Peak Perspective: Four-Year Recruiting Patterns (2026)

Today’s column and all the Wednesday columns for this month will be recruiting-themed.

Traditional recruiting rankings are nice, but they don’t come close to telling the entire story. Even if a team recruits better the next year, their ranking may actually be lower if enough teams also recruit better. What makes the most sense is comparing teams to themselves year to year or setting recruiting expectations over a cycle to see if teams can reach them. Standards are given in an attempt to achieve goals

based on what they have done in recent years and what is projected for their current coaching staff. This is far from an exact science, but it’s the start of a worthwhile experiment to identify how programs are doing in the recruiting world.

This exercise began four years ago in an attempt to learn how programs recruit over a larger sample size. However, college football has changed a lot over those four years. The transfer portal has skewed recruiting rankings and the number of high school recruits programs take. Also, coaching turnover has increased to the point where programs could have two or three different head coaches in a four-year period, making it extremely challenging to form patterns or conclusions during a four-year cycle.

That being said, this annual post will still exist, but will likely be tweaked going forward. It is still important to see how teams recruit high school talent year to year and how they compare to themselves, but there likely won’t be expectations imposed and there is no reason to comment on how teams compared to the expectations set for them four years ago when so much has changed.

See below for the four-year recruiting cycle expectations of each team.

For the purposes of this article, 247 composite recruiting rankings are used (not transfer or overall rankings). Also, the number of 3 and 4-star recruits refers to high school and junior college recruits only. While some programs may strategically use the transfer portal at a higher rate than others, this post will focus on traditional recruiting.

Note: All stats and numbers are current as of 2-4-24 at 10pm (CST) and do not account for any signing day surprises after that time. Due to this, the numbers will not be completely accurate and will be adjusted at the end of February to be as accurate as possible for future years.

Bold indicates progress or updates as teams

Air Force

• Average Recruiting Ranking: 130.75  (94) (156) (135) (138)
• Total Number of 4 stars: 0 (0)
• Total Number of 3 stars: 60 (14) (11) (26) (9) (keep in mind they have more total commits than other teams)
• Bottom Line: It’s been stated many times before, but the Falcons care less about recruiting rankings than anyone. With their academic standard requirements and the focus on the talent fitting the system, it’s a different recruiting approach. Still, finding the best talent within those limitations is vital to maintaining the success they have built.
• 2023 Summary: The Falcons are always the hardest team to evaluate. This year represents a step forward compared to the previous recruiting cycle, at least according to the 247 rankings. They broke new ground on their four-year high in the rankings and doubled the number of three stars from last year. It remains to be seen how this talent will translate to the field.
• 2024 Summary: Another year, another Air Force recruiting class that restocks pretty much every position. While they did not secure as many three-star players as last season, they still reached double digits in that category, putting themselves in striking distance of meeting that expectation. The Falcons still have a lot of work to do in the four-year average recruiting ranking after this season, but Air Force’s success doesn’t depend on having high recruiting rankings.
• 2025 Summary: The Falcons put together their highest class of three-star players, but their second-lowest-rated class overall. While that is interesting, quantifiable data, it is less meaningful to Air Force than any other team in the conference. It is noteworthy that they have fewer total commitments than in previous years, and it will be interesting to see if that ends up mattering in a few years or not. Otherwise, they brought in numerous players at each position, and as always, a few unheralded players should become key contributors down the line.
• 2026 Summary: A program like the Falcons have been impacted greatly by the NIL era, settling into recruiting numbers at the bottom of the FBS after having a top-100 class only a few years ago. Arguably more concerning is the low number of three-star signees. While they don’t need highly-rated classes to succeed, the Air Force is recruiting fewer players than in past years, and seeing such a low amount of three-stars is a big drop-off for the program.

