The three-day early signing period for the 2025 football recruiting class begins Wednesday.
Ohio State enters the signing window with the nation's top-ranked class, but Georgia trails just behind as the Bulldogs close in on their ninth straight top-three finish. Meanwhile, Alabama ends its first recruiting cycle under coach Kalen DeBoer with one of the nation's deepest classes, as Auburn, Texas and Oregon breathe down the necks of the SEC's elite.
As recently as the late-November flips of ESPN's top two overall prospects -- five-star quarterbacks Bryce Underwood and Julian Lewis -- the 2025 recruiting cycle has provided plenty of twists and turns over the past 12 months. With the bulk of the Class of 2025 finally set to put pen to paper, here's a look at what to expect Wednesday:
Jump to a section:
Schools with most at stake
Top uncommitted prospects
Best of power conferences
Potential flips
Where things stand as of early signing day
As of Tuesday morning, 18 prospects in the ESPN 300 remained uncommitted. Here's how the numbers break down for the 2025 class:
• Only two of ESPN's 20 five-star prospects -- defensive tackle Justus Terry and defensive end Jahkeem Stewart -- will enter Wednesday uncommitted.
• The 18 five-star prospects who are committed? Their pledges are spread across 12 programs. Ohio State leads the way on five-star pledges with commitments from cornerbacks Na'eem Offord (No. 4 overall) and Devin Sanchez (No. 10) and quarterback Tavien St. Clair (No. 17). Behind the Buckeyes, only two other programs enter Wednesday with multiple five-star pledges: Georgia, from DT Elijah Griffin (No. 6) and DE Isaiah Gibson (No. 19), and Alabama, from QB Keelon Russell (No. 14) and OT Ty Haywood (No. 18).
• All but 10 of the top 100 prospects in the ESPN 300 have committed. Among the non-five-stars in that group, athlete Michael Terry (No. 30), wide receiver Jerome Myles (No. 33) and defensive tackle Isaiah Campbell (No. 38) rank among the top prospects still available.
• ESPN's 10 classes (as of Tuesday morning): 1. Ohio State, 2. Georgia, 3. Alabama, 4. Auburn, 5. Texas, 6. Oregon, 7. LSU, 8. Tennessee, 9. Miami, 10. Michigan.
• Auburn, Georgia and Texas lead the nation with 16 ESPN 300 pledges, ahead of Ohio State (15) and Alabama (14).
The flips of five-star passers Underwood and Lewis -- ESPN's top two overall prospects -- headline a wave of late movement within the 2025 quarterback class.
Lewis, the 6-foot-1 passer from Carrollton, Georgia, committed to Colorado on Nov. 21, days after pulling his longstanding pledge to USC. Hours later, Underwood followed with his stunning flip from LSU to Michigan as Sherrone Moore and the Wolverines managed to keep the coveted quarterback from Belleville, Michigan, close to home.
Altogether, seven ESPN 300 quarterbacks switched their commitments after Oct. 1, including Auburn pledge Deuce Knight (No. 41) and USC commit Husan Longstreet (No. 47). And an eighth, 16-year-old Texas A&M pledge Brady Hart, is entering the mix following his reclassification from the 2026 cycle last week.
Eight of ESPN's top 15 running back prospects in 2025 are SEC-bound, led by No. 1 running back Harlem Berry (LSU), No. 2 Akylin Dear (Alabama) and No. 6 Alvin Henderson (Auburn). The SEC also has a hold on the nation's incoming offensive line talent, with commitments from 19 of the 40 offensive linemen in the ESPN 300. Alabama leads the charge with four of them.
In an Auburn class led by five-star cornerback Blake Woodby, the Tigers lead the nation with 11 ESPN 300 pledges on defense, ahead of Ohio State (eight) and Alabama and Georgia (six each).
Schools with the most at stake
Deion Sanders figured things out on the field in Year 2 with the Buffaloes, and despite entering November without a single ESPN 300 pledge, he has Colorado on its way to a strong finish in the 2025 class.
The Buffaloes' months-long efforts to land five-star quarterback Julian Lewis paid off Nov. 21. The commitment of ESPN's No. 2 overall recruit not only gives Colorado a bridge to a post-Shedeur Sanders future, but also a tentpole prospect to build a class around in the final weeks before the early signing period. The dividends came quickly as the Buffaloes added pledges from four prospects -- including ESPN 300 pledges London Merritt (No. 52 overall, No. 5 DT) and Carde Smith (No. 293 overall, No. 32 OT) -- in a span of 30 minutes on Nov. 28.
Entering Wednesday, Colorado is a team to watch for uncommitted four-star outside linebacker Nathaniel Owusu-Boateng and Alabama offensive line pledge Michael Carroll, both of whom visited the Buffaloes last month. And Sanders & Co. certainly can't be counted from pulling off another late-cycle surprise.
