12 Programs That Have Recruited Well Enough to Compete for Next Season's Title
Stars matter in college football. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise.
While fans all across the country love a good story about a lesser-known recruit competing for the Heisman Trophy or a program built on 3-stars (or less) making a run at the national championship, the best of the best in college football are the ones that usually win big on national signing day.
As Bud Elliott of SB Nation noted in his recruiting breakdown of past national title contenders last year, the benchmark for legitimate national championship hopes is "bringing in more 4- and 5-star recruits than lesser-rated players in a four-class cycle."
Of course, recruiting isn't the only factor in a national championship contender. Teams have to develop that talent into top college players, and there will be plenty of busts and diamonds in the rough each year. However, as Elliott also wrote in 2014, each national champion since the dawn of recruiting rankings has been able to build its roster mainly on blue-chip talent.
With the 2016 recruiting cycle heading into a busy final two weeks, let's project the teams that on paper have the talent already in place to compete for a national championship this fall.
This is purely based on average recruiting rankings from the last three cycles and the teams' current spots in the 247Sports composite rankings. (These numbers are subject to change in the next few days with new commitments.)
Again, surprise stories such as Michigan State, Iowa, Baylor and TCU happen each season—although those teams are starting to rise in recruiting, too. But these are the top teams that should have the talent in place to win it all.
Alabama
1 of 13
Average recruiting class ranking (2013-2016): 2.75
To the shock of (hopefully) no one in the world of college football, defending national champion Alabama should continue to be in the title hunt for quite a while thanks to the system of recruiting dominance Nick Saban has built in Tuscaloosa.
Heading into its 2015 national title campaign, Alabama had signed the nation's No. 1 recruiting class in the previous five cycles. From 2013 to 2015 alone, the Crimson Tide netted 18 recruits with consensus 5-star ratings and 41 with 4-star ratings.
Former 2013 5-stars Jonathan Allen (the team's sack leader), Reuben Foster, Robert Foster and title game MVP O.J. Howard will be back for a chance at back-to-back national championships this fall.
To show how stacked Alabama's roster is from its recruiting stranglehold, recent 5-stars such as Da'Shawn Hand, Rashaan Evans and Kendall Sheffield haven't broken into the starting lineups yet. At most other programs in the country, they would've had chances to be top players from the moment they stepped onto campus.
Alabama's run of No. 1 classes looks like it may come to an end in 2016, as the Tide currently sit in eighth with less than two weeks until national signing day. But with eight different consensus 5-stars currently listed in the Tide's "top targets" from 247Sports, a strong finish is in store for the defending champs.
Ohio State
2 of 13
Average recruiting class ranking (2013-2016): 3.25
Ohio State was already a strong recruiting powerhouse before Urban Meyer took over as head coach. But Meyer has taken the Buckeyes to the next level in terms of signing and producing some of the best talent in college football.
In the four classes since Meyer's arrival late in 2011, Ohio State has signed top-five groups three different times. Ohio State's only venture outside the top five came last year—fresh off a national title—when the Buckeyes signed the nation's No. 7 class.
"That's what Ohio State has working in its favor under Meyer—there's always the next Shazier, Ezekiel Elliott, Michael Thomas, Darron Lee, Joey Bosa or Taylor Decker to go get, and they're always more willing to come to you when you have a track record of developing such players," Bleacher Report's Ben Axelrod wrote this week.
Ohio State might not sign as many 5-stars as the top recruiters down in the SEC, but what the Buckeyes do as well as anyone in the country is grab a huge number of 4-star prospects to be the bulk of their classes. Some of those 4-stars have turned out to be elite college players such as Joey Bosa and Ezekiel Elliott.
And while Ohio State will lose a ton of draft-eligible talent this offseason, the roster is still stocked with the former blue-chips teams need to compete for national championships. Right now, the Buckeyes are looking to add to that star-studded group with a 2016 class that's currently ranked No. 1 in the country.
