College Football Recruiting Storylines That Will Affect Signing Day

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CFB schools and recruiting storylines that will affect signing day​

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The college football season is nearing its midpoint, but some storylines are developing that will be factors for the transfer and early signing periods in recruiting.

One game, whether it's a win or a loss, typically won't impact the recruiting process much, but there are trends to monitor. The Alabama Crimson Tide has challengers in the SEC. The Florida State Seminoles are trying to get back to the top of ACC recruiting and the Colorado Buffaloes will be one of the biggest storylines for transfers and recruits alike.

Here is a look at those storylines and more that could have an impact on recruiting moving forward:

 

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Alabama fighting off Georgia​

Alabama has been battling with the Georgia Bulldogs for the top recruiting spot in the SEC and, in most years, the country. Right now, Georgia has the top class in the 2024 ESPN class rankings with Alabama sitting at No. 5. The Tide finished No. 1 in 2023 with the Bulldogs having the No. 2 class. In the 2022 cycle it was the Texas A&M Aggies at No. 1, Alabama at 2 and Georgia at No. 3. The Crimson Tide finished atop the rankings in 2021 and Georgia sat at No. 3. Kirby Smart and his staff beat out Alabama in 2020, but the Crimson Tide have had their number the past few seasons. Georgia's class features cornerback Ellis Robinson IV and quarterback Dylan Raiola, the top two players in the ESPN 300.

"I feel like the vibe around Alabama, and this is obviously just from a third-person perspective, has been different this year. I think there has been a kind of handoff of the baton from Bama to Georgia over the last couple of year," an SEC personnel director told ESPN. "[Nick Saban has] lost a couple of games he shouldn't have over the last couple of years, not making the conference title game, not making the playoff. I think all those would seriously add up and I think it would be prevalent for prospects to take notice. I think a lot of kids obviously would be made aware of by other schools.

"Just kind of a trend because recruiting is so much recency bias."

Alabama has had quarterback issues this season and lost to Texas in Week 2, but are still very much alive for the SEC West title.

Neither Alabama nor Texas A&M have conference losses at this point, and both have to play each other as well as LSU before the season ends. That could end up being the deciding factor on who makes it into the SEC championship game and affect the playoff race.

Alabama will always recruit at a high level under Saban, and the staff has two five-star commits, including quarterback Julian Sayin in the 2024 cycle. Opposing coaches, however, will pounce on any glimmer of a weakness at Alabama and use anything they can to recruit against Saban and a second loss during the regular season could help those recruiting efforts.

A strong finish to the season for Alabama, however, could be pivotal for Saban and Alabama on the field. SEC rivals, however, think they might be getting their chances to beat Alabama in recruiting.

"I think opportunity is the best word. The parity created by the portal, the ability to maintain some roster integrity and programs not naturally hit a dip," the personnel director said. "I think with the portal and NIL and those opportunities out there, I think are kind of exposing some people that, a lot of these kids want playing time and they want to be financially compensated. Those kind of things are important besides just being on the field and getting a ring at the end of the year."

 

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The Pac-12 against Colorado​

Regardless of whether current Pac-12 schools will be in the same conferences next year, they will still be doing battle on the recruiting trail. Right now, that means doing everything they can to keep the spotlight on their programs and away from Deion Sanders and Colorado. Doing it on the field is where they'll start to show recruits the difference in talent and progress in their program.

While Sanders and Colorado are getting most of the attention, Oregon, USC, UCLA and Washington are doing some great things on the recruiting trail.

Oregon has 14 ESPN 300 recruits committed, USC has nine, while Colorado has just two commitments ranked inside the top 300. Oregon coach & Co. got to show off for recruits in the 42-6 rout of Colorado. QB Bo Nix is a Heisman candidate and second in the nation in completion percentage. The future of the position in Eugene looks promising.

Oregon already has ESPN 300 quarterback Michael Van Buren committed in 2024 and Akili Smith Jr. committed in 2025, so he doesn't need help at that position, but it doesn't hurt to show the future of the offense how successful they can be.

Because Oregon already has most of its 2024 class filled, the biggest impact for this game will likely show up in 2025 recruiting. Wide receivers Marcus Harris, Chris Lawson and Phillip Bell are all targets in the 2025 class, as well as linebackers Nasir Wyatt and Noah Mikhail among others.

Conversely, for Colorado, Sanders and his staff still have work to do in rebuilding the roster. Part of that work will come during the transfer period, but the coaches will absolutely need to add offensive linemen in this class.

As it stands right now, Colorado has eight total high school commitments in the 2024 class, with one offensive lineman in Talan Chandler. The total number isn't a huge concern because the staff still has to figure out how many scholarships they will have, how many they want to allocate to high school recruits and how many will go to the portal. As they showed this offseason, the majority could end up from transfer players.

The coaches have targeted high school recruits who could add value in this class, including ESPN 300 receiver Ryan Wingo, who is the No. 36 prospect overall. Wingo just scheduled a visit to Colorado and would be a huge addition to the class for Sanders and the future offense. Sanders could also try to flip five-star Texas A&M commit Cam Coleman. Coleman was among a number of recruits in Boulder for Colorado's game against USC.

