How the Power Five leagues have fared in landing recruits and transfers

By STEVE MEGARGEE

Southeastern Conference schools continue to dominate the recruiting path almost as thoroughly as they dominate on the field.

Alabama compiled the best 2023 class in the country, according to a ranking of recruiting sites compiled by 247Sports. The SEC has eight of the top 17 classes, including Georgia at No. 2, LSU at No. 6, and Tennessee at No. 9.

An SEC school has led the team recruitment rankings every year since 2010, the first year for which 247Sports Composite has data.

Florida had the best recruiting class in the country in 2010. Alabama led the recruiting rankings every year from 2011 to 2017. Georgia had top class in 2018 and 2020, Alabama took first place in 2019 and 2021, and Texas A&M had top class last year.

With Wednesday being the second signing period and the 2023 recruitment cycle coming to an end, here’s a rundown of how each of the Power Five leagues has fared. The ranking corresponds to the 247Sports Composite. Team leaderboards are Wednesday at 5:00 p.m. ET.

Acc

CLASS RANKINGS: 1st Miami (7th overall). 2. Clemson (11th). 3. Florida State (20th). 4. North Carolina (27th). 5.Virginia Tech (35th). 6. State of North Carolina (41st). 7.Louisville (43rd). 8. Pittsburgh (51st). 9. Wake Forest (53′). 10. Duke (54th). 11. Boston College (59th). 12.Georgia Tech (60th). 13.Virginia (64th). 14. Syracuse (80th).

TOP PROSPECTS: Miami OT Francis Mauigoa, IMG Academy, Bradenton, Fla. (10th overall). Miami OT Samson Okuniola, Thayer Academy, Brockton, Mass. (23rd). Florida State WR Hykeem Williams, Fort Lauderdale (Florida) Stranaahan (31st). Clemson DL Peter Woods, Alabaster (Alabama) Thompson (33rd). Phenix City (Alabama) headquarters Clemson DL Tomarrion Parker (49th).

TOP TRANSFERS: Florida State CB Fentrell Cypress (formerly in Virginia). State of Florida TE Jaheim Bell (South Carolina). Miami OL Javion Cohen (Alabama). State of Florida DL Braden Fiske (West Michigan). Florida State OT Jeremiah Byers (UTEP).

NOTES: Miami coach Mario Cristobal showed the recruiting process he showed in Oregon even when the Hurricanes went 5-7 in his debut season. The state of Florida hasn’t done a particularly good job of recruiting high school prospects, but Mike Norvell was as good as any coach in the country when it came to using the transfer portal. The Seminoles hope their new transfers do as well as Jermaine Johnson did in 2021 or Jared Verse last season.

BIG 12

CLASS RANKINGS: 1st Texas (3rd) 2nd Oklahoma (4th). 3.TCU (19th). 4.Texas Tech (26th). 5. State of Kansas (32nd). 6.Baylor (34th). 7. State of Iowa (38th). 8. West Virginia (47th). 9. State of Oklahoma (55th). 10. Kansas (72nd).

TOP PROSPECTS: Texas QB Arch Manning, New Orleans Isidore Newman (1st). Oklahoma QB Jackson Arnold, Denton (Texas) Guyer (8th). Oklahoma DE Adepoju Adebawore, North Kansas City (Missouri) (11th). Oklahoma S Peyton Bowen, Denton (Texas) Guyer (16th). Texas LB Anthony Hill, Denton (Texas) Ryan (18th).

TOP TRANSFERS: Oklahoma OLB Dasan McCullough (Indiana). Oklahoma DL Rondell Bothroyd (Wake Forest). Texas WR Adonai Mitchell (Georgia). TCU OT Tommy Brockermeyer (Alabama). Baylor OL Clark Barrington (BYU).

NOTES: Texas now has two of the last three No. 1 overall prospects. QB Quinn Ewers, the nation’s No. 1 recruit in the 2021 class, transferred to Texas after originally enlisting in Ohio State. … Oklahoma’s 6-7 record in coach Brent Venables’ debut season obviously hasn’t diminished his appeal for recruits and transfers. … A look at where the new members of the Big 12 currently stand: UCF was 49th, Houston 56th, BYU 66th and Cincinnati 78th in the team recruit rankings.

