CFB Recruiting: Ranking the Top 2021 Class by Each Position
Everybody has an opinion on which teams have the top classes and prospects in the 2021 recruiting class, but it's also fun to take a deeper look at the class and see who scored the best positionally.
The nation's top classes are well represented on this list, and one of them even shows up twice because of how it's loaded up at a pair of positions. When you stockpile recruits the way a few of these programs do, it's no wonder they're constantly battling for championships.
A couple of these programs may shock you, though. While they haven't been winning as much lately, they boast impact-makers in the positional rankings.
This list takes into consideration not only the top prospects in the nation but also the impact each of them will have on their positions at their schools of choice.
For instance, if a team needs a quality running back and signed a few good pieces of the puzzle, it may trump a program that signed a better prospect.
The classes at Alabama, Ohio State and Oregon are loaded, and they all fit on this list somewhere. While programs like Georgia and Clemson have elite groups, they aren't at the top of the heap at any position.
Let's take a look at the top class at each position so far in the 2021 class.
Quarterback: USC Trojans
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Most programs try to add a quarterback to their recruiting classes every cycle, and 2021 features dynamic, talented signal-callers across the nation, like Oklahoma's Caleb Williams, Georgia's Brock Vandagriff, North Carolina's Drake Maye and Washington's Sam Huard.
But the best haul of the class belongs to the USC Trojans, a program known traditionally for developing elite quarterbacks.
With Kedon Slovis behind center for offensive coordinator Graham Harrell right now, the Trojans aren't hurting at the position even though the program is going through some struggles under Clay Helton. But the future remains bright.
According to the 247Sports composite rankings, USC has two of the top 10 quarterbacks in the nation committed.
Jake Garcia is the nation's sixth-ranked quarterback, and though the final season of his high school career has been odd, there's no question he is talented.
Garcia moved with his father from California to Valdosta, Georgia, to play his last year. However, the Georgia High School Association ruled Garcia ineligible at Valdosta, saying they did not make a legitimate move to the area, according to ESPN's Mark Schlabach, so he moved again. The Gwinnett Daily Post reported the GHSA ruled him eligible at Grayson High School outside Atlanta.
Garcia won't be the only option in L.A. Miller Moss is a quick-triggered, smart signal-caller from Mission Hills, California, who is similarly built to Garcia but known more for his quick release than his big arm.
Both players have high upside. When you get two guys this highly rated, there's a high probability at least one of them works out. The position is in good hands in Troy for the near future.
Running Back: Ohio State Buckeyes
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Ohio State lost J.K. Dobbins from a season ago, but the duo of Master Teague and Oklahoma graduate transfer Trey Sermon is performing well as the Buckeyes battle for a national title.
Still, they don't have as much explosion at the position as they're used to.
That's going to change in 2021.
Coach Ryan Day has secured verbal commitments from two dynamic runners who could make an immediate impact next year. The first is 5-star TreVeyon Henderson, who is as good as any back in the country.
The 5'11", 195-pound native of Hopewell, Virginia, can do it all with breakaway speed, the power to get yards after contact between tackles and the potential to be a weapon in the passing game. It's going to be hard to find a more complete back.
But Day wasn't done recruiting that spot. He also added 5'10", 190-pound all-purpose running back Evan Pryor, the No. 2 player at his position behind Clemson commit Will Shipley. Pryor is known for his electric speed, so he is yet another game-breaker type running back for the Buckeyes.
The dynamic duo are also indicators of Ohio State's recruiting brand. Neither is from the region, but the Buckeyes went into the Commonwealth and into North Carolina and plucked instant-impact runners away from ACC country.
The Buckeyes are used to having dynamic difference-makers line up behind their quarterbacks, and that is on the way with those two. Day is making a splash and picking up where Urban Meyer left off on Saturdays and in living rooms.
Ohio State is in great hands to keep control of the Big Ten for the foreseeable future.
Wide Receiver: Oregon Ducks
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There are a ton of elite receiver classes in the country.
Alabama's is obscenely good, and LSU has some instant-impact playmakers as well. Ohio State, Georgia and Florida boast strong ones too.
But nobody's group of pass-catchers is as versatile, deep and strong as coach Mario Cristobal's at Oregon. A good argument can be made the Ducks also have the nation's top tight end class, though they were narrowly beaten out at that spot.
In other words, plenty of playmakers are coming for the quarterback of the future in Eugene.
This year's class is led by 5-star California product Troy Franklin, an incredible player who could step right in and start for the top team in the Pac-12. He may be the nation's third-ranked receiver, but an argument can be made he is the best, combining breakaway speed with good size.