LSU
3 of 13
Average recruiting class ranking (2013-2016): 3.75
LSU sits on a gold mine of football talent—Louisiana ranks second among states in 2015 NFL players per capita, according to USA Today—and it has the first crack at any high-profile recruit.
The Tigers don't have to worry about battling other in-state schools as much as ones from Florida, California and Texas do. The rest of the FBS schools in the state of Louisiana are in the "Group of Five" conferences, meaning LSU's biggest competition comes from the SEC, Big 12 and even some ACC schools that invade the area each cycle.
But under Les Miles, LSU has been able to keep a lot of that homegrown talent inside the state and also snag some out-of-state stars. The Tigers signed the nation's No. 5 recruiting class in 2015 and the No. 2 class in 2014. For the class of 2016, they're ranked No. 2 yet again.
Former No. 1 overall recruit Leonard Fournette has lived up to his tremendous hype and will be back to terrorize defenses for one more season in 2016. Other former blue-chip recruits such as Malachi Dupre, Jamal Adams, Tre'Davious White, Kendell Beckwith and Kevin Toliver II make up a stacked roster of returning talent.
Sixteen of LSU's 20 commitments for the class of 2016 are rated as 4-stars, with five of them coming in as top-100 recruits. After avoiding the typical exodus to the NFL and competing for the No. 1 class of 2016, the talent factory known as LSU should be strong enough to contend for the title this fall.
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Florida State
4 of 13
Average recruiting class ranking (2013-2016): 5.5
It's good to be the kings of the state of Florida, where elite football talent seemingly grows on trees. Although its run of ACC titles came to an end this past season, Florida State is in an excellent position for 2016 thanks to the excellent recruiting classes it's stockpiled in Tallahassee.
Florida State's 2013 recruiting class pulled its overall average down a bit in this countdown, as the Seminoles signed a small No. 11-ranked group that year. But after the Seminoles won the national title later that season, they signed the No. 4 class in 2014 and the No. 3 class in 2015.
Jimbo Fisher and his talented staff of recruiters took full advantage of the downturns at rivals Florida and Miami, signing six 5-star players from the Sunshine State in the last three cycles. Two of those players—Dalvin Cook and Derwin James—wasted zero time in becoming some of the best at their respective positions in college football.
Florida State's commanding lead on recruiting in the ACC during the last several seasons gives it a strong advantage in the race for a College Football Playoff berth. If the Seminoles can defeat rising recruiting power Clemson in their annual divisional meeting, they have a great chance at running the table as a Power Five conference champion.
A Florida State team that was young in 2015 should be one of the nation's best in 2016, as Bleacher Report's Ben Kercheval put the Seminoles as the No. 3 team in his super-early preseason poll. FSU will look to add to that roster by closing out another top-five class that currently has five top-100 pledges.
Georgia
5 of 13
Average recruiting class ranking (2013-2016): 8.25
Like LSU, Georgia has a great advantage in building up a national championship contender thanks to where it is located in the world. Georgia had the fourth-most NFL players heading into the 2015 season, per USA Today, and it produced the third-best number per capita.
That amount of talent with little in-state competition—rival Georgia Tech doesn't recruit nearly at the level of a powerhouse program—and a favorable spot in the SEC East makes Georgia a high choice when college football media members discuss the "best job in college football."
After a No. 12 class in 2013, Georgia posted back-to-back top-10 recruiting classes. The bulk of the roster new coach Kirby Smart has inherited is made up of highly touted blue chips, from No. 1 overall 2015 recruit Trent Thompson to the 5-star running back tandem of Nick Chubb and Sony Michel.
Unfortunately for Georgia, all those talented recruits haven't produced even an SEC championship since 2005. But Smart is bringing the experience gained from recruiting and, more importantly, developing star players who won several national championships during his time as defensive coordinator at Alabama.
