2024 SEC football recruiting rankings: Texas, Oklahoma aim to compete at top

College Football

Updated Dec. 18, 2023 11:49 a.m. ET

College Football and College Basketball Writer

Alabama’s inclusion in this year’s College Football Playoff means the program synonymous with the Southeastern Conference’s stranglehold on the sport will have a chance to extend the league’s streak, to claim the SEC’s fifth consecutive national title and 14th in the last 18 seasons — a seventh for the Crimson Tide, plus two apiece for LSU, Florida and Georgia, and one for Auburn.

But if some cachet is good, more must be better. And that’s why, in 2021, the SEC was more than willing to accept Texas and Oklahoma into the most competitive conference in the country.

Not only would the Longhorns and Sooners bring sizable fan bases and revenue streams upon their arrival, but now, more than two years on from the initial realignment, they will be bringing darn good football teams, too.

Before the SEC unveils its two newest brands next summer, the football programs will be doing battle on the recruiting trail for the remainder of the 2024 cycle.

The first checkpoint arrives later this week, on Dec. 20, when the early signing period opens and prospects across the country can finalize their commitments.

To preview the action, FOX Sports is analyzing the top recruiting classes from the remaining power conferences using data from the 247Sports Composite. Part one looked at the Big 12. Part two examined the ACC. Up next, the SEC:

(Note: Ranking information is current as of 10:30 a.m. ET on Sunday, Dec. 17.)

1. Georgia

National class ranking: 1

Total commitments: 28

Five-star prospects: 4

Four-star prospects: 20

Three-star prospects: 4

Average rating: 93.55

Highest-ranked player: CB Ellis Robinson IV; IMG Academy; Bradenton, Florida (No. 3 overall, No. 1 CB)

With the early signing period set to begin Wednesday morning, Georgia is on track to land the nation’s No. 1 recruiting class for the first time since 2020, when the Bulldogs narrowly edged conference rival Alabama. Head coach Kirby Smart has earned verbal commitments from 10 players ranked among the top 100 nationally, including five of the top 40 prospects and three of the top eight in Robinson, five-star quarterback Dylan Raiola and five-star linebacker Justin Williams. But the perception of Georgia’s recruiting class could change in an instant depending on what happens with Raiola, the No. 2 quarterback in the country. Raiola was originally committed to Ohio State in the spring of 2022 before backing off that pledge and choosing the Bulldogs this past May. Now, reports indicate Nebraska has re-entered the mix after being one of Raiola’s finalists throughout the process. Raiola’s father, Dominic, was a consensus All-American for the Cornhuskers in 2000, and his uncle, Donovan, is the current offensive line coach at Nebraska. Raiola’s decision to either stick with Georgia or flip to Nebraska will be one of the cycle’s top storylines.

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2. Alabama

National class ranking: 4

Total commitments: 21

Five-star prospects: 3

Four-star prospects: 12

Three-star prospects: 6

Average rating: 92.71

Highest-ranked player: QB Julian Sayin; Carlsbad High School; Carlsbad, California (No. 5 overall, No. 1 QB)

Most coaches and programs would kill for the chance to sign a recruiting class ranked No. 4 in the country and No. 2 in the SEC. But Nick Saban isn’t most coaches, and Alabama isn’t most programs. If the Crimson Tide’s current ranking holds firm, it will be the first time Alabama has finished outside the top three nationally since 2018 — a staggering statistic that reinforces just how much talent Saban stockpiles in Tuscaloosa. Still, it would be hard to find much sympathy flowing Saban’s way over a recruiting class that has four players ranked among the top 50 and 12 among the top 300. Leading the way is Sayin, a sweet-slinging quarterback who surpassed Raiola to become the highest-rated signal-caller in the 247Sports Composite and the MVP of this year’s Elite 11 Finals. Sayin is the second-best quarterback prospect to choose Alabama during Saban’s tenure, trailing the eventual Heisman Trophy winner and No. 1 overall draft pick Bryce Young. The only other Crimson Tide quarterback with a better recruiting ranking since 247Sports began recording data 24 years ago is Brodie Croyle in 2001.