Franklin isn't the only budding star. Cristobal has proved he can get players at any position, and he is particularly strong at luring players from the Golden State, not only with Franklin's pledge but with that of Mater Dei High School star Kyron Ware-Hudson as well.
As mentioned with Ohio State and its ability to lure star runners from anywhere, perhaps the biggest mark of what Cristobal is doing on the trail is where he's pulling recruits from.
Want size? The Ducks went into Baltimore and landed 6'4½", 185-pound target Dont'e Thornton, whose long strides and huge catch radius make him a threat to start quickly. He takes the place of Johnny Wilson, who flipped from Oregon to Arizona State in the last cycle and is playing right away for the Sun Devils.
Cristobal also landed Isaiah Brevard from Mississippi to give Oregon four receivers ranked in the nation's top 150 prospects. The rest of the Pac-12 will have a difficult time finding the defensive backs to battle those guys for the next four years.
Potential stud players dot the perimeter for the Ducks.
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Tight End: Tennessee Volunteers
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The Tennessee Volunteers haven't had the type of season they'd hoped for, but coach Jeremy Pruitt has a top-10 recruiting class, and the Vols have almost completely rebuilt the roster with his recruited players after the disastrous tenure of former coach Butch Jones.
One area where UT desperately needs playmakers is at tight end. Offensive coordinator Jim Chaney has nobody who can make an impact this season with Austin Pope out for the year because of injury. The Vols have largely struck out identifying talent at the position in recent recruiting cycles.
This year looks different.
While the Oregon Ducks have a pair of 4-star tight ends in the 247Sports composite rankings, the Vols have more versatility with their prospects.
Leading the group is traditional in-line tight end Hudson Wolfe, who chose to stay in-state rather than head to Alabama or Ohio State. Though he's down in the rankings at 247Sports, Wolfe is a composite 4-star and the nation's top-ranked tight end for Rivals.
The Savannah, Tennessee, native could make an instant impact blocking in the run game and possesses the soft hands combined with a big body that could make him a Jason Witten-type tight end for the Vols.
Tennessee complemented him nicely with athletic Georgia native Miles Campbell, a 6'3", 234-pound playmaker from Douglasville in the Peach State who is a matchup nightmare for defensive backs. He is a 4-star prospect in the 247 rankings.
If that weren't enough, UT also has a commitment from jumbo receiver Roc Taylor, a 6'2", 212-pound Alabama athlete who could project as either a big-bodied player on the perimeter or a flex tight end. The Vols could use him at both spots, much the way they did with current NFL player Jason Croom.
There are a lot of options at the position for the future.
Offensive Line: Alabama Crimson Tide
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It's impossible to ignore Alabama's offensive line class, which arguably could be the best ever on paper.
The Crimson Tide have two franchise offensive tackles who could not only anchor the best future line in college football but also have the ceilings to be stalwarts in NFL lines. It's early to put that kind of pressure on them, but they are elite.
Tommy Brockermeyer is a 5-star prospect and the nation's top offensive tackle. His father was a star at Texas, but Brockermeyer (and his 4-star brother, James, who is the nation's top center) elected to head to Tuscaloosa to be part of a group that looks like a lock to be the top-ranked class.
Brockermeyer is the nation's fifth-ranked player overall, and he will be joined by IMG Academy star tackle JC Latham, who has just as high of a ceiling if not higher. He will follow in the footsteps of Evan Neal, who came from IMG and is now starting on Alabama's O-line.
The 6'6", 305-pound Latham is just behind Tommy Brockermeyer in the player rankings. Those two are going to be forces very soon for a team that expects to compete for national titles every year.
Add 4-star offensive guard Terrence Ferguson, a product of Fort Valley, Georgia, who is the nation's second-ranked guard, and that is an unreal haul. The top two tackles, the No. 2 guard and the top-ranked center are all rolling with the Tide.
An argument could be made that the Crimson Tide's wide receiver, defensive line and linebacker classes are also the best in the country, even though other programs' classes got the nod.
Coach Nick Saban's defensive line class does have the best group of prospects. However, the team that edged the Tide on this list will get a greater impact from its prospects.
Alabama's class is elite from top to bottom, which is status quo for the nation's top program.
Defensive Line: Oklahoma Sooners
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While Alabama probably has a higher composite ranking among its defensive line prospects, the guys who are heading to Norman, Oklahoma, will have a quicker impact, and it's arguable they may have one in the long term as well.
It's no secret Sooners defensive coordinator Alex Grinch has tons of work to do to make the Big 12's quality program a national contender to win titles. The only way to do that is for the defense to get significantly better.
