Top 5 college football recruiting winners and losers in early signing period ft. Alabama, Georgia and more

The ongoing college football early signing period has caused a lot of movement. Recruits are flipping their commitments to figure out their future. This article will explore the top five winners and losers of 2023-24, as teams had significant movement throughout this portion of the recruiting cycle.

College football recruiting winners

Alabama Crimson Tide

The Alabama Crimson Tide continued to improve their dynastic run as they managed to land four-star defensive ends Steve Mboumoua and Jayshawn Ross. They also flipped four-star running backs Kevin Riley and Aeryn Hampton. These significant signings will ensure Nick Saban's squad continues to build for the future.

Nebraska Cornhuskers

It was significant to have five-star quarterback Dylan Raiola flip from Georgia to Nebraska and get Matt Rhule a quarterback in Year 2 of his tenure. They also flipped four-star defensive back Larry Tarver from Maryland, three-star safety Amare Sanders and four-star linebacker Vincent Shavers. These are great picks in the early signing period for the Cornhuskers to continue improving.

Georgia Bulldogs

Despite losing Raiola, the Georgia Bulldogs still got a great class in the early signing period. They managed to flip five-star safety K.J. Bolden from Florida State. All they needed to do to get on this list was continue adding to their dominant defensive program, as they have added another incredible talent.

Oregon Ducks

With 24 commits entering this period, the Oregon Ducks were in a favorable position already. However, they added by flipping four-star wide receiver Jeremiah McClellan from Ohio State's grasp and former USC commit Ryan Pellum. The latter was a surprise to even his family, so this will make the offense for the Ducks even more remarkable.

Auburn Tigers

The Auburn Tigers only had one real splash as they signed four-star defensive end Amaris Williams out of the Florida Gators' hands. However, they managed to make some significant signings that are going a bit under the radar. They kept four-star wide receiver Perry Thompson away from the Georgia Bulldogs. And they added him to one of the best wide receiver committing groups with five-star Cam Coleman, four-star Malcolm Simmons and four-star Bryce Cain.

College football recruiting losers

Colorado Buffaloes

The Colorado Buffaloes had one of the most public commits. Five-star offensive lineman Jordan Seaton announced on Fox Sports's Undisputed that he was heading to Boulder. However, Coach Prime's newest piece de-committed and opened up his availability. Colorado wound up with only five total signings during the early period, which is disappointing.

Florida Gators

Many people were excited about the class, but the Florida Gators saw several talented commits flip. Billy Napier's team saw three-star defensive lineman Kendall Jackson and five-star defensive back Xavier Filsaime flip weeks before the early signing day.

They also lost four-star EDGE rusher Jamonta Waller, four-star defensive lineman Nasir Johnson and four-star defensive back Wardell Mack. There were way too many flips for this team to deem this anything but a failure.

USC Trojans

The USC Trojans did well at getting some depth. However, Lincoln Riley's team lacked the firepower. They had four-star receiver Ryan Pellum flip to Oregon and failed to flip five-star quarterback DJ Laglay from Florida. The Trojans have way too many questions and likely will head to the NCAA Transfer Portal in an attempt to answer them.

Florida State Seminoles

Coach Mike Norvell missed out on flipping Jeremiah Smith. Meanwhile, five-star K.J. Bolden and defensive end Armondo Blount flipped back to the Miami Hurricanes. The Seminoles still hold the 11th-ranked class, which is disappointing.

UCLA Bruins

The UCLA Bruins are in Year 7 with coach Chip Kelly, and this may have been the worst he has done in the college football early recruiting cycle. The program is joining the Big Ten Conference next year and is only ahead of Northwestern in the class rankings regarding Big Ten prep recruiting. Kelly seemingly prioritizes the transfer portal more than high school recruiting. However, their lack of substance in the early period still surprises many.