3 Major College Football Programs That Must Make Up Ground in 2027 Recruiting

Some of the biggest brands in College Football have to step up their recruiting of the 2027 high school class | David Leong-Imagn Images

Priorities are all over the place when it comes to modern roster-building in College Football. Some schools do most of their damage in the transfer portal, while a handful still do most of it from the high school ranks.

Typically, the best of the best have both aspects of the recruiting trail covered. Thus far, for different reasons, that hasn't been the case for these massive College Football brands because of slow 2027 high school recruiting.

Alabama Crimson Tide

The Alabama Crimson Tide is moving like a program that's not expecting Kalen DeBoer to stick around long-term. There's no other reason why the Tide's 2027 recruiting class is so low (No. 35).

With a difficult schedule that has favorable home games, Thompson Warriors quarterback Trent Seaborn was a hard recruit for Alabama to lose in the Birmingham metro, and the class has yet to add another blue-chip beyond him. DeBoer is already not trying to win like Nick Saban won, aiming to out-scheme instead of winning physically. He can't lose the ancient texts on the Tide's dominant recruiting.

Michigan Wolverines

First-year Michigan Wolverines head coach Kyle Whittingham has not exactly hit the ground running in Ann Arbor with the 2027 high school class (No. 37). Of the three players committed to Michigan's 2027 class, two of them are from the state, and two of them are interior offensive linemen.

It's not been an importing of the Utah Utes' class since his hiring. While Whittingham could opt to annually use the transfer portal to fix his problems, and he arguably should, since he doesn't have forever to bring the Wolverines results, Michigan's M.O. has always been stacking talented high school classes.

The Wolverines have always been one of the sport's "haves," certainly seldom qualifying as a "have-not." It'd be strange to see 2027 be different. And it wouldn't bode well for Whittingham.

LSU Tigers

Lane Kiffin is getting familiar with the 225. He's in the process of becoming a salesman for the LSU Tigers, and he's probably going to have plenty of success once recruits start visiting Death Valley as the wins pile up.

Kiffin has always been portal-heavy with his Ole Miss Rebels rosters, but it's essential for the Tigers to continue nabbing elite in-state talent. LSU needs to build on a two-man class that features one player from Louisiana. Five seasons of eligibility in a five-year span may soon become a thing, with the portal being coming less of a priority in the sport's future. If that happens, the Tigers need to raise their No. 39 2027 class.