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College football recruiting is accelerating as summer approaches, with top programs like LSU leading in blue-chip commitments. Traditional powerhouses like Georgia and Alabama are off to slower starts but are expected to ramp up soon.
College football recruiting
The recruiting trail is hitting warp speed as we enter into the summer months, with some of college football’s top programs building out elite classes so far.
Some of the traditional powerhouses — Georgia, Alabama, Texas, etc. — are off to slower-than-usual starts. But as we saw last cycle, one the calendar turns to June and July, those programs will be hearing their name called on commitment day plenty. As we enter a crucial part of the cycle though, a handful of schools have been loading up early with blue chip (four- and five-star) commitments.
Led by LSU, whose five pledges are all of that variety, we break down the top classes based on their blue-chip percentage:
Lane Kiffin and Co. made a habit of taking smaller high school recruiting classes during their time at Ole Miss, and it looks as though they’ll continue that in Baton Rouge. While plenty of other peer schools have upwards of 10, 15 or even 20 commits that feature some blue-chip prospects and a number of three-stars, all five of the Tigers’ commits are ranked among the top 300 recruits nationally. That includes a pair of five-stars in tight end Ahmad Hudson and edge rusher Jaiden Bryant, the latter of which just committed earlier this week. That duo joins four-stars Peyton Houston, and in the fold for the Bayou Bengals.
LSU currently leads with five blue-chip commitments, all being four- or five-star recruits.
Teams like Georgia, Alabama, and Texas are experiencing slower-than-usual starts but are expected to gain momentum as the summer progresses.
Blue-chip recruits refer to four- and five-star commitments, indicating high-caliber talent in college football recruiting.
Commitments generally increase significantly in June and July as programs ramp up their recruiting efforts.
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The Aggies hold the nation’s No. 1 overall class in the Rivals Industry Team Recruiting Rankings, led by 12 early blue-chip commitments. A&M class’s is on an historic pace right now, and could eventually challenge for the top recruiting class of the modern era if things keep going their way. The crop is headlined by four five-stars: safety Kamarui Dorsey, offensive lineman Kennedy Brown, edge rusher Zyron Forstall, and cornerback Raylaun Henry. But as talented as the group is at the top, it’s also exceptionally deep. Three more commits rank among the top 100 in the country, and the lone three-star — Hakim Frampton — sits just outside of four-star status right now.
Texas Tech has been throwing its proverbial weight around in a big way over the past year, both in the transfer portal and now on the recruiting trail. Joey McGuire and his staff signed a pair of five-stars last cycle. And they already have two committed in this one: No. 1 overall prospect Jalen Brewster and five-star edge rusher Anthony Sweeney. Like their rivals in College Station, they’re more than just their top commitments though. Of their eight pledges, seven rank among the top 150 recruits in the class, and high three-star EDGE Brody Pfannenstiel is another who could make a move to blue-chip territory in the coming months.
Along with USC, the Buckeyes and Ducks have taken over as the recruiting ‘Big 3’ in the Big Ten. The Trojans signed the No. 1 class a year ago, but both Oregon and OSU finished top-4 nationally. And we’d expect them to be right there again in 2027. Ryan Day and Co. are one of five schools with at least two five-star commits early on: EDGE David Jacobs and wide receiver Jamier Brown. Offensive lineman Kellen Wymer is the other top-100 commit in the class, and could legitimately challenge for five-star status by the time things are said and done.
Up in Eugene, the Ducks are again focusing on quality over quantity. Across the 2025 and 2026 classes, they signed just 41 high school prospects but had the highest average rating per commit in each cycle. Early on this year, 9 of their 11 pledges are blue-chips. The group is led by Rivals five-star quarterback Will Mencl, the No. 1 QB in the class.
Jon Sumrall has wasted no time in establishing himself as a big-time recruiter in the SEC, with the Gators currently sitting No. 7 nationally and No. 4 in the conference early this cycle. They’ve already landed 10 early commitments, led by Maxwell Hiller, the nation’s No. 1 interior offensive linemen. Sumrall and Co. are in the mix for some other big-time names, but have already hit with coveted quarterback Davin Davidson, wide receiver Tramond Collins, and four-star offensive lineman Peyton Miller. Four-star cornerback Aamaury Fountain, rated by Rivals as a top-25 overall prospect, could turn out to be one of the steals of this entire recruiting cycle.
Seven other programs have a blue-chip percentage of higher than 50 percent right now, with three programs representing the SEC, two each from the Big Ten and ACC, as well as Notre Dame. Seven more schools, including Georgia, Nebraska, Michigan, and Alabama, currently sit at exactly 50%.
Notre Dame – 79%
SMU – 75%
Ole Miss – 63%
USC – 62%
Auburn – 60%