When college football fans are asked to name the programs with the highest number of five-star recruits, they’ll likely mention powerhouses like Alabama, Georgia, Ohio State, and Texas — schools that dominate the recruiting landscape. Alabama, fresh off six national championships in the past 15 years, tops the list with 17 former five-star prospects on its roster, according to the 247Sports Team Talent Composite. Georgia, Ohio State, and Texas are right behind in this high-stakes arms race, all vying for top talent and all making the College Football Playoff this year.
Clemson, Oregon, Penn State, and Tennessee also land on this prestigious list of programs rich with five-star talent, with 23 programs overall housing multiple five-stars. USC, Ole Miss, North Carolina, Kentucky, Arkansas, and TCU round out the group of schools with exactly two such prized recruits — a mark that helped TCU, in particular, reach the national title game in 2022. In total, almost 60% of this season’s CFP teams are represented among the nation’s top talent-rich rosters.
On the flip side, some notable programs are noticeably absent from the five-star hierarchy, including Arizona State, Boise State, and SMU. However, one school you wouldn’t expect to fall into that category is Notre Dame — a blue-blood program that has won eight national championships but has just one five-star recruit on its roster, junior linebacker Jaylen Sneed, ranked No. 34 overall in the 2022 recruiting cycle.
Despite this lack of five-star talent, Notre Dame has managed to perform at an elite level. Head coach Marcus Freeman, who led the Irish to the College Football Playoff, has focused on the development of a roster filled with four-star recruits. Notre Dame boasts 57 four-star prospects, the most in the country, surpassing Georgia and Ohio State. This success has propelled the Fighting Irish to the top of the recruiting rankings for average prospect score, behind only Alabama, Ohio State, Georgia, and Texas.
“Five stars are just a subjective prediction of potential,” says Steve Wiltfong, vice president of national college football recruiting for On3. “If a player becomes a first-round draft pick, they should have been a five-star recruit. But that’s not always the case. Notre Dame’s four-star talent is proving it’s just as potent.”
Under Freeman’s leadership, Notre Dame has consistently thrived in identifying top-tier four-star players. In 2022, Freeman’s inaugural recruiting class was led by Sneed but included 17 other highly ranked players, such as outside linebacker Josh Burnham and quarterback Steve Angeli. In 2023, the Irish secured 15 players ranked in the 60s and 70s, including offensive lineman Charles Jagusah, who could play a key role in the team’s matchup against Ohio State. Freeman’s 2024 class featured impressive players such as linebacker Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa and running back Aneyas Williams.
Notre Dame’s emphasis on player development extends to the transfer portal as well, where Freeman has brought in significant talent, including quarterback Riley Leonard from Duke, who’s been one of the nation’s best dual-threat quarterbacks, and wide receiver Beaux Collins from Clemson, now one of the team’s top receiving threats.
“It’s about culture,” Leonard said after the Orange Bowl. “What wins is not individual glory, but the guy next to you. That’s how we’re doing it at Notre Dame.”
As Freeman continues to grow his reputation as one of college football’s brightest young coaches, his leadership and the Fighting Irish’s culture could make a lasting impact on recruiting. Freeman’s rise has already caught the attention of the Chicago Bears, who have expressed interest in interviewing him for their head-coaching vacancy. With Freeman at the helm, Notre Dame could become a consistent contender for both national championships and top-tier recruits.
“He’s passionate, he’s compelling, and kids are going to want to play for him,” Wiltfong said. “Notre Dame is on the verge of becoming a dominant program once again, year in andyear out.”