Boise State

• Average Recruiting Ranking: 62.75 (66) (64) (68) (53)
• Total Number of 4 stars: 6 (1) (2) (1) (2)
• Total Number of 3 stars: (89) (18) (19) (24) (28)
• Bottom Line: The Broncos regularly battle with Power 5 teams for recruits, and their standards should reflect that. They get at least one four-star prospect for most years, and the vast majority of their class are rated as three-stars. For Boise State, they should also regularly have classes rated somewhere in the 50s, given how they secure well-rounded classes from top to bottom. Doing it consistently is a challenging but achievable standard for them.
• 2023 Summary: Andy Avalos and his staff put together another solid class, even if it’s a bit short on star-potential compared to last year. The headliners are still there, with another four-star recruit and a few high three-stars to be excited about. While this class might produce more future starters than future stars, it still has a high floor, as the influx of three-stars would indicate. Their recruiting ranking brings down their average a bit, though they are on pace to hit their number of stars. They continue to be one of, if not the strongest, recruiting teams in the conference.
• 2024 Summary: Spencer Danielson and the rest of the Boise State staff did a tremendous job keeping their class together following the coach change. And it ends up being a great class, right in line with what they’ve done the past two years. They actually secured two four-star players, although one was a junior college player. The Broncos look poised to hit their expectations for four-star players and probably three-star players as well, even if they won’t quite get to their recruiting rankings categories.
• 2025 Summary: This wasn’t exactly a drop-off recruiting year for Boise State, but they didn’t light the world on fire either. It may have been a slight shift in philosophy and may have been by design in this transfer portal era. Overall, there is a lot to like in this class for the Broncos; it just seems to lack a true star on paper.
• 2026 Summary: The Broncos continue to recruit at the top of the conference, and this year’s class was actually near the top of the Group of 5/6. After a bit of a dip last year, they rebounded in a big way, securing two four-star recruits, as well as several others that are a tier under as high three-stars. In fact, this is their best recruiting class in at least seven years, and. arguably ever. This Boise State class experiences little drop-off toward the bottom, which is why they have such a large number of three-stars. Overall, it showed they can still recruit talent even in this changing landscape.

Colorado State

• Average Recruiting Ranking: 80.5 (68) (74) (109) (71)
• Total Number of 4 stars: 2 (0) (1) (1) (0)
• Total Number of 3 stars: 72 (20) (18) (11) (23)
• Bottom Line: The Rams are a tricky team to project expectations on. They recruited very well under Bobo, and although it isn’t quite the same under Addazio, they found a handful of talented players in this class. While not a certainty, one could imagine Colorado State being able to land a top conference player or two in each class. They are a safe bet to out-recruit their on the field performances, but the sample size is a bit too small to make too many inferences.
• 2023 Summary: Two recruiting classes into the Norvell era, he and his staff continue to bring in some of the conference’s top talent. The Rams have turned in another huge class and though they have taken a lot of transfers, the high school players they do take contain many talented recruits. The coaching staff does a great job targeting specific types of players at each position and do a great job blending high-quality players with under-the-radar recruits who fit the system well. Once again, Colorado State turns in a recruiting class at the top of the Mountain West.
• 2024 Summary: Coach Norvell and his staff have firmly cemented themselves as one of the best recruiters in the Mountain West with another strong class. With the rebuilding of the roster in more advanced stages, they were able to focus more on high school players, and produced impressive results. While they didn’t reach the highs of last year’s class in terms of three-stars and recruiting rankings, they are closer to year two than year one, which shows they are moving in the right direction. Plus, they signed a four-star player and some of the highest recruits in Colorado State history during this cycle.
• 2025 Summary: After accumulating a high number of high school players last season, the Rams took a smaller traditional recruiting class this year. The decrease in the size of the class had them ranked lower than in previous years, when they were usually in the top third or so of the Mountain West. It will be interesting to see how Colorado State ebbs and flows in how their class is made up going forward.
• 2026 Summary: This was a nice bounce-back year for the Rams, turning in a solid mid-major class after a below-average one the previous year. Keeping in mind that this was done during a coaching change, it makes it even more impressive. While there are no four-stars in this class, and it’s also been a bit of a missing piece for Colorado State over the years, they made up for it with their highest three-star total in the last four cycles.

