Everyone looks at the stars. You see a five-star defensive lineman and you think, "Okay, that's a future NFL Sunday starter." But honestly, if 2024 taught us anything, it’s that the old way of looking at recruiting class rankings 2024 is basically dead. The transfer portal didn't just change the game; it set the old rulebook on fire.
You’ve probably seen the lists. Georgia at the top. Alabama right behind them despite the Nick Saban earthquake. But those numbers on a screen on National Signing Day don't tell the full story of who actually "won" the cycle.
The Georgia Juggernaut and the Saban Aftershocks
Kirby Smart is inevitable. That’s the vibe in Athens. Georgia locked down the number one spot in the recruiting class rankings 2024 with a haul that feels more like an NFL farm system than a college roster. They landed Ellis Robinson IV, a cornerback who most scouts think is as close to a "sure thing" as you can get at that age.
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But look at Alabama.
When Saban retired on January 10, everyone—and I mean everyone—expected the Crimson Tide’s class to evaporate. It didn't. Kalen DeBoer stepped into a literal hurricane and somehow kept the ship together. Sure, they lost Julian Sayin to Ohio State, which was a massive blow to their quarterback room. But keeping Ryan Williams? That was the heist of the century.
Williams is the kind of receiver who makes defensive coordinators lose sleep. He reclassified, he's younger than most of the guys he's burning on deep routes, and he still chose to stay in Tuscaloosa when he could have gone anywhere. That kept Alabama at the number two spot in most composite rankings. It’s a miracle of retention, really.
Why Stars Can Be Liars
We love the 247Sports and On3 rankings because they give us a neat score. 317.19 points for Georgia. 310.74 for Alabama. It feels scientific.
It isn't.
Take a look at Miami. They finished in the top five. Mario Cristobal is a monster on the recruiting trail—nobody denies that. They flipped Justin Scott from Ohio State, which was a huge "wow" moment in December. But does a top-five high school class matter if you don't win on the field?
There’s this weird gap now between "Recruiting National Champions" and actual performance. Miami had the talent, but as we saw during the actual 2024 season, translating those recruiting class rankings 2024 into a playoff run is a different beast entirely.
The Ohio State "Cheat Code"
If you want to talk about the most impactful class, you have to talk about Columbus. Ohio State didn't have the most commits—they only took 22 guys—but their "average player rating" was astronomical.
Jeremiah Smith.
Remember that name. Actually, you probably already know it if you watched a single Saturday of football this past year. He wasn't just the top-ranked receiver; he was arguably the best prospect to come out of high school in a decade. He tied Leonard Fournette’s record for the highest-rated recruit ever in the 247Sports Composite.
And he lived up to it.
Smith caught 76 passes for 1,315 yards and 15 touchdowns as a true freshman. Those aren't "good freshman" numbers. Those are "first-round draft pick" numbers. Ohio State’s strategy was clear: they didn't want 30 "okay" players. They wanted 20 superstars.
The Transfer Portal vs. High School Rankings
This is where the recruiting class rankings 2024 get really messy. If you only look at high school kids, you’re missing half the team.
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Ole Miss is the perfect example. Lane Kiffin basically gave up on traditional recruiting for a minute there. He decided he’d rather have 22-year-old men from the portal than 18-year-old kids from high school.
- Ole Miss brought in the #1 transfer class.
- Oregon used the portal to grab Dillon Gabriel and Evan Stewart.
- Colorado... well, Deion Sanders did his thing, bringing in over 40 transfers.
When you mix the high school kids with the portal additions, the "real" rankings change. Oregon, for instance, finished 3rd or 4th in high school rankings but arguably had the most talented overall roster because they filled every single hole with a proven veteran.
Small School Wins Nobody Noticed
We spend so much time talking about the SEC and Big Ten that we miss the "mid-major" wins. Texas Tech pulled a top-25 class. That's huge for Lubbock. Joey McGuire is building something there that doesn't rely on being a blue blood.
Then you have Nebraska.
Dylan Raiola flipping from Georgia to Nebraska was the "bombshell" of the 2024 cycle. It wasn't just about one player. It was a signal. It told the world that a 5-star legacy quarterback would rather go to a rebuilding program in Lincoln than sit behind stars in Athens. It boosted Nebraska to the 18th spot, their best finish in years.
What We Learned from the 2024 Cycle
Recruiting isn't a one-day event anymore. It’s a year-round war of attrition. You have to recruit your own roster to keep them from leaving, you have to scout the portal, and you still have to find the next Jeremiah Smith in the high school ranks.
A few things became crystal clear:
- Retention is the new recruiting. Alabama staying at #2 after Saban left is more impressive than Georgia staying at #1.
- Wide Receivers are the new Quarterbacks. The impact of guys like Jeremiah Smith and Ryan Williams was immediate and game-changing.
- The "Composite" matters less than the "Average." Teams taking smaller, elite classes (like Ohio State) are often better off than teams taking 30 three-star players just to pad their point total.
If you’re tracking how these teams move forward, stop looking at the total points. Look at the blue-chip ratio—the percentage of four and five-star players on the roster. That’s the only stat that consistently predicts who makes the College Football Playoff.
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Check the current rosters of your favorite team and see how many of their 2024 signees are actually starters. You’ll find that the "winners" of the recruiting class rankings 2024 aren't always the ones holding the trophies in January, but they're the only ones with the depth to survive a 12-team playoff.
Look up the "Blue Chip Ratio" for the top 10 teams in the 2024 rankings to see which programs have the talent floor required to actually win a national title. Compare the high school rank of your team against their transfer portal rank to see if they are building for the long term or just "buying" a one-year window.