Southeast Spotlight: Four programs that have surprised in recruiting
The 2024 football season is in full swing and programs across the country are working to close out the 2025 recruiting cycle on a high note. Here are four programs that are punching above their weight in the Southeast.
GEORGIA TECH
It would seem routine for the Yellow Jackets to capitalize on their regional talent base, but there is no doubt that under Brent Key the program is doing so with superior prospects at a higher clip than the previous coaching staffs in Atlanta.
Georgia Tech won statement recruiting battles over Rivals250 offensive lineman Josh Petty over Florida State and lured four-star defensive tackle Christian Garrett away from Georgia to come to the Flats.
The Yellow Jackets also hold commitments from prized local recruits such as Rivals250 receiver Samuel Turner and four-star defensive end Andre Fuller Jr., offensive lineman Justin Hasenhuetl, athlete Dalen Penson and coveted local offensive tackle Damola Ajidahun.
The Yellow Jackets should be recruiting this part of the region this well and have taken a massive leap forward on the recruiting trail under Key. If this trend continues, keep an eye out for Tech.
NOTRE DAME
The Irish have a national brand that allows them to recruit from coast to coast, and traditionally have been able to construct rosters with talent from both the East and West Coast, the Midwest as well as plenty of Southeast speed and size. The Irish have made major inroads in the latter headlined by current four-star quarterback commit Deuce Knight, who has been the face of this class for the past year.
Notre Dame also won major recruiting battles for Rivals250 safety JaDon Blair out of North Carolina and scooped up an NFL legacy out of Georgia in Jerome Bettis Jr.
The Irish are aiming to capitalize on more Southeast-based blue-chippers in 2026 as well and are well-positioned with a handful of Rivals250 prospects, including four-star safety Bralan Womack, four-star receiver Tristen Keys and four-star linebacker Thomas Davis, who are all expected to be in South Bend for games later this fall.
UCF
UCF has sustained a ton of success over the years as a Group of Five competitor. Now in the Big 12 under Gus Malzahn, the Knights are recruiting at an even higher clip and doing so more routinely, especially in different parts of the Southeast. Florida is naturally a hotbed for talent for the Knights, who have also cracked open doors throughout the region and dipped into Georgia, Alabama and Louisiana for talent.
UCF holds commitments from four-star Georgia offensive tackle Chastan Brown, who is one of three Peach State products in the Knights’ 2025 recruiting class, which is ranked inside the top 20 on the Rivals Team Rankings.
UCF also holds two Alabama-based commitments in the 2026 cycle headlined by one-time four-star Crimson Tide verbal Jamarrion Gordon. UCF is resolute on continuing to recruit the Southeast and going head to head with the SEC and ACC programs that are already established.
USC
USC is always going to recruit nationally, and under Lincoln Riley and the new defensive staff in Los Angeles, the Trojans are doubling down inside the Peach State and across the Southeast as they look to add blue-chip talent to the roster. USC holds commitments from several Peach State-based blue-chippers – most notably five-star quarterback Julian Lewis as well as Rivals250 defensive backs Shamar Arnoux and Kendarius Reddick on top of four-star linebacker Jadon Perlotte and three-star athlete James Johnson.
Four-star offensive tackle Carde Smith out of Alabama is a part of USC’s 2025 class and so is three-star running back Daune Morris out of Tennessee. USC already has a commitment from elite 2026 edge-rusher Xavier Griffin and is aiming to hit a few more home runs in the form of five-star defensive tackle Elijah Griffin, among others.
