College football recruiting: Alabama tops list of teams struggling in 2027

The end of June has become one of the most important checkpoints in the modern college football recruiting calendar. There are still more than five months until the early signing period begins in December, but for many elite prospects, the biggest decisions are happening right now.

This creates urgency for programs lagging behind expectations. Some are struggling to keep pace with rapidly rising recruiting standards in their conference, while others are recruiting reasonably well by historical standards — just not well enough relative to their peers.

Much of the heavy lifting in the 2027 cycle is already done. More than 200 of the 247Sports Top247 prospects are currently committed, meaning the pool of available blue-chip talent is drying up entering the final week of June. By the time Fourth of July weekend wraps up — traditionally one of the busiest stretches of the summer for commitment announcements — that number could shrink to fewer than 30.

Sure, flips will happen. They always do. But recruiting timelines keep accelerating, and programs that fall behind in June often spend the rest of the cycle playing catch-up.

Here are eight teams that need to pick up the pace on the recruiting trail soon.

National ranking: 62nd (Last in the SEC)

It feels like we do this every summer: point out Alabama’s surprisingly low recruiting ranking in June, wonder if the sky is falling, then watch the Crimson Tide finish in the top five anyway. But maybe — maybe — this is the year some mild panic is justified.

Yes, Alabama still has just 11 commits with the end of June approaching, and low volume has long been part of the Tide’s recruiting strategy. The bigger concern is quality. Only one Top247 prospect is currently committed — five-star quarterback Elijah Haven — and Alabama’s 88.60 average rating per commit ranks 10th in the SEC.

That’s highly unusual by Alabama standards. The Tide haven’t finished outside the top five nationally since Nick Saban arrived in 2007, and they haven’t posted an average player rating below 91.00 in the modern recruiting era.

The usual late surge may still come, but for now, this class looks far less Alabama-like than we’re used to seeing.

National ranking: 54th (14th in the ACC)

Let’s be honest: recruiting gets a lot harder when your head coach is sitting on one of the hottest seats in college football. Mike Norvell is almost certainly getting questions about his future in Tallahassee during visits and phone calls with recruits. Stability matters in recruiting. Right now, Florida State isn’t selling much of it.

That uncertainty helps explain why the Seminoles are languishing near the bottom of the ACC entering the final week of June, a critical stretch with the board disappearing fast.

Florida State is losing battles in its own backyard. Of the top 50 in-state recruits in the 2027 class, just one —  three-star edge rusher Anthony Cavallaro — is currently committed to the Seminoles. Not to rub salt in the wound, but rivals Florida and Miami have seven each. Even other ACC foes — Clemson, Georgia Tech and Virginia Tech — have at least two Sunshine State commits. 

The small class size isn’t helping, either. Florida State picked up just its 13th commitment from Top247 defensive lineman Sam LeJeune on Wednesday. That relatively low number is dragging down its national ranking. But even on a per-player basis, the returns have been underwhelming. It’s average rating of 

has just 12 commits, which is dragging down its national ranking. But even on a per-player basis, the returns have been underwhelming. Its average rating of 87.77 per commit ranks only seventh in the ACC.

Even though recruiting has dipped under Norvell, Florida State has finished in the top 25 each of the previous seven classes since he took over in 2020. In fact, it’s never ended outside the top 25 in the modern recruiting era. 

National ranking: 61st (15th in the SEC)

South Carolina needs a major recruiting surge if it wants to play its way back into the top 25 before the board dries up. Coming off its best recruiting finish in more than 15 years (No. 14 in the 2026 cycle), Shane Beamer’s program hasn’t carried that momentum into 2027.

The talent level simply hasn’t been there. South Carolina’s 87.55 average rating per commit ranks 14th in the SEC, ahead of only Arkansas and Mississippi State; not exactly the company you want to keep.

The Gamecocks have just one Top247 pledge right now in offensive tackle John Archer. That could change soon. South Carolina is battling Georgia for in-state four-star offensive tackle Nate Carson and remains in the mix for four-star cornerback Joshua Dobson, with both set to announce in early July.

Historically, the Gamecocks have finished outside the top 25 only once in the past 16 recruiting cycles.

National ranking: 37th (13th in the Big Ten)

As the reigning national champion, the Hoosiers should be cleaning up on the recruiting trail … right? Not exactly. Indiana still sits in the bottom half of the Big Ten, even after adding 13 commitments since the beginning of May. Only one of those pledges came from a Top247 recruit.

