The high school team recruiting title is staying in the SEC for another year. Georgia and head coach Kirby Smart will claim the recruiting crown for the 2024 class after signing four five-stars, 19 four-stars and five three-stars.
Rivals will be awarding two more 2024 recruiting champions this year – the transfer portal team champion and the comprehensive team champion, which will blend the high school and transfer portal team rankings. The latter two team champions will be crowned in the summer, prior to the teams reporting to training camp.
But for the Bulldogs, this recruiting crown is Georgia’s fourth since the 2017 recruiting cycle and the SEC’s ninth-consecutive recruiting championship. In an historical context, Georgia’s 2024 recruiting class ranks No. 16 all-time, according to the team recruiting rankings formula.
MORE NSD: 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
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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. GEORGIA
Unsurprisingly, Georgia’s defensive signees are the stars of this recruiting class. There are a total of four five-stars who signed with the Bulldogs and each of them are defensive prospects. Finishing the rankings cycle at No. 3 in the Rivals250 is cornerback Ellis Robinson, who is the highest-ranked prospect to sign with Georgia in the 2024 cycle. That No. 3 ranking is the highest for a cornerback since the 2019 class when Derek Stingley Jr. finished No. 1 overall.
Five-star signees Justin Williams (No. 11 in the Rivals250), KJ Bolden (No. 14) and Joseph Jonah-Ajonye (No. 16) along with Robinson give the Bulldogs at least one five-star at every level of the defense.
Joining Robinson and Bolden in the secondary are top-100 prospects Ondre Evans and Demello Jones, who finished the rankings cycle listed as an athlete. The Bulldogs also loaded up with outstanding talent at linebacker, highlighted by Williams, No. 65 overall prospect Chris Cole and No. 124 overall prospect Kristopher Jones.
On the offensive side of the ball, Georgia signed No. 1 running back Nate Frazier out of Santa Ana (Calif.) Mater Dei and top-100 receiver NiTareon Tuggle out of Nappanee (Ind.) Northwood.
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2. ALABAMA
Nick Saban’s abrupt retirement and ensuing transfers aside, the Crimson Tide have their sixth-consecutive top-five recruiting class. Kalen DeBoer and his coaching staff reeled in five-star receiver Ryan Williams after he backed out of his initial commitment to Alabama, the biggest win on the trail.
Alabama is credited with the signing of a total of four five-stars, including No. 2 overall quarterback Julian Sayin (who has already transferred to Ohio State), and defensive backs Jaylen Mbakwe and Zabien Brown.
The group of signees in the secondary looks pretty special. Along with Mbakwe and Brown, the Crimson Tide landed top-100 defensive backs Zavier Mincey and Peyton Woodyard. Rivals250 defensive back Jameer Grimsley also signed with Alabama in December but has since transferred to Florida. Alabama landed a signature from four-star Rydarrius Morgan as well.
No. 2 overall tight end Caleb Odom out of Carrolton, Ga., signed with Alabama and so did Rivals250 running back Kevin Riley from nearby Northport, Ala.
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3. TEXAS
Steve Sarkisian and the Longhorns signed an outstanding recruiting class with elite prospects at nearly every position. Five-stars Colin Simmons, Brandon Baker and Xavier Filsaime lead the way. The group of defensive backs looks particularly impressive with a total of four Rivals250 prospects and an additional four-star prospect. Filsaime leads the group followed closely by Kobe Black, Wardell Mack, Jordan Johnson-Rubell and Santana Wilson.
Simmons was at one point the top-ranked player in the 2024 class but finished the cycle at No. 10 overall. He and Rivals250 prospect Zina Umeozulu will bookend the Texas defensive line.
Of the offensive signees for Texas, seven of them landed inside the Rivals250. Offensive tackle Brandon Baker is their lone five-star on offense followed by top-50 prospect Ryan Wingo, a receiver from St. Louis. Wingo leads a very strong receiver class that features Rivals250 prospects Aaron Butler and Parker Livingstone along with four-star Freddie Dubose Jr.
Rivals250 running backs Christian Clark and Jerrick Gibson will help replenish the talent pool in the Texas backfield.
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4. OHIO STATE
No. 1 overall prospect Jeremiah Smith committed to Ohio State more than a year before the Early Signing Period and ended up sticking with that decision despite multiple visits elsewhere.
Smith is considered the best receiver prospect in many years and is expected to see the field plenty his freshman year. Buckeye signee and No. 40 overall prospect Mylan Graham along with Smith are perhaps the best receiver duo in the entire 2024 class.
Ohio State also signed two five-stars from Georgia in quarterback Air Noland and defensive lineman Eddrick Houston.
Ten of the 11 offensive prospects Ryan Day and his staff signed are four- or five-star prospects. Rivals250 offensive lineman Ian Moore is one of four four-star signees up front. Rivals250 running back James Peoples will play an important role in the Ohio State offense down the road.
Houston is joined on the defensive line by Rivals250 defensive end Dominic Kirks, a former Washington commit. At linebacker, Ohio State signed a pair of Rivals250 prospects in Garrett Stover and Payton Pierce. In the secondary, Rivals250 prospects Bryce West and Aaron Scott, both Ohio natives, lead the way.
5. MIAMI
The Hurricanes signed an outrageously talented group of defensive linemen this year that features three five-stars in Justin Scott, Armondo Blount and Marquise Lightfoot. Four-stars Elias Rudolph and Cole McConathy and Rivals250 prospects Booker Pickett and Artavius Jones will also man the Miami defensive line.
The Miami receiver haul is very impressive with Joshisa Trader, (No. 52 in the Rivals250), Ny Carr (No. 54) and Chance Robinson (No. 174) signing during the Early Signing Period in December.
Florida standouts Zaquan Patterson (No. 36), Adarius Hayes (No. 67) and Jordan Lyle (No. 81) opted to stay home to play for the Hurricanes as well.
