We’re past the 2023 hiring cycle—except for the #1 position Dossie Robinson who chose not to put their pen to paper or even commit during National Signing Day on Wednesday – allowing us to turn our attention to the already-off class of 2024.
Let’s see what’s really going on.
Georgia is leading 247 athletic recruiting arrangement
Kirby Smart And the Bulldogs staffer has 10 early commitments under the heading of two five-stars at the highest-ranked cornerback Ellis Robinson IV and the No. 1 tight end in the floor thomas countries. The category also includes Top247 defensive backs Peyton Woodyard And Jaylen HaywardTop247 linebacker DeMarcus ReddickTop247 receiver kar and Top247 running back Dwight Phillips Jr and his speed is 4.2 in the 40-yard dash. These prospects are all 247Sports Composite Top100 players.
With Smart and company well-positioned in the top-ranked third-ranked recruiting class since their arrival in Athens, they are well-positioned to secure the ultimate verbal punch from the nation’s highest-ranked recruit at a five-star quarterback Dylan Raiola247Sports’ No. 2 ranked safety/receiver prospect KJ Bolden And the No. 1 quarterback in the land Sammy Brown, although there will be a lot of competition for all three of them. More on Raiola in a second. Bolden also ranks highly in Ohio State, Clemson, and Alabama among others, while the Tigers, Tennessee, Buckeyes, and Oklahoma are a few other contenders for the Browns.
With the players in Georgia, this could end up being the highest recruiting class in the 247Sports era dating back to 2010. Texas A&M distances in 2022 are the current standard.
Raiola lottery
The Phoenix (Ariz.) Pinnacle pass thought he had found his future home in Ohio State, and committed to the Buckeyes back in May. By December this did not last well and Raiola reopened recruitment.
Georgia has quickly emerged as a 247Sports Crystal Ball favorite but Raiola is not closed to ending up in Athens. Nebraska, USC, and Oregon are a few other major contenders.
UGA was the first program to prioritize Raiola and they were a first favorite before things moved to Ohio State. He has a long standing relationship with Smart, Todd Monken & Associates and has been to campus many times. He’s looking forward to returning in March, loves the program’s winning pedigree and culture, believes Monken’s offense will prepare him for the next level, and the opportunity to play in the nation’s premier program SEC is also exciting. Raiola’s older sister plays volleyball at TCU and the family attended the Bulldogs National Title game in which they defeated the Horned Frogs.
Nebraska will not be recruited by anyone for Raiola. new boss Matt Rowley He was in the area to see Raiola two weeks ago, and last week all nine of his assistants (including Raiola’s uncle Donovan who is the offensive line coach) went to show him how much time and effort they would put into recruiting him for his father’s alma mater. Senior USA’s Raiola Dominic was a Rimington Trophy winner (awarded to the top center in college football) and had his number retired at Lincoln. The younger Raiola is already starting to click the Rhule and offensive coordinator Marcus Satterfield And the whole family is excited about the course of the program.
Lincoln Riley The Trojans brought Raiola back to campus last weekend and Riley’s track record in developing quarterbacks, engineering high-octane offenses, and his relationship with the USC captain has the Pac 12 program in prime position. This past weekend was about bringing Raiola’s mom to campus for the first time and she loved it.
Raiola has many relationships with people on the block in Oregon yet ducks are near the top of the list as well.
More quarterback dominoes
Five of the 247 sports Top 10 ranked quarterbacks are committed to Julian Sign (No. 4) to Alabama, CJ Carr (No. 5) for Notre Dame, DJ Lagoy (No. 6) to Florida, recently Austin Mac (No. 7) for Washington (announced on Wednesday) and Luke Krummenhoek (No. 9) to Florida. This past cycle, we’ve seen four of the top 10 passers-by stop their commitment for various reasons, so a future mover should never be surprised with one of these guys. Sayn in particular already has Ohio State and Miami pushing hard but says all the right things about his pledge to do so Nick Saban and scarlet carrots.
Ranked second in the middle position in the country Jaden Davis It seemed at times about to get off the board, and Michigan continues to trend toward North Carolina Gatorade Player of the Year. Away from the Wolverines, the five-star still has interest in programs like Clemson, Ohio State, Penn State, North Carolina, and Tennessee.
After a flurry of hits, the No. 8 quarterback in the country Walker White They could be close to getting off the plate with places like Auburn, Baylor and Clemson well placed.
The quarterback that programs seem to be swarming right now is Noland Airlines From Fairburn (Jan.) Langston Hughes who threw for 4,095 yards and 55 touchdowns in the Junior State Championship. Auburn, Miami and Texas A&M have built some nice momentum with the No. 11 quarterback in our rankings, and an offer from Alabama during a visit this past weekend moved the needle with the talented left.
This quarterback category also includes Top247 recruits Isaac Wilson (No. 12 in the national position rankings), younger brother of New York Jets signal caller Zack Wilson.
Other quarterbacks who made early ads include Ryan Pugliese To Georgia (the Bulldogs want to sign two in 2024 after not taking one in 2023), he’s a dangerous, dual-threat sign. Damon Williams For Ole Miss, four stars Dante Renault to South Carolina and four stars James Bray to Iowa.
LSU has their man in Colin Hurley Which was reclassified from 2025 and Trey Owens He who will follow Manning arc to Texas and is excited to compete in the Longhorns’ highly talented room.
Programs that start quickly
LSU has eight ties and ranks second nationally with the jewel of the class being Pearland (Texas) Shadow Creek safety Maurice Williams Son. Who can turn into a great full-back at the next level. Brian Kelly The Tigers are sixth in 2023 and are looking to sign another one of America’s top picks after appearing in the SEC game.
Florida State has won 10 games for the first time since 2016, and the momentum is moving down the track as the Seminoles had nine early games and are third in the standings. It’s a category that, in addition to the talented Kromenhoek, includes five-star sprinters Cameron Davis and a pair of dynamic receivers in Camdon Freer And Twasky Abrams. FSU has not finished in a Top10 class since 2017.
Carr’s headliner is the fourth-ranked Notre Dame class nationally. Marcus Freeman The Irish have amassed three consecutive Top10 finishes heading into this tournament and look poised for another tournament.
Nick Saban She’s had 10 No. 1 ranks since coming to Tuscaloosa and will be in the mix again in 2024, solidly in the fifth now. Sayne is the jewel of a special talent at the corner back Jaylen Mbakwe Also in the barn.
More highlights
Texas Tech nearly fell to the Top25 class of 2023 at No. 26 in its first full cycle of Joey McGuire Era and the Red Raiders are out fast in 2024 sitting in sixth place including verbal talk from a four-star running back Johann Cardenas. Another Duke using strong first season momentum under a new system had five early commitments and was ranked No. 14 early in the cycle.
Ohio State had no surprise getting a word of mouth from its top-ranked wide receiver Jeremiah Smith.
Shane Beamer South Carolina closed out 2023 strong with a five-star signing Port Nichols, and finalized a truck ranking No. 16 nationally. They are No. 10 in early 2024 and with prospects on the board as America’s No. 2 offensive tackle. Josiah Thompson They can track the best program category in the history of our network.