Colorado's narrow miss on reaching the Big 12 title game was a disappointment. But the future appears bright in Boulder with Sanders overseeing another big recruiting finish.
The fortunes of Florida's 2025 class turned directly on athletic director Scott Stricklin's Nov. 7 announcement confirming that Billy Napier would remain in charge of the Gators. Since then, Florida has notched ranked wins over LSU and Ole Miss and landed 12 pledges in the 2025 class, including commitments from six ESPN 300 prospects following four-star safety Hylton Stubbs' flip from Miami on Monday.
The Gators' late activity has included top-300 flips of inside linebacker Ty Jackson (USC), offensive tackle Tavaris Dice (Auburn), running back Byron Louis (Florida State) and defenders Jayden Woods (Penn State) and Joseph Mbatchou (Texas) and the commitment from four-star quarterback Tramell Jones Jr., previously the longest-tenured member of Florida State's 2025 class.
Florida's late-rising class could get even better this week. The Gators are the favorites to land four-star safety Lagonza Hayward (No. 113 overall) following his decommitment from Tennessee on Sunday, while Florida's list of top-100 flip targets includes five-star OT Solomon Thomas (Florida State) and four-star wide receiver Jaime Ffrench (Texas).
The Gators closed strong on the field in 2025 with a cornerstone at quarterback in former five-star prospect D.J. Lagway. With Napier's future secure, no program has been hotter on the recruiting trail over the past month than Florida.
Auburn was one of the stories of the summer on the recruiting trail when the Tigers landed 11 ESPN 300 pledges from June 1 to Sept. 15 before flipping four-star Notre Dame quarterback pledge Deuce Knight (No. 41 overall) on Oct. 2.
The program's 11-14 record under Hugh Freeze doesn't seem to have dampened Auburn's recruiting efforts in 2025 as the Tigers enter Wednesday in line to secure the program's best class since 2011. And things could get even better for Freeze & Co.
Five-star Ohio State cornerback pledge Na'eem Offord (No. 4 overall) has been a longtime target for Auburn. The No. 1 prospect in the state of Alabama, Offord has visited no program more than the Tigers during his recruitment, most recently on Nov. 23. Offord did return to Ohio State in Week 14, but Auburn remains in the picture as Offord prepares to sign Wednesday.
The Tigers also hosted Terry, the five-star defensive tackle, on Nov. 23, and will pull off a significant recruiting upset if they can land his signature over Georgia. With commitments from one or both of Offord and Terry (No. 7 overall), Auburn would bolster the nation's deepest defensive class and make a late charge for the No. 1 spot in ESPN's 2025 class rankings.
Sherrone Moore's inaugural class got a shot in the arm and then some when the Wolverines completed the flip of five-star quarterback Bryce Underwood last month.
No Michigan commitment in 2025 -- both for the future of the program's quarterback room and its standing on the recruiting trail -- is more important than Underwood's, with the nation's No. 1 prospect choosing to stay home. But the Wolverines enter Wednesday at No. 10 in ESPN's class rankings with pledges from six top-100 prospects, including four-star offensive tackle Andrew Babalola (No. 27 overall) and safety Kainoa Winston (No. 51).
Michigan has completed the flips of four-star Auburn defensive tackle Nathaniel Marshall (No. 83) and four-star Clemson safety pledge Jordan Young (No. 107). And the Wolverines could pad their defensive class further this week as four-star defensive end Javion Hilson (No. 77) and top uncommitted outside linebacker Nathaniel Owusu-Boateng (No. 81) prepare to commit after each visited the school last month.
Save for Michigan's upset of Ohio State in Week 14, it was a murky first season under Moore in 2024. But the Wolverines enter the early signing period with an impressive recruiting class anchored by Underwood that could still get stronger in the coming days.
Texas A&M played its way within a win of an SEC title game appearance and reaches the end of Mike Elko's first recruiting cycle with ESPN's 11th-ranked recruiting class.
The Aggies' incoming class is anchored by four-star offensive tackle Lamont Rogers (No. 24 overall) and nine pledges from ESPN 300 defenders, headlined by cornerbacks Adonyss Currie (No. 55 overall) and Deyjhon Pettaway (No. 131) outside linebacker Noah Mikhail (No. 64) and defensive tackle D.J. Sanders (No. 110). After losing four-star quarterback pledge Husan Longstreet to USC, the Aggies recovered last week with the commitment of Hart, a former Michigan pledge.
