Alabama, Clemson, Notre Dame and Oklahoma were the four teams picked by the College Football Playoff selection committee to battle in the most recent playoff. We believe the following five teams are quickly closing the gap on those four because of their recruiting efforts, and they could win not only their conferences in the next couple of years but also derail Clemson's and Alabama's dominance.
Texas A&M Aggies
Texas A&M under Jimbo Fisher has quickly become one of the SEC's top recruiting programs, currently holding the No. 3 class in the SEC and the country. Signing bigger bodies on the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball has been a huge focus over the last two classes, and the Aggies landed several top-tier prospects in that group.
This is one of the youngest, most-talented rosters in the country, with QB Kellen Mond and the majority of his weapons back this season. The Aggies will add to that nucleus several early enrollees, including ESPN 300 DE DeMarvin Leal, who is poised to play quickly. Bolstering the formerly underutilized TE position was a key in the 2019 class, and the Aggies have addressed that nicely with Baylor Cupp, who offers a nice blend of size and speed and can be a physical blocker. Secondary is a huge need to bolster the pass defense, and the Aggies received a trio of LOIs during the December signing period from ESPN 300 safeties Demani Richardson and Brian Williams and four-star DB Erick Young.
Texas Longhorns
Fresh off a dominating performance in the Allstate Sugar Bowl, the Longhorns have created serious buzz on the recruiting trail. They most recently acquired ATH Bru McCoy, who signed with USC in December but decided to transfer to Texas after Kliff Kingsbury left for the NFL. If granted immediate eligibility by the NCAA, McCoy will make an immediate impact with the Horns, but even if he isn't eligible this season, he is a great long-term prospect.
Tom Herman's group lost a ton in the trenches on both sides of the ball, but the Longhorns hit it out of the park during December, with signatures from in-state OT ESPN 300 Tyler Johnson and four-star tackle Isaiah Hookfin. Four-star juco DE Jacoby Jones was a huge flip from Oklahoma. He fills an immediate pass-rushing need, while DE Myron Warren out of Louisiana will also fill the need.
Is Texas back? The jury may still be out, but under Herman there is a different feel that we haven't seen in quite some time in Austin. There is confidence and chemistry, and the offseason is going to be full of optimism.
Florida Gators
Arguably one of the best coaches in all of college football, Dan Mullen has shown a keen eye for identifying and developing players throughout his career. Unlike at his previous stop (Mississippi State), Mullen has far more resources now at Florida and has the player pool to compete with Georgia for SEC East titles sooner rather than later. The improvement Florida made in Year 1 under Mullen was immeasurable. The Gators won 10 games, made it to a New Year's Six bowl game and beat a formidable foe in Michigan in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl, despite a below-average offensive line, uncertainty under center and thin depth on defense.
In the 2019 recruiting cycle the Gators added ESPN 300 DT Jaelin Humphries, ESPN 300 OLB Mohamoud Diabate and four-star OLB Tyron Hopper, all out of Georgia. ESPN 300 CB Chris Steele out of California is a huge win over USC and Oregon. Flipping ESPN 300 OLB Diwun Black from Ole Miss was a nice win, if he qualifies, as was signing four-star CB Jaydon Hill out of Alabama. ESPN 300 OT Will Harrod and OG Ethan White were key wins at need positions and are joined in the class by OT Wardrick Wilson and OG Riley Simonds out of Georgia. ESPN 300 OT Michael Tarquin and OC Kingsley Eguakun from Miami ensure a terrific OL class.
Penn State Nittany Lions
On the field Penn State is 31-9 since the 2016 season, and has been trending up in recruiting as well, inking a top-five class in 2018 and currently sitting at No. 12 in the Class Rankings. ESPN 300 RB Devyn Ford is among the nation's best at his position, and a second ESPN 300 RB in the class, Noah Cain, picked the Nittany Lions over Texas. Defensive end Adisa Isaac was a huge fax received out of New York. Another ESPN 300 prospect signed is WR John Dunmore, a one-time Florida verbal out of South Florida. There are two quarterbacks in the class: ESPN 300s Michael Johnson Jr. (his father, Michael Johnson, coaches at Mississippi State) and Ta'Quan Roberson out of New Jersey.
Their recruiting efforts coupled with the fact that virtually the entire two-deep roster and QB Tommy Stevens are back lead us to believe things are slowing down anytime soon in State College. Penn State is a legit Big Ten contender for years to come.
Ohio State Buckeyes
OK, we admit the Buckeyes have been a dominant force on the field and on recruiting trail over the last seven seasons, but there is a new sheriff in town in head coach Ryan Day and there are some roster questions. However, this is Ohio State and that name carries a lot of weight.
This team needs QB Justin Fields to become eligible immediately, as it has now lost two QBs, Dwayne Haskins and Tate Martell, from its roster. The defense returns mostly intact, but was in dire need of new leadership, so Greg Mattison's hire away from Michigan was a huge boost. On the recruiting front, Ohio State competes on a national level with a national brand. The 2019 class isn't big, but more than half the 16 signees rank within the ESPN 300. Five-star DE Zach Harrison was a massive win over Michigan on the first day of the December signing period. Harry Miller is the No. 2-ranked center in the class, while Doug Nester and in-state Ryan Jacoby are both top-25 tackle prospects. Garrett Wilson is the No. 2-ranked receiver in the 2019 cycle, while Ronnie Hickman is a four-star wide receiver out of New Jersey. OL and WR are big needs that Day & Co. have addressed in this cycle that should provide depth and early contributions.