Urban Meyer Reveals if Big Ten has Caught Up to SEC in Recruiting

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Grant Bricker | Last updated Jun 22, 2025 2:50 PM ET

Former Florida Gators head coach Urban Meyer recruited some stellar talent to Gainesville from 2005-2010.

The likes of Tim Tebow, Percy Harvin, Brandon Spikes and Joe Haden came through Florida during that time. Meyer's recruits translated to the field, and he won national titles in 2006 and 2008 with the Gators.

However, on a recent episode of "The Triple Option," Meyer argued that the Big Ten has now surpassed the SEC in recruiting.

The USC Trojans now have the best 2026 recruiting class via On3 Sports with the additions of five-star tight end Mark Bowman and four-star edge rusher Luke Wafle.

"I think they've caught up, and last year they were the strongest conference," Meyer said. "Actually, the last two years, and that's easy to evaluate, who held the trophy at the end of the year? It was the Wolverines and then the Buckeyes. The Big Ten added four teams. Not just four teams, four legit teams from the Pac-12. USC's obviously No. 1 in recruiting right now. So, they are on the same par. They are in the same conversation."

Meyer also argued that the recent national championship winner proved the Big Ten to be the better conference. The Michigan Wolverines took the home title in 2023 and the Ohio State Buckeyes did so last season.

He made his opinion on the best conference debate known in a recent episode, declaring the Big Ten was better simply because of its 32 national titles.

The last SEC team to win the national championship was the Georgia Bulldogs in 2022. The conference had three teams make the 12-team College Football Playoff last season, and the Texas Longhorns advanced the furthest, reaching the semifinals.

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

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