For the first time in his career as a head coach, Lincoln Riley is projected to finish with the nation’s top recruiting class, signifying that USC is serious about competing for national championships in this new era of college football.

The early signing period kicked off Wednesday, and the Trojans signed 35 prospects in a class that ranks first in the 247Sports Composite. Their average player rating is 91.80, which ranks seventh nationally.

Oregon currently ranks second, followed by Alabama, Notre Dame and Georgia.

Once again, the SEC is dominating, with five of the top 10 classes (Alabama, Georgia, Texas, Tennessee and Texas A&M), compared to three from the Big Ten (USC, Oregon and Ohio State), one from the ACC (Miami) and none from the Big 12.

Here’s everything you need to know about Wednesday:

• USC has not finished with the No. 1 class since 2006. Five-star tight end Mark Bowman headlines a class that includes four other top 50 prospects: wide receiver Boobie Feaster, edge rusher Luke Wafle, cornerback Elbert Hill and defensive lineman Jaimeon Winfield. USC did a nice job focusing on California prospects (signing 20) while strategically dipping into other states. Four signees are the top recruits in their respective home states: Wafle (New Jersey), Hill (Ohio), four-star quarterback Jonas Williams (Illinois) and four-star linebacker Talanoa Ili (Hawaii).

• In case you missed it, the biggest news of the week — and of the entire recruiting cycle — dropped Tuesday evening when five-star quarterback Jared Curtis announced his flip from Georgia to Vanderbilt. The Nashville native is the nation’s top prospect and had committed to Georgia twice, once in March 2024 and again in May after he decommitted for the first time in October 2024. This decision had been expected this week, but Curtis pumped the brakes when news leaked Tuesday afternoon that his flip was official. He made his announcement Tuesday night and is now Vanderbilt’s first five-star signee of the modern era.

Anchor down ⚓️ pic.twitter.com/C7lIt5XwSc

— Jared Curtis 2026 QB (@Jaredcurtis37) December 3, 2025

• New LSU coach Lane Kiffin is the self-proclaimed “Portal King,” but he’s got an important task at hand on the high school recruiting front these next two months. The nation’s No. 2 prospect, five-star athlete Lamar Brown, has been committed to LSU since July. Even after the Tigers fired Brian Kelly, Brown — a Baton Rouge native — has been one of LSU’s most loyal supporters, regularly attending home games, and he was expected to sign with the program on Wednesday. However, Brown is now waiting until the February signing period to file his paperwork, meaning it’s now Kiffin’s job to convince the state’s best player that LSU is still the right place for him.

• Five-star BYU quarterback commit Ryder Lyons is also delaying his signing until February, Rivals reported on Wednesday. Lyons, a California native, committed to the Cougars on national television in June and has been on track to become the program’s highest-rated quarterback signee since Ben Olson in the Class of 2002. Though a member of the 2026 recruiting class, Lyons won’t enroll in college until 2027 after he completes a one-year mission with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

• Five-star Ohio State receiver commit Chris Henry Jr. has not yet signed with the Buckeyes and said Wednesday afternoon that he is “still trying to weigh my options” on the heels of receivers coach Brian Hartline taking the head coaching job at USF. Henry, who plays at powerhouse Mater Dei in Southern California, is the nation’s No. 10 prospect and No. 1 receiver. He committed to Ohio State in July 2023.

I have not signed yet. Still trying to weigh my options due to coaching changes I just want to make the right decision for my future.

Gods plan

— Chris Henry Jr (@ChrisHenryJr) December 3, 2025

• Mississippi State coach Jeff Lebby and his staff scored a couple of significant wins on the recruiting trail this week. The Bulldogs flipped five-star safety Bralan Womack (the nation’s top safety) from Auburn on Monday and followed by flipping four-star edge Micah Nickerson from Missouri on Wednesday. Both signed on Wednesday.

• Bill Belichick had a disastrous first year as North Carolina’s head coach, but it didn’t come back to haunt him all that much on the recruiting trail. The Tar Heels had 39 signees, including 13 blue-chippers, as of Wednesday afternoon. Among Belichick’s most impressive pickups: four-star athlete Jakob Weatherspoon, a former Ohio State commit, four-star wide receiver Keeyun Chapman and four-star quarterback Travis Burgess. And on Wednesday, the Tar Heels flipped four-star defensive lineman Vodney Cleveland from Texas and four-star tight end Dream Rashad from Purdue.

• Maryland made history on Wednesday when it signed five-star edge Zion Elee out of Saint Frances Academy in Baltimore. Elee is the program’s highest-rated recruit of the modern era. He committed almost precisely a year ago, and there was a little bit of drama between Maryland and South Carolina when he took an official visit to see the Gamecocks in October. But he stuck with the Terrapins, whose class includes no other players who rank in the top 500.

• Oregon coach Dan Lanning learned how to recruit from Nick Saban and Kirby Smart and, well, it shows. The Ducks put together a high-quality class, with 16 blue-chippers among the 21 commitments. Five-star offensive lineman Immanuel Iheanacho, out of Georgetown Preparatory in North Bethesda, Md., is the biggest pickup of the group. At 6 foot 6 and 345 pounds, he’s got the frame to play early and often for a Ducks team that is on its way back to the College Football Playoff later this month.

• Deion Sanders is once again signing a small class. Colorado had nine signees as of Wednesday afternoon, and one only — safety Preston Ashley — ranked among the top 400 prospects nationally. The Buffaloes expect to add a few more signees, but this class will rank near the bottom of the Big 12.

• Oof, Penn State. The Nittany Lions fired James Franklin in October and still don’t have a head coach. The Nittany Lions signed only two players on Wednesday afternoon. That’s it. Not a typo. Several of Franklin’s recruits followed him to Virginia Tech, while others picked other schools in what has become a nightmare offseason for the program.

• Sticking with Penn State, four-star quarterback Peyton Falzone signed with the in-state Nittany Lions on Wednesday, putting an end to one of the stranger recruitments in recent years. Falzone, out of Nazareth, Pa., first committed to Virginia Tech in June 2024 but decommitted that November. He then committed to Penn State in April but flipped to Auburn in June. When Auburn fired Hugh Freeze last month, Falzone decommitted from the Tigers and was looking for a new home until he landed back at Penn State on Wednesday. All things considered, if Penn State is going to have fewer than five signees in the class, he’s a solid pickup. But what a whirlwind for both parties.

• Hats off to Franklin, who, despite being at Virginia Tech for two-ish weeks, is already on pace to finish with a top 25 class. The Hokies signed seven blue-chippers and put the icing on the cake Wednesday when they flipped four-star linebacker Terry Wiggins from Penn State. This, after they picked up a commitment from former Penn State quarterback commit Troy Huhn as well. So far, so good for Franklin, who might already have the Hokies ahead of schedule.