Just 27 days remain until the start of the early signing period, and only 18 members of the 2025 ESPN 300 remain uncommitted.
Yet, from potential flips at the very top of the 2025 class -- headlined by five-star quarterbacks Bryce Underwood and Julian Lewis -- to developments hovering over some of the nation's top programs, from Texas, Michigan and Florida State to Colorado, Auburn, Nebraska and USC, there's plenty left be to answered between now and Dec. 4.
Here's a look at the biggest questions still lingering over the 2025 class and the nation's top high school prospects:
Jump to a section:
QB drama? | Stewart's next move
Colorado's rebound | Flipping Florida
How Michigan, Texas could close
Can struggling schools finish strong?
Are there more quarterback fireworks left?
Some of the biggest twists of the cycle have come courtesy of the 2025 quarterback class. That could soon include the top two players in the class.
Underwood, No. 1 in the 2025 ESPN 300, has been committed to LSU since January, and the Belleville, Michigan, product is set to return to Baton Rouge, Louisiana, when the Tigers host Alabama on Saturday. But Michigan has upped its efforts with Underwood in recent weeks, with ESPN sources confirming that the Wolverines have stepped up with a competitive name, image and likeness package for the coveted quarterback. Four-star passer Carter Smith's decision to pull his pledge from Michigan last week after nearly a year in the Wolverines' 2025 class only stoked the flames around Underwood's recruitment.
Lewis, meanwhile, sits right behind Underwood as ESPN's No. 2 overall prospect in 2025. Despite summer flirtations with Auburn, Colorado and Indiana, ESPN's second-ranked pocket passer has remained committed to USC through his senior season at Carrollton (Georgia) High School.
However, Lewis made a return trip to Colorado in Week 9 for the Buffaloes' Oct. 26 win over Cincinnati and could still visit Indiana again over the final weeks of the regular season, according to his father, Tyrone Lewis. With Lewis taking late-fall visits elsewhere as USC stumbles through its first Big Ten slate, the stage could be set for a dramatic finish to a long-winding recruitment.
Smith -- No. 155 in the ESPN 300 -- is the nation's top uncommitted quarterback following his decommitment from Michigan. He'll visit Wisconsin on Nov. 16 and holds interest from Penn State and Clemson, among others, while Oregon and Georgia are working to flip four-star Cal pledge Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele with both schools seeking to add a second 2025 quarterback commit.
Where does Jahkeem Stewart land?
Previously ESPN's No. 1 overall recruit in the 2026 class, five-star defensive end Jahkeem Stewart became the No. 11 prospect in the ESPN 300 when he reclassified into the 2025 cycle on Oct. 5. He remains the nation's second-highest-rated uncommitted high school player.
The 6-foot-6, 270-pound pass rusher will visit finalists Oregon, Ohio State, LSU and USC across the next four weekends before announcing his commitment on Dec. 4, but the Ducks and Buckeyes hold an early edge in Stewart's late-cycle recruitment following October visits to Eugene and Columbus.
"They've each made a huge impression," Clyde Alexander, Stewart's trainer, told ESPN.
Ohio State and Oregon separated themselves on those recent trips ahead of Stewart's final slate of visits this month. It's his pledge that could be the key for either school to close out a historic recruiting class in 2025.
Since the start of the ESPN recruiting rankings era in 2006, Ohio State has turned in five top-three classes but never a No. 1. In 2025, the Buckeyes sit at No. 2 in ESPN's team rankings, holding on to 17 ESPN 300 pledges. A commitment from Stewart is the sort of late addition Ryan Day and the Buckeyes would need to vault Alabama for the program's first-ever No. 1 class.
At the same time, Oregon hits the closing weeks of the 2025 cycle at No. 1 in the AP Top 25 and No. 7 in ESPN's recruiting rankings. A commitment from Stewart could help the Ducks crack the top five. In doing so, Oregon would secure back-to-back top-five classes for the first time in program history.
Will Colorado's on-field momentum translate into late-cycle recruiting success?
At 6-2, Colorado is ranked 21st in the AP poll and in contention to reach the Big 12 title game. Deion Sanders has gotten it right in Year 2, yet the Buffaloes still hit the final weeks of the recruiting cycle with just 10 commitments in the 2025 class and none ranked in the ESPN 300.
That slow approach in recruiting is a feature under Sanders, not a glitch. As Colorado did a year ago, Sanders & Co. have left their work on the recruiting trail until late. But this time they're operating with a winning football team and a clear pitch as they seek to sway a handful of ESPN 300 prospects over the next few weeks.
"You can make a name for yourself at Colorado," said four-star linebacker Nathaniel Owusu-Boateng. "And when you have a coach like Coach Prime behind you, that can really get your name out there. There's a big chance for a guy like myself to go in there and make an impact."
The biggest name in Sanders' sights, of course, is Lewis. Colorado has been chasing the five-star quarterback for the better part of a year, and Lewis returned to Boulder last month after visiting the Buffaloes in June. If Colorado can sway Lewis, he'll be the program's highest-rated pledge since it landed running back Darrell Scott as the No. 9 overall prospect in the 2008 class.
Beyond Lewis, Colorado hosted Owusu-Boateng (No. 80 in the ESPN 300) and fellow top-100 linebacker London Merritt (Ohio State commit) when the Buffaloes faced Kansas State on Oct. 12, while USC offensive tackle pledge Carde Smith (No. 292) visited alongside Lewis on Oct. 26. In the secondary, Colorado remains heavily in the mix for former Indiana safety pledge Byron Baldwin (No. 266 in the ESPN 300).
