Mike Farrell Sports

College Football Recruiting, Opinion, and Analysis

Why Ohio State, Oregon, Miami, Auburn, South Carolina, Nebraska & Mizzou Gained the Most

Oregon, OSU, FSU, Miami, Auburn, Clemson, South Carolina, Nebraska & Mizzou gained the most for 2024 recruiting classes.

Pin
Sep 23
Sep 23

By Rock Westfall

The Usual Suspects vs. Impressive Surprises 

It is not news that Alabama and Georgia top the 2024 national recruiting class rankings. Rather, that is a way of life. Certainly, coaches Nick Saban of Alabama and Kirby Smart of Georgia are the big winners and deserve full accolades. Yet Ohio State, Oregon, Miami, Auburn, South Carolina, Nebraska & Mizzou made substantial gains.

Day Break Finally Arrives for Ryan 

Starting with his third consecutive loss to Michigan, it has been the month from hell for Ohio State coach Ryan Day. The Buckeyes saw starting QB Kyle McCord transfer to Syracuse, leading a large contingent of players out the door. Panic set in among the Buckeye faithful, but Day scored well with the nation’s fourth-best class.

Why did Ohio State finish so well? It all goes back to the arrival of former head coach Urban Meyer in 2012. Meyer arrived from the SEC and Florida, where he won two national championships. The country club recruiting attitude of the Big Ten was jolted by Meyer’s aggressive, cutthroat, take-no-prisoners, SEC approach. And Meyer’s contacts have endured his departure. To Day’s credit, he has maintained the Meyer Machine and continues to capitalize on the powerhouse Buckeye brand.

After the month from hell, Day can now walk the streets of Columbus with his head up, although still not too high. Only a win over Michigan will fully restore him with the demanding Scarlet and Gray legions.  

More Sports News

Oregon Has Much to Quack About

Coach Dan Lanning and Oregon are on absolute fire with the nation’s third-ranked class and plenty of portal signees. Oregon agreed to join the Big Ten at a lesser rate than the established members. Perhaps the Big Ten should consider paying the Ducks a greater share than the rest. The rising O is a power program to watch in the years to come.

Why is the Quack Attack soaring? Nike backing and the wild uniforms help. More importantly, Lanning learned to recruit at an elite level under Kirby Smart as a Georgia assistant. Now, Lanning ranks in the rarified air. And let’s not discount Oregon’s NIL program, which is among the best in the nation. Lanning, branding, and NIL help Oregon overcome its lack of in-state talent to emerge as a rapidly emerging power.

Hugh Puts the Freeze on Competition With Strong Auburn Close 

Auburn jumped to seventh in the nation with its 2024 class, up ten spots from last year. Coach Hugh Freeze has the Tigers poised for a return to SEC contender status after one year on The Plains.

Why did War Eagle Fly High? Freeze knows the SEC footprint from his previous time as HC of Ole Miss. He maintains a strong coaching reputation on the trail. Auburn is in one of the most fertile recruiting territories in the country. The Tigers have an underrated but strong NIL program. And the lure of playing for SEC championships is an easy sell.

South Carolina Feeling Cocky After Cracking The Top 20 

Following a 5-7 season, another loss to Clemson, and no bowl bid, coach Shane Beamer needed to change the South Carolina narrative. He did this by salvaging the nation’s 20th-best recruiting class. It was an impressive close for Beamer, who had a tougher sell than in the previous two bowl campaigns.

Why did South Carolina show so well? Although the state is not the most fertile, there is enough in-state talent to build on. The Gamecocks offer better NIL than many outsiders realize. Just as important, Beamer has deep SEC recruiting ties from previous coaching stops at Tennessee, Mississippi State, South Carolina, and Georgia as an assistant. Beamer could also offer prospects a greater opportunity to crack the starting lineup sooner than at established power programs.

A Hurricane of Success for Super Mario 

Miami coach Mario Cristobal is celebrated as a master recruiter, and he delivered again with the nation’s fourth-ranked class. The Canes are coming off a disappointing 7-5 season full of self-inflicted wounds. But Cristobal is going to turn the tide with successive top-ten-ranked classes eventually.

Why did Miami finish so strong? Cristobal is a recruiting machine, and nobody can match his relentless commitment to the task. As a Miami native and alum, he knows the footprint of fertile South Florida like nobody else with deep and long-established ties. Miami has good NIL and retains some street cred with its brand despite not being a serious national power for over 20 years.

After a bitterly disappointing season, Cristobal has Miami fans dreaming big again.

 Mizzou Continues to Drink it Up

The 2023 season continues to go down as the one that returned Missouri to football prominence. Coach Eli Drinkwitz has become a recruiting force for Ol’ Mizzou and delivered the nation’s 23rd-ranked class, 12 spots better than last year.

Why is Missouri ascending on the recruiting trail? Drinkwitz has built one of the most appealing cultures in college football. He retains his players, and that helped the program catch lightning in a bottle to gain the Cotton Bowl with a 10-2 season. Recruits can see Mizzou’s rapid rise and love the chance to crack an SEC lineup sooner than at other schools.

Big Red Rising 

What coach Matt Rhule did not gain in a postseason bid, he more than made up for on the recruiting trail. Nebraska finished with the 21st-ranked class, up ten spots from last year. Rhule produced the biggest flip in the country when Dylan Raiola bolted from Georgia to Nebraska. The five-star QB’s arrival sparked the momentum of a strong finish.

Why did Nebraska finish so strong? Raiola’s father was a star player for Nebraska, and his family has deep ties to the state and program. That connection caught the eyes of prospects.  Nebraska has money and a growing NIL program.  Rhule offers the chance for good players to crack the starting lineup sooner than at other schools. And despite its recent years of misery, Nebraska is renowned for having college football’s greatest fans with a tradition that still resonates on the trail.

Honorable Mentions: Florida State, Kansas, Texas Tech 

The Florida State Seminoles finished 11th in the national rankings, up ten spots from last year. Coach Mike Norvell suffered a couple of late losses but overcame negative recruiting regarding the Seminoles being penalized for playing in the ACC with his best class as FSU coach.  Despite the naysayers, Norvell held off potential disaster.  

Kansas jumped 30 spots from last year to rank 41st in this year’s class. Coach Lance Leipold continues his radical transformation of a putrid program into one making rapid gains. Kansas hasn’t recruited this well in a generation. The class was the perfect capper to a strong 8-4 bowl campaign.

Texas Tech hired Joey McGuire as coach two years ago because of his reputation as a recruiting machine. McGuire delivered the nation’s 22nd-ranked class for 2024. Texas Tech may escape the spotlight, but future success on the field continues to be ensured.

Category: , Tag: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Pin

You’ll Also Like