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College Football Rankings 2018: Post-National Signing Day Top 25

By Nicholas Ian Allen

NEW ORLEANS, LA - JANUARY 01: Head coach Nick Saban of the Alabama Crimson Tide and head coach Dabo Swinney of the Clemson Tigers greet after the AllState Sugar Bowl at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on January 1, 2018 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)
NEW ORLEANS, LA - JANUARY 01: Head coach Nick Saban of the Alabama Crimson Tide and head coach Dabo Swinney of the Clemson Tigers greet after the AllState Sugar Bowl at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on January 1, 2018 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images) /
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With National Signing Day in the books, we revise our early 2018 college football rankings and unveil the post-National Signing Day Top 25.

Recruiting is the lifeblood of every college football program, and though try to avoid guessing the impact one year’s recruiting class will have on the upcoming season, it’s impossible to ignore the role true freshmen played in the national championship picture last year. After all, where would Alabama and Georgia be if they hadn’t recruited elite prospects capable of stepping in and playing right away?

And with National Signing Day now in the rearview mirror, it’s time to sit down and revise our early 2018 college football rankings.

The Crimson Tide topped our Way-Too-Early Top 25, and for good reason. The defending champs are always a safe bet to be ranked No. 1. However, once the early NFL Draft entrants were finalized, and SB Nation’s Bill Connelly rolled out his returning production numbers, one thing became clear: Clemson looks like a better team on paper. The Tigers, who have made huge strides on the recruiting trail in recent years, are just as talented as Alabama, and Dabo Swinney’s squad has a big edge in experience.

As we scrolled down our initial top 25, a few other teams jumped out as potential challengers to the Tide. Georgia and Ohio State posted the top two recruiting classes in the nation according to the 247Sports Composite, and both return more overall production than Alabama. Penn State isn’t as experienced, but the Nittany Lions also landed a talented class ranked in the top five, and James Franklin has a more settled quarterback situation.

Our Post Signing Day Top 25 includes all of the same teams as our earliest rankings, which might anger fans at LSU, South Carolina, Arizona, Kansas State and Northwestern. But a few teams moved up as others slid based on recruiting news, injury updates, suspensions, transfers and coaching changes since early January.

As we prepare for spring practices to kick off across the country, we count down the 25 best college football teams after National Signing Day.

BOCA RATON, FL – OCTOBER 21: Head coach Lane Kiffin of the Florida Atlantic Owls signals the players during second quarter action against the North Texas Mean Green on October 21, 2017 at FAU Stadium in Boca Raton, Florida. FAU defeated North Texas 69-31. (Photo by Joel Auerbach/Getty Images)
BOCA RATON, FL – OCTOBER 21: Head coach Lane Kiffin of the Florida Atlantic Owls signals the players during second quarter action against the North Texas Mean Green on October 21, 2017 at FAU Stadium in Boca Raton, Florida. FAU defeated North Texas 69-31. (Photo by Joel Auerbach/Getty Images) /

Recruiting: No. 85 247Sports Composite (No. 7 C-USA); 82.89 Avg. Rating

FAU head coach Lane Kiffin has a reputation as a great recruiter dating back to his days at USC, but the Owls aren’t relying heavily on high school talent yet during his tenure. Instead, Kiffin and his coaching staff are going after transfers from bigger programs. As a result, FAU has just 16 new signees, and five of those come from the JUCO ranks. Still, from a pure talent standpoint, FAU tops the league with an 82.89 rating.

Though the hype machine has revved up in Boca Raton thanks to last year’s 11-win season and Conference USA championship, it was still probably a surprise FAU came in ranked 21st in our Way-Too-Early Top 25. Though the Owls were outstanding in 2017, especially on offense, and was expected to return one of the most experienced rosters in the country, the conference schedule is very weak. Therefore, it would likely require a win over either Oklahoma or UCF in nonconference play to capture attention on a national level.

Then, in January, starting quarterback Jason Driskel announced he would forego his final season of eligibility to retire from football. Driskel completed 66.5 percent of his passes for 2,247 yards and 15 touchdowns with just four interceptions and averaged 8.08 yards per pass attempt. With Driskel gone (as well as 2017 backup Daniel Parr, who transferred to Duquesne), former Florida State quarterback De’Andre Johnson, who missed nearly the entire season after undergoing surgery for blood clots in his arm, will compete with Chris Robinson (a transfer from Oklahoma) for the job.

Regardless of who plays quarterback, FAU returns running back Devin Singletary, who ran for 1,920 yards and scored 32 rushing touchdowns as a sophomore last season – and though Kiffin was forced to replace offensive coordinator Kendal Briles, the Owls should score plenty of points. The defense should also be solid with 90 percent of its production returning from last season.

Truthfully, it’s difficult to see FAU holding on to a spot in the Top 25 through spring practice, but base on last year’s results, Kiffin’s track record for scoring points, and the talent and experience on the roster, they deserve this spot.

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