Currently ranked outside the top 50 in ESPN's 2025 class rankings, Colorado could rise rapidly if Sanders can turn the program's on-field momentum into late-cycle recruiting success.
Will any of Florida's top 2025 prospects make late flips?
Florida prospects make up 12.3% of the 2025 ESPN 300 and some of the state's very best prospects hit November as high-profile potential flip candidates.
Let's start with Florida State. The Seminoles' 2025 class has crumbled amid the program's 1-8 start this fall with five ESPN 300 pledges leaving Mike Norvell's incoming class since the start of the regular season. Those departures leave Florida State with five ESPN 300 prospects still committed in 2025, and none more important than five-star offensive tackle pledge Solomon Thomas (No. 13 in the ESPN 300).
Thomas has kept a quiet recruitment and returned to Florida State multiple times since he committed to the Seminoles last December. Yet Thomas' visit to Miami during the Hurricanes' 36-14 win over Florida State stoked fresh speculation, and sources within the state believe his recruitment could turn as the Seminoles navigate the final months of a disastrous 2024 season.
Also on Miami's in-state radar this month are five-star LSU athlete pledge D.J. Pickett and four-star Oregon wide receiver commit Dallas Wilson, however sources in the state believe both are unlikely to flip in the coming weeks.
Elsewhere in Florida, four-star cornerback Ivan Taylor (No. 50 in the ESPN 300) remains committed to Michigan despite Alabama's continued efforts to flip ESPN's fifth-ranked cornerback prospect. Colorado is among the program's working hard to flip Merritt, No. 52 in the ESPN 300, from his Ohio State pledge, while Notre Dame is set to host four-star Florida defensive end commit Jalen Wiggins later this month.
What's left for Texas and Michigan?
The Longhorns and Wolverines entered November with classes ranked sixth and 14th, respectively, in ESPN's latest rankings and could climb before Dec. 4.
Texas has pitched an expansive offensive role to four-star in-state athlete Michael Terry, and the Longhorns are the favorites to land ESPN's No. 30 overall prospect in a battle alongside Oregon and Nebraska. Texas also remains in the mix for four-star defensive end Javion Hilson (No. 76 in the ESPN 300), and Steve Sarkisian could still hit late-cycle gold with five-star prospects Justus Terry and Michael Fasusi.
Terry, ESPN's No. 7 overall recruit, is the nation's top uncommitted prospect. While Georgia remains heavily favored to eventually sign Terry, his October visit to Texas raised eyebrows. And Sarkisian hasn't given up on Fasusi, ESPN's second-ranked offensive tackle, taking a visit to Lewisville (Texas) High School to see the Oklahoma pledge play Friday.
At Michigan, Sherrone Moore bolstered his inaugural class with recent commitments from four-star offensive tackle Andrew Babalola (No. 27 in the ESPN 300) and Georgia cornerback flip Shamari Earls (No. 71). Flipping Underwood, the nation's top prospect, will be an uphill battle, but the Wolverines understood the risk it took letting Smith leave its 2025 class, and sources around Michigan believe the program can make a serious pitch to keep Underwood home. Flipping four-star Pitt athlete pledge Elijah Dotson, a high school teammate of Underwood's who visited Michigan last weekend, could be part of the process.
Texas and Michigan could also go toe-to-toe on the recruiting trail over the next month. The Wolverines hosted Owusu-Boateng in Week 10, and ESPN's No. 8 outside linebacker is set to visit Texas on Nov. 23. Both schools remain involved in the recruitment of former Clemson cornerback pledge Graceson Littleton (No. 100 in the ESPN 300) as well.
Can programs struggling on the field in 2024 finish strong in the 2025 cycle?
Things haven't gone according to plan for Auburn, Nebraska or USC this fall. So it's all the more important that Hugh Freeze, Matt Rhule and Lincoln Riley close well in the 2025 cycle.
Auburn's impressive 2025 class remains intact for now, sitting at No. 4 in ESPN's latest rankings for the cycle. But with the Tigers 1-5 in the SEC, questions stand over whether they can finish out as strong as they started. Auburn's 9-13 record under Freeze will loom large as the program works to flip five-star Ohio State cornerback commit Na'eem Offord after his visit in Week 10 while chasing commitments from the likes of four-star wide receiver C.J. Wiley and four-star defensive tackle Joseph Mbatchou.
Nebraska appears to be on track in Year 2 under Rhule, but a midseason stumble could hamper the Huskers' efforts to bolster ESPN's 19th-ranked class. Nebraska continues to push for four-star athlete Michael Terry III and hosted four-star Florida State tight end pledge Chase Loftin last weekend. Four-star Alabama linebacker commit Dawson Merritt, ESPN's No. 104th-ranked prospect and who picked the Crimson Tide over Nebraska in June, remains in the Huskers' sights as well.
As USC lingers at the bottom of the Big Ten standings at 4-5 on the year, the Trojans' final month should be about class retention and keeping quarterback Julian Lewis. But USC could also put the finishing touches on a revamped defensive class with a late commitment from four-star linebacker Madden Faraimo. The Trojans are among four finalists for ESPN's No. 12 outside linebacker prospect alongside Texas, Washington and Notre Dame, and Faraimo will visit USC on Nov. 30.