The early signing period is officially over and the College Football Playoff field is set. There’s no month like December in college football as we prepare for the final stretch.

As always, thank you for your recruiting questions. The early signing period was a fascinating three-day window last week and it was fun to see how it all unfolded. Let’s dive in.

Note: Questions have been lightly edited for length and clarity. All rankings come from the 247Sports Composite.

Is Alabama back? —Bruce A.

The Crimson Tide missed out on the playoffs over the weekend, but Alabama has been a dominant force on the recruiting trail in the past. And this year was no exception. In that sense, the Crimson Tide never went away.

We’ve all been wondering how Kalen DeBoer would recruit in his first year after replacing Nick Saban, and now we have some results: At the end of the early signing period, Alabama sits at No. 2 in the class behind Texas. With an average player rating of 93.55, the Crimson Tide are in third place, behind Oregon and the Longhorns, and Alabama is on pace to finish in the top three for the seventh straight year.

If there’s one criticism of DeBoer’s class of 2025, it’s that there’s a dearth of in-state talent. None (!) of the top 10 prospects in the state have signed with the Crimson Tide. Seven signed with rival Auburn. If things go sideways in Tuscaloosa – or perhaps we should say further sideways since Alabama missed the CFP – DeBoer will be under scrutiny for it. But it’s hard to criticize him as he took over for Saban and maintained Alabama’s status as one of the country’s elite recruiting programs. With 18 top contenders, eight top 100 contenders and five top 50 contenders, this was an impressive achievement.

What do you think of Keelon Russell’s meteoric rise to No. 2 overall? As a true freshman, do you think he has a chance to start at Bama? — Butch H.

I’m staying here with Alabama.

I want to preface this by saying that I am not a talent evaluator and that the work of the people who evaluate potential candidates is very difficult and also incredibly valuable. But after watching Russell’s senior season at Duncanville (Texas) High, I can understand why he jumped up the rankings. I’m not sure he’s the best player in the country – even better than Michigan-bound quarterback Bryce Underwood.

We have to be a little careful with Russell because a lot of his production is a result of the talent around him. He throws to five-star Oregon wide receiver Dakorien Moore every week, and his tight end, Zachery Turner, already has more than 900 receiving yards this season and is a Power 4 prospect in the Class of 2026.

But Russell was electrifying at the highest level of Texas high school football. This season alone, he completed 220 of 316 passes for 3,874 yards and 53 touchdowns with just four interceptions. He is completing nearly 70 percent of passes and is nearing 10,000 passes in his career.

I mean, come on…

WOW🤯

Alabama’s 5-star QB Keelon Russell gets wrapped up by a defender but throws a 31-yard TD pass🎯https://t.co/z6SCnY4ZIApic.twitter.com/Jr0gx3snhE

— On3 Recruits (@On3Recruits) November 16, 2024

Incredible pocket mobility/awareness and then an absolute point of #Alabama Signee Keelon Russell@Duncanville_FB Leads 17-7 at halftimehttps://t.co/RT4dNcXXGR pic.twitter.com/4mbUotxbce

— Brett Greenberg (@BrettGreenberg_) December 7, 2024

As for the future in Tuscaloosa, I asked our Alabama writer Kenny Smith for his perspective and whether Russell could start as a freshman. This is what he said:

“It’s possible, but I wouldn’t say probably. Russell is DeBoer’s guy. He scouted it and offered it when it was a three star so you know it fits what they want to do. And he registers early. However, Alabama has three real options in front of it. Ty Simpson is the veteran heir apparent in the program, Dylan Lonergan is a former blue-chip guy, and DeBoer brought Austin Mack, another former five-star, to Bama from Washington. So if Russell beats all of these guys, then he’s really him. There is a possibility just because he will be on campus, but that is a steep hill to climb.”

Any thoughts or insights on Jahkeem Stewart, who signed with USC and received a multimillion-dollar package with name, image and likeness? Players who graduate early always worry me about how ready they will be to contribute as a freshman, even as a five-star player. Then you add in the fact that he didn’t play last high school season (because he transferred early for graduation) and has about a dozen high school games under his belt. – John H.

