July was another busy month of recruiting as teams across the country loaded up with important commitments. Here is a look at 10 programs that stood out most during the month.
MORE GORNEY: Recruiting is fun again in the state of Alabama | Interview with Jackson Cantwell's coach
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ALABAMA
The Crimson Tide flexed some serious recruiting muscle in July and won some recruiting battles where other teams had a lead early on. Four-star receiver Caleb Cunningham was leaning toward Mississippi State (he lives down the road from Starkville) and then Auburn before picking Alabama.
Four-star Ty Haywood had Oklahoma and Texas A&M among others highest before picking the Crimson Tide. Alabama beat Ohio State for four-star defensive end Justin Hill from Cincinnati (Ohio) Winton Woods. California connections were used for four-star tight end Kaleb Edwards.
It was a very productive and impressive month for coach Kalen DeBoer’s club. A late 2027 addition from Moody, Ala., standout Ba’Roc Willis was welcome as well.
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AUBURN
Maybe no team in the country had a better July than Auburn. Maybe it really is a Cold Summer on The Plains, an obvious rip-off of Alabama’s slogan and a social media back-and-forth that’s been fun to watch this month.
Auburn landed seven pledges in its 2025 class in July led by four-star defensive backs Blake Woodby and Anquon Fegans and flipping four-star athlete Derick Smith and four-star defensive lineman Antonio Coleman from Alabama. Three commitments came in the 2026 class as well, all on the defensive side of the ball, led by linebacker/edge Shadarius Toodle. It was a great month for the Tigers as coach Hugh Freeze continues his rebuild.
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BAYLOR
Dave Aranda made headlines this month when he said “We’re paying players,” when asked about Baylor’s recruiting success. Well, it’s paid off. Five of six 2025 commitments in July were in-state players led by four-star receivers Taz Williams and Jacorey Watson.
Four-star running back Michael Turner Jr. is a big-time playmaker and there is a lot of athleticism and length coming from four-star defensive end Kamauryn Morgan as well. A big 2026 pledge from four-star in-state running back Ryelan Morris came toward the end of the month and was big for the Bears.
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GEORGIA
Big surprise: Georgia is doing well in recruiting. The Bulldogs especially loaded up at defensive back with Shamari Earls, Jaylan Morgan and Rashad Johnson. Rancho Santa Margarita (Calif.) Santa Margarita Catholic three-star defensive end JJ Hanne is a project who has only played one full season of football but he has a ton of upside.
Loading up at defensive back in 2026 was also a storyline as four-star Jontavius Wyman committed and four-star Dominick Kelly flipped from USC.
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KANSAS STATE
The Wildcats landed five 2025 commitments in July but absolutely none bigger than four-star tight end Linkon Cure. The Goodland, Kan., standout had always been serious about the Wildcats and they always felt like the leader but Texas A&M, Oregon and others were pushing very hard to land him.
Cure has superstar potential in Manhattan and then three-star athlete Noah King was a big get out of Hamilton, Ohio.
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LSU
Six 2025 commitments came in for LSU in July and things ended with a bang as the Tigers beat Miami and Oregon for five-star defensive back DJ Pickett and also landed four-star receiver Derek Meadows, beating out Notre Dame and others for him.
LSU went to the Midwest for four-star defensive end Damien Shanklin and flipped four-star defensive lineman Brandon Brown from Texas. A good start in 2026 continues as well as LSU added three-star offensive lineman Jalan Chapman.
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MIAMI
One of the biggest flips in July benefitted Miami the most as high four-star safety Hylton Stubbs went from USC to the Hurricanes as Florida battled there as well. Previous Texas commit and four-star defensive back Jaboree Antoine also chose Miami along with the best center in the class – four-star SJ Alofaituli from Las Vegas Bishop Gorman.
The Canes also navigated the quarterback dominoes in the 2026 class when Orlando (Fla.) Jones’ Dereon Coleman picked The U.
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OREGON
Oregon only landed two 2025 commitments in July but they were massive ones. Five-star receiver Dakorien Moore, the top-ranked prospect at his position, had been committed to LSU and it looked like he was going to Texas but the Ducks won out after a later visit.
The Ducks also added outstanding four-star offensive lineman Alai Kalaniuvalu and 2026 four-star running back Tradarian Ball as another offensive weapon, too.
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SMU
Eight commitments flooded into SMU in its 2025 class and the biggest news was that four-star quarterback Ty Hawkins flipped from TCU to SMU. A four-star weapon in receiver Jalen Cooper and four-star offensive lineman Dramodd Odoms were added as well.
Rhett Lashlee has added nice pieces on both sides of the ball in July including two California defenders in defensive end Chinedu Onyeagoro and linebacker Mark Iheanachor.
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UCF
It was a busy month for Gus Malzahn and staff as eight of 19 commitments were added with UCF now in the top 20 of the team rankings. Former Miami commit and four-star receiver Waden Charles was the biggest addition as he has high-end playmaking abilities.
Even though he’s light, four-star offensive lineman Chastan Brown was a major piece and then a big 2026 addition came when four-star defensive back Jamarrion Gordon flipped to UCF from Alabama.
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