A by-the-numbers look at 5-star recruits in the past 10 classes
Let’s look at the numbers surrounding consensus five-star recruits — specifically, consensus five-star recruits in the past 10 recruiting classes (2012-21). We’ll look at which league signed the most, which school signed the most and which state produced the most.
Spoiler alert: If you’re surprised by any of the “winners,” well, you haven’t been paying much attention to recruiting.
Here we go.
5-star recruits by conference
SEC: 155
The buzz: While the league at the top should surprise no one, the gap between No. 1 and No. 2 is somewhat startling. Twice during our span, SEC schools signed 20 five-star prospects and four other times they signed at least 15. SEC schools signed double-digit five-star guys every year during our span — and no other league reached double figures even once. (Read that sentence again.)
ACC: 52
The buzz: Interestingly, the best year for the ACC was 2012, the first year of our span, when nine five-star guys signed (six of those were with Florida State). ACC schools have signed exactly six five-star prospects in four of the past five classes; the outlier was 2019, with just one.
Big Ten: 48
The buzz: The first five classes during our span had just 14 five-star signees; the past five have had 34, including 13 in the past two. The recent surge coincides with Ohio State becoming an elite recruiting force.
Pac-12: 44
The buzz: The 2013, ’15 and ’17 classes account for 21 of these signees. The past three classes? Just seven total, with Oregon signing four of those (and USC only one).
Big 12: 23
The buzz: From 2012-17, league teams signed just 10 (that’s 10 in six classes). The high mark in our 10-year look was five in 2019 (as a comparison, that’s how many Georgia alone signed that year). The low was zero in 2017; that’s one of five times in our span that Big 12 schools signed two or fewer.
Others: 8
The buzz: Three of these came in the 2012 class, when Rutgers and Pitt (both then in the Big East) signed one each. Notre Dame has signed five of the eight, and Houston signed the other.
5-star recruits by school
Alabama: 46
The buzz: This shouldn’t be a surprise, either. Nick Saban oversees a recruiting machine.
Georgia: 34
The buzz: The Bulldogs have signed 20 five-star guys in the past four classes.
Ohio State: 27
The buzz: Urban Meyer cranked up the Buckeyes’ recruiting efforts, and Ryan Day has kept it going.
Clemson: 21
The buzz: Clemson signed five five-star guys in the five classes from 2012-16, then 16 in the past five classes
USC: 21
The buzz: The best recruiting school on the West Coast in our span — but what has it gotten the Trojans?
Florida State: 19
The buzz: As Clemson has ascended to the top of the ACC, FSU has faded. The Seminoles signed all 19 of these guys from 2012-17; that means zero in the past four classes.
LSU: 19
The buzz: The Tigers consistently reel in five-stars guys, with between one and four signed in each of the past eight classes.
Texas A&M: 14
The buzz: From 2012-15, the Aggies signed nine five-star recruits, then hit a lull until 2019, when Jimbo Fisher’s recruiting ability started to show.
Florida: 10
The buzz: An average of one five-star recruit a year? Embarrassing, considering how much high school talent there is in Florida.
Texas: 10
The buzz: An average of one five-star recruit a year? Embarrassing, considering how much high school talent there is in Texas.
Auburn: 9
The buzz: The Tigers have signed two five-star guys total in the past four classes.
Ole Miss: 9
The buzz: We could make a comment about Hugh Freeze and his recruiting tactics, but we will refrain.
UCLA: 9
The buzz: Truthfully, it’s a surprise that UCLA has signed this many.
Michigan: 8
The buzz: An underwhelming total for a program of this stature.
Oklahoma: 7
The buzz: Another underwhelming total, though OU certainly has gotten more from its recruiting efforts than Michigan.
Oregon: 7
The buzz: Three of these came in one class, in 2020. Mario Cristobal has ramped up the Ducks’ recruiting efforts.
Miami: 6
The buzz: As with Florida, this is an embarrassing number. And consider that two of these came in the 2021 class.
Penn State: 6
The buzz: Half of these came in the 2018 class.
Stanford: 6
The buzz: Not a bad total, really, but they came in just three classes — two in 2012, one in 2014 and three in 2017.
Notre Dame: 5
The buzz: A surprisingly low total. Yes, there are stringent academic requirements — but one fewer than Stanford?
Tennessee: 5
The buzz: There were two in 2015, one in ’17 and two in ’19.
Maryland: 4
The buzz: Mike Locksley has signed one five-star in each of the past two classes.
Mississippi State: 3
The buzz: The hit rate is 100 percent: Chris Jones, Jeffrey Simmons and Charles Cross.
Washington: 3
The buzz: You’d expect two or three more from the Huskies in this department.
Baylor: 2
The buzz: There was one in 2013 and one in ’14.
Missouri: 2
The buzz: Dorial Green-Beckham was the nation’s top recruit in 2012. Suffice to say, he didn’t pan out for Mizzou.
North Carolina: 2
The buzz: Expect this number to climb under Mack Brown.
South Carolina: 2
The buzz: Both signed in 2017, when Will Muschamp was coach. No one ever has doubted Muschamp’s recruiting ability. But as fans at Florida and South Carolina can tell you, it’s coaching those recruits where Muschamp fell short.
Virginia: 2
The buzz: Both came in 2014, during the ill-fated Mike London era.
Wisconsin: 2
The buzz: Not surprising that both were offensive tackles.
Arkansas: 1
The buzz: DE McTelvin Agim was the guy, in 2016.
California: 1
The buzz: WR Demetris Robertson was the guy, in 2016. He’s now at Auburn after a stop at Georgia, too.
Houston: 1
The buzz: Hometown hero DT Ed Oliver was the guy, in 2016.
Iowa: 1
The buzz: DE A.J. Epenesa was the guy, in 2017.
Michigan State: 1
The buzz: Star-crossed DT Malik McDowell was the guy, in 2014.
Oregon State: 1
The buzz: G Isaac Seumalo was the guy, in 2012.
Pitt: 1
The buzz: RB Rushel Shell was the guy, in 2012, when Pitt was in the Big East
Rutgers: 1
The buzz: DE Darius Hamilton was the guy, in 2012, when Rutgers was in the Big East.
TCU: 1
The buzz: RB Zach Evans, who had one of the … ahem … most interesting recruitments in recent years, was the guy, in 2020.
Virginia Tech: 1
The buzz: Future All-Pro CB Kendall Fuller was the guy, in 2013.
5-star recruits by state
Note: This includes players who went to boarding/private schools in states other than their home state; for example, a player who spent his final high school year at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla., counts as a state of Florida signee, not as a signee from his true home state. (There have been 14 IMG players who have been designated as five-star prospects, and three are Florida natives.)
Florida: 59
Texas: 46
Georgia: 39
California: 37
Alabama: 16
Louisiana: 14
Virginia: 14
Mississippi: 9
North Carolina: 9
Pennsylvania: 9
Maryland: 8
Ohio: 8
Washington: 7
Arizona: 6
New Jersey: 6
Tennessee: 5
Washington, D.C.: 5
Illinois: 4
Michigan: 4
Indiana: 3
South Carolina: 3
Hawaii: 2
Kentucky: 2
Missouri: 2
Nevada: 2
Oklahoma: 2
Oregon: 2
Utah: 2
Arkansas: 1
Connecticut: 1
Delaware: 1
New York: 1
West Virginia: 1
RELATED CONTENT: On3’s 2022 football prospect rankings
(Top photo of Nick Saban: Todd Kirkland/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)