Georgia is lurking just outside a top-five recruiting class for 2016 at the moment, and the Bulldogs have a large number of 5-star targets who could join a class headlined by top-rated quarterback Jacob Eason and tight end Isaac Nauta.
Auburn
6 of 13
Average recruiting class ranking (2013-2016): 9
While Auburn is one of the most wildly inconsistent powerhouse programs in all of college football—bouncing from national title contention to middle-of-the-road seasons or worse in a short amount of time—strong recruiting has been a constant on the Plains.
Gus Malzahn and his staff have carried over the recruiting strength Auburn gained during the tenure of former coach Gene Chizik. Auburn's location gives the Tigers a good advantage when it comes to recruiting the talent-rich states of Alabama, Georgia and Florida, and the team has been able to land some national recruits in recent seasons.
If Auburn can jump at least one more spot in the 2016 recruiting rankings, Malzahn will have gone four out of four in top-10 recruiting classes since his arrival prior to the 2013 season. The Tigers could start three different former 5-stars on the defensive line alone in 2016 thanks to the return of both Carl Lawson and Montravius Adams, along with rising sophomore Byron Cowart.
JUCO recruiting has been instrumental in recent seasons for Auburn, with the likes of Cam Newton, Nick Fairley, Nick Marshall, D'haquille Williams and Jovon Robinson becoming instant-impact players for the Tigers. While Williams is no longer on the team, Robinson has the potential to be a star SEC running back in 2016.
On paper, Auburn should have the talent to compete for championships year in and year out. That should put additional pressure on Malzahn after back-to-back underwhelming campaigns as the Tigers look to land a few more blue chips to their No. 11 class of 2016.
Florida
7 of 13
Average recruiting class ranking (2013-2016): 9
If it weren't for the rough ending of the Will Muschamp era in Gainesville and the recruiting fallout of 2015, Florida would be higher on this list.
Jim McElwain surprised many across the country by leading Florida to an SEC East title in his first season at Florida. But the pieces were already there for the Gators—it was a matter of putting them in the right systems to succeed.
"McElwain said in his opening news conference that you have to 'recruit daily or die' and that's exactly what he and his staff did," Chris Hays of the Orlando Sentinel wrote. "The recruiting success of last year spilled over into the Gators' Class of 2016, as UF started picking up numerous pledges from standouts during the offseason."
Prior to Florida's No. 21 class in 2015, one that ended with a signing-day surge from top-10 recruits Martez Ivey and CeCe Jefferson, the Gators had signed back-to-back top-10 classes under Muschamp. Some of that talent is off to the NFL early, but Florida will still be able to rely on stars such as former 5-star Jalen Tabor in 2016.
The Gators have done an excellent job in addressing needs with high-quality recruits for the class of 2016, with almost half of Florida's No. 3-ranked recruiting class already enrolled ahead of spring practice. Florida football is back under McElwain, and the Gators should be a constant in the top portion of the recruiting class rankings once again.
Notre Dame
8 of 13
Average recruiting class ranking (2013-2016): 9.5
Recruiting isn't hard at a national brand such as Notre Dame, and the Fighting Irish compile highly ranked classes each year that allow them to compete with the Power Five programs for national supremacy.
After appearing in the national championship game at the end of the 2012 season, Notre Dame signed a No. 5 recruiting class that featured two 5-stars and a massive 17 4-stars. In the last two cycles, the Irish have signed some of the highest numbers of 4-stars—including players such as quarterback DeShone Kizer and offensive lineman Quenton Nelson.
The Irish's success on the recruiting trail has continued well into the 2016 cycle, with Notre Dame currently sitting at No. 9 in the country. According to Keith Arnold of NBC Sports, that number could get even better in the next two weeks with the Irish's pursuit of 5-stars Demetris Robinson and Caleb Kelly.
"Notre Dame’s 2016 recruiting class was supposed to be a small one," Arnold wrote. "Yet with two weeks to go until Signing Day, Brian Kelly has put together another Top 10 recruiting class, one that could turn into a contender for the best group in the nation."
