Sports
Ranking college football’s 40 best 2025 recruiting classes: Ohio State on top
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Craig Haubert, ESPN Staff Writer
June not only ushers in warmer temperatures but is also the time when the recruiting trail really heats up with a blitz of commitments as programs hold official visits and run camps.
Ohio State holds on to the No. 1 class with a commitment list that includes three five-star prospects including new five-star QB Tavien St. Clair. Georgia, which signed the No. 1 class for the 2024 cycle, has surged up the rankings and now sit at No. 2. Recent ESPN 300 in-state defensive additions, such as LB Zayden Walker and DE Isaiah Gibson, helped the Bulldogs rise and get back into the race for the top class.
New Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer is easing any concerns that the Crimson Tide might slip in recruiting with the departure of Nick Saban, as DeBoer has led them into the top three of the class rankings. One catalyst in the move up was flipping ESPN 300 QB Keelon Russell from SMU. He is a passer who can make plays with his legs but also can be accurate with a short, compact release, and he threw for 3,000 yards and completed 75% of his passes as junior.
Built off the foundation of key in-state commitments, Rutgers has shot up the rankings as well, sitting inside the top 15. It managed to keep some key prospects close to home, including two of New Jersey’s top-three-rated prospects in receiver Michael Thomas III and linebacker D.J. McClary.
June has reshaped the rankings, but with more than a hundred ESPN 300 prospects still leading the pack of the undeclared, nothing is settled and many changes are still on the horizon.
NEW TEAMS IN: Rutgers, Mississippi State, Michigan, Georgia Tech, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Missouri, Kentucky, Washington, South Carolina, Stanford, Oklahoma State, Cincinnati, Nebraska, Duke, West Virginia
TEAMS OUT: SMU, North Carolina
Recruits to know in 2025 rankings
CFB’s future power rankings
Previewing every conference
ESPN 300 commits: 14
Top offensive prospect: QB Tavien St. Clair
Top defensive prospect: CB Na’eem Offord
Previous ranking: 1