Ranking Top 25 Recruiting Classes After 2026 National Signing Day
After several years of nonstop effort and communication, the 2026 recruiting cycle in college football is now history.
Most of the work has been finished since the early signing period in December, but the traditional February window is still the formal end.
Any prospect who needed more time—or requested a release from a letter of intent, often due to a coaching change—can send in his official paperwork.
As a result, with every i dotted and every t crossed nationwide, the best classes in the 2026 cycle are settled.
Data is from the 247Sports Composite Rankings.
25-21. West Virginia, Mississippi State, Illinois, Ole Miss and BYU
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25. West Virginia Mountaineers
Class: 48 commits (three 4-stars)
You want volume? How about this 48-man class for Rich Rodriguez, who returned to Morgantown last offseason and is completely revamping the roster after 50 players entered the transfer portal. West Virginia plucked two of Pennsylvania's top-rated recruits in offensive tackle Kevin Brown (75th) and safety Matt Sieg (183rd).
24. Mississippi State Bulldogs
Class: 30 commits (three 4-stars)
As long as Mississippi State is a real option for local recruits, Jeff Lebby has a chance to spark the program. This cycle, the Bulldogs landed a trio of in-state 4-star prospects with cornerback Bralan Womack (45th), edge Micah Nickerson (157th) and tight end Zayion Cotton (342nd).
23. Illinois Fighting Illini
Class: 31 commits (five 4-stars)
It's a similar story for Illinois, which has plenty of talent in the Chicago and St. Louis metro regions to target. The areas produced three of the Illini's five blue-chippers, led by 4-star corner Nick Hankins (134th) and also including wide receiver Nasir Rankin (304th) and safety Jacob Eberhart (416th).
22. Ole Miss Rebels
Class: 20 commits (seven 4-stars)
Ole Miss weathered the departure of Lane Kiffin, only seeing two 4-stars flip to LSU. Pete Golding needs to elevate the quantity of top high school signings in the future, but the Rebels added top-150 prospects with edge Landon Barnes (100th), wideout Jase Mathews (109th) and running back Damarius Yates (140th).
21. BYU Cougars
Class: 21 commits (seven 4-stars)
BYU believes it has nabbed its quarterback of the future with Ryder Lyons (46th), who's set to serve his LDS mission and enroll next spring. The timeline of his arrival, on paper, appears to overlap nicely with Bear Bachmeier after the latter took control of the BYU offense as a true freshman in 2025.
20-16. Clemson, South Carolina, North Carolina, Texas Tech and Florida
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20. Clemson Tigers
Class: 22 commits (10 4-stars)
Dabo Swinney has (finally) taken a few more swings in the transfer portal this offseason, but traditional recruiting will remain his ethos. There's work to be done here, too. Clemson's lone top-100 signing is wide receiver Naeem Burroughs (66th), although safety Kentavion Anderson (112th) is just outside that range.
19. South Carolina Gamecocks
Class: 17 commits (10 4-stars)
On the opposite side of the Palmetto rivalry, South Carolina has a little more flash in its class. Edge-rusher Julian Walker (37th), cornerback J'Zavien Currence (67th) and defensive tackle Aiden Harris (89th) are top-100 players, and quarterback Landon Duckworth (143rd) is a respected 4-star at the most important position.
18. North Carolina Tar Heels
Class: 40 commits (12 4-stars)
Within this enormous class, North Carolina added players from 18 different states. That's not necessarily a criticism—WVU's list includes 25 states—as talent is talent. Simultaneously, it's fair to say Bill Belichick must establish some pipelines to survive the college landscape. Four-star cornerback Kenton Dopson (133rd) is UNC's highest-rated prospect.
17. Texas Tech Red Raiders
Class: 21 commits (one 5-star, eight 4-stars)
Winning up front—both offensively and defensively—proved critical to Texas Tech's success in 2025, and that's reflected in this group. The headliners are 5-star edge LaDamion Guyton (26th) and 4-star offensive tackle Felix Ojo. The Red Raiders signed four prospects on offense and four on defense in the trenches.
16. Florida Gators
Class: 19 commits (14 4-stars)
Although the Gators have a relatively small quantity of signings in 2026, the quality is solid. Florida inked a couple of top-100 players in receiver Davian Groce (54th) and corner CJ Bronaugh (91st) with eight more top-300 targets.
15-11. Oklahoma, Florida State, Washington, Michigan and LSU
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15. Oklahoma Sooners
Class: 24 commits (12 4-stars)
On the heels of a College Football Playoff trip, Oklahoma has a good mix of freshmen and transfers in 2026. The freshman crop includes three top-100 prospects in edge-rusher Jake Kruel (72nd), running back Jonathan Hatton Jr. (81st) and quarterback Bowe Bentley (88th).
14. Florida State Seminoles
Class: 33 commits (12 4-stars)
The outlook around Florida State is less positive, but if there's a bright side, it's this recruiting class. Most notably, the Seminoles' top three signings are defenders: cornerback Chauncey Kennon (59th), linebacker Izayia Williams (136th) and defensive lineman Earnest Rankins (172nd).
