Early in the NIL and transfer portal era of college football, most teams appeared to take one of two tacts in roster-building: focus solely on high school recruiting and eschew free agency, or go all-in on the portal and place multi-year player development on the bottom shelf.
The last handful of years have bared out that neither of those strategies will be successful long-term, with coaches now opting to balance their incoming high school classes with precise additions at key spots of need (see: Ohio State in 2024-25).
Yes, the two-deep needs rebuilt to be competitive immediately, but having success with signing and developing high school recruits over the course of a few years can’t be understated. Translation: not everyone is Curt Cignetti and Indiana. Even the Hoosiers have turned up the intensity of their recruiting efforts. Hence why we’re still seeing high school classes ranging from 20-30 signees for the majority of programs, to go along with major transfer portal additions.
This offseason, six programs have signed top-15 classes in both the team recruiting and transfer portal rankings, upgrading their rosters in the immediate and the long-term:
Note: On3’s Team Transfer Portal Index utilizes the On3 (P)erformance score to measure a team’s production during the transfer process, compared relative against its roster and not a comparison against other schools.
Texas A&M
Team Recruiting Ranking: No. 7
Transfer Portal Class Ranking: No. 3
The Aggies got their first taste of the College Football Playoff under Mike Elko, and with the wealth of offseason additions they made, it likely won’t be the last. A&M’s 19 blue-chip signees from the high school ranked as the fifth-most in the country only behind USC, Notre Dame, Georgia and Miami. They addressed key spots of need at the skill positions and along the defensive line in the process.
With Marcel Reed set to return next season, they went all-in on the portal as well. Elko and Co. signed six four-star additions and significantly added to their offensive line and receiver rooms. With do-it-all back Reuben Owens also returning, the Aggies’ offense could be among the most dangerous in the SEC.
Texas
Team Recruiting Ranking: No. 10
Transfer Portal Class Ranking: No. 10
Texas is going all-in on Year 2 of Arch Manning, with the star quarterback expected to be one of the top overall choices in the 2027 NFL Draft. The Longhorns will certainly be No. 1 on a lot of preseason polls, and for good reason. Manning returns, along with star wideout Ryan Wingo and edge rusher Colin Simmons. They’ve given the offense an embarrassment of riches with Wingo, Auburn transfer Cam Coleman, Arizona State’s Raleek Brown, and NC State transfer Hollywood Smothers. The biggest question is whether the offensive line — aided by multiple transfers — can take the necessary steps forward to compete for a title.
Steve Sarkisian isn’t just building for the short-term though. The Longhorns signed their fifth-straight top-10 class since he took over, headlined by three five-stars in quarterback Dia Bell, linebacker Tyler Atkinson, and edge rusher Richard Wesley.
LSU
Team Recruiting Ranking: No. 12
Transfer Portal Class Ranking: No. 4
One of the first orders of business when Lane Kiffin finally took over at LSU was overturning the roster Brian Kelly had built. The ‘Portal King’ did exactly that. By the time Kiffin was finished last month, the Tigers had brought in 40 new players via the portal, tied for the third-most of any program in the country. His haul included three of the top four players in On3’s Industry Transfer Portal Rankings: quarterback Sam Leavitt, edge rusher Princewill Umanmielen, and offensive tackle Jordan Seaton. The Tigers also secured four more transfers rated as four-star prospects and a host of others who will compete to be in the two-deep this year.
Arguably just as impressive was him holding together LSU’s recruiting class, which ended up just outside the top-10 despite the coaching change. The Tigers signed three Rivals five-stars and put together the best defensive line class in the country.
Notre Dame
Team Recruiting Ranking: No. 2
Transfer Portal Class Ranking: No. 9
Coming off its national title game appearance last year and CFP snub this season, the Fighting Irish have completely reloaded their roster for 2026 and beyond. While their transfer portal class featured just seven additions, it was surgically efficient in address positions of need with players who can fill them immediately. Wideouts Mylan Graham and Quincy Porter — both via Ohio State — are two of the highest-potential players at that position, and each has multiple years left to play. Notre Dame also re-stocked its defensive line room with three highly sought-after maulers in Tionne Gray, Francis Brewu and Keon Keeley. With a bevy of returning starters, expect them to challenge Texas for the preseason No. 1 ranking.
And like the Longhorns, they too are building for the long-term. Freeman signed the program’s highest-rated class ever in the 2026 cycle, headlined by five Rivals five-stars and two more players who ranked among the top-40 prospects nationally.
Miami
Team Recruiting Ranking: No. 8
Transfer Portal Class Ranking: No. 14
There were lots of questions entering the season about whether the program Mario Cristobal was building would actually live up to the hype. All of those were emphatically answered as the Hurricanes made a surprise run to the national championship game, falling just short to Indiana. With a tidal wave of momentum behind the ‘Canes, they look to have another ACC championship contending team on their hands. No offseason addition was bigger than landing Duke transfer quarterback Darian Mensah to replace Carson Beck. But also getting Missouri All-SEC edge rusher Damon Wilson II wasn’t far behind. He’ll join a defensive line room that should again be one of the best in the country in 2026.
Let’s not forget about the top-10 recruiting class, which also included No. 1 overall recruit Jackson Cantwell, Rivals’ No. 6 wideout Somourian Wingo, and No. 3 tight end Gavin Mueller either. In total, Cristobal signed 20 blue-chippers — the second-highest mark of any program nationally.
Florida
Team Recruiting Ranking: No. 14
Transfer Portal Class Ranking: No. 12
Of the teams on this list, Florida is the only one who didn’t enter 2025 with a legitimate expectation to make the College Football Playoff — or a roster capable of it, really. So while others — outside of LSU — are mostly just filling holes, UF was looking at a major roster overhaul for Jon Sumrall’s first season. And there will be plenty of new faces in Gainesville next season, with 27 additions through the portal and 20 more from the high school level. Neither group has a ton of eye-popping star power, but is instead filled with players with P4 starting experience or significant upside. Nobody exemplifies that more than quarterback Aaron Philo, who the Gators fought desperately to get from Georgia Tech. He’ll reunite with former teammate Eric Singleton Jr., one of the country’s most consistent wideouts last year at Auburn.
Among the high school signees, 13 of the 20 rank as blue-chip prospects and will help replace some of the young talent that chose — or was asked to — leave the program.