Oregon, Florida lead the list of teams with most blue-chip commits on defense
The home stretch of the 2024 recruiting cycle has arrived, and most of the nation’s top recruits are already accounted for. Only one five-star prospect on the defensive side of the ball remains in the On3 Industry Ranking: Waco (Texas) Connally cornerback Kobe Black.
A handful of programs have loaded up with blue-chip prospects on the defensive side this cycle, highlighted by a few surprises from the (future) Big Ten and SEC.
Let’s take a look at the teams with the most blue-chip defensive commitments this cycle:
Oregon, Florida – 9
While Mario Cristobal recruited one side of the trenches extremely well at Oregon, the other side left much to be desired when he departed. Dan Lanning’s first priority was fixing that, and in the 2023 cycle, he signed 11 prospects who projected to play along the defensive line or at the EDGE spot. In 2024, the Ducks have gone heavy on commitments at all three levels of the defense.
The secondary, in particular, is an area where Oregon holds one of the nation’s best classes. Four-stars Ify Obidegwu, Aaron Flowers, Dakoda Fields and Kingston Lopa comprise the future of what could be a very good secondary for years to come in Eugene.
In Gainesville,, Billy Napier and his staff drastically needed to upgrade their defensive talent and have done so in a big way this cycle. Five-star safety Xavier Filsaime headlines a group that also features three top-150 linebackers in Myles Graham, Adarius Hayes, and Aaron Chiles. Four-star EDGE Jamonta Waller is the highest-ranked of a defensive line group that also includes coveted four-star Amaris Williams, On3 four-star Kendall Jackson and nose tackle Nasir Johnson.
Georgia, Ohio State, LSU – 8
It’s not much of a surprise to see any of these three teams near the top of this list, though the Tigers look to be the most in need of immediate help on defense. They’ll get a group of talented playmakers after loading up in the secondary with four-stars Cai Bates, Dashawn McBryde, Joel Rogers, Ondre Evans and Ju’Juan Johnson. And add to that the talented linebacker trio Xavier Atkins, Tylen Singleton and Kolaj Cobbins. Their biggest area of need now is defensive line, where they’ll hope to pull off a few flips or hit the transfer portal this offseason.
Two programs who haven’t struggled to recruit up front are Georgia and Ohio State. The Buckeyes have a pair of five-stars committed with Justin Scott and Eddrick Houston, along with a loaded secondary that features projected On3 five-star Aaron Scott Jr., top-60 cornerback Bryce West and On300 safety Jaylen McClain, among others.
Down in Athens, Georgia’s domination of defensive recruiting continues. Five-Star Plus+ linebacker and Five-Star Plus+ cornerback Ellis Robinson highlight a group that is as talented as any in the country. The Bulldogs also have projected five-star Joseph Jonah-Ajonye in the fold, along with four-stars Justin Greene, Chris Cole, Demello Jones, Jordan Thomas and more. And they’re also trending for borderline five-star Aydin Breland, set to announce next week.
Tennessee, Auburn – 7
The Vols have been known for stars on the offensive side of the ball, but Josh Heupel knows that to compete year in and year out in the SEC, you need defensive studs as well. There’s no shortage of those for Tennessee, as five-star EDGE Jordan Ross and top-150 cornerback Kaleb Beasley lead one of the nation’s deepest classes. Athlete Boo Carter is a dynamic two-way threat, and the Vols also have pledges from four-stars Edwin Spillman, Kellen Lindstrom, Marcus Goree and Jordan Burns.
Auburn is overhauling both sides of the roster — both with high school recruits and portal transfers. But Hugh Freeze’s staff has prioritized rebuilding the defense especially with elite linebackers Demarcus Riddick and Joseph Phillips leading the way. The Tigers also have five secondary commits who rank as four-stars in the On3 Industry Ranking and are looking to make a move with a few more, especially Florida State five-star commit KJ Bolden.
Texas A&M, Oklahoma, Michigan, Penn State, Alabama – 6
A host of teams sit with six blue-chip commitments on the side of the ball, all of whom nobody should be surprised to see on this list. Both Texas A&M and Oklahoma have built elite defensive line classes, while Michigan, Alabama and Penn State have four-stars across the board at all three levels.
Names to know from this group include David Stone, Nigel Smith, Dominick McKinley, Dealyn Evans, Zabien Brown, Jeremiah Beaman, Liam Andrews, Jon Mitchell, Jacob Oden and Jaden Smith.