Breaking down the five best 2024 defensive line classes
The 2024 recruiting class is all wrapped up so it’s time to see which teams won each position. Today we continue our position-by-position look at the top classes with the defensive linemen.
NOTE: College transfers are not included in this list but transfers from within the 2024 class – a situation created by the late coaching changes – will be factored into this series.
CONFERENCE REPORT CARDS: SEC | ACC | Pac-12 | Big Ten | Big 12
POSITIONAL WINNERS: Quarterbacks | Running Backs | Wide Receivers | Tight ends | Offensive linemen
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MORE NSD: Gorney Awards | Recruiters of the Year | Dominic Raiola interview | Five-star David Sanders updates recruitment | Alabama signee Ryan Williams interview | UCF coach Gus Malzahn interview | Big day for the Huskers | Miami coach Mario Cristobal interview | Oregon coach Dan Lanning interview | USC coach Lincoln Riley interview | UGA wins recruiting title | Big Ten recruiting recap | ACC recruiting recap | Pac-12 recruiting recap | SEC recruiting recap | Big 12 recruiting recap | NSD Live – all the news, analysis and interviews | Bussey sticks with A&M | Complete guide to National Signing Day announcements | What to watch on NSD | Five biggest storylines for this week | Four programs in the spotlight | Rivals Roundtable looks toward NSD
CLASS OF 2024 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Team | Position | State
CLASS OF 2025 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Team | Position | State
CLASS OF 2026 RANKINGS: Rivals100
TRANSFER PORTAL: Latest news | Transfer search | Transfer tracker/player ranking (football) | Transfer team ranking (football) | Transfer tracker/player ranking (basketball) | Transfer team ranking (basketball) | Rivals Portal Twitter
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1. MIAMI
No team loaded up more along the defensive line than Miami and it really wasn’t even all that close.
Five-stars Justin Scott, Marquise Lightfoot and Armondo Blount could end up transforming the Hurricanes’ defensive line in the coming years but a bunch of four-stars aren’t bad, either. Booker Pickett was super productive at Tampa (Fla.) Wharton and he had a phenomenal week at the Under Armour Game.
Miami finished with the fifth-best class in the 2024 recruiting cycle and its success is in large part to the job the Hurricanes did along the defensive line.
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2. GEORGIA
The Bulldogs had a respectable defensive line group heading closer to signing day and then things got way better for Georgia as it flipped four-star Nasir Johnson from Florida and Joseph Jonah-Ajonye earned his fifth star following a great week at the Under Armour Game.
Georgia’s defensive line class is loaded - along with nearly every other position group - and if there’s a sleeper in this group it could be four-star Jordan Thomas, who had a great start to the All-American Bowl week but needs to show consistency.
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3. OREGON
There are no five-stars among this Oregon group but there is a ton of talent and even more potential to tap once these top prospects get going in Eugene.
Four-star Elijah Rushing has all the length in the world, Aydin Breland has position versatility since he could go inside or outside, Jericho Johnson has the power and space-eating ability up the middle and then others have numerous strengths as well.
Tionne Gray played both offensive and defensive lines in high school and even though he didn’t do many national events that type of versatile player is priceless.
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4. LSU
LSU’s coaching staff put in a ton of work to get this defensive line class together and they deserve a lot of credit because it involved numerous flips to get this high in the rankings.
The big fish is five-star Dominick McKinley, who absolutely dominated at the Under Armour Game. If he keeps up that level of physical play and determination on the field, he could be really special in Baton Rouge.
But it doesn’t end there. Four-star defensive end Gabriel Reliford was a long-time Texas A&M pledge that LSU kept working on and finally flipped. Christopher Jackson (Georgia Tech) and Ahmad Breaux (Duke) were also committed elsewhere before picking the Tigers and loading up this group.
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5. OKLAHOMA
The best defensive lineman in the 2024 class is headed to Oklahoma as native son David Stone is returning home after playing his high school ball at Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy. He morphed from being an undersized, high-motor kid early on to having great size, keeping that motor and added a level of competitiveness that’s rarely seen.
Four-star Jayden Jackson should join him up the middle and he could be one of the more underrated defensive tackles in this class. Nigel Smith and Danny Okoye could be really interesting coming off the edge because Smith has great size and Okoye never saw elite competition in high school but has special physical qualities.