Among those still in the Aggies' sights entering Wednesday: five-star Oklahoma offensive tackle pledge Michael Fasusi and four-star wide receiver Jerome Myles. Both were on campus for Texas A&M's game with Texas getting their commitments could send the Aggies to a top-10 finish in Year 1 under Elko. Fasusi, who visited Texas in Week 13, has been involved in a closely followed recruitment in recent weeks as questions hover over his commitment to the Sooners. Meanwhile, the Aggies appear to be in good position with Myles, who decommitted from USC one day after his trip to Texas A&M.
The top uncommitted prospects and where they could land
Lamont Rogers' Tuesday morning commitment brought the count of uncommitted top-100 prospects across the country back to 10.
Five-star defensive tackle Justus Terry (No. 7 overall) enters the early signing period as the nation's highest-rated uncommitted prospect. Pledged to both USC and Georgia in the past year, Terry took visits to Georgia, Auburn, Alabama and Texas this fall. The expectation remains that the 6-foot-5, 270-pound run stopper from Manchester, Georgia, will land in-state with Kirby Smart and the Bulldogs, but Terry also stands among Auburn's handful of high-profile, late-cycle targets following his Nov. 23 visit to the Tigers.
Four spots down from Terry in the ESPN 300 is five-star defensive end Jahkeem Stewart (No. 11). Once the No. 1 overall prospect in the 2026 class, Stewart reclassified into the 2025 cycle on Oct. 5 and will choose from USC, Oregon, LSU and Ohio State. Ruled ineligible to compete this fall following an in-season transfer, the pass rusher from New Orleans has played just 12 games of varsity football, but that hasn't slowed interest from the nation's top programs.
Four-star athlete Michael Terry (No. 30) is the nation's top uncommitted skill player. At 6-3, 215 pounds, Terry is a versatile, two-way star from San Antonio, Texas, who projects as a do-it-all offensive weapon at the next level, capable of playing running back, wide receiver or tight end. Terry, ESPN's No. 3 athlete prospect, has kept Texas, Nebraska and Oregon involved in his recruitment this fall, with the Longhorns and Huskers entering Wednesday as his likeliest destinations.
Myles (No. 33) was the top prospect in USC's 2025 class before he pulled his pledge from the Trojans, marking the ninth ESPN 300 decommitment from Lincoln Riley's class. ESPN's No. 6 wide receiver, Myles visited Texas A&M multiple times this fall, including for the program's Week 14 loss to Texas on Saturday, and he'd become the No. 1 prospect in the Aggies' 2025 class. ESPN has confirmed that he is expected to sign during the early signing period.
Four-star defensive tackle Isaiah Campbell (No. 38) has visited Tennessee (twice) and North Carolina since decommitting from Clemson in September, and the Vols have emerged as front-runners to land ESPN's No. 3 defensive tackle, who projects as a versatile run stopper with strong pass rush ability. Four-star defensive end Javion Hilson (No. 77), a former Florida State pledge, is also set to announce his commitment, with Michigan, Texas, Texas A&M, Syracuse and Pitt all in the mix.
Former Ohio State pledge Zahir Mathis (No. 63) announced Monday he will not sign in the early signing period after pulling his commitment from the Buckeyes on Nov. 18.
Four-star defender Nathaniel-Owusu Boateng (No. 81) is the nation's top-ranked uncommitted outside linebacker. A product of Florida's IMG Academy, Owusu-Boateng has narrowed his finalists to Colorado and Michigan. He would represent a key late addition for either program.
Four-star outside linebacker Madden Faraimo (No. 93) visited USC to see the Trojans face Notre Dame on Saturday and is expected to choose between the schools at the end of a recruitment that also included Texas and Washington.
Four-star running back Anthony Rogers (No. 97) was the longest-tenured member of Alabama's 2025 class before he pulled his pledge Nov. 17 following official visits to Georgia and Ohio State. The Bulldogs and Buckeyes have remained front-runners for ESPN's No. 4 running back in recent weeks, with Ole Miss and Auburn also in the mix.
Top class in each Power 4 conference
ACC: Miami Hurricanes (No. 9 overall). Mario Cristobal has Miami headed for a third straight top-10 finish in his third full cycle with the program. The Hurricanes' latest class is led by five-star offensive guard S.J. Alofaituli (No. 12 overall), a four-year starter at Las Vegas' Bishop Gorman High School, and four-star cornerback Jaboree Antoine (No. 66). Miami missed on the top in-state targets, including five-star athlete D.J. Pickett, and the Hurricanes do not hold a pledge from any of Florida's top 10 prospects. But after reaching his best win total with the Hurricanes this fall, Cristobal is still set to add 12 in-state prospects, headlined by wide receiver Joshua Moore (No. 202), and running back Girard Pringle Jr. (No. 238).
