Commitments continue to pour in on a daily basis in the oddest recruiting cycle in decades, and we haven’t even hit decommitment season yet. Here are the five programs that, as of today, appear to have the best chance to finish with a surprisingly high ranking in the 2021 Rivals.com Team Recruiting Rankings.
RELATED: Five programs that could finish No. 1
CLASS OF 2021 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Position | Team | State
CLASS OF 2022: Top 100
1. NORTH CAROLINA
Yes, North Carolina's 2020 class was ranked No. 16 in the country, and that’s very good, but let’s not confuse the Tar Heels with a recruiting juggernaut. Before that, the highest ranking they had was No. 9 way back in 2009 when they landed five-star Donte Moss and several high four-stars. Mack Brown is battling to keep North Carolina's 2021 class in the top 10 and there's a chance he could do it thanks to a very nice average star ranking. Tony Grimes’ reclassification in August will hurt those chances a bit, but the Tar Heels are fighting with programs that have won national titles (e.g. Clemson, LSU, Alabama) and that’s a huge deal.
2. WISCONSIN
The Badgers have only 15 commitments and are already pushing to the top 15 nationally. They have room to add prospects with big names like Nolan Rucci still on the board which could help them stay in the national top 25 at the very least. Why would that be a big deal? Because Wisconsin has never finished with a top-25 class in the history of Rivals.com. That’s amazing to me.
3. MISSOURI
The Tigers have room for five or six more prospects in this class and the average star ranking isn’t anything to go crazy about. But they could finish inside the Top 25 during a year where they have a new coach trying to recruit in a pandemic. Eli Drinkwitz has been refreshing for Missouri fans with his excitement and enthusiasm around recruiting and the Tigers could finish with their highest ranking in at least five cycles.
4. IOWA
It has been a bumpy ride for the Hawkeyes this year, but Kirk Ferentz is still doing as good a job in recruiting as he has in years. They finished No. 30 back in 2011 and have a chance to finish higher than that this cycle, especially if they pull a few surprises like Thomas Fidone down the stretch.
5. LOUISVILLE
The Cardinals have a very nice class and while its average star ranking isn’t great, they have many players that could be a bit underranked. They’ve hit places like Georgia, Florida and North Carolina very well and still have room for four or five players. A top 25 class is certainly possible for Louisville.
