Re-Ranking the 2024 Way-Too-Early Top 25 After Coaching Changes and Portal Additions

From Nick Saban’s retirement to Jim Harbaugh’s move to the NFL, an avalanche of moves shifted the college football landscape.

When we say these look-ahead Top 25s for the next college football season are “way too early,” we mean it. And that has never been more true than this year, when a second wave of coaching changes and player transfers turned January upside down. So this is the Way-Too-Early Top 25, Part II.

We already knew next season was going to be wild—a 12-team Playoff and massive conference realignment moves have completely changed the landscape—but now four Top 25 teams have changed coaches since the season ended Jan. 8. Of the programs that made the last four-team College Football Playoff, three will be under new leadership. And the post-realignment schedules—especially in the Big Ten and Southeastern Conference—are ridiculous.

So here’s a second guess at the Sports Illustrated 2024 Top 25. (The first guess can be found here.)

1. Georgia Bulldogs

In these uncertain times, start with the program that will never run out of talent and quality coaching as long as Kirby Smart is in charge. Carson Beck returns at quarterback after throwing for nearly 4,000 yards last season, and some key portal additions (like running back Trevor Etienne) keep him stocked with weapons. The Bulldogs’ fairly young defense also should regain the dominant edge it sometimes lacked in 2023, although missing out on transfer Caleb Downs was a surprising disappointment. The nation’s No. 1 recruiting class for ’24 should provide a few instant-impact additions as well.

Beck returns at quarterback after throwing for nearly 4,000 yards last season :: Sam Navarro/USA TODAY Sports

2. Ohio State Buckeyes

After the first three-year losing streak to Michigan since 1995–97 and watching the Wolverines win the national title, the urgency has spiked in Columbus. Star players thought to be going to the NFL are being retained (WR Emeka Egbuka, RB TreVeyon Henderson, DEs JT Tuimoloau and Jack Sawyer, DT Tyleik Williams, DB Denzel Burke and OG Donovan Jackson). Big fish were landed in the portal (RB Quinshon Judkins from Mississippi, DB Downs and QB Julian Sayin from Alabama and potential starting QB Will Howard from Kansas State). Staff tweaks were made, as well, the headliner being Bill O’Brien’s arrival as offensive coordinator. The Buckeyes are all in for a national title, and anything less will increase the heat on Ryan Day.

3. Texas Longhorns

The Longhorns will have both an established star at quarterback (Quinn Ewers) and a rising star behind him (Arch Manning). The offensive line should be excellent, the running backs plenty good enough, and the receiving corps freshly augmented by transfers Isaiah Bond of Alabama and Matthew Golden of Houston. There are some defensive holes to fill, but Steve Sarkisian’s recruiting has stacked up sufficient talent. Adding Clemson transfer safety Andrew Mukuba was big. Texas’s game at Michigan on Sept. 7 is the nonconference Game of the Year nationally.

4. Oregon Ducks

Can the Ducks waddle into the Big Ten and immediately win it? They’ll have a chance. Dillon Gabriel’s arrival from Oklahoma guarantees quality quarterbacking, and the other pieces should be in place. The offensive line should be very strong again. Oregon makes only three trips to the Midwest, none of them before Oct. 19. The week before that, Ohio State comes to Autzen Stadium for what might be the biggest Big Ten game in 2024.

5. Mississippi Rebels

The Portal King brought in another haul, highlighted by defensive lineman Walter Nolen (from Texas A&M), receiver Juice Wells (from South Carolina) and linebacker Chris Paul Jr. (from Arkansas). Lane Kiffin made it a point to add impact players who can shore up an underwhelming defense. Kiffin did lose a big one in running back Judkins, but there still should be sufficient skill talent surrounding returning quarterback Jaxson Dart.

6. Notre Dame Fighting Irish

Riley Leonard is this year’s ACC transfer QB, following Sam Hartman last year. Leonard is a good athlete and productive runner who still has some proving to do as a passer, but the return of Mike Denbrock as offensive coordinator after two seasons at LSU could be just what he needs to take the next step. The Fighting Irish defense was strong in 2023 and should remain so, especially in the secondary. At a time when most schedules are getting much tougher, Notre Dame’s is largely the same in terms of number of heavyweight opponents—look for the Irish to have one of the best records in the country.

Leonard transferred to Notre Dame where he will have to prove himself as a passer :: Jamie Rhodes/USA TODAY Sports

7. Missouri Tigers

The Tigers should have one of the better passing attacks in the nation with the return of receivers Luther Burden III and Theo Wease Jr., who combined for nearly 1,900 receiving yards, and quarterback Brady Cook. Replacing running back Cody Schrader and a lot of key defensive players will be a challenge, but Eli Drinkwitz has mined the portal for quality replacements. Freshman defensive end Williams Nwaneri, the nation’s No. 3 overall recruit according to Rivals.com, could make an instant impact.