Fresno State

• Average Recruiting Ranking: 85 (83) (87) (96) (74)
• Total Number of 4 stars: 1 (0) (1) (0) (0)
• Total Number of 3 stars: 66 (14) (17) (13) (21)
• Bottom Line: Fresno State’s recruiting efforts under DeBoer are dwarfing those of his predecessor, Jeff Tedford. In the old regime, they also seemed capable of more on the recruiting trail. They lived up to their potential in the 2021 class. Their four-year standards find common ground somewhere in the middle, with a lean towards DeBoer and what he seems likely to continue to do. It’s very possible the Bulldogs eclipse these numbers fairly easily, but a larger sample size is needed before too high of expectations are placed on them.
• 2023 Summary: It is clear that Coach Tedford has a different approach to recruiting than Coach DeBoer did. That isn’t to say he doesn’t bring in good classes, but in the past two classes, he has been unable to reach the same level of rankings as his predecessor. In this class specifically, there was a concentration on securing junior college players in hopes of reloading the roster. Coach Tedford also seems to bet more on the player development abilities of him and his staff more than highly-rated players. Neither approach is necessarily a bad approach, but they are different, and due to that, it may cause them to fall short of the expectations listed above.
• 2024 Summary: Fresno State looks as consistent as can be in recruiting, matching last year’s ranking and accumulating basically the same number of three-star signees. A four-star prospect has been elusive so far in Coach Tedford’s return, but he and his staff are skilled at player development, so the trade-off is likely worth it. Other than that category, they are on pace to clear the other three with little issue, and while they aren’t in the top tier of Mountain West recruiting, they have basically cemented themselves as the top team in the second tier, which is a good place to be.
• 2025 Summary: This was a more difficult recruiting year for the Bulldogs. Overall, they did okay when compared to their Mountain West foes, but it must’ve been hard to attract players to the program when the fates of all the coaches were unknown. When considering that, Fresno State’s class is pretty strong.
• 2026 Summary: The Bulldogs put together a very nice class and their best in quite some time, according to the rankings. It was quality and quantity, as they had more three-stars than they’ve had in the past four years as well, accounting for roughly one-third of their total. If Fresno State can build on this, they will be in good shape in future recruting battles.

Hawaii

• Average Recruiting Ranking: 116.25 (112) (115) (121) (117)
• Total Number of 4 stars: 0 (0) (0) (0) (0)
• Total Number of 3 stars: 46 (6) (13) (12) (15)
• Bottom Line: Hawaii is a tough place to recruit, and Coach Graham is either realizing that or is still in the early stages of a long-term recruiting plan, as the Rainbow Warriors have been near the bottom of the conference recruiting rankings. Considering the challenges Hawaii faces, as well as their past recruiting rankings, expectations are reasonably low. Still, they need to be met and surpassed if they want any chance to make more of an impact in recruiting.
• 2023 Summary: The approach for the Rainbow Warriors in this class was to load up on transfers, and that’s exactly what they did. The trade-off is the program could not bring in as many high school players and that is reflected in their updated numbers. Coach Chang and his staff are prioritizing talent on the islands and that figures to pay off down the line. In addition to that, history has they can recruit a higher level of talent when running the run-and-shoot, so expect to see a bit of a jump next year.
• 2024 Summary: Sometimes, progress can be slow and methodical, and that seems to be the case here for Coach Chang and the Rainbow Warriors. For the 2024 cycle, they have improved across the board. Hawaii reached new milestones in team recruiting rankings by a few spots, which continues to improve their four-year average. They also nearly eclipsed the number of three stars they had over the past two years combined, which represents a drastic development in their recruiting efforts. Hawaii will need to replicate that to reach their three-star expectation, but every other category is in good shape.
• 2025 Summary: The Rainbow Warriors did a nice job recruiting their home territory this cycle, but they weren’t able to do enough to truly make a dent in the conference recruiting rankings. For a team in need of more playmakers and talent like Hawaii, it was a smaller high school class that didn’t necessarily move the needle as far as the talent entering the roster next season.
• 2026 Summary: The Rainbow Warriors have developed consistency in their recruiting efforts, even if they have yet to crack the top 110. Perhaps the biggest indicator of their step forward over the years is the jump in three-stars from 6 in 2023 to double-digits ever since. Hawaii still has a long way to go, but becoming consistent is a good step.

