Craig HaubertFeb 13, 2026, 07:15 AM ETClose National recruiting analyst and analyst for ESPNU More than a decade of college and pro coaching experience. Graduated from Indiana and Nebraska-OmahaFollow on XMultiple Authors
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Three years removed from the 2023 recruiting cycle, it’s time to reassess what those classes have become. Many look dramatically different, with some schools doing a better job than others at identifying, developing and retaining talent in the transfer portal era. The schools listed below did the best job cultivating success via both transfer contributions and high school signings, leading to conference titles and College Football Playoff appearances.
With a couple of years of evaluation, the definition of success has evolved. Hitting on even 50% of a recruiting class can constitute a strong return. Identifying 10 groups that clearly delivered over three seasons is increasingly difficult, and the margin for inclusion tightens further down the list. In some cases, that reflects misses in personnel evaluations. More often, it reflects the dramatically different composition of classes because of transfers.
The goal of recruiting is to assemble talent that leads to wins, year-over-year progress and, hopefully, conference or national titles. This list reflects that spectrum.
Ohio State has built a reputation for elite wide receiver recruiting and development. While 2024 signee Jeremiah Smith rightfully commands most of the attention, the Buckeyes’ 2023 class helped provide important depth and continuity at the position.
The class also delivered a key contributor in the trenches with offensive lineman Luke Montgomery, who stepped into a starting role during the Buckeyes’ 2024 playoff run and developed into a full-time starter in 2025.
The 2025 season ended in disappointment, with Notre Dame missing the CFP, but Marcus Freeman’s first full recruiting class netted the talent to help establish the Irish as a perennial playoff contender and reach the national championship in 2024.
With Love off to the NFL but several defensive cornerstones from the 2023 class returning, a motivated Irish team seems poised to return to the playoffs in 2026.
Running back Mark Fletcher Jr. is another key building block who helped restore Miami to national prominence. A South Florida product from American Heritage High School, the SC Next 300 running back became the Hurricanes’ lead rusher in 2025 and ran for 1,192 yards and 12 touchdowns.
While Mauigoa, Bain and Fletcher defined the class, Miami also found meaningful complementary pieces. Defensive backs Damari Brown and Malik Bryant have contributed despite battling injuries, and special teams received a boost from multiyear punter Dylan Joyce.
Few programs recruit defensive talent as well as the Bulldogs under Kirby Smart. Georgia’s defense has sent 11 first-rounders to the NFL over the past five drafts, with a chance for another, linebacker CJ Allen, in 2026.
Georgia’s 2023 class is defined by its defensive additions, but it lacks offensive firepower. Tight end Lawson Luckie has appeared in 35 games, and transfer wide receiver Dominic Lovett was a key target in 2023 and 2024. The Bulldogs also added strong-legged kicker Peyton Woodring in 2023.
Manning wasn’t the top prospect in the 2023 cycle, but few five-stars in recent memory arrived on campus with more anticipation. He played a small role in Texas’ 2024 playoff season, throwing for nearly 600 yards in two starts, including a conference win over Mississippi State. While Manning’s first full year as a starter was inconsistent, he’ll be one of college football’s best quarterbacks in 2026.
Receiver DeAndre Moore Jr. and running back Quintrevion Wisner were productive players before exiting the program. Moore caught at least 30 passes in each of the past two years, while Wisner developed into a versatile player as a runner and receiver, rushing for over 1,000 yards in 2024. Three-star Trevor Goosby became Texas’ starting left tackle in 2025 and will return next season.
Defensively, Steve Sarkisian’s 2023 class brought in significant players. Five-star Anthony Hill Jr. made an immediate impact, winning co-defensive freshman of the year honors in 2023, notching over 100 tackles in 2024 and was a Butkus Award finalist this past season. SC Next 300 signee Jelani McDonald led Texas in tackles (80) and interceptions (three) in 2025. Malik Muhammad was a top-10 corner who has started 29 games over three years, including all 16 in 2024.
Oregon’s top signee, Dickey, never panned out after he was suspended last August and subsequently transferred to the junior college ranks. However, the Ducks leveraged high school signings and the transfer portal to establish a group that led to a ton of on-field success.
Defensively, Matayo Uiagalelei ranked 65th on the SC Next 300 and lived up to his billing as a pass rusher, registering 16.5 sacks over the past two seasons. Fellow four-star Teitum Tuioti stepped into a starting role in 2024 at linebacker and has been highly productive. Despite several other transfers, the Ducks identified and developed key additions, especially from SC Next 300 defensive tackle A’Mauri Washington, who returns for 2026.