BIG TEN

CLASS RANKINGS: 1st Ohio State (5th). 2. Penn State (13th). 3.Michigan (18th). 4. Michigan State (23rd). 5.Nebraska (24th). 6.Maryland (36th). 7.Iowa (38th). 8. Illinois (42nd). 9.Minnesota (44th). 10. Northwest (45th). 11.Rutgers (57th). 12.Wisconsin (58th). 13.Purdue (65th). 14. Indiana (67th).

TOP VIEWS: Ohio State WR Brandon Inniss, Fort Lauderdale (Florida) American Heritage (35th). Penn State OT J’ven Williams, Reading (Pennsylvania) Wyomissing (40th). Ohio State CB Jermaine Mathews, Cincinnati Winton Woods (51st). Penn State OL Alex Birchmeier, Ashburn (Virginia) broad run (52nd). Ohio State WR Noah Rogers, Rolesville (N.C.) (53rd).

TOP TRANSFERS: Michigan LB Ernest Hausmann (Nebraska). Ohio State CB Davison Igbinosun (Mississippi). Purdue QB Hudson map (Texas). Ohio State S Ja’Had Carter (Syracuse). Michigan OL LaDarius Henderson (Arizona State).

NOTES: The Big Ten did not sign any of the top 34 recruits and only two top 50 prospects. Michigan’s rank isn’t particularly impressive for a program built out of back-to-back playoff appearances, but the Wolverines have done extremely well on the transfer portal. Indiana and Wisconsin were also very active in the portal.

PAC-12

CLASS RANKS: 1st Oregon (8th). 2. Southern California (12th). 3. Utah (21st). 4. Washington (28th). 5. Colorado (29th). 6.UCLA (37th). 7.Arizona (40th). 8. Arizona State (46th). 9.Stanford (48th). 10. Oregon State (50th). 11. Washington State (63rd) 12. California (86th).

HIGHEST VIEWS: Southern California WR Zachariah Branch, Las Vegas (Nevada) Bishop Gorman (4th). UCLA QB Dante Moore (Detroit Martin Luther King) (5th). Colorado CB Cormani McClain, Lakeland (Fl.) (13th). Oregon WR Jurrion Dickey, East Palo Alto (California) Menlo-Atherton (21st). Southern California WR Makai Leon, Los Alamitos (California (43rd).

TOP TRANSFERS: Colorado CB Travis Hunter (Jackson State). Oregon DE Jordan Burch (South Carolina). Southern California OT Anthony Lucas (Texas A&M). Southern California WR Dorian Singer (Arizona). Oregon OT Ajani Cornelius (Rhode Island).

NOTES: Colorado coach Deion Sanders made an immediate impression by adding McClain — the top-ranked player not to sign in December — and bringing in Hunter from Jackson State. Hunter was the nation’s No. 1 in the 2022 class. … The Pac-12 added a few more top-125 players Wednesday as QB Jaden Rashada (82nd) ​​picked Arizona State, CB Rodrick Pleasant (91st) Oregon chose and TE Walker Lyons (123rd) chose USC.

SEC

CLASS RANKS: 1st Alabama (1st). 2. Georgia (2nd). 3.LSU (6th). 4. Tennessee (9th). 5.Florida (14th). 6.Texas A&M (15th). 7.South Carolina (16th). 8. Maroon (17th). 9. Arkansas (22nd). 10. State of Mississippi (25th). 11. Ole Fraulein (30th). 12. Kentucky (31st). 13. Missouri (33rd). 14.Vanderbilt (52nd).

TOP PROSPECTS: Alabama DE Keon Keeley, Tampa (Fl.) Berkeley Prep (2nd). Tennessee QB Nico Iamaleava, Downey (California) Warren (3rd). Alabama S. Caleb Downs, Hoschton (Georgia) Mill Creek (6th). Texas A&M DL David Hicks, Katy (Texas) Paetow (7th). Alabama OT Kadyn Proctor, Des Moines (Iowa) Southeast Polk (9th).

TOP TRANSFERS: LSU CB Denver Harris (Texas A&M). Kentucky QB Devin Leary (North Carolina State). Georgia WR Dominic Lovett (Missouri). LSU CB Zy Alexander (Southeast Louisiana). Texas A&M Sam McCall (Florida State).

NOTES: South Carolina landed one of the nation’s top remaining untied prospects on Wednesday when the Gamecocks added Nyckoles Harbor, a tight end/edge rusher in 23rd overall. Alabama and Georgia are among the schools in the mix for TE Duce Robinson, who finishes 17th overall. Robinson has yet to decide on a school and is also considering a professional baseball career.

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