College Football Recruiting: Initial Top 25 Classes for 2025

While the transfer portal has become a vital part of college football, recruiting is still the lifeblood of the sport.

Every coaching staff has been invested in the 2025 recruiting cycle for months, and those efforts have only increased since the end of the early signing period for the 2024 class.

Yes, late coaching changes have impacted a few teams—such as Alabama, Arizona, Michigan and Washington—and slowed their progress. But for most programs, they've been working the phones and visiting key targets. Some schools even hold 10-plus commitments already.

As the 2024 traditional signing period wraps up, we're taking an early look at the nation's top classes for 2025.

All ratings are from 247Sports' composite rankings.

25. Texas Tech Red Raiders
Commits: 9 (one 4-star)

1 Thing to Know

Fresh off landing the Big 12's top-ranked class—one that included receiver Micah Hudson, the highest-rated signing in program history—Texas Tech kicks off the Top 25. All nine commits are from Texas, led by 4-star quarterback Lloyd Jones. He's currently No. 18 at the position.

24. SMU Mustangs
Commits: 4 (two 4-stars)

1 Thing to Know

This is a pivotal class for SMU, which is joining the power-conference ranks as a member of the ACC in 2024. The program has traditionally hovered in the 60-80 range but should be aiming much higher with its bolstered recruiting pitch.

23. Michigan Wolverines
Commits: 3 (three 4-stars)

1 Thing to Know

Shortly after Jim Harbaugh headed to the NFL, the Wolverines lost a verbal pledge from 4-star cornerback Chris Ewald. Still, they're in the rankings behind a trio of blue-chip commits for Sherrone Moore's debut haul. The player of note is signal-caller Carter Smith, who right now is ranked ninth at quarterback and 152nd overall.

22. Texas A&M Aggies
Commits: 3 (two 4-stars)

1 Thing to Know

Mike Elko and Texas A&M's new-look staff is settling in. In late January, the Aggies picked up commitments from a pair of 4-star talents in cornerback Deyjhon Pettaway and linebacker Kelvion Riggins.

21. Miami Hurricanes
Commits: 4 (two 4-stars)

1 Thing to Know

Mario Cristobal has a deserved reputation as an elite recruiter, and Miami should be a big player for several 5-stars in the 2025 cycle. For now, the Hurricanes' top pledge is 4-star linebacker Elijah Melendez. Early on, he's ranked 128th overall in the class.

20. Arizona State Sun Devils
Commits: 4 (one 4-star)

1 Thing to Know

Kenny Dillingham inherited a mess at ASU, but a top-50 class in 2024 offered a much-needed dose of optimism. Arizona State landed a commitment from 4-star quarterback Michael Tollefson last June, and he remains the prize of the class.

19. Florida Gators
Commits: 3 (two 4-stars)

1 Thing to Know

Late in the 2024 cycle, Billy Napier and the Gators received a harsh reminder that finishing strong is imperative. Nevertheless, they're off to a quality start with top-100 prospect Jalen Wiggins leading the way. The defensive lineman is ranked 92nd overall.

18. UCF Knights
Commits: 4 (two 4-stars)

1 Thing to Know

The jump I mentioned that SMU needs to take? Central Florida did exactly that in 2024, rising from its traditional 50-70 range to the nation's No. 35 haul. Stacking those classes is the goal for UCF, which currently holds the best commit in program history. Rankings will change, but 4-star athlete Kendarius Reddick is 64th in the country right now.

17. Iowa Hawkeyes
Commits: 5 (one 4-star)

1 Thing to Know

Dominating in-state recruiting is a cornerstone of Iowa's recruiting philosophy. While the Hawkeyes will be fighting schools like Georgia and Texas for offensive tackle Nick Brooks—the state's top player—they recently added the No. 2 prospect in 4-star tight end Thomas Meyer.

16. Baylor Bears
Commits: 6 (two 4-stars)

1 Thing to Know

Dave Aranda is occupying a pretty warm seat, but Baylor is off to an encouraging start for this cycle. The pair of blue-chip commits are quarterback Adam Schobel and athlete Demetrius Brisbon.

15. North Carolina Tar Heels
Commits: 5 (two 4-stars)

1 Thing to Know

North Carolina's most recent commitment is from 4-star offensive tackle Alex Payne. He's a well-traveled prospect who, according to Don Callahan of 247Sports, watched games at 10 other schools in 2023.

14. Purdue Boilermakers
Commits: 5 (one 4-star)

1 Thing to Know

Once again, the qualifier applies: Ratings will change throughout the calendar year. Purdue, nevertheless, also holds the second-best commit in its history. Tarrion Grant is a 4-star corner from Tennessee who ranks 46th overall and gave a verbal pledge to the Boilers in January.

