Even Alabama is not immune to the disruptions in recruitment that coaching changes may bring about. Not long after head coach Nick
Saban announced his retirement last month, the Crimson Tide lost quarterback Julian Sayin, one of the best prospects in the nation, in
addition to a number of other significant departures via the transfer portal.
The majority of the recruiting work in the Bowl Subdivision is completed by the first signing day in December, therefore the second
signing period has gained more notoriety for its musical chairs exercise. Sayin’s departure from the Crimson Tide is an advantage for Ohio
State, as it provides the Buckeyes with another top talent to throw into what could be a fierce offseason race to succeed Kyle McCord.
One of the most well-known prospects still available as of Wednesday was Terry Bussey, a five-star athlete who verbally committed to
Texas A&M and was also considering Georgia and LSU. For Mike Elko, the new coach, Bussey’s decision to remain with the Aggies is a huge win.
After December signee Air Noland, Sayin is the second excellent prospect to enter the Buckeyes quarterback room. Following the early
period’s acquisition of five-star defensive lineman Eddrick Houston, Ohio State gained Dominic Kirks, a former Washington pledge, as a
crucial flip. Although there were concerns about the defensive line going into December, the trio of Eric Mensah, Houston, and Kirks is a
strong bunch considering the situation before to the first signing day. All things considered, the Buckeyes should finish in the top two Big
Ten classes as well as in the top five. Ohio State has also been very active in the 2025 recruiting class; they just added Alabama prospect
Na’eem Offord, a second five-star cornerback, to the already impressive class of eight players.
For a class that isn’t far behind Georgia and Alabama for the best in the SEC, adding Bussey would have been the icing on the cake. Five-
star defensive lineman and former Texas A&M commit Dominick McKinley, an in-state recruit who had offers from almost every major
FBS team, is one of the group’s notable additions on Wednesday. There are 18 Louisianans in the class, which is a significant increase over
the 10 in-state talents who signed with the Tigers during head coach Brian Kelly’s first complete recruiting class. With six linemen
entering on offense and seven on defense, there are a lot of linemen on the team.
The late acquisitions of offensive lineman Charlie Hoitink and linebacker Maxwell Richardson—two 2025 prospects who reclassified to
join the 2024 class—boosted the Cardinals’ squad under head coach Troy Taylor. The 25-member class, led by four-star quarterback
Elijah Brown, demonstrates the program’s potential reach as an ACC member: In addition to signing individual recruits from Connecticut,
Louisiana, New Jersey, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Utah, Virginia, and Wisconsin, Stanford also recruited several players from
six different states, with five of those players coming from California.