College Football Recruiting Rankings: Top 2021 Schools Post-National Signing Day
Alabama not only put together an impressive 2021 recruiting class but also made history.
After national signing day Wednesday, the Crimson Tide have signed 27 recruits who will be coming to campus this fall (some of whom have already enrolled), earning them a score of 327.91 points, per the 247Sports composite rankings. That's the highest-ranked recruiting class of all time, edging Florida's 2010 class, which had a score of 324.62.
Alabama won the national championship this past season, its sixth since Nick Saban took over as head coach in 2007. And with so many top high school players set to join the Crimson Tide, they are showing no signs of slowing down in the near future.
Here's a look at the schools that had the most success in assembling their 2021 recruiting classes now that national signing day has passed.
Top 10 2021 Classes in Country
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1. Alabama (327.91 points)
2. Ohio State (309.49)
3. Georgia (294.55)
4. LSU (291.37)
5. Clemson (291.20)
6. Oregon (287.38)
7. Texas A&M (285.35)
8. USC (280.72)
9. Notre Dame (269.15)
10. Michigan (268.77)
Rankings per 247Sports composite rankings.
Alabama Assembles Another Top Class, Poised to Continue Dynasty
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This isn't the first time that Alabama has had the No. 1 recruiting class nationally in recent memory. Not even close. This is the ninth time in 11 years that the Crimson Tide have ended up in the top spot, which explains why they have had so much on-field success during that time.
But Alabama's 2021 class has the potential to be a special one considering it has set the record in 247Sports' composite rankings. The Tide landed 27 recruits, 25 of whom came aboard during the early signing period. They have seven 5-star recruits (including running back Camar Wheaton, who signed Wednesday) and 16 4-star recruits (including safety Terrion Arnold, who also didn't make his college decision until Wednesday).
It was an unorthodox recruiting cycle, as coaches and players weren't able to travel as much because of the coronavirus pandemic. Of course, that's going to affect schools' 2022 classes as well, which Saban is already looking ahead to.
"We knew quite a bit about lots of players last year," he told 247Sports. "This year is going to be a different challenge because we don't know as much about the players coming up next year."
But if Alabama's recent dominance on the recruiting trail is any indication, then it should be more than fine.
Ohio State Puts Together Strong Class with Early Work
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National signing day ended up being uneventful for Ohio State. Of the Buckeyes' 21 players in their 2021 class, all of them sent in their national letters of intent during the early signing period in mid-December.
Yet Ohio State ended up with the No. 2 class in the country, per the 247Sports composite rankings. That's because it had already secured five 5-star recruits, 13 4-star recruits and three 3-star recruits with its early work on the recruiting trail. It's the second year in a row that the Buckeyes have had a top-five class, after ending up at No. 5 in 2020.
Only Alabama had more 5-star recruits than Ohio State. And the Buckeyes have some top high school players coming in to fill key positions, as their handful of 5-stars are quarterback Kyle McCord, running back TreVeyon Henderson, wide receiver Emeka Egbuka, guard Donovan Jackson and defensive end Jack Sawyer.
Ohio State may still add another 5-star recruit too. The only 5-star who has yet to sign with a college program is defensive end J.T. Tuimoloau, the No. 3 overall player in the 2021 class, per the 247Sports composite rankings. However, he's also considering Alabama, so the Buckeyes and Tide aren't yet done battling on the recruiting trail.
Regardless of whether Ohio State can sign Tuimoloau, its early signees form an impressive class that will likely put the Buckeyes in position to continue to be one of the top teams in the country in the near future.
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SEC Dominates Top of Recruiting Rankings
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Alabama isn't the only SEC program that put together a strong 2021 recruiting class, with several other schools in the conference being near the top of the rankings.
Georgia (No. 3), LSU (No. 4) and Texas A&M (No. 7) also had top-10 classes. Florida (No. 13), Tennessee (No. 16), Ole Miss (No. 18), Arkansas (No. 24) and Mississippi State (No. 25) all ended up in the top 25.
For Georgia, it marks the second straight year that it's been in the top three, as it had the No. 1 class in 2020. The Bulldogs have four 5-star recruits, which also ranks third behind only Alabama and Ohio State. That puts the Dawgs in a good position to keep having success.
After LSU won the national championship in the 2019 season, it struggled to a 5-5 record last year. But the Tigers' No. 4-ranked 2021 class (which includes two 5-star recruits and 15 4-stars) could help get the program back on track quickly.
Alabama is the class of the SEC, but several of its conference rivals appear to have set themselves up for success over the next few years.
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