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 enter late July with the best chance to win the recruiting title for the class of 2021.
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CLASS OF 2021 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Position | Team | State
CLASS OF 2022: Top 100
1. OHIO STATE
Remember, it’s not the program with the best full class that wins the title, it’s the program with the best 20. With the addition of defensive back Jordan Hancock, Ohio State now has 19 commitments and a massive points edge over No. 2 Tennessee. The Vols have already landed more than 20 prospects and, basically, have no realistic path to a No. 1 finish unless the rankings of some of their commitments change dramatically or they purge some of their lower-ranked pledges. The Buckeyes stand head and shoulders above everyone else with three five-star commits and 14 four-stars, but they can be caught.
2. GEORGIA
Georgia has won the last three recruiting titles in large part because of how strongly the program closes out cycles. While the Bulldogs are currently more than 1,500 points behind Ohio State, they only have 10 commitments with a hefty 3.9 average star ranking. Looking ahead, Georgia is in the mix for some heavy hitters such as Amarius Mims, Korey Foreman and Maason Smith. We know Kirby Smart will close strong and a lot will depend on how the prospects rankings end up, but Georgia will be right there in the end.
3. ALABAMA
Shocker, right? Remember when Nick Saban had more decommitments than commitments early in the spring? Well the Crimson Tide are on a tear with recent commitments from James and Tommy Brockermeyer, Terrence Ferguson and Kendrick Blackshire. And you know, with only 15 commitments, Saban will close strong. The interesting part here is where the prospect rankings stand at the end of all of this as there are some internal disagreements about some prospects committed to and looking at Alabama.
4. LSU
The Tigers have 16 commitments and no five-stars, but they are in it for some big fish down the stretch such as Foreman, Smith, Camar Wheaton and Cory Collier. The way Ed Orgeron is recruiting nationally, a few surprises could be had as well.
5. OKLAHOMA
I debated whether it should be the Sooners or USC Trojans here as both are having great recruiting years, but I’m going with the Sooners. Why? They are in it for five-stars such as Wheaton, Bryce Foster, Emeka Egbuka as well as a slew of talented four-stars that could end up being five-stars by the end of the cycle. It would take some doing, but the Caleb Williams factor is a big one and the five-star quarterback is working hard to bring others to Norman.