13. Washington Huskies
Class: 25 commits (one 5-star, 11 4-stars)
As you'd expect, California is the main source of recruiting fuel—and features UW's top signing, 5-star offensive tackle Kodi Greene. However, the Dawgs protected the state and landed four of the eight highest-rated players, including edge Derek Colman-Brusa (156th) and linebacker Ramzak Fruean (294th).
12. Michigan Wolverines
Class: 22 commits (two 5-stars, 10 4-stars)
Michigan infiltrated the DMV—not that one—to secure the foundation of its class. In addition to 5-star edge Carter Meadows and 5-star runner Savion Hiter, the Wolverines inked 4-star receiver Travis Johnson and 4-star edge Tariq Boney from the Washington D.C. and Virginia areas.
11. LSU Tigers
Class: 17 commits (two 5-stars, 10 4-stars)
Lane Kiffin, the Portal King, unsurprisingly is leaning on transfers for his debut season at LSU. Nevertheless, the Tigers are bringing in serious talent on the defensive line with 5-stars Lamar Brown (third) and Richard Anderson (17th) plus 4-stars Deuce Geralds (55th) and Trenton Henderson (85th).
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10-6. Texas A&M, Miami, Tennessee, Texas and Georgia
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10. Texas A&M Aggies
Class: 26 commits (one 5-star, 23 4-stars)
Nestled in a recruiting hotbed, the Aggies somehow managed to sign six of their top-seven recruits from outside Texas. The main prize, 5-star corner Brandon Arrington (eighth), is from California. Texas A&M also found success in Georgia with defensive lineman Bryce Perry-Wright (65th), receiver Aaron Gregory (98th) and edge Tristian Givens (139th).
9. Miami Hurricanes
Class: 30 commits (one 5-star, 22 4-stars)
The headliner of the haul is 5-star offensive tackle Jackson Cantwell (second), a strong contender to start immediately in 2026. Miami also nicely reinforced its pass-catching corps with receiver Somourian Wingo (64th), tight end Gavin Mueller (76th) and wideout Milan Parris (111th).
8. Tennessee Volunteers
Class: 29 commits (two 5-stars, 13 4-stars)
Don't mind Tennessee fans, they're just busy dreaming of 5-star quarterback Faizon Brandon (10th) throwing touchdowns to 5-star receiver TK Keys (13th) in 2026 and beyond. Given what UT must replace—unless QB Joey Aguilar gets a waiver—both players have an opportunity to earn significant roles as freshmen.
7. Texas Longhorns
Class: 24 commits (three 5-stars, 13 4-stars)
Texas supporters are having similar visions of 5-star Dia Bell (18th) seamlessly following Arch Manning after 2026. But the Longhorns also boast a pair of 5-star defenders, linebacker Tyler Atkinson (30th) and edge Richard Wesley (31st), in this impressive class of 10 top-140 players.
6. Georgia Bulldogs
Class: 31 commits (one 5-star, 22 4-stars)
Tied for the lowest-ranked class in Kirby Smart's tenure at Georgia, this is hardly a bad cycle for the Dawgs. Offensive tackle Ekene Ogboko (36th) earned a 5-star billing, and tight end Kaiden Prothro (38th) narrowly missed. Granted, this was the first time since 2022 that UGA didn't sign the state's top prospect.
5-1. Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oregon, Alabama and USC
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5. Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Class: 30 commits (four 5-stars, 20 4-stars)
Marcus Freeman is a force on the recruiting trail. This latest haul is bringing to South Bend a quartet of 5-stars: edge Rodney Dunham (seventh), tight end Ian Premer (20th), corner Khary Adams (23rd) and safety Joey O'Brien (27th).
4. Ohio State Buckeyes
Class: 29 commits (three 5-stars, 16 4-stars)
Along with signing yet another 5-star receiver with Chris Henry Jr. (14th), the Buckeyes nabbed the highest-ranked prospect from Ohio, Pennsylvania and Indiana. Those players are, respectively, linebacker Cincere Johnson (16th), cornerback Jay Timmons (24th) and wide receiver Jerquaden Guilford (44th).
3. Oregon Ducks
Class: 22 commits (four 5-stars, 14 4-stars)
Immanuel Iheanacho (11th) should contend for a starting job on the offensive line right away, and Oregon inked three more 5-stars. But there's also a substantial infusion of 4-star talent in the secondary with safety Jett Washington (39th), safety Devin Jackson (62nd) and cornerback Davon Benjamin (83rd).
2. Alabama Crimson Tide
Class: 35 commits (four 5-stars, 10 4-stars)
Despite what it seemed like in early January, the sky is not falling at Alabama. This class offers a prescient reminder, given that Kalen DeBoer and Co. signed 5-stars in running back Ezavier Crowell (15th), edge Xavier Griffin (22nd), cornerback Jorden Edmonds (28th) and safety Jireh Edwards (32nd).
1. USC Trojans
Class: 36 commits (three 5-stars, 19 4-stars)
USC, meanwhile, is banking on the 2026 cycle to bolster its trek toward consistent relevance again. The best class in the country has 13 top-150 prospects, led by edge Luke Wafle (sixth), tight end Mark Bowman (29th) and defensive tackle Jaimeon Winfield (35th) as the 5-star centerpieces.
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