Your weekly serving of college football roster acquisition thoughts -- recruiting, transfer portal, you name it -- from 247Sports Director of Scouting Andrew Ivins.
'Race for No. 1' through a dream class prism
Back in the day, college football recruiting media used to cover the pursuit of the nation's No. 1 recruiting class like a horse race. Who led after May? Who led after June? What about July?
In time, that got old. Part of the reason was no matter how many times we projected a school like Notre Dame or Ohio State to have a real shot at No. 1, Signing Day would come and go with the same old schools sitting at the top. The last time a non-SEC school signed the No. 1 class was 2008 (Miami). Alabama has signed 10 No. 1 classes since 2009, Georgia has signed three. Florida and Texas A&M have one apiece.
So there's not much variety.
There's also much less interest by other fans in what Georgia or Alabama are going to do -- especially in the transfer portal era. While high school recruiting remains vital, the ability to add impact players and plug roster holes in the offseason is keeping fans more and more focused on their respective classes and rosters as they want to know what their staff is eventually going to be shopping for at some point down the line. We have also seen teams heavy on the veteran additions put together magical seasons, like both Washington and Florida State did in 2023.
That said, everything is good in moderation. As the calendar turns to July and as commitments pop off like fireworks, we knew it was time to bring the race for No. 1 to the national forefront. We've added few twists, though.
1. We narrowed the list to the four realistic contenders: Ohio State, Alabama and Georgia, who currently rank Nos. 1-3 in the rankings, and Oregon, which sits at No. 7 right now but has the juice and space left on the board, with only 14 commits, to make a serious run at the top.
2. Then we asked the recruiting experts who cover each team for 247Sports -- Bill Kurelic for Ohio State, Brett Greenberg for Alabama, Benjamin Wolk for Georgia and Matt Prehm for Oregon -- to use the free-to-use (and addictive) Class Calculator at 247Sports to draw up their best-case, dream class scenarios.
3. We'll say that again: These are best-case, dream class scenarios. The players you see on the tables below are not current members of that team's recruiting class. In some cases they're even committed elsewhere. But something gives our experts enough ground to stand on to project these players in a best-case world.
Ohio State's dream class projection: 328.63
Current Points Total: 304.93
The Buckeyes currently have the No. 1 class in 2025 and the scenario here by Kurelic would indeed have them finishing at No. 1 on Signing Day, given what we know about the classes Alabama and Georgia dream up below.
Sanders, the nation's top offensive tackle, will make a decision in August. The Buckeyes could be the greatest threat to perceived favorite Tennessee.
Ohio State's dream class additions
| Player | Position | Stars | National Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| David Sanders | OT | 5 | 3 |
| Trey McNutt | S | 5 | 23 |
| Malik Autry~ | DL | 5 | 29 |
| Vernell Brown III | WR | 4 | 38 |
| Riley Pettijohn | LB | 4 | 58 |
| Justin Hill | EDGE | 4 | 60 |
| Anthony Rogers~ | RB | 4 | 118 |
| Jayvon McFadden | OL | 3 | 442* |
~Currently committed elsewhere; *Denotes 247Sports Composite Ranking
Ohio State spent the 2024 offseason lining up all its ducks to retain players who had NFL decisions and bring in a star-powered transfer portal class. It has done the same in the 2025 recruiting class, which is led by elite quarterback Tavien St. Clair, who currently ranks as the No. 2 prospect in his class -- with a rankings update coming soon. Kurelic went more in-depth on his "dream class" projections for the 2025 Class.
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Oregon's dream class projection: 321.73
Current Points Total: 251.95
Oregon just recently moved into the top 10 of the rankings. However, the Ducks' 93.69 average rank per commit sits just a fraction of a point behind Ohio State, and that has Oregon legitimately in the mix for a No. 1 finish. Now, in Matt Prehm's dream mock class Dan Lanning would have to pull off a series of flips, but Lanning has quickly built a reputation as a closer that loves to celebrate with a cigar.
The Ducks already have two five-stars committed in wide receiver Dallas Wilson and cornerback Dorian Brew and are in the hunt to land five more: wide receiver Dakorien Moore, offensive athlete Michael Terry III, defensive athlete Jonah Williams, cornerback DJ Pickett and safety Trey McNutt.
Oregon's dream class additions
| Player | Position | Stars | National Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dakorien Moore | WR | 5 | 5 |
| Jonah Williams | LB | 5 | 7 |
| Michael Terry III | ATH | 5 | 20 |
| Trey McNutt | S | 5 | 23 |
| Justin Hill | EDGE | 4 | 60 |
| Noah Mikhail~ | LB | 4 | 83 |
| Kaleb Edwards~ | TE | 4 | 119 |
| Blake Woodby | CB | 4 | 127 |
| Aaron Dunn | OT | 4 | 131 |
| Juan Gaston | OT | 4 | 165 |
| Alai Kalaniuvalu | OL | 4 | 172 |
| Keylan Moses~ | LB | 4 | 251* |
| Omarion Robinson | S | 3 | 299* |
~Currently committed elsewhere; Denotes 247Sports Composite Ranking
A class of seven five-stars would rival the historic 2022 class for Texas A&M, which included eight five-stars. Is it likely? The smart money would say no, but start looking into future tickets for Oregon as the Ducks might be on the verge of signing back-to-back top 5-ranked recruiting classes for the first time in program history. Oregon's NIL alignment is no secret in the college football roster acquisition world, which gives the Ducks a chance for every prospect they want.