Nevada

• Average Recruiting Ranking: 102.75 (108) (122) (86) (95)
• Total Number of 4 stars: 0 (0) (0) (0) (0)
• Total Number of 3 stars: 61 (9) (12) (23) (17)
• Bottom Line: Nevada has recruited more or less around the middle of the conference, which is pretty much proportional with their success of being a bowl team. However, they seem to have plateaued and need to find a way to take the next step. The Wolf Pack seem capable of more, but until they demonstrate what that is, their expectations will basically be set at maintaining the status quo.
• 2023 Summary: Nevada’s coaching staff is still trying to find their recruiting identity. For now, they are focused on transfers, which makes sense to rebuild the team after losing so many players. When they have recruited high school players, the Wolf Pack have been able to find some talented players, although that hasn’t quite shown up in the recruiting rankings at this point. They have improved from year one to year two and should keep improving, but it remains to be seen how they will measure up to their expectations.
• 2024 Summary: Unfortunately, Nevada took a big step back in their recruiting expectations this time around. Although they weren’t doing great in the team rankings department, this year’s efforts will make the previous two years look like great success. That’s what happens when a bad team makes a coaching change and the new staff has a steep, uphill battle going forward. They is almost know way they can reach any of these expectations, but it will be interesting to see how Coach Choate and his staff do in the 2025 cycle.
• 2025 Summary: As the Wolf Pack attempt to turn over their roster and make up for the transfers they lost, they took a large high school recruiting class (and even more transfers). And the 2025 class has actually been their most highly rated over the past few years. While part of it is certainly quantity, there is quality, too. Hopefully, this is a sign of things to come for Nevada.
• 2026 Summary: The Wolf Pack turned in their second-straight top 100 recruiting class. While that isn’t something to celebrate, it’s not nothing either. Showing little drop off in the rankings or number of three-stars from the 2025 class to 2026 is important to sustain any momentum, no matter how small. Nevada isn’t going to be confused with top recruiting teams in the conference, but they are adding quality players to their roster.

New Mexico

• Average Recruiting Ranking: 143.25 (132) (180) (177) (84)
• Total Number of 4 stars: 0 (0) (0) (0) (0)
• Total Number of 3 stars: 35 (3) (1) (6) (25)
• Bottom Line: The Lobos are pretty new to recruiting intentionally, and due to this, they are still largely an unknown. Over the past two cycles, their recruiting efforts have been steady, although unspectacular (which is spectacular considering what their classes looked like previously). Two cycles is still a small sample size, and their potential is still high, but as they are already obliterating their old expectations, New Mexico can afford to go at a slow and steady pace for now.
• 2023 Summary: Once again, New Mexico stuck to the strategy mentioned above, although it was tweaked a bit this cycle to include more junior college and transfer players. They have secured many of the top players in the state of New Mexico, although that hasn’t moved the needle in terms of the rankings. Expectations are low for the Lobos, but the team still may have a challenging time meeting them based on their current projection.
• 2024 Summary: Times have been tough for the Lobos on the field and that has carried over to the recruiting trail this year as well. This is partly due to the coaching change, but the previous staff was barely doing any recruiting to begin with last fall, so this class was destined to be devoid of many high school players. To date, they have brought in only two high school players, and only one of them is a three-star player. It will be interesting to see how this new staff will approach recruiting, but the past two cycles have skewed New Mexico’s expectations in the wrong direction.
• 2025 Summary: For the second recruiting cycle in a row, the Lobos could not produce a full class in December due to a coaching change. Some of they players they did sign ended up backing out and going to other schools. As usual, New Mexico had to do the bulk of their work in the transfer portal, so only a handful of signees are actually high school recruits, meaning the rankings remain on the lower end of college football.
• 2026 Summary: The Lobos saw a huge surge in their four-year average this year, right on the heels of their strong 2025 season on the field. After ranking near the bottom of the 247 rankings, far below all FBS and many FCS teams, they turned in a top 100 class for the 2026 cycle. In addition to that, New Mexico more than doubled the number of three starts they’ve brought in, with 25 of the 35 they’ve sign the past four years coming in this most recent class.