8. Alabama Crimson Tide

Welcome to Life After Saban. With the GOAT gone and many key players departing behind him, it’s an uncertain new era for the Crimson Tide. Athletic director Greg Byrne made a good hire in grabbing Kalen DeBoer from Washington, but there could be a couple of rocky transition seasons as DeBoer fills the biggest shoes. Still, if Jalen Milroe continues his growth at QB, the offensive line improves and some receivers step up, this ranking might be too low. Safety Downs is a big loss, but defensive talent is not in short supply. The schedule is brutal.

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9. Penn State Nittany Lions

The Nittany Lions are hoping for an infusion of offensive electricity with the arrival of new coordinator Andy Kotelnicki from Kansas. Job One in that department: upgrading a passing game wherein QB Drew Allar averaged just 6.8 yards per attempt, which tied for 77th nationally. The Nittany Lions may feel the loss of defensive coordinator Manny Diaz, now the head coach at Duke, but should still be stout on that side of the ball. Linebacker Abdul Carter has a chance to be a first-team All-American.

10. Florida State Seminoles

The Seminoles are looking at a fairly extensive rebuild after the 2023 undefeated season ended in injury and outrage. Transfer quarterback DJ Uiagalelei’s return to the ACC makes the transition easier. Florida State should be good up front on both sides of the ball, while new playmakers will need to step forward at offensive skill positions and in the back seven defensively. The Saban departure from Alabama directly benefited FSU, with five transfers from Tuscaloosa. A home game against Clemson and a trip to Notre Dame could loom large.

11. Arizona Wildcats

The Wildcats were the hottest nonplayoff team in the country at season’s end, reeling off seven straight victories to set hopes soaring for 2024 … and then Washington pirated coach Jedd Fisch. Brent Brennan arrived from San Jose State and scored two big early victories by retaining quarterback Noah Fifita and his 6'5" receiving colleague, Tetairoa McMillan. The nucleus of a vastly improved defense is back, as well. The move to the Big 12 will bring some new challenges, but theoretically an easier playoff path than competing in the Pac-12 against Oregon and Washington.

12. Michigan Wolverines

So much for the afterglow. The NFL has claimed coach Jim Harbaugh, quarterback J.J. McCarthy and a slew of other veterans who stuck around to chase (and capture) a championship. And there is the unknown potential impact of NCAA sanctions. The Wolverines opted for continuity by promoting offensive coordinator Sherrone Moore and will try to keep together as much of their stellar staff as possible. While Moore rebuilds the offense, CB Will Johnson, DT Mason Graham and S Rod Moore will spearhead another excellent Michigan defense. The schedule is wild, with games against Texas, USC, Washington, Oregon and Ohio State.

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13. Tennessee Volunteers

Volunteers fans are eagerly anticipating Nico Iamaleava’s ascendance to the starting QB role, hoping he reenergizes an offense that took a step back in 2023. Adding WR Chris Brazzell (Tulane) and TE Holden Staes (Notre Dame) via the portal to holdovers Bru McCoy and Squirrel White will help as well. Tennessee’s improved defense loses several key veterans, but gets a couple of playmakers in the secondary from the portal and has a rising star in edge rusher James Pearce (10 sacks, 14.5 tackles for loss last season).

14. Utah Utes

The Utes went 8–5 without star quarterback Cam Rising playing a down, so expectations are for a return to double-digit wins as he returns to health. Utah will have to improve offensively around Rising, particularly on the line, but that can be accomplished. The Utah defense, always stout, has plenty of returning talent but loses two standout safeties.

15. Clemson Tigers

The Tigers continue to search for the way back to dominance in the modern era—but they did finish 2023 on a five-game winning streak after the “Tyler from Spartanburg” radio show moment. Running back Will Shipley joins a couple of defensive stars in early entry to the draft, and as usual the transfer portal is almost exclusively a way for Clemson to lose players instead of adding them. But the Tigers will not be bereft of talent. Can quarterback Cade Klubnik find the consistency that has eluded him his first two college seasons? Can the program find or develop some explosive receivers?

Klubnik must find the consistency that has eluded him his first two college seasons :: Ken Ruinard/USA TODAY Sports

16. LSU Tigers

Brian Kelly is retooling things heading into his third season in Baton Rouge. He blew up his defensive staff and must replace his offensive coordinator, Heisman-winning quarterback and two 1,000-yard receivers. Does Garrett Nussmeier get the shot to be QB1 after a strong bowl performance, or is Kelly still mulling potential portal additions at that position? Unsurprisingly, most of LSU’s portal additions so far have come in the secondary, where it was alarmingly weak in 2023.