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Alabama's dream class projection: 320.85
Current Points Total: 288.86
If you had any concerns about how coach Kalen DeBoer would fare recruiting down south, you can shove those aside. DeBoer is absolutely killing it. The Crimson Tide have the No. 2 class in 2025, which far exceeds any expectations naysayers had about a coach coming from the West Coast.
The Crimson Tide's class is headlined by quarterback Keelon Russell, who it flipped from SMU in June. In the dream class projections offered up by Bama247's Brett Greenberg, Russell would be surrounded by an embarrassment of riches at wide receiver -- three, count 'em, three (!) five-star receivers in this best-case haul.
Alabama's dream class additions
| Player | Position | Stars | National Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kaliq Lockett | WR | 5 | 11 |
| Ty Haywood | OT | 5 | 18 |
| Caleb Cunningham | WR | 5 | 22 |
| Derek Meadows | WR | 5 | 32 |
| Akylin Dear | RB | 4 | 45 |
| Justin Hill | LB | 4 | 60 |
| Ty Jackson | LB | 4 | 195 |
| Floyd Boucard | DL | 3 | 612* |
*Denotes 247Sports Composite Ranking
That Alabama's in position to land this type of class speaks to its NIL alignment, which was an underlying concern in the wake of Nick Saban's exit, as well as how recruits favorably view what DeBoer did in his short time at Washington.
However, even Alabama's best-case class is not enough to get past Ohio State's best-case class, which gives us the same Nos. 1 and 2 we have right now.
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Georgia's dream class projection: 312.09
Current Points Total: 270.60
Even Georgia's dream class projection can't get it past Alabama at No. 2 or Ohio State at No. 1, but don't feel too bad for Kirby Smart's Bulldogs. After a red-hot June, its current list of commits is ridiculous, as is the best-case projection offered up here by Benjamin Wolk of Dawgs247.
Georgia's
| Player | Position | Stars | National Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Elijah Griffin | DL | 5 | 8 |
| Justus Terry | DL | 5 | 12 |
| Tavion Wallace~ | LB | 4 | 36 |
| Shamari Earls~ | CB | 4 | 68 |
| Nick Brooks | OT | 4 | 142 |
| Ousmane Kromah | RB | 4 | 160 |
| Juan Gaston | OT | 4 | 165 |
| Cortez Smith | OT | 4 | 182 |
| Damola Ajidahun | OT | 3 | 231* |
| Jaylan Morgan | S | 4 | 26* |
~Currently committed elsewhere;*Denotes 247Sports Composite Ranking
The Peach State's crop of 2025 defensive talent is absurd, as it tends to be, and it's very possible the Bulldogs go for a clean sweep on homegrown five-stars. They already have five-star 'backer Zayden Walker in the class. Same for five-star edge Isaiah Gibson. How about five-star defensive lineman Elijah Griffin? What about another five-star defensive lineman, Justus Terry?!
The Dawgs might finish No. 3 in these dream class rankings and No. 3 in reality, but your real takeaway here should be a nationwide warning that Georgia's once again building a terrifying defensive class.
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Sneaky-good commit of the week
ATH Shelton Fuller to Utah
Utah utility man Sione Vaki was a darling for the scouting community this past draft cycle. A fourth-round pick by the Detroit Lions, Vaki was a rare two-way playmaker for the Utes who made an impact at both safety and running back late in the 2023 season. To be frank, we don't come across a lot of mid-skill prospects like Vaki, but Utah appears to have found the closest thing to him this recruiting cycle in Shelton Fuller, who picked the Utes over Texas Tech, Houston, Oregon State and BYU earlier this week.
The nation's No. 64-ranked athlete did a little bit of everything as a junior at El Paso Del Valle in Texas, totaling 814 yards of offense and 10 touchdowns to go along with 20 tackles and two interceptions on defense. Utah has constantly found ways to maximize its talent under the direction of Kyle Whittingham and things shouldn't change whenever defensive coordinator Morgan Scalley takes over. Coincidentally, Scalley played a big part in Vaki's recruitment years ago.
'Freak' of the week
CB Dijon Lee (Alabama commit)
There were just a handful of cornerbacks on NFL rosters this past season that were listed at over 6-foot-3. The thing most have in common? They were elite multi-sport athletes coming out of high school. It might be a little too early to label Dijon Lee a for-sure future pro, but he's one of the longest defensive backs in the class of 2025 and he owns exceptional track and field data.
Lee, who is legitimately pushing 6-foot-4, cleared 46 feet, 2 inches in the triple jump back during the spring months to win a sectional title. He also posted a respectable 22.15-second effort in the 200-meter dash. Lee broke up 13 passes and picked off two more as a junior at Mission Viejo in California. He picked Alabama over Georgia, Texas, Washington and Texas A&M last week on the 247Sports YouTube Channel and gives the Crimson Tide yet another promising young secondary piece after Nick Saban signed a trio of five-stars last cycle in Zabien Brown, Jaylen Mbakwe and Zavier Mincey -- who all project to play this fall.