San Diego State

• Average Recruiting Ranking: 78.75 (82) (71) (81) (81)
• Total Number of 4 stars: 3 (0) (2) (1) (0)
• Total Number of 3 stars: 68 ((13) (16) (17) (22)
• Bottom Line: After being a middle-of-the-conference team when it comes to recruiting, the Aztecs have kicked it up a notch under Hoke. Their 2021 class seems more in line with the success on the field as one of the perennial top teams in the Mountain West. There is no reason they can’t grab a four-star or two every few years while piling up on three-stars. While the numbers are still relatively modest, they would also represent a productive increase in the program’s recruiting efforts.
• 2023 Summary: Under Brady Hoke, the Aztecs continue to be one of the best teams in the conference when it comes to recruiting efforts. They built this class by securing some of the top players in the conference, most notably at quarterback, running back, offensive line, and defensive back. San Diego State is on pace to eclipse its recruiting expectations with little issue, even if they didn’t secure any four-star players this cycle. Instead, they bolstered their number of three-stars and continue to stay ahead of their average recruiting ranking, despite having a smaller class that was dragged down at the bottom.
• 2024 Summary: Coach Hoke was once again assembling a great recruiting class up until his retirement. Quite a few members of the class ended up looking elsewhere, but a number of them stayed. Coach Lewis did a very nice job keeping players committed and then added to it, amassing many of the conference’s top recruits in the process. Landing a four-star as a Group of 5 school is always a big success and the top end talent in this class could rival many Power 5 teams. This cycle has helped them aided them in getting closer in a few different expectation categories and they have a good chance to eclipse their four-star expectations if they keep recruiting like they did this year.
• 2025 Summary: Coach Lewis has taken the good recruiting work that his predecessor did and continued it, arguably even improving it. The Aztecs have cemented themselves as one of the best recruiting programs in the Mountain West, securing top talent in numerous different positions. As the staff continues to bring in their type of players, it should lead to winning more games, which should lead to even better recruiting classes down the line for San Diego State
• 2026 Summary: Once again, Lewis & co put together a top Mountain West class for the Aztecs. It appears tough for them to get over the hump with their rankings range, but they are still doing better than most of their peers. Whe looking at the accumulated talent, their 22 three-stars represents their highest total of the past four years, demonstrating that quality players are continuing to come to San Diego State.

San Jose State

• Average Recruiting Ranking: 110 (106) (96) (116) (122)
• Total Number of 4 stars: 0 (0) (0) (0) (0)
• Total Number of 3 stars: 49 (10) (15) (12) (12)
• Bottom Line: San Jose State has long been a team that recruited better than they should have based on their (lack of) success on the field. Now that they have had success, the recruiting needs to be taken up a notch. Expectations aren’t drastically increased here yet because it is staying proportional to their recent sample size, but the Spartans do need to raise the bar to sustain their success, as recruiting is the foundation of a program. Given their coaching staff, the area they are in, and now their success on the field, it will be interesting to see how quickly they can reach and move past these benchmarks.
• 2023 Summary: After seemingly taking a step forward in recruiting last year, this current class appears to be a step (or two) backward, at least when it comes to ratings. The Spartans landed on the wrong side of the top 100 this year, and while it isn’t a bad class, it doesn’t come close to staying on pace with the expectations set for them above. They only had a modest addition of three-stars, although they are still in line with their rankings average, but they are going about it in an extreme way.
• 2024 Summary: The Spartans were able to secure their December signees prior to Coach Brennan leaving, so their numbers aren’t skewed like some other teams in the Mountain West. That being said, it’s a good but not great class. San Jose State was able to sign double-digit three-stars for yet another season, and remain on pace to meet their