The dust is settling on the 2025 recruiting cycle, which means it's time to survey the landscape and acknowledge programs and coaches that outperformed their peers. Today the Rivals.com recruiting analyst team looks at the top recruiters in the four power conferences.
RELATED: Chris Jackson named Rivals.com's National Recruiting of the Year | National Signing Day Announcement Guide | How Texas won the 2025 recruiting title
CLASS OF 2025 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Team | Position | State
CLASS OF 2026 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Team | Position | State
CLASS OF 2027 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Team | Position | State
TRANSFER PORTAL: Full coverage | Player ranking | Team ranking | Transfer search | Transfer Tracker
ACC: ALEX MIRABAL, Miami
FINAL 2025 ACC RECRUITING RANKINGS
Long considered one of the top offensive line recruiters and developers simultaneously, Mirabal helped to put together another elite offensive line class in his own unique style. The longtime assistant to Mario Cristobal often balances elite skill and potential, and the 2025 group of four prospects settles into each category quite well. Throw in yet another win across the country in landing the nation's best center in SJ Alofaitulu from Las Vegas (Nev.) Bishop Gorman, and it becomes time to give Mirabal his flowers as the top recruiter in the ACC.
Miami wrapped up a third-straight conference crown on the trail. In one light, the newest haul may eventually contend to become the most impactful to date, especially on the interior with another Rivals250 talent incoming in Max Buchanan. He and Alofaitulu, each higher-floor talents, could form a multi-year starting battery at center and guard in the future. Among the bigger additions are two of the most intriguing offensive tackle frames along the offensive front in Demetrius Campbell and Jaden Wilkerson, each listed at 6-foot-6 or better.
Mirabal specializes in communication and overall effort in his recruiting style, not to mention staying ahead of the game in offering and landing commitments from each of the 2025 signees well before their senior seasons began. The Hurricanes' No. 13-ranked recruiting class has strong position groups represented, but the offensive line haul under Mirabal and company could be the deepest and most intriguing of the bunch.
Honorable mention:
Ross Douglas (Syracuse)
Odell Haggins (Florida State)
Rob Likens (SMU)
Matt Luke (Clemson)
Fontel Mines (Virginia Tech)
Joker Phillips (NC State)
Geep Wade (Georgia Tech)
Justin Watts (Duke)
Cody Woodiel (Miami)
– John Garcia, Jr., Rivals national recruiting analyst
BIG 12: JAMARKUS MCFARLAND, TCU
FINAL 2025 BIG 12 RECRUITING RANKINGS
There were numerous candidates across the Big 12 who could have been named the conference recruiter of the year but TCU landed too many high-level defensive linemen and position coach JaMarkus McFarland had a hand in each of them.
The Horned Frogs loaded up across the defensive line as eight of their 31 commits play there, led by four-star end Chad Woodfork and No. 1 junior college prospect Kelten Mickell, a major win for TCU that should not go unnoticed in this recruiting class.
McFarland, a former high four-star defensive tackle himself who played at Oklahoma, went to Louisiana for three-star Brody Watley and to rural Southern California for three-star Jared Martin along with Mickell, who went to junior college in Mississippi.
But in-state prospects were the main focus – and the Horned Frogs loaded up with five of them from Texas.
Honorable mention:
Dallas Baker (Baylor)
Andrew Jackson** (West Virginia)
Jason Phillips (Colorado)
Hines Ward (Arizona State)
** No longer with the Mountaineers.
- Adam Gorney, Rivals national recruiting director
BIG TEN: CHRIS HAMPTON, Oregon
FINAL 2025 BIG TEN RECRUITING RANKINGS
The Big Ten has some heavyweights when it comes to the recruiting world. But the coach that stands above the rest is Oregon’s Chris Hampton. The co-defensive coordinator and defensive backs coach joined Dan Lanning’s staff back in early 2023. It hasn’t taken long for Hampton to make his mark in recruiting to help add talent to the Ducks’ roster.
The Ducks brought in one of the best defensive back hauls in the country this cycle. All four signees are inside the top-85 prospects in the country. The highest-ranked prospect is Ohio defensive back Trey McNutt. Early in the process he appeared to be an Ohio State lock but the Ducks beat out the Buckeyes and Texas A&M to land the speedy safety.
Oregon flipped athlete Na’eem Offord from Ohio State on National Signing Day in December, which was one of the biggest moves of the day. Offord is a big, rangy defensive back that could see time at safety, corner or even a hybrid linebacker role.
Smooth and long cornerback Brandon Finney committed to the Ducks in the summer. Oregon held off a late surge from Penn State to hang on to him. Texas native Dorian Brew is another long defensive back who gives the future Ducks’ defense a lot of versatility.
This is a dynamic group of players joining the secondary in Eugene. Hampton should get a ton of credit for the work the Ducks did this cycle.
Honorable mention:
Lou Esposito (Michigan)
James Laurinaitis (Ohio State)
Grant Newsome (Michigan)
Ja’Juan Seider (Penn State)
Tim Walton (Ohio State)
SEC: CHRIS JACKSON, Texas
FINAL 2025 SEC RECRUITING RANKINGS
Since Steve Sarkisian arrived at Texas in 2021, the Longhorns have been battling for blue-chip recruits and competing for conference and national championships.
Texas is back – as a national force on the recruiting trail under Sarkisian, who instilled a different culture in Austin that’s translated onto the field and seeped into roster construction.
The Longhorns have signed top-five classes in each recruiting cycle since Sarkisian arrived – including top-three hauls in 2023 and 2024 – culminating with Rivals.com's No. 1 class in 2025. Texas passing game coordinator and wide receivers coach Chris Jackson engineered the recruitment for the quartet of offensive playmakers signed this year and has been named the Rivals National Recruiter of the Year for the 2025 cycle.
Jackson helped Texas sign three top-20 receivers headlined by five-star receiver Kaliq Lockett, who ascended to No. 2 in the receiver rankings after a compelling showing at the Navy All-American Bowl. Texas also inked four-stars Jaime Ffrench and Daylan McCutcheon, the Nos. 10 and 18 receivers in the Rivals250, respectively. Rounding out the group was four-star athlete Michael Terry, who will play receiver as well as a multitude of other positions on the Forty Acres.
“When you look at the guys that you bring in to Texas, you have to be more critical and selfish – if you don’t play in the NFL in three or four years, then why am I recruiting you?” asked Jackson, who is entering his third season on Sarkisian’s staff. “It’s an X-factor – and they all have it.”
Honorable mention:
Blake Baker (LSU)
Kenny Baker (Texas)
James Coley (Georgia)
Adam Cushing (Texas A&M)
Brad Davis (LSU)
Rodney Garnet (Tennessee)
Billy Gonzales (Florida)
Chris Kapilovic (Alabama)
Tray Scott (Georgia)
Stacy Searels (Georgia)