17. Oklahoma Sooners

There is, once again, considerable roster and staff churn in Norman. Offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby and quarterback Dillon Gabriel are out, with Seth Littrell and Jackson Arnold moving up the organizational chart to replace them. (Arnold’s three-interception, one-fumble bowl performance was a bit of a concern.) The Sooners’ defense improved from 2022 to ’23, but probably needs to take another step for competitiveness in the SEC. The schedule is a doozy: Tennessee, Texas, Mississippi, Missouri, Alabama and LSU.

18. Kansas Jayhawks

The Lance Leipold miracle makeover continues, having gone from two wins to six to nine the past three seasons. Leipold lost his offensive coordinator to Penn State but retained his two best offensive players, QB Jalon Daniels and RB Devin Neal. The line will need some rebuilding. The Kansas defense has made strides every season and returns enough key parts to be better yet again in 2024.

19. Oklahoma State Cowboys

The mercurial Mike Gundy pulled out a 10-win season in 2023 and got a boost for ’24 when star RB Ollie Gordon announced he’s staying in school and QB Alan Bowman got another season of eligibility. The Cowboys have not been good defensively since coordinator Jim Knowles left for Ohio State two years ago, but a lot of young players got reps on that side of the ball and should be improved. The revamped Big 12 schedule is user-friendly, offering the Pokes a chance to compile a great record.

20. North Carolina State Wolfpack

Coming off a nine-win season, the Wolfpack have seen the portal turnstile spinning quickly. They’ve lost 20 players to the portal but added some big ones in QB Grayson McCall (Coastal Carolina), RB Jordan Waters (Duke) and OL Zeke Correll (Notre Dame). NC State loses a defensive star in linebacker Payton Wilson but returns most other key players on that side of the ball. An early game in Charlotte against Tennessee could be a bellwether.

21. Kansas State Wildcats

The Wildcats have become recession-proof under Chris Klieman, winning 27 games over the past three seasons. But there is work to do in 2024 after losing quarterback Will Howard to Ohio State and a lot of transfers. Avery Johnson is an intriguing young QB talent who will be a greater dual-threat player, and DJ Giddens is a centerpiece back. A young defense that had 23 takeaways in ’23 should be a salty unit.

22. Louisville Cardinals

Jeff Brohm worked wonders in his first season, winning 10 games in part by mastering the transfer portal. He’s done good work in that area again, stocking up on players who should be able to step in and play right away. Texas Tech transfer Tyler Shough arrives and could be an upgrade at that position—if he can stay healthy. The Cardinals lost a couple of early-entry players to the draft at running back and receiver, but do have some depth at both spots. The most intriguing defensive addition is tackle Thor Griffith from Harvard, who was pursued by several power-conference programs.

Shough arrives from Texas Tech and could be an upgrade at quarterback, if he can stay healthy :: Ben Queen/USA TODAY Sports

23. USC Trojans

The Trojans’ rebound from last season’s bust will fall heavily on what has to be an improved defense and whoever replaces star QB Caleb Williams. Lincoln Riley fired defensive coordinator Alex Grinch, then boldly poached UCLA DC D’Anton Lynn to replace him while adding other experienced defensive staffers. Quarterback Miller Moss was sensational in the bowl game in place of Williams, throwing for 372 yards and six touchdowns, but UNLV transfer Jayden Maiava could provide competition in the spring. The USC schedule is comically hard, with games against LSU, Michigan, Penn State, Washington and Notre Dame.

24. Boise State Broncos

The Broncos have considerable momentum heading into 2024. Interim coach Spencer Danielson got the job full-time after a strong finish to last season, then kept star running back Ashton Jeanty out of the portal and landed USC transfer and former five-star quarterback recruit Malachi Nelson. Boise State gets a prime shock-the-world opportunity Sept. 7 at Oregon, then should be the heavy favorite to repeat as Mountain West Conference champions.

25. Washington Huskies

Nine sixth-year seniors, four potential first-round draft picks, the Heisman Trophy runner-up—those were the expected losses. Then DeBoer hit the bricks for Alabama, with several key staff members and players following suit and leaving Seattle. Hiring Fisch from Arizona seems like a win. Getting Mississippi State transfer QB Will Rogers to stay was also big—he’s thrown for more than 12,000 yards in college. But this is a jarring transition year on all levels, with Michigan and Penn State joining the schedule along with Oregon and USC.