Ohio State, Alabama, Georgia lead with top recruiting classes since 2021
While the advent of the NCAA Transfer Portal has slightly diminished some of the excitement around landing top recruiting classes, the impact on the field of bringing in elite high school prospects every year is more apparent than it’s ever been.
Programs like Georgia, Alabama and Ohio State are representative of that each year in the College Football Playoff race, and the likes of LSU, Texas and Oregon are also breaking into that group in recent years. Over the past couple years, those programs — as well as a handful of others — have dominated the top of the On3 Industry Team Recruiting Rankings.
Below are the top 10 programs in average class ranking from the 2021-2024 recruiting cycles:
1) Alabama
Avg. Ranking (2021-24): 1.5
The Nick Saban era in Tuscaloosa ended much the same way it began, with the Crimson Tide competing for national championships and recruiting at an elite level. Even with some of the defections from Alabama’s 2024 class after Saban announced his retirement, they still finished with the No. 2 class, including two five-stars and 16 four-stars.
Alabama finished with the nation’s No. 1 class twice in the four-year span and landed a whopping 20 five-star prospects during that time frame.
2) Georgia
Avg. Ranking (2021-24): 2.25
As Alabama’s run as college football’s superpower has waned, Georgia has taken up the mantle both on the field and on the recruiting trail. In the past four cycles, Kirby Smart and Co. have signed 16 five-stars and 67 four-stars. The Bulldogs have top-end depth at every position and are primed to contend for the College Football Playoff again in the 2024-25 season.
3) Ohio State
Avg. Ranking (2021-24): 3.25
The Buckeyes round out recruiting’s big three and have grabbed that spot away from Clemson in recent years. Ryan Day and his staff have finished in the top five every year since 2021, including the No. 2 overall class that year. In that cycle, the Buckeyes landed an eye-popping seven five-star commitments.
In total over the four years, they landed 12 five-star signees and added Five-Star Plus+ quarterback Julian Sayin as a transfer in 2024.
t-4) LSU
Avg. Ranking (2021-24): 7
As the Ed Orgeron era became the Brian Kelly era in Baton Rouge, the Tigers have maintained their status as a destination for elite prospects both inside the Boot and out of it. After a slight drop-off in the 2022 cycle in the midst of the coaching change, they’ve landed back-to-back classes ranked in the top-7 nationally. That includes two in-state five-stars in the 2024 cycle, and they currently hold the nation’s No. 1 class in 2025.
t-4) Oregon
Avg. Ranking (2021-24): 7
In his last few years in Eugene, Mario Cristobal amassed talent at an elite clip, and Dan Lanning has only upped the ante since he took over. In his first two full recruiting classes, Lanning’s Ducks have finished No. 7 and No. 5 in the team rankings, highlighted by a 2024 class that might be the deepest in the entire country.
While offensive line and the skill positions were key focuses for Cristobal, Oregon has prioritized defense — and particularly trench defenders — in the past two classes.
t-4) Texas
Avg. Ranking (2021-24): 7
Texas has always had the potential for truly elite recruiting, and it has reached the top echelons a few times over the past two decades. But the level of consistently great talent being brought in by Steve Sarkisian is a bit unheard of. Prior to Sark taking over in 2020, the Longhorns finished with the No. 14 class nationally. Since then, they’ve finished No. 5, No. 3 and No. 6 and severely upgraded the talent on their roster. Quarterback recruiting has drawn the headlines with the likes of Quinn Ewers and Arch Manning, but as they prepared to move to the SEC, the Longhorns have been recruiting offensive and defensive linemen at an elite level.
Best of the rest
7) Oklahoma
Avg. Ranking (2021-24): 7.5
8) Miami
Avg. Ranking (2021-24): 9
9) Notre Dame
Avg. Ranking (2021-24): 9.75
10) Texas A&M
Avg. Ranking (2021-24): 10.25