This type of class up front is a perfect way to expedite the process.
The Sooners have two elite pass-rushers from guys who will probably spend a portion of their time in a three-point stance. Leading the way is edge-rusher Clayton Smith, a 6'4", 220-pound native of Texarkana, Texas, who looks like the kind of player the Sooners do not have and who could star right away.
Coach Lincoln Riley also scored a major recruiting win in Virginia when he convinced 6'3", 250-pound defensive end Kelvin Gilliam to leave ACC country and head to the plains to play for the Sooners. He is athletic and quick and possesses an NFL frame.
Oklahoma rounds out its terrific trio of defensive end prospects with in-state prospect Ethan Downs. He was highly recruited by the nation's top programs and chose to stay at home. All three are among the top 160 players in the country.
Toss in 4-star Nathan Rawlins-Kibonge from Oregon, a two-sport high school star who didn't start playing football until his junior season but has a ton of upside, and JUCO DT Isaiah Coe, a 6'3", 305-pound player from Iowa Western, and there is plenty with which to work.
Riley and Grinch can use these versatile, strong prospects to help that defense grow into what it needs to be to complement the offense.
Linebackers: LSU Tigers
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It's been well documented how much star power LSU lost from last year's national championship team, which is evident watching the Bayou Bengals limp through the first part of their season.
Nobody around Baton Rouge likes losing as much as coach Ed Orgeron's team has this year.
But those days won't be around forever. If you haven't seen all the young, elite talent making plays in 2020, you should tune in. Guys like BJ Ojulari, Eli Ricks, TJ Finley, Arik Gilbert and others look exciting and are making an impact right now.
More reinforcements are headed to the Bayou next year too, led by an electric linebacking corps.
The top player in that positional group is California's Raesjon Davis. The 6'1", 215-pound outside linebacker is an impact prospect who will be tough to keep off the field. He is a sideline-to-sideline player who is great in coverage, a sure tackler and a hard hitter, making him the complete package.
Beyond Davis is a veritable stable of capable, versatile defenders who would highlight anybody's class.
Greg Penn III is a true inside linebacker who could bulk up and be what Jacob Phillips was last year for the national champion Tigers. Then there is 6'4", 193-pound Georgia product Zavier Carter, who is as raw but capable as Barkevious Mingo was when he first arrived at LSU.
While Naquan Brown and Keanu Koht are listed as weak-side defensive ends in the 247Sports composite rankings, they are expected to play outside linebacker for defensive coordinator Bo Pelini's unit.
There are pass-rushers, run-stoppers, sure tacklers and second-level phenoms with sideline-to-sideline burst. This unit has everything you want in a linebacking corps, and it will shore up an area that is hurting for LSU this season.
Defensive Backs: Ohio State Buckeyes
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Just one team is represented twice on this list, but it's a viable ranking for both spots, and that's the Ohio State Buckeyes.
Their running backs are enviable, but nobody has the bodies, quality and depth of the Buckeyes' secondary prospects in the '21 class. If there's one weakness on this year's national title contender, it's the defensive backs, where it's Shaun Wade and a bunch of question marks, but this class will change that.
Coach Ryan Day is addressing his needs at cornerback, and he is adding some good prospects at safety too.
The Buckeyes have six prospects who project as defensive backs, led by Jakailin Johnson. The 6'1", 175-pound top-50 prospect is an elite cornerback who could start right away in Columbus.
Joining him is Jordan Hancock from North Gwinnett High School outside Atlanta. It's a major win for the Buckeyes to go into an area where Georgia's Kirby Smart usually reigns and get a talent like Hancock.
Those two are the big ones in the class, but there is plenty beyond the duo of corners.
Andre Turrentine is a big victory in Tennessee—the hard-hitting safety will fit in at Ohio State. Jantzen Dunn is another player who projects as a safety at the next level. Then there is Denzel Burke, a two-way player in high school listed as an athlete who will play defensive back and likely corner for the Buckeyes.
All three are top-200 players in the nation, so that is five top-200 secondary members in the 2021 class overall.
Three-star Cincinnati prospect Jaylen Johnson rounds out the group. Even though he isn't the highest-rated of the bunch, he has long-term starting potential too.
Ohio State recently has put as many DBs in the NFL as anybody, and that doesn't look like it's stopping anytime soon.
All stats courtesy of CFBStats.com and Sports Reference, and recruiting rankings per 247Sports' composite rankings unless otherwise noted.
Follow Brad Shepard on Twitter at @Brad_Shepard
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