As Notre Dame looks to reload for 2016 and beyond, the independent Irish are set up well to compete for the national championship—even in a College Football Playoff system that looks for conference titles—thanks to the amount of talent it has brought into South Bend in the last few seasons.
Texas A&M
9 of 13
Average recruiting class ranking (2013-2016): 10.75
As you probably have already gleaned from this list, the cutthroat competition in the SEC West demands high-level recruiting year in and year out. The newest member of that division, Texas A&M, wasted no time in recruiting like a conference contender in perhaps the country's best state for football.
After following up their 11-2 debut season in the SEC with a No. 9 recruiting class—one that included returning 2016 talent Ricky Seals-Jones and Daeshon Hall—the Aggies made a huge splash in the 2014 cycle with a No. 5 class.
That 2014 class featured three 5-star recruits, two of whom (Myles Garrett and Speedy Noil) will play a huge role in Texas A&M's success for the 2016 season. Four-star pickups Otaro Alaka and Armani Watts stood out early in their Aggies careers on the defensive side of the ball, too.
In the 2015 class, Kyler Murray may not have stayed around in College Station, but 5-stars Christian Kirk and Daylon Mack made tremendous first impressions for Texas A&M. The current 2016 class doesn't nearly have the same amount of hype as Kevin Sumlin's first few in Aggieland, but there are still a handful of strong 4-star recruits currently pledged to the program.
All the recruiting success has piled even more pressure on Sumlin, who has seen three blue-chip quarterbacks transfer in the last couple of years, to win big in the near future. After all, the state of Texas doesn't know how to do anything but big.
USC
10 of 13
Average recruiting class ranking (2013-2016): 11
The king of West Coast recruiting, USC has been able to navigate the stormy waters of its coaching situation over the last few seasons and still land some of the nation's best recruiting classes.
The Trojans hovered around the top-10-to-top-15 range prior to the 2015 cycle, but a lot of that had to do with the size of the recruiting class. For example, the 2013 class at USC only had 12 signees—but it was made up of four 5-stars and eight 4-stars, including Su'a Cravens and Leon McQuay.
After a No. 10 class in 2014 that was highlighted by current superstars Adoree' Jackson and JuJu Smith-Schuster, the Trojans gave Alabama a serious run for its No. 1 overall recruiting ranking with their 2015 signees. The nation's No. 2 class featured four 5-stars and 15 4-stars, and 247Sports named it the top class in its own individual rankings.
"USC has recruited admirably while under the yolk of NCAA sanctions for the last few years, but with those sanctions in the rear view mirror, the Trojans are back to recruiting like a juggernaut again," Peter Berkes of SB Nation wrote last summer.
USC's 2016 recruiting haul is ranked No. 19 nationally at the moment—which knocked it down a few spots in this countdown—but there's still room for more blue-chip additions to a program that is starting to find its footing again.
Ole Miss
11 of 13
Average recruiting class ranking (2013-2016): 11.25
One of the top new-school recruiting powers in college football, Ole Miss has brought plenty of championship-caliber talent to Oxford in the last few seasons. The Rebels are still looking to make their big breakthrough in the nation's toughest neighborhood—the SEC West—but the skill is there.
The 2013 recruiting class will be legendary at Ole Miss as 5-stars Robert Nkemdiche, Laremy Tunsil, Laquon Treadwell and Tony Conner chose the Rebels that year. The 2014 and 2015 classes didn't reach that level of ranking greatness, but they provided extra firepower for Ole Miss to steadily climb to the 10-win mark it reached this past season.
The 2016 class at Ole Miss has the potential to be another landmark group of players. It's currently ranked No. 5 in the country, with three 5-star recruits already committed. Two of those stars, offensive tackle Gregory Little and quarterback Shea Patterson, are ranked as top-five players for the entire nation.