For as impressive as Curt Cignetti and his staff have been at identifying and developing talent, the blueprint in Bloomington has clearly leaned heavily on the transfer portal. That approach worked brilliantly in the short term, but history still suggests sustained success requires strong high school recruiting.

Indiana has signed just two four-star high school prospects under Cignetti, though in-state receiver and current commit Branden Sharpe could soon become the third. It also hasn’t helped that two Top247 prospects in the 2027 cycle backed off their pledges — Ja’Hyde Brown flipped to hometown Louisville in March, and cornerback Monsanna Torbert Jr. reopened his recruitment in May.

At some point, though, Indiana has to prove it can build through high school recruiting, not just patch holes through the portal.

National ranking: 22nd (8th in the Big Ten)

Michigan’s first full recruiting class under Kyle Whittingham isn’t bad. The problem is that in today’s Big Ten, “not bad” doesn’t move the needle. The Wolverines already have 18 commits, including six Top247 prospects, which isn’t far off their usual pace. But they still sit just eighth in the conference, well behind the league’s top tier.

That makes the next few weeks especially important. Michigan badly needs to land at least one of the four-star cornerbacks Joshua Dobson or Monsanna Torbert Jr., with Ohio State looming as a major threat for the latter. The Wolverines are also in the mix for four-star defensive lineman Seth Tillman, though Clemson currently holds the edge in the 247Sports Crystal Ball. Miss on all three, and Michigan’s path to adding more elite talent gets a lot murkier.

Michigan has finished in the top four of the Big Ten in every recruiting cycle since 2016. Keeping that streak alive won’t be easy if the Wolverines don’t close on a few more blue-chip targets before the board dries up.

National ranking: 53rd (14th in the SEC)

Tennessee has landed three of the top 10 in-state recruits in the 2027 class. But those wins could feel a little hollow if the Vols can’t keep Chattanooga five-star running back David Gabriel Georges at home. 

That recruitment feels massive for Tennessee’s class. Ohio State appears to hold the edge, with Ole Miss also pushing hard ahead of his July 22 commitment announcement, which will air live on the CBS Sports College Football YouTube channel. Landing him could immediately boost the Vols into the top 30 nationally and as high as 10th in the SEC.

That kind of jump would matter for a program trying to avoid unfamiliar territory. Tennessee hasn’t finished outside the top 10 of the SEC recruiting rankings since 2013 and has signed at least one five-star prospect in each of the past four cycles. The work wouldn’t be finished with Gabriel Georges, but winning that battle would make the path forward much easier.

National ranking: 75th (14th in the Big 12)

Momentum is finally building for new coach Eric Morris and the Pokes. Last week, Oklahoma State landed a commitment from Top247 linebacker Israel Hammons, who could become the program’s highest-ranked signee in more than five years if he stays loyal and true.

The good news? Recruiting is trending upward. Oklahoma State has more than doubled the size of its class in recent weeks. The bad news? The class still sits at just nine total pledges, leaving plenty of ground to make up.

There’s also the in-state concern. The previous staff had deep roots in Oklahoma’s high school scene, while Morris and his staff arrived with stronger ties to Texas. That’s not necessarily a bad thing given the talent there, but Oklahoma State still has to win at home. Hammons is one of just three in-state commits, and 23 of the 24 Oklahoma prospects currently rated by 247Sports are already committed — many of them headed out of state, including to Big 12 rivals.

National ranking: 46th (13th in the ACC)

The Bill Belichick recruiting buzz wore off pretty quickly. Around this time last year, there was real momentum around North Carolina, with the Tar Heels sitting inside the top 25 nationally for the 2026 cycle before eventually finishing No. 19. But whatever juice came with Belichick’s arrival has cooled after last season’s underwhelming on-field product.

Now, North Carolina sits in the bottom tier of the ACC despite already holding 16 commitments. The Tar Heels’ average rating per commit ranks just 12th in the conference, and only one current pledge — four-star receiver Amare Patterson — is a Top247 prospect.

That’s a noticeable drop from last cycle, when North Carolina signed four Top247 recruits. Belichick’s name still opens doors, but at some point, the Tar Heels need more than intrigue when trying to land future stars.