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Only Five College Football Programs Signed Top 10 Recruiting & Transfer Portal Classes

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By J.C. Shelton | Last updated Feb 17, 2025 12:58 PM ET

Five college football programs stand above the rest after hauling in top-10 classes from both the high school ranks and the transfer portal in the 2025 cycle, according to On3.

It's becoming a rarity to see major recruiting classes at both levels, as some programs prefer to stack high school talent while others add most new contributors out of the transfer portal.

Texas, Georgia and Alabama landed the top-three high school classes, respectively. However, none made as big of an impact in both high school and transfer recruiting as these programs, including three teams out of the SEC and two from the Big Ten.

Head coach Dan Lanning and the Oregon Ducks sit atop the rankings with the No. 4 high school class and the No. 4 transfer ranking. This comes after the program finished undefeated in the regular season, won the Big Ten Championship and made a College Football Appearance.

Oregon put together the highest-rated average among its 19 high school signees (93.36). And despite signing just 10 transfers, six are ranked as four-stars.

LSU and head coach Brian Kelly have made some major moves after finishing an underwhelming 9-4 season. The Tigers signed the nation's No. 9 high school class, including two five-stars, despite losing five-star quarterback Bryce Underwood to Michigan.

Additionally, LSU put together the No. 6 transfer class with 16 additions, including a pair of four-star offensive lineman to help protect star quarterback Garrett Nussmeier.

Michigan and head coach Sherrone Moore have built on its strong finish to an 8-5 season, including wins over Ohio State and Alabama, with the No. 6 high school class.

The Wolverines' biggest addition was Underwood, who is expected to win the quarterback role after the position was a major issue last season.

Michigan also signed the No. 10 transfer class, including former Alabama tailback Justice Haynes.

It appears that a fire was lit within the Auburn program after the Tigers suffered a second-consecutive losing season under head coach Hugh Freeze.

Auburn returned to recruiting power with the nation's No. 8 high school class, including five-star quarterback Deuce Knight and six defensive players within the top-150 prospects.

And Freeze and Co. brought in one of the nation's top transfer quarterbacks – Oklahoma's Jaxson Arnold – to also compete for the role. Arnold is a key piece of the Tigers' No. 9 transfer class.

Texas A&M won eight games for the first time since 2021 under first-year head coach Mike Elko last season. And the momentum seems to be building, as the Aggies signed the nation's No. 7 high school class.

Five-star wideout Jerome Myles leads the group that includes 14 top-300 signees.

Additionally, Texas A&M brought in top transfer receiver Kevin Concepcion in a transfer class that ranks eighth nationally.

Programs will have another opportunity to dip into the transfer portal this spring, as the second and final window of the 2025 cycle will open from April 16-25.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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