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3. Florida

National class ranking: 5

Total commitments: 20

Five-star prospects: 3

Four-star prospects: 11

Three-star prospects: 6

Average rating: 92.32

Highest-ranked player: QB DJ Lagway; Willis High School; Willis, Texas (No. 14 overall, No. 3 QB)

Any way you slice it, this group has the chance to be a remarkable recruiting class for head coach Billy Napier, who just completed his second season at Florida. It’s the first time the Gators have produced a class ranked among the top five nationally since 2013. It’s the first time they’ve earned verbal commitments from at least three five-star prospects in the same cycle since 2012. It’s the first time they’ve ranked ahead of in-state rival Miami since 2020. And it’s a sorely needed momentum boost for Napier after winning just 11 games in his first two seasons combined. At the top of the class are Lagway, cornerback Xavier Filsaime (No. 31 overall, No. 2 CB) and defensive lineman LJ McCray (No. 35 overall, No. 8 DL) who make the Gators one of just five programs with verbal commitments from three or more five-star recruits in the ’24 cycle, placing them alongside Ohio State (five), Georgia (four), Alabama (three) and Texas (three). The only question is whether Napier will still be around to coach them beyond the 2024 campaign. He can’t afford a third consecutive losing season.

4. Texas

National class ranking: 6

Total commitments: 21

Five-star prospects: 3

Four-star prospects: 15

Three-star prospects: 3

Average rating: 91.99

Highest-ranked player: LB Colin Simmons; Duncanville High School; Duncanville, Texas (No. 10 overall, No. 1 LB)

With the caveat that everything is clearer in hindsight, it certainly seems pretty silly to have questioned head coach Steve Sarkisian based on where the Longhorns stand right now. On the field, Sarkisian has improved Texas’ record from 5-7 in 2021 when he took over for Tom Herman, to 8-5 in 2022 when starting quarterback Quinn Ewers missed significant time with a shoulder injury, to 12-1 in 2023 and the school’s first berth in the College Football Playoff. Off the field, he’s improved Texas’ recruiting from 15th nationally in 2021 to consecutive top-five finishes in the last two cycles, with a chance to reach that upper echelon again in ’24. But Sarkisian’s current group is somewhat top-heavy thanks to a trio of five-star prospects ranked among the top 30 players overall but only six commitments from players in the top 150. He and his staff need to bolster the middle of the class with another blue chipper or two to avoid sliding down the rankings this week.

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Bonus: Oklahoma

National class ranking: 8

Total commitments: 28

Five-star prospects: 2

Four-star prospects: 17

Three-star prospects: 9

Average rating: 90.73

Highest-ranked player: DL David Stone; IMG Academy; Bradenton, Florida (No. 9 overall, No. 2 DL)

What’s it like to transition from the Big 12 to the SEC? Well, with an overall score of 275.13, Oklahoma’s 2024 recruiting class would have ranked first in this year’s Big 12 by nearly 40 points had the Sooners remained in their former league. And at worst, they would have landed second behind Texas if the Longhorns stayed, too. Instead, head coach Brent Venables and his staff are sitting fifth in the ultra-competitive, talent-rich SEC despite having the ninth-best class in the country. That’s how hard it is to keep up with the Joneses in college football. Nonetheless, Venables is on the cusp of securing a third consecutive top-10 class at Oklahoma, and one that reflects the program’s national reach, a purview enhanced by the ongoing Nike partnership with Jordan Brand. In addition to 13 verbal commitments from players living in Oklahoma or Texas, the Sooners also landed recruits from Florida (three), California (two), Ohio (two) and one apiece from Arizona, Georgia, Kansas, Louisiana, Minnesota, Mississippi and North Carolina. They’ll have to keep casting a wider net to survive in the SEC.

Michael Cohen covers college football and basketball for FOX Sports with an emphasis on the Big Ten. Follow him on Twitter at @Michael_Cohen13.