Top 10 Incoming College Football Classes: Recruiting, Transfers

National Signing Day is in the past and the transfer portal is closed until May. With rosters more or less set, who landed the top 10 incoming football classes?

Both National Signing Days are in the past. High school recruiting classes are inked, the top players have homes, and the 2023 recruiting cycle is over. The initial wave of the transfer portal is also closed, meaning undergrad players cannot enter the portal until May 1.

With rosters more or less set, let's take a look at the top 10 combined recruiting and transfer incoming classes.

All numbers below are pulled from 247Sports' ranking.

© Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports

1. LSU Tigers: 362.00

The Tigers bolstered the No. 6 overall recruiting class with the top transfer class in the nation. Inbound is first team All-Pac 12 linebacker Omar Speights (Oregon State), and top corner transfers Duce Chestnut (Syracuse) and Denver Harris (Texas A&M).

LSU's big recruiting land is five-star pass rusher Dashawn Womack. Four of their top five recruits this cycle come on the defensive side– a unit that ranked just 50th in points per drive allowed in 2022. The mission was clear this recruiting cycle: pull in defensive talent.

2. Oklahoma Sooners: 347.64

In Brent Venables' second season with Oklahoma, he signed the fourth-ranked recruiting class. It's the first top-five class for the Sooners since 2010. The recruiting class is topped by three five stars: QB Jackson Arnold, pass rusher Adepoju Adebawore, and safety Peyton Bowen.

After a disastrous year on defense– particularly on the defensive line– Oklahoma hit the portal hard to improve. They signed three four-star defensive linemen and four star pass rusher Dasan McCullough from Indiana. 

3. Georgia Bulldogs: 347.27

In college football, the rich get richer. The two-time defending National Champions signed the second overall recruiting class while adding three big-time transfers. Two of the top transfer receivers come to Athens next season, Missouri's Dominic Lovett and Mississippi State's RaRa Thomas. This comes a season after adding zero transfers.

On the recruiting trail, Georgia signed five five-stars, second only to Alabama's nine. Four of those blue chippers play on the defensive side of the football, headlined by pass rusher Damon Wilson. 

4. Miami Hurricanes: 342.45

Despite losing the No. 2 overall recruit, Miami signed two five-stars and the No. 7 overall recruiting class. Both five stars play offensive tackle, Francis Mauigoa (No. 10 overall) and Samson Okunlola. They also add two four-star pass rushers and beat out in-state rivals Florida and Florida State on the most coveted in-state recruits.

The recruiting bump under Mario Cristobal is no surprise. However, their prowess in the transfer portal might surprise some. They landed five four-star transfers on the defensive side of the ball and No. 11 overall transfer Javion Cohen (Alabama) on the offensive line.

5. USC Trojans: 340.02

A year after signing the top transfer class in Lincoln Riley's first season at USC, the Trojans signed the second overall transfer class. Pac-12 leading receiver Dorian Singer and South Carolina leading rusher MarShawn Lloyd top the offensive additions. They also added Oklahoma State team captain Mason Cobb and Texas A&M defensive lineman Anthony Lucas.

Recruiting improved tenfold, mostly on offense. The top-name recruit is undoubtably QB Malachi Nelson (Los Alamitos, CA), who brings in top target Makai Lemon. Five-star WR Zachariah Branch– the fourth overall recruit– will join Nelson, as well. 

6. Alabama Crimson Tide: 338.22

How ridiculous is Alabama's recruiting class? Not only is it the second-ranked class ever, but the Tide hold on just outside the top-five classes despite signing just one four-star transfer. They signed a ridiculous nine five stars, headlined by safety Caleb Downs and tackle Kadyn Proctor.

Also inbound is the No. 2 running back in the nation, Justice Haynes. The Tide bring in four-star QB Eli Holstein, who will compete with RS sophomore Jalen Milroe and five-star RS freshman Ty Simpson.

7. Texas Longhorns: 335.17

Even if you don't follow recruiting, you know the name Arch Manning. He's one of the highest-rated recruits ever and will compete with Quinn Ewers, also one of the highest-rated recruits ever. But the signings don't stop there– Texas also landed two other five stars: WR Johntay Cook II (DeSoto) and RB Cedric Baxter Jr. (Orlando, FL).

While light in numbers, Texas landed another strong transfer class, also headlined by a big-time receiver. Georgia's AD Mitchell was a late addition to the portal and comes to Texas to bolster one of the most talented receiving corps in the country.

8. Oregon Ducks: 334.60

Nobody won the Early Signing Period more than the Oregon Ducks. They flipped four-star QB Austin Novasad days after losing five-star Dante Moore, and signed a half-dozen more four stars. A recognizable name also committed to Oregon on ESD, Matayo Uiagalelei.

While the Ducks' transfer class isn't headlined by the blockbuster names, they strategically added some of the best players offered in the portal. The top names here include South Carolina pass rusher Jordan Burch, Rhode Island (FCS) tackle Ajani Cornelius, and Texas tackle Junior Angilau.

9. Florida Gators: 319.72

Despite on and off struggles the past decade, Florida continues to be a recruiting hotspot. Thanks to their in-state talent pool and sexy athletic amenities, the Gators have a safe floor of the top 10 in recruiting. They publicly missed out on four-star QB Jadan Rashada, but they still landed 18 four-stars, tied for second-most nationally.

They also bolster their offensive and defensive line thanks to 10 transfers inbound. Leading the group is Memphis defensive lineman CamRon Jackson and Alabama tackle Dameon George.

10. Ohio State Buckeyes: 316.28

Ohio State continued their dominance on the recruiting trail, signing the nation's fifth-ranked class. They've managed to stack a decade's worth of top-three and top-five classes together to build one of the most purely talented rosters in the country. With so much talent, transfers can be tough to come by. They signed a pair of good defensive backs in line to start: Syracuse safety Ja'Had Carter and Ole Miss corner Davison Igbinosun.

The worry for Buckeye fans was losing multiple blue chip recruits on Early Signing Day. After the exodus, Ohio State still landed five-star receiver Brandon Inniss, two other four-star receivers, and a pair of four-star corners.

Just missed the cut: Tennessee (312.49), Notre Dame (310.77), Auburn (308.37), Florida State (306.30)

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