Everything changed in the last twelve months. If you’re still looking at the 2025 recruiting class football rankings like it’s 2015, you’re basically reading a map of a city that’s been bulldozed and rebuilt.
The ink is dry. The hats have been donned. But the fallout? That’s just starting.
The Quarterback Dominoes and the LSU-Michigan Tug-of-War
Remember the Bryce Underwood saga? Honestly, it was the pulse of this entire cycle. Underwood, the consensus No. 1 overall prospect and a generational arm out of Belleville, Michigan, did something that still has folks in Ann Arbor scratching their heads. He stayed home? No. He headed to Baton Rouge.
LSU landing Underwood was more than just a recruiting win; it was a statement of intent by Brian Kelly. For a long time, the narrative was that Kelly couldn't close on the "big one" without the geographic advantage of the South. Then he went into Michigan's backyard and plucked the best player in the country. Michigan tried to pivot late, throwing everything but the kitchen sink at him, but the Tigers held firm.
Then you have Tavien St. Clair.
📖 Related: Matthew Berry Positional Rankings: Why They Still Run the Fantasy Industry
He’s the local hero for Ohio State. A kid from Bellefontaine who grew up bleeding scarlet and gray. Watching him climb from a fringe top-100 player to a top-five national prospect was wild. He’s got that prototypical 6-foot-4 frame, but it’s the processing speed that has Ryan Day giddy. Ohio State’s 2025 recruiting class football haul actually finished No. 3 or No. 4 depending on which service you trust more, but St. Clair is the undisputed crown jewel.
Why Texas Is Suddenly the New King of the Hill
Sark has the Longhorns humming. It’s not just that they’re winning on the field; they are vacuuming up elite talent at a rate we haven't seen in Austin since the Vince Young era. Texas finished with the No. 1 overall class in 2025 according to the 247Sports Composite.
They didn't just get lucky. They targeted specific "disruptor" positions.
- Jonah Williams: A five-star safety who hits like a linebacker and runs like a track star.
- Justus Terry: A massive defensive lineman who was once a Georgia commit. Flipping him was a massive "welcome to the SEC" moment for the Horns.
- Kaliq Lockett: A wide receiver with a catch radius that makes moderate overthrows look like perfect passes.
Texas understands that to survive the SEC gauntlet, you need depth that hurts other teams' feelings. They signed 25 kids, and a staggering number of them are "blue-chip" prospects.
👉 See also: What Time Did the Cubs Game End Today? The Truth About the Off-Season
The Deion Sanders Paradox in Boulder
We have to talk about Colorado. Coach Prime is doing things differently, and it’s polarizing as hell. While Georgia and Texas are signing 28 high school kids, Colorado signed a tiny fraction of that. Sanders is basically saying, "I don't want to develop you for three years just so you can leave; I want grown men from the portal."
Is it working? Well, they landed Julian "JuJu" Lewis, a kid who reclassified and remains one of the most polished passers we’ve seen in years. But beyond the big names, the high school depth just isn't there. Critics say this is a "sugar high" strategy—great for today, disastrous for tomorrow. Supporters say the old way of recruiting is dead anyway.
The Truth About NIL and the 2025 Class
Money. Let's be real. That’s what’s driving the 2025 recruiting class football conversation more than "academic prestige" or "tradition."
There was a study recently out of Carnegie Mellon suggesting that NIL is actually leveling the playing field. You see it with schools like Missouri or South Carolina landing five-star kids who usually wouldn't look twice at them. They have local collectives that are organized, aggressive, and—most importantly—funded.
✨ Don't miss: Jake Ehlinger Sign: The Real Story Behind the College GameDay Controversy
But it’s also created a "revolving door" culture. Several kids from this 2025 class already hit the transfer portal before they even played a meaningful snap of spring ball. It’s chaotic. It’s messy. It’s college football in 2026.
The Real Winners and Losers
- Winner: Oregon. Dan Lanning is a monster on the trail. Getting Dakorien Moore, the No. 1 wideout, was a heist.
- Loser: Florida State. After a rough patch on the field, the recruiting momentum stalled hard. They finished outside the top 15 in most rankings, which is unheard of for the Noles.
- Winner: The SEC. Surprise, surprise. Half of the top 10 classes are heading to the SEC. The gap isn't closing; it's widening.
What Happens Next for These Kids?
If you're a fan, don't get too attached to the star ratings. We’ve seen five-stars bust and three-stars become All-Americans. The real test for the 2025 recruiting class football starts now. Early enrollees are already on campus. They’re hitting the weight room. They’re realizing that being the big fish in a small high school pond means nothing when you’re lining up against a 22-year-old defensive end who has been in a college strength program for four years.
Keep an eye on the "summer flips." Even though National Signing Day is behind us, the portal remains a threat. A coach leaves? These kids can bolt. A bigger NIL deal appears? They might look for an exit.
To really track how your team did, stop looking at the total points. Look at the "average player rating." That’s where the truth hides. A team might be No. 10 because they signed 30 kids, but a team at No. 5 with only 18 signees might actually have the better roster.
Go check your team’s offensive line haul. That’s the boring stuff nobody tweets about, but it’s the only reason teams like Georgia and Ohio State stay at the top. If your school didn't sign at least three guys over 300 pounds who can actually move, 2025 is going to be a long year. Take a look at the "blue-chip ratio" for your school—if it's under 50%, you aren't winning a national title. Period.