Getting in position for a College Football Playoff berth is no longer about signing multiple top-10 recruiting classes, but rather a delicate combination of recruiting classes, the retention of those recruiting classes (particularly your best players) and the decisions on how that roster is upgraded on an annual basis through the transfer portal. As the 2024 recruiting cycle ends and college football begins its 12-team playoff era, here is a look at five teams that have improved their chances of securing one of the 12 spots if their transfers contribute as expected and they get production from some youth in the 2024 class.
Ohio State Buckeyes
The Buckeyes need to not only make the playoff and win in the playoff, but before that they need to beat Michigan and win the Big Ten. Coach Ryan Day and the Buckeyes have been unapologetic in their approach since the loss to Missouri in the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic, most notably at quarterback. In the bowl game, the Buckeyes could not function under center. Starter Kyle McCord announced he was transferring, so Ohio State was left with quarterbacks Devin Brown and Lincoln Kienholz to prove they were the answer -- and they were not. Enter Kansas State Wildcats transfer QB Will Howard, who has won a Big 12 championship but is not all that different from McCord. But Ohio State is also building for its future, having signed ESPN 300 QBs in Air Noland and former 2024 Alabama signee Julian Sayin. These are upgrades, and the end of spring football should give a clearer picture of OSU's QB room.
Ohio State signed nine players in the 2024 class ranked in the top 10 at their position, including five-star receiver Jeremiah Smith, who should see the field quickly. In the portal, the Buckeyes added more thunder and lightning to the running back room in Ole Miss transfer Quinshon Judkins, who joins the electrifying TreVeyon Henderson. Ohio State also made one of the blockbuster moves in the portal when it signed former Alabama safety Caleb Downs, who was perhaps the most productive freshman in America regardless of position in 2023. The Buckeyes are not messing around in 2024.
Oregon Ducks
If there had been a 12-team CFP format in 2023, Oregon would have been a problem for many opponents, and now it looks like Dan Lanning and the Ducks have reloaded. The Ducks signed three quarterbacks in Oklahoma transfer Dillon Gabriel, former UCLA QB Dante Moore and high school prospect Luke Moga to solidify the QB room. Of their top five highest-graded players in the class, all are at defensive end, defensive tackle, offensive tackle or cornerback -- premium positions -- and all are top-10 players at their respective position. Defensive end Elijah Rushing and defensive tackle Aydin Breland are both ranked in the top 30 nationally. Oregon flipped receiver Jeremiah McClellan from Ohio State in December. Then the Ducks signed the No. 1 junior college CB in Sione Laulea, who has terrific length and range. Division II RB transfer Jay Harris is a bruiser and was very productive at the lower level. The Ducks rounded out the class with three more high-profile transfers in receiver Evan Stewart (Texas A&M), a former five-star recruit, defensive tackle Jamaree Caldwell (Houston) and former Oklahoma State Cowboy and Washington Husky CB Jabbar Muhammad.
Ole Miss Rebels
Lane Kiffin, the self-described "transfer portal king," is again pushing all his chips to the table to dominate the portal and integrate a strong high school class. Despite losing Judkins to Ohio State, Ole Miss has the returning skill on offense to compete in the SEC West, but it must improve in the trenches to defeat the likes of Georgia and Alabama. Of the top five highest-graded players in the Ole Miss high school class, four of them are on the defensive front and all of them are ranked in the top 15 in the country at their position. The Rebels also signed the No. 1 and No. 3 juco receivers in Deion Smith and Marquis Willis, respectively. They also signed the top juco inside linebacker, Raymond Collins.
Out of the portal, they signed defensive tackle Walter Nolen, the top-ranked recruit in the 2022 recruiting class; former Florida defensive end Princely Umanmielen; and highly productive receiver Antwane Wells Jr. Safety Key Lawrence and a slew of cornerbacks including Alabama transfer Trey Amos round out the back end.
Missouri Tigers
Fresh off a Cotton Bowl win over Ohio State and an 11-2 record, and with significant players returning to the roster including quarterback Brady Cook, receiver Luther Burden III and rising star tight end Brett Norfleet, the Tigers broke through with some high-profile recruits and several transfer portal additions. Three of their top four highest-rated high school players in this class are at two of the most important positions. Defensive ends Williams Nwaneri and Jaylen Brown round out the front on the edge, and cornerback Trajen Greco was the No. 21 corner in the class. Mizzou also beefed up its defense through the portal, adding Clemson cornerback Toriano Pride Jr. and Miami linebacker Corey Flagg Jr.
With star running back Cody Schrader off to the NFL, Missouri turned to the portal to address that need, adding Georgia State transfer Marcus Carroll and Appalachian State transfer Nate Noel. Perhaps the biggest pickup was offensive tackle Cayden Green, who is coming from Oklahoma, where he was a starter as a freshman in 2023.
Georgia Bulldogs
After consecutive national titles, UGA just missed on another trip to the playoff but should be a favorite in 2024. The Bulldogs' top-ranked recruiting class features five players who are the top-ranked recruit at their position. It has 21 ESPN 300 prospects and four five-stars. That includes cornerback Ellis Robinson IV, the No. 1 overall player in the class.
That loaded group of newcomers joins a team with an amazing foundation led by quarterback Carson Beck. Georgia also supplemented the roster with a solid transfer portal haul that includes Florida running back Trevor Etienne, Vanderbilt receiver London Humphreys and Miami receiver Colbie Young.
Among the freshmen, expect five-star linebacker Justin Williams to be an immediate contributor if not an impact player.