"It’s hard to imagine the Rebels will have a receiver as good as Laquon Treadwell this fall, but with their quarterback Chad Kelly returning and their 2016 recruiting class arriving it looks like Ole Miss will remain an SEC factor," Jim Varney of USA Today wrote.
Ole Miss will have to adjust to life without the bulk of the 2013 recruiting class this upcoming season, but the pieces are still there for a run toward the SEC title. From there, the Rebels would be in fantastic position to compete for a long-awaited national championship.
Clemson
12 of 13
Average recruiting class ranking (2013-2016): 12
This list of title-contending recruiting powerhouses began with defending national champion Alabama, and it'll end with the team that pushed the Tide to the brink in the title game.
Under Dabo Swinney, Clemson has become a consistent force both in the win column and the recruiting world. In 2014, Deshaun Watson and Artavis Scott were the jewels of a top-20 class. The Tigers broke into the top 10 in recruiting rankings last season with the No. 8 class, with 5-stars Christian Wilkins and Deon Cain playing important roles on an ACC championship team.
"If you do a great job of developing your players, if you do a great job of loving your players, serving them, caring about them, the recruiting will take care of itself," Swinney said last year, per Matt Connolly of the State.
The recruiting has taken care of itself again for Clemson after a run to the College Football Playoff final. The Tigers currently have another top-10 crop of commitments. The newly crowned No. 2 overall in the 247Sports composite rankings, Dexter Lawrence, is joined by nine 4-star pledges in a class that has more room to grow over the next two weeks.
Clemson's rise as a national title contender has gone hand in hand with its rise as a top-10 recruiting program. Its storybook season in 2015 won't just be a flash in the pan with the way the Tigers have brought blue-chippers to Death Valley.
Just Missed the Cut
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In the average recruiting rankings over the last three cycles and this current one, a bigger drop-off came between the top dozen and the next several schools.
Some of these who just missed the cut are rising contenders in college football, while others can blame a rare lower-ranked class or two for the slide down the board. They all have the potential to contend for national titles with the amount of talent they each have gained in recent seasons.
UCLA (13.5): The Bruins took over the recruiting battle of Los Angeles in 2013 with a No. 7 class, and they could snatch one again in 2016. UCLA currently has the No. 15 class in college football—a few spots ahead of where rival USC resides.
Tennessee (14): Tennessee's last two classes alone (No. 7 in 2014 and No. 4 in 2015) would have made it a highly rated program on this list. Butch Jones has rebuilt the Volunteers into a destination team for the South's finest football recruits, and they still have room to climb in the 2016 rankings.
Miami (16.25): Miami sits on the single-greatest area for football talent in the entire country, and it brought in great recruiting classes during what has been a down decade for the program. Former Georgia coach Mark Richt should take the Hurricanes' great recruiting to bigger heights as "The U" tries to get its swagger back.
Michigan (16.75): Michigan had a top-five class in 2013, but rough finishes in Brady Hoke's final two classes pushed it down the list. However, Jim Harbaugh is doing almost anything to nail down a potential No. 1 class in his first full cycle with the Wolverines.
Texas (18.75): The Longhorns have seen much better days, and Charlie Strong is looking to reverse the development issues Texas had from some of its higher-ranked classes of the past. Still, the Longhorns signed a No. 10 class last year and could reclaim some momentum late in the 2016 cycle.
Oklahoma (19): Oklahoma currently sits No. 32 in recruiting for 2016, but experts believe there's still room for the Sooners to make a substantial climb up the boards with this small class. OU has proved it can compete for titles with the classes of the 10-to-15 range it has recently landed.
Oregon (19.5): With unique uniforms, ridiculous facilities and a high-flying offense, Oregon has emerged as a strong recruiting force within the last several seasons by Pac-12 standards. More and more of the country's top athletes are considering heading to Eugene these days.
All recruiting figures courtesy of 247Sports' composite rankings.
Justin Ferguson is a college football writer at Bleacher Report. You can follow him on Twitter @JFergusonBR.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