Big Ten: Ohio State Buckeyes (No. 1 overall). Ohio State has lost a pair of top-100 pledges in recent weeks with the decommitments from defensive ends London Merritt and Zahir Mathis. Still, the Buckeyes will sign the Big Ten's best class for the fifth straight cycle, and by a good margin. Ohio State holds pledges from six top-300 defenders, led by five-star cornerbacks Na'eem Offord (No. 4) and Devin Sanchez (No. 10). Wide receiver Quincy Porter (No. 65) and running back Bo Jackson (No. 127) represent the Buckeyes' top skill position pledges, and once five-star passer Tavien St. Clair signs, he'll join Julian Sayin and Air Noland in an Ohio State quarterback room that includes three five-star prospects from the past two recruiting cycles. Oregon is a new force in the Big Ten, but recruiting supremacy within the conference still belongs to the Buckeyes.
Big 12: TCU Horned Frogs (No. 24 overall). TCU's 2025 class suffered a significant blow when quarterback Ty Hawkins (No. 225) flipped to SMU in July. But the Horned Frogs recovered quickly by flipping four-star passer Adam Schobel from Oklahoma State, and TCU has some serious in-state talent headed for Fort Worth with defensive end Chad Woodfork (No. 56), cornerback Micah Strickland (No. 211) and wide receiver Terry Shelton (No. 251). The Horned Frogs won four of their last five games this season, and Sonny Dykes has TCU in position to secure its second top-25 class in the past three cycles.
SEC: Georgia Bulldogs (No. 2 overall). Kirby Smart has landed a top-three class in every cycle since 2017, and with pledges from eight of ESPN's top 300 recruits -- including a pair of five-star commits -- Georgia is on its way to another one in 2025. Five-star defensive linemen Elijah Griffin (No. 6) and Isaiah Gibson (No. 19) are anchors, and the Bulldogs could add another five-star defender up front when Justus Terry (No. 7) announces his commitment this week. Georgia's top offensive pledge is four-star Talyn Taylor-Banks (No. 31), ESPN's No. 5 wide receiver, and the Bulldogs are set to add two quarterbacks in four-star passer Ryan Montgomery (No. 115) and recent three-star Boise State flip Hezekiah Millender, a dual-threat prospect from Athens, Georgia. Plenty can change between Wednesday and the regular signing period in February, but for now, the SEC's top class is headed to Georgia for the second year in a row.
Flip watch
Five-star OT David Sanders, No. 5 overall, Tennessee commit: Sanders has been committed to the Vols since August, but his surprise visit to Ohio State -- one of Sanders' finalists earlier this year -- in Week 13 seemingly opened the door for the Buckeyes. Could an early signing period flip be in store for ESPN's No. 1 offensive tackle?
Five-star OT Solomon Thomas, No. 13 overall, Florida State commit: After nearly a year committed to the Seminoles, Thomas spent the past two weekends on visits to Florida and LSU. Florida State's decision to fire offensive line coach Alex Atkins earlier this month and uncertainty over Mike Norvell's next hire at the position are key factors for Thomas, with Florida in particular charging hard to sway the nation's third-ranked offensive tackle.
Four-star OLB Tavion Wallace, No. 45 overall, Arkansas commit: Wallace is the top-ranked member of the Razorbacks' 2025 class and the exact kind of fast and physical player Arkansas needs to compete in the SEC. But ESPN's No. 3 outside linebacker has visited Florida State on each of the past two weekends and a flip for Wallace to the Seminoles appears to be in the cards.
Four-star TE Linkon Cure, No. 69 overall, Kansas State commit: Cure has been the cornerstone of the Wildcats' 2025 class since July 1. However, Oregon has been pushing hard in Cure's recruitment all fall and finally got him on campus in Week 14. Can Kansas State hold off Dan Lanning & Co. to keep the No. 2 prospect in the state home?
Four-star S Zelus Hicks, No. 72 overall, Texas commit: Formerly the No. 1 safety in 2026, Hicks reclassified into the 2025 cycle last month. The 6-2, 190-pound defender has held firm on a pledge to the Longhorns, but late pushes from Colorado and Florida -- two programs that have been extremely active in the weeks before the early signing period -- could make for an interesting finish to Hicks' recruitment.
Four-star quarterback Bryce Baker, No. 192 overall, North Carolina commit: ESPN's No. 4 dual-threat passer, Baker spent the final Saturday of the regular season at Penn State days after the Tar Heels announced coach Mack Brown would not return in 2025. Baker holds a close relationship with North Carolina offensive coordinator Chip Lindsey, but with the future of the program's coaching staff unclear, Baker could be on the move.
Four-star quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele, No. 17 pocket passer, Cal commit: A late riser in the 2025 quarterback class, Sagapolutele picked up offers from Oregon and Georgia during his senior season this fall. Oregon left an impression on Sagapolutele during his October visit, and if anyone is going to sway Hawaii's top prospect from his pledge to the Bears, it'll be Lanning and the Ducks.