Every year, it’s a race to the top of the recruiting rankings for college football’s largest brands. This is because “stars matter” when projecting wins. Yet, every year there are teams that dramatically outperform expectations, in part due to development, and it part because of successfully talent identification.
Prime example, this year’s Washington team. Over the last two recruiting cycles Washington finished with an average recruiting class ranking of 41.5, finishing with the 54th and 29th rated classes in 2022 and 2023 respectively. Despite these low-class rankings, the Huskies finished 14-1, and were close to winning a national title. For recruiting classes outside of the top 25, talent identification is the name of the game.
In this article, we are going to take a look at four teams whose 2024 recruiting classes have flown under the radar, but could have high ceilings.
1. Wisconsin, 26th Rated Class
Luke Fickell and Co. have the recruiting machine rolling in Madison. While their current recruiting class sits just outside the top 25, at 26th nationally, the quality of this recruiting class is well above the historical average for the Badgers. There may not be a bad prospect in this class. The Badgers have managed to combine a strong base of projected impact 4-star prospects, such as DL Ernest Willor Jr, RB Dilin Jones, stud two-sport DL Dillan Johnson (see below) , and RB Darrion Dupree.
In addition, the Badgers staff nailed their QB evaluation, going in early on this cycle on QB Mabrey Mettauer out of the Woodlands School in Texas. Some flagship recruiting services have Mettauer graded as an average 3-star in their rankings. The analysts at Mike Farrell Sports strongly disagree with the industry average, however. In our organization rankings, we have Mettauer as a top 20 QB in the 2024 class.
The Badgers also have impressive depth in this class. Players such as DL Hank Weber, and RB Gideon Ituka aren’t rated highly by recruiting services, but we love their upside. If the Badgers can successfully develop the talent in this recruiting class, they are far more capable of competing in the new-look Big Ten than some casual fans would anticipate.
https://twitter.com/Cheesehead_HS/status/1743761814020575388
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2. Iowa, (45th Rated Class)
The Hawkeyes never appear near the top of the recruiting rankings, and yet, 9 and 10 wins seasons continue to be the baseline expectation for this program. Kirk Ferentz has to nail his Offensive Coordinator hire this offseason, but with a capable offense, Phil Parker and company will almost assuredly keep the defensive machine the Hawkeyes have built rolling.
Iowa brings in key 4-star recruits like OT Will Nolan, LB Derek Weisskopf, IOL Cody Fox, and TE Gavin Hoffman. For most schools, the highest rated recruits are always the most exciting. For Iowa however, their most impactful recruit may be the lowest-rated player in the class. Punter Rhys Dakin comes from the same Pro Kick Australia program that gave them beloved Heisman Dark Horse Tory Taylor. Make no mistake, this kid has the tools to be special. Currently rated as the consensus No. 2 Punter in the 2024 class, expect Dakin to make an impact early for the Hawkeyes.
https://twitter.com/BenScottStevens/status/1736483635828584537
3. Syracuse, (36th Rated Class)
Fran Brown just landed in upstate New York, and he’s already got the Orange rolling.
Since taking the job, he has locked-in 4-stars: TE Jamie Tremble, EDGE KingJoseph Edwards, WR Emmanuel Ross, WR Jaylan Hornsby, and RB Yasin Willis. In addition, the Orange have secured some high-ceiling developmental prospects in QB Jakhari Williams, ATH Elijah Washington, RB Jaden Hart, and Juco DL Michael Nwokocha.
The former Georiga DBs coach will have to continue stacking talent from the prep levels in future classes, but between their early prep recruiting, and their loaded transfer portal class, Fran Brown’s new-look Orange program could be primed to compete for ACC titles in the next year or two.
https://twitter.com/856_JayHorns/status/1725948171388440868
4. SMU, (60th Rated Class)
The deep-sleeper class!
With their hard transition to the ACC this year, not many experts are paying much early attention to the Mustangs. That is a huge mistake. SMU’s offense is set up to continue their elite production, but not many have paid attention to what is brewing on the defensive side of the ball. Defensive Cordinator Scott Symons took a bit to find his footing at SMU. They struggled in year one, then last season they took significant steps forward, and recruits are taking notice.
The top of the Mustangs class consists of 4-star RB Derrick McFall, and 3-stars LB Brandon Booker, S Ka’Davion Dotson. They also have some interesting sleeper recruits who flew a bit under-the-radar in the talent rich state of Texas. Such sleepers include S Jaylen Moses, LB Zach Smith, and CB Alexander Rodgers. Many of these kids look better on film than their rankings would suggest. In a conference like the ACC, if a few of these recruits outperform their rankings, the Mustangs could be formidable on both sides of the ball in conference play. I’m not projecting they go undefeated in their first year, but Rhett Lashlee and Co. could hit the ground running and surprise some people next year.