Our USC writer Antonio Morales wrote last week that Stewart, the five-star defensive end from New Orleans, is “the most significant recruiting win” for USC coach Lincoln Riley in his three years with the Trojans.

You are correct that Stewart has limited high school experience. He was ineligible to play this year due to an in-season transfer and was reclassified in October. We’ll evaluate him based on one season, his second year in 2023.

But Stewart is 6-foot-4 and 270 pounds as a 17-year-old. And those sophomore numbers are undeniable: 85 tackles, 33 tackles for loss, 20 sacks, six forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries. We’ve seen some top prospects struggle after reclassification in the past, but we’ve also seen many settle in seamlessly (looking at you, Ryan Williams).

Stewart also plays a position that doesn’t require as much development as others. As long as he has the size and speed – neither of which is a problem – getting to an opponent’s quarterback shouldn’t be too much to ask.

The 247 rankings show two interesting things: 1. By far the smallest gap in the final rankings between the No. 1 and No. 10 teams of all time. 2. The lowest score for the No. 1 team (Texas).

Most of us fans hate what NIL has done in recruiting as players are clearly signing with the highest bidder. But isn’t it undeniably true that this created more equality and ensured more teams have a shot at the national championship? – Amrabin

Yes. Love it or hate it, NIL is here to stay and revenue sharing is coming too. It’s no coincidence that this is the most balanced year in college football since the playoffs began a decade ago.

Top prospects still value development, the chance to win a national championship and a path to the NFL, but the financial aspect of the recruiting process also (rightly) plays a role. Most will tell you that this isn’t necessarily their top priority, but it’s definitely something to consider. The result is more parity, especially as the playoffs also expand. It can be argued that the same three or four teams really have what it takes to win a title, but that could change as more schools invest in roster building.

Some teams had recruiting rankings that eclipsed their brands or their recent performances on the field. I’m thinking mostly of Maryland. But also Rutgers and Duke. Is it that these schools have finally moved to develop NIL programs for football? — Anonymous

Maryland has the No. 28 class after the early signing period (out of 38 in the 2024 cycle), Rutgers is at No. 30 (out of 36) and Duke is at No. 33 (out of 61).

I don’t know the details of their NIL situations, but I’ll tell you this: Any football coach at the Power 4 level who wants to be competitive knows how important NIL is to the recruiting process. And Maryland, Rutgers and Duke all have experienced coaches in Mike Locksley, Greg Schiano and Manny Diaz.

We also thank Diaz and Schiano for what they did on the field. Maryland was a mess this year, finishing the season 4-8 overall and 1-8 in the Big Ten, but Schiano led Rutgers to seven wins for the second straight year and Diaz won nine games in his first year with the Blue Devils.

It will be fascinating to see if Maryland can bounce back, especially considering the Terrapins currently have one of the best quarterbacks in the country, Maryland native Malik Washington, and a top-100 offensive lineman, Virginia native Jaylen Gilchrist. It’s also worth noting that Maryland recently landed a commitment from the No. 2 player in the 2026 class, Baltimore edge rusher Zion Elee.

As a Florida graduate and season ticket holder, many people said Billy Napier left after Florida lost to FSU last year. And then again when they lost to Miami and Texas A&M. Still, the Gators beat two ranked teams in the Swamp, finishing 7-5 and earning the No. 11 recruiting class. Thoughts, comments, explanation? – John R.

You’re right. No one was more on the hot seat heading into the 2024 season than Napier, who deserves a lot of credit for helping the Gators finish with all their might this year.

Despite the injuries at the quarterback position, Florida looked like a team that continued to compete – a credit to its culture. And after the Jaden Rashada fiasco, the Gators righted the recruiting ship, finishing the early signing period with the No. 11 class in the country, consisting of four top-100 prospects and 14 top prospects. Watching Florida beat LSU and Ole Miss in November after an embarrassing loss to Miami in the season opener was a turning point for Napier. DJ Lagway has the potential to be a superstar, and suddenly things are looking up in Gainesville.

(Photo by Kalen DeBoer: Kevin C. Cox / Getty Images)