Looking ahead to 2025, Sanders has his sights set on ESPN Jr. 300 quarterback Bryce Underwood, the No. 1 prospect in the class. Underwood took a visit to Colorado for the Colorado State game. With Shedeur Sanders in his third season, adding a high-profile QB prospect would be huge for the Buffs.

The Buffs got another huge loss to USC and still have UCLA, Washington State and Utah left on the schedule.

 

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Michigan-Ohio State headed for a collision​

Michigan has gotten the best of Ohio State the past two seasons on the field, but it's the Buckeyes who have finished with the higher-ranked recruiting classes. In 2022, Ohio State had the No. 4 class while Michigan was ranked No. 8. The Buckeyes had the No. 9 class in 2023 with Michigan at No. 17, and the Buckeyes are currently sitting with the No. 2 class in the country while Michigan is at No. 10.

The Wolverines did not recruit the state of Ohio much early on in Jim Harbaugh's tenure but have started to do so as of late. Michigan landed ESPN 300 running back Jordan Marshall out of Moeller High School in Cincinnati, who was an Ohio State target, in the 2024 class. Michigan also has commitments from ESPN 300 offensive linemen Luke Hamilton and Ben Roebuck, as well as defensive tackle Ted Hammond out of Ohio.

Marshall got to see the Michigan-Ohio State rivalry last season in Columbus, prior to making his commitment. He was considering both schools and the visit gave him a chance to see a different side of the two teams.

"I needed to see what Michigan would do being away, how Ohio State would take the rivalry and it was good to see all perspectives of it," Marshall said. "I was like, wow, Michigan just beat Ohio State in their house, in The Shoe, and this is their second year in a row. That was really crazy and I got to really sit back and compare and contrast and I got to see Michigan do a lot of different things.

"So, it was really cool to see the different attack they had and the game plan they had for that game."

On the other side, Ohio State has a commitment from ESPN 300 corner Aaron Scott, who was considering both schools.

One game doesn't typically dictate much with recruiting, but in this case, The Game is going to be an important one. If Ohio State loses to Michigan for a third time in a row, there will be rumblings about coach Ryan Day and his ability to adapt and beat the Wolverines. It will also provide Michigan with some more clout on the recruiting trail especially with some overlapping prospects in the 2025 class.

"I think that game is big in recruiting and you see guys trying to flip, all based off of a win, but it's really, Michigan has been dominant the past two years and hopefully they can get the win this year," Marshall said. "But, those are two really good football teams and it's great to see them go against each other."

The two teams are in it for some of the same prospects, including ESPN Jr. 300 cornerback Dorian Brew out of Clayton, Ohio, as well as ESPN Jr. 300 cornerback Mark Zackery IV out of Indianapolis, and a few others. Michigan will get the opportunity to host recruits for the game, as well, since it will be played in Ann Arbor.

On the other side, if Ohio State beats Michigan on the road, there's a good chance it spoils the Wolverines' chances at a third Big Ten championship and a berth to the College Football Playoff. It would also very likely put the Buckeyes into both of those conversations.

Both teams are recruiting at a high level, but it seems as though the ramifications for both teams could push them even higher depending on the outcome.

 

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Florida State's ascension​

The Seminoles are undefeated and, with wins over the LSU and Clemson, have two of the best wins of the early season. The Seminoles have shown improvement each season under coach Mike Norvell after going 3-6 in 2020, 5-7 in 2021 and 10-3 last season. Now they are contenders for the College Football Playoff.

If that happens, it could do a lot for the Florida State in recruiting and convincing prospects that it can win on the biggest stage.

"You look at the history of Florida State and successful seasons and everyone loves to talk about how storied a program it is, and it is one of the most storied programs. But, you think of it in the lens of a recruit, the 17-year-old, that person might have been 12 years old the last time Florida State had success up until last year," Florida State general manager Darrick Yray told ESPN. "And so now, becoming relevant again, in the sense of the national landscape, I think is helpful just for them to see where we are and what this place is very well capable of and bringing it back to where it needs to be."

Florida State is now on a 10-game win streak and the team has scored 30 or more points in each of those games. Yray said this season's big wins help, but it's what happens next that matters most when it comes to recruiting.

"That specific game [against Clemson] mattered because it's the last one, but the next one becomes bigger, because it's the current one that you have," Yray said. "I think on the outside, the opponent may matter for some, and we're obviously happy with the win, but we're only going to go as far as the next game."

Florida State currently has the No. 7 2024 recruiting class, which features five-star K.J. Bolden, for whom the Seminoles beat out Georgia. Norvell & Co. have also been excellent using the transfer portal, landing Keon Coleman, Jared Verse and Johnny Wilson among others. FSU is also building its 2025 class.

The coaches are after ESPN Junior 300 linebacker Zayden Walker, the No. 14 recruit in 2025, ESPN Jr. 300 athlete Dallas Golden, safety D.J. Pickett, ranked No. 13 overall, as well as running back Ousmane Kromah, the No. 70 recruit overall, among plenty of others.

If the Seminoles can get into the playoff, the Seminoles could see their recruiting stock tick even higher.