Memorial Day is in the rearview mirror, and that means it’s a break in the offseason schedule for college football teams. It also means that high school recruiting is in full swing.
With that in mind, here’s a dive into the current state of recruiting in the class of 2027. Recruiting can be tricky to track. There are a few major sites that keep track, including Rivals and 247 Sports. They have their own formulas and approaches, so these takeaways are going to look into both sets of rankings.
What’s going on at Alabama?
For years under Nick Saban, Alabama dominated football. That was, for the most part, because it was the most dominant team on the recruiting trail. Now, with this firmly being Kalen DeBoer’s program, it looks like Alabama is slipping. Rivals has the Crimson Tide at 24th, while 247 Sports has them at 45th.
A lot of that has to do more with the size of their class than the incoming talent. Only six players are currently committed to Alabama. So, with time, it’ll improve with more players. At the same time, if Alabama is tentative to adding high school recruits, then it could signal a shift to more transfer portal usage.
How College Football Playoff teams are recruiting
Speaking of the transfer portal, there’s a pretty big debate right now on how to utilize it. Should you flip rosters with the portal, or keep going to high school to develop everyone and retain your talent?
Looking at last year’s College Football Playoff, it seems like the transfer portal is helpful. Indiana flipped its roster there and won it all. Miami, meanwhile, added a couple of key pieces, like quarterback Carson Beck, to get there. Other teams like Ole Miss and Texas Tech are also known for portal usage.
At the same time, the majority of teams in the playoff have been there through a mostly high school recruiting approach. That continues with nine of last year’s playoff teams in the top 25, per Rivals, and seven, per 247 Sports.
Is Texas Tech going all-in on high school?
Few teams have been known for their portal usage like Texas Tech. It’s even led to accusations that it’s buying its team. That’s well within the rules, of course, and also not necessarily inaccurate.
Texas is still a state where high school recruiting is king. It looks like the Red Raiders are taking that to heart. They’re 20th there, according to 247 Sports, and third, according to Rivals. This also comes in a year where On3 had Texas Tech ranked second in transfer recruiting, though, so it also may just be a sign that it is improved across the board in recruiting.
What’s going on at UCLA?
UCLA is by no means a school that anyone expects to be at the top of the recruiting rankings. After all, Bob Chesney is a first-year coach who has never coached in a major conference before. Not to mention that UCLA finished 66th, per Rivals, and 63rd, per 247 Sports, in recruiting a season ago. Still, for 2027, it is 12th and seventh, respectively.
This may be a flash in the pan, with the number being pushed by 19 total recruits committed. Think the opposite of the Alabama situation. At the same time, it does signal a change in UCLA’s outlook in the modern era if Chesney can hold on.