Ultimately, transfers helped fuel Oregon’s first Big Ten title and playoff run in 2024. Wide receivers Tez Johnson (Troy) and Traeshon Johnson (Alabama) led their receiving corps in 2024 and edge Jordan Burch (South Carolina) trailed only Uiagalelei that season in sacks (8.5) and tackles for loss (11).
Unlike the Aggies’ 2022 class, which was billed as one of the greatest before it fell short under Jimbo Fisher, Texas A&M’s 2023 class was far less heralded yet much more impactful. This group was the foundation of the Aggies’ trip to the College Football Playoff in 2025.
Starting quarterback Marcel Reed redshirted in his first year, took over as the starter in 2024 and blossomed into one of the SEC’s best quarterbacks in 2025, throwing for over 3,000 yards and 25 touchdowns. This group also produced Texas A&M’s leading rusher, Rueben Owens II, and starting left guard Chase Bisontis, who was one of the few out-of-state adds (New Jersey) in the class.
This class has excelled despite coming together during a transition period. Texas A&M fired Fisher in 2022 and didn’t hire Mike Elko until the end of November. There are plenty of examples of coaching changes blowing up classes. In this case, Elko inherited a class with some talent, such as Hicks and Brooks, but also wasted no time establishing roots in the state and added key players in a short time, such as Owens, Reed and York.
This was the final class that Nick Saban recruited and coached, and it included 23 SC Next 300 prospects. Over time, this proved to be a talent-rich class, but the sum never truly represented the parts, with many players transferring to other programs.
The best returns came on defense. No. 1 safety Caleb Downs quickly backed up his five-star ranking, leading Alabama in tackles (107) as a freshman and playing a key role in its conference title run. He made the most of his time in Tuscaloosa, then transferred to Ohio State after Saban’s departure.
Five-star offensive tackle Kadyn Proctor was a big late flip from Iowa during the 2023 cycle. He also delivered early, stepping into a starting role as a freshman, and remained with the Tide through the coaching transition and became a three-year starter before declaring for this April’s NFL draft.
The No. 1 ranking still makes sense given the sheer volume of talent assembled at the time. Though the class produced some high-end performances, turnover ultimately prevented it from fully coalescing into a dominant group that lived up to its potential for Alabama.
Though posting a .500 record over three seasons might not seem like an impressive mile-marker, Vanderbilt’s 2023 class helped revitalize the program’s culture and played a crucial role in helping the Commodores finish with double-digit wins for the first time in program history, with 10 in 2025.
Another Nashville addition, linebacker Bryan Longwell, contributed as a freshman and then led Vanderbilt in tackles each of the past two seasons, making 159 combined stops. The Commodores also did an excellent job finding under-the-radar talent, but they also didn’t miss on Hight, an SC Next 300 defender who developed into a starting corner while also contributing on offense and as a returner.
BYU’s class wasn’t ranked highly at first, but enough key players arrived to help elevate the program from just five wins in 2023 to 23 wins and consecutive bowl wins over the next two seasons.
QB Jake Retzlaff, a 2023 junior college signing, is no longer on the roster, but he made an impact while in Provo. He took over as the starter down the stretch in 2023, then led an offensive turnaround in 2024 while combining for 3,364 yards and 35 touchdowns. Retzlaff transferred to Tulane in 2025 after BYU planned to suspend him for violating the school’s honor code, and he helped the Green Wave win a conference title and reach the CFP.
This class could look even better a year from now if wide receiver Jojo Phillips and linebacker Siale Esera, who were both three-stars, can stay healthy in 2026. Injuries have limited their overall contributions, but they’ve both been productive when on the field.
IMG Academy wideout Carnell Tate has been the most productive member of the group, catching 103 passes for 1,608 yards and 13 touchdowns over the past two seasons. Inniss was Ohio State’s highest-ranked signing. He hasn’t matched Tate’s productivity, but he finished 2025 with 36 receptions, fourth most on the team, and has carved out a larger role within the offense. Known for his competitiveness and work ethic coming out of high school, Inniss has already assumed a leadership role as a team captain. With Tate declaring for the NFL draft and fellow 2023 signee Bryson Rodgers transferring, Inniss is positioned for an expanded workload moving forward.