13. Florida State Seminoles
Commits: 4 (one 5-star and three 4-stars)

1 Thing to Know

December's early signing period brought a huge commitment for the 'Noles—though in the 2025 class, not 2024. Florida State landed offensive lineman Solomon Thomas, a 5-star and the nation's No. 18 player.

12. Oregon Ducks
Commits: 4 (three 4-stars)

1 Thing to Know

Akili Smith put together an All-American season at Oregon in 1998, and the Ducks are positioned to add a legacy player. His son, Akili Smith Jr., is a 4-star quarterback who committed in July 2023.

11. Tennessee Volunteers
Commits: 5 (one 5-star and one 4-star)

1 Thing to Know

Sure, we can talk about the Vols creeping into Georgia with three early pledges from the Peach State. But the main commit to know, of course, is 5-star quarterback George MacIntyre. He's ranked third at the position and 16th in the country. Also, his uncle is former Colorado and current Florida International coach Mike MacIntyre.

10. Texas Longhorns
Commits: 5 (four 4-stars)

1 Thing to Know

Texas can find plenty of blue-chip prospects in the Lone Star State, but the Longhorns' early efforts have paid dividends all over SEC country. Led by quarterback KJ Lacey, Texas' quartet of 4-star commitments are from Alabama, Florida, Georgia and Texas.

9. Wisconsin Badgers
Commits: 7 (one 4-star)

1 Thing to Know

While the Badgers' volume of commits is bolstering this ranking, there are four top-500 prospects, with the headliner being 4-star corner Jaimier Scott. Wisconsin coach Luke Fickell leveraged relationships from his time at Cincinnati to pull Scott out of the Queen City.

8. Georgia Bulldogs
Commits: 5 (two 5-stars and two 4-stars)

1 Thing to Know

Stop me if you've heard this before, but Georgia has 5-stars committed. In seriousness, the Dawgs are doing their regular thing with top-billed prospects in defensive lineman Justus Terry and tight end Elyiss Williams. All five of UGA's pledges hail from the Peach State, too.

7. Auburn Tigers
Commits: 8 (seven 4-stars)

1 Thing to Know

The SEC is only getting tougher with the addition of Oklahoma and Texas, but Nick Saban's retirement has swung open a window of opportunity for Hugh Freeze. Auburn inked six of the best 13 in-state players in 2024 and already holds four of those 4-star pledges in 2025.

6. Penn State Nittany Lions
Commits: 10 (six 4-stars)

1 Thing to Know

Penn State holds a half-dozen 4-star pledges, but 3-star quarterback Bekkem Kritza has a fascinating journey. He played at Fairview in Boulder, Colorado—now the home of Deion Sanders at CU, by the way—as a freshman in 2021. Kritza then transferred to high schools in California and Florida before returning to Fairview in 2023.

5. Oklahoma Sooners
Commits: 10 (five 4-stars)

1 Thing to Know

How's this for an early February list of skill-position talent? Oklahoma has secured commitments from 4-star quarterback Kevin Sperry and 4-star receivers Jaden Nickens, Elijah Thomas and Gracen Harris. Even better for OU, three of them are in-state products.

4. Ohio State Buckeyes
Commits: 8 (two 5-stars and five 4-stars)

1 Thing to Know

Same thing as OU, but on defense. Five-star cornerbacks Na'eem Offord and Devin Sanchez have both given a pledge to Ohio State during the offseason, joining 4-star and top-100 talent Blake Woodby in the class.

3. Clemson Tigers
Commits: 11 (nine 4-stars)

1 Thing to Know

Clemson is hounding the Atlantic coast—fitting for an ACC team, obviously—with great success. Three of the team's 11 commits are the highest-rated prospects from their respective state: 4-star edge-rusher Ari Watford (Virginia), 4-star defensive lineman Amare Adams (South Carolina) and 4-star quarterback Blake Hebert (Massachusetts).

2. LSU Tigers
Commits: 9 (three 5-stars and six 4-stars)

1 Thing to Know

No program holds as many 5-star pledges as LSU, which boasts a commitment from the No. 1 overall talent in quarterback Bryce Underwood. The other two are wideout Dakorien Moore (No. 4) and running back Harlem Berry (No. 17), so it's safe to say LSU fans are dreaming about the future of that trifecta.

1. Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Commits: 13 (eight 4-stars)

1 Thing to Know

Among the team's nation-high 13 commits, Notre Dame has a pair of top-100 prospects. Four-star safety Ivan Taylor and quarterback Deuce Knight are ranked 61st and 62nd, respectively, in the class.