In the midst of conference championship weekend, just a few days before Selection Sunday for the College Football Playoff and the Dec. 9 opening of the transfer portal, National Signing Day took center stage on Wednesday as the early signing period for the 2025 college football recruiting cycle, the earliest in history, opened.
The next generation of stars will always come from the high school ranks (seven of the ten most talented teams will make the CFP), and many of the best prep players in the nation were at the forefront of Wednesday’s festivities. This is true even in an era where the transfer portal has largely eliminated the recruiting drama from both the December and February signing periods.
While monitor the highs and lows of a class and a cycle all year long in their role as 247Sports’ Director of Scouting. Based on the events of the day or the previous few weeks, the teams listed below are the ones they consider to be the victors and losers of the day. The team rankings are current as of Wednesday at 5 p.m. ET.
Winners
Oregon
Class rank: 4th
In addition to acquiring longtime five-star wide receiver commit Dallas Wilson, who entertained late overtures from both Florida and Miami, the Ducks made the biggest splash of any team on Wednesday by trading for four-star quarterback Jaron Keawe Sagapolutele from California and five-star cornerback Na’eem Offord from Ohio State. Tobi Haastrup, a boom-or-bust pass rusher, was also acquired by them.
Oregon woke up with one of the best recruiting classes in the country, pound for pound, and continued to build upon it.
Texas
Class rank: 1st
It is unlikely that Texas will drop out of the #1 spot very soon. After leaping to the top of the rankings on Wednesday, Steve Sarkisian and the Longhorns are on track to sign the program’s highest-ranked recruiting class since 2012.
Less than twenty-four hours after using the spatula to bring four-star cornerback Kade Phillips back into the fold, Texas locked up utilityman Michael Terry III. Terry is the third five-star talent from the Lone Star State to enter the class; he reminds us of former UT standout Ja’Tavion Sanders.
Florida
Class ranking: 10th
In a short of weeks, Florida’s recruiting class went from outside the top 50 rankings to vying for a spot in the top 10, demonstrating the existence of the DJ Lagway effect and the importance of momentum in the talent acquisition process.
This day should be considered a victory even though Billy Napier and company were unable to capture everyone. Remember that everyone was worried about Napier’s future at this time last year, and the Gators fell in the recruiting rankings. The script has been turned thanks to Lagway’s performance to end the regular season.
South Carolina
Class ranking: 20th
Zavion Hardy, Mississippi State’s top-ranked junior college prospect, was flipped by the Gamecocks to open the morning. A few hours later, they defeated Michigan and USC for Christian Ingram, a late bloomer. Hardy and Ingram elevate South Carolina’s class to a new level, but they probably won’t have the same impact as Dylan Stewart in 2025.
10 front-seven defenders were signed by South Carolina on Wednesday. The Gamecocks, who have 40 sacks this season, lead the SEC, and that should make them interesting defensively.
Georgia Tech
Class rank: 18th
Brent Key had an incredible season, defeating Florida State in Week 0 and almost eliminating Georgia in an eight-overtime slugfest to close the regular season. In addition to putting together what will be the best-ranked class in program history, Key also faced off against some of the biggest brands in sports on Wednesday. The Yellow Jackets repelled an 11th-hour effort from USC and signed highly sought-after four-star athlete Dalen Penson after defeating both Ohio State and Tennessee for five-star offensive tackle Josh Petty back in the summer. One week had passed since Clemson’s four-star safety Tae Harris was traded.
Texas A&M
Class ranking: 8th
At the last second, Texas A&M added five-star offensive tackle Lamont Rogers and wide receiver Jerome Myles to complete a top 10-ranked class.
The Aggies have plenty of star power on the horizon with 12 signees now ranked in the Top247, but the class’s real strength is found a little further down the pledge line. Finding under-the-radar talents with qualities to shape over time is a top priority for Elko and his team in an effort to add depth. The mission has been completed.
State of Florida
Class rank: 22nd
You have to give FSU credit for Mike Norvell’s late comeback.
The Seminoles acquired three-star wide receiver Jayvan Boggs from UCF, four-star running back Ousmane Kromah from Georgia, and three-star cornerback Shamar Anroux from Auburn on Wednesday, resulting in more recruits than subtractions despite defections during the previous few months.
FSU’s class was ranked in the mid-50s back in November, but Norvell managed to climb all the way up to No. 22 on Wednesday. Depending on how things work out with a few more names on the board, the Seminoles may wind up with a class that ranks in the top 25. Not bad for a program that only finished 2–10 during a miserable season.
Losers
Clemson
Class ranking: 26th
Dabo Swinney doesn’t use the transfer portal, as you have probably heard by now. He’ll claim he doesn’t require any veteran players. Although Clemson is only one victory away from qualifying for the first 12-team postseason, the Tigers’ roster situation is beginning to appear somewhat grim.
With only 15 signees, Clemson goes to bed on Wednesday night. It is on track to be the Tigers’ lowest performance in the 247Sports era and only the second time a class has finished below the top 25, unless Swinney has any Deion Sanders-like tricks under his sleeve.
It’s difficult to ignore the fact that the Tigers lost five of their top seven-ranked pledges in the final stretch, even though Clemson will likely receive a few future NFL Draft picks. With schools now likely needing to play 17 games to win a national championship, Clemson’s depth is going to suffer a significant blow, which is not ideal.
USC
Class rank: 13th
In the NFL Draft, California produces an average of 21.4 selections annually. Therefore, it is a little concerning that there are only five in-state prospects in USC’s class.
It has been difficult to determine the precise goals of the Trojans for a large portion of the year. Two blue-chip recruits, defensive lineman Jahkeem Stewart and defensive back Alex Graham, who live across the nation, were acquired by the Trojans on Wednesday. However, it might be argued that USC’s decommit list is superior to the list of signees.
In addition, CBS Sports reports that there are a lot of “off” vibes in Los Angeles, thus the program does not feel as strong as its No. 13 ranking would imply.
Oklahoma
Class rank: 16th
If five-star offensive tackle Michael Fasusi had abruptly left the Sooners for Texas, things would have turned out lot worse for Oklahoma, but that did not occur. However, Brent Venables had a fairly lackluster Wednesday.
Marcus Harris and Gracen Harris, two wide receivers, committed to Oklahoma in the days before the signing period. The class’ top receiver, Cortez Mills, then decided to sign with Nebraska. On the same day that former five-star signee Jackson Arnold hit the transfer portal, new offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle did acquire his quarterback in three-star Jett Niu, but who will anyone throw to in 2025?
The lack of offensive skill talent hindered OU’s first season in the SEC. Although running back Tory Blaylock and gadgetman Elijah Thomas are exciting, the Sooners will need to fill some roster gaps through the transfer portal, which can be an expensive and challenging process.
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