class Ranking (2021-23): 28.7
Matt Rhule is a salesman. Nebraska went four cycles without a top-20 class until the former Baylor and Carolina Panthers coach came to town and quickly assembled the No. 18 class in the nation. Traits matter more than ratings for Rhule, and the Cornhuskers signed some freaks in 2024, including four-star tight end Carter Nelson and 6-foot-7 athlete Eric Ingwerson. Rhule also managed arguably the biggest win of the cycle in flipping five-star quarterback Dylan Raiola from Georgia. He’s the second-highest-rated recruit to commit to the Cornhuskers in the modern recruiting era.
Trending Down: Ohio State Buckeyes
2024 Class Ranking: No. 5
Average Class Ranking (2021-23): 3.3
Ohio State’s No. 5 finish in the recruiting rankings is actually the program’s lowest since 2020, which also finished at No. 5. However, nobody in Columbus is complaining about another top-5 class, especially one that includes the top overall prospect in wide receiver Jeremiah Smith. The Buckeyes did miss on several offensive line prospects, an area that is a projected weakness for the Buckeyes next season. Ohio State signed just three offensive linemen this cycle, and four-star IOL Ian Moore is the only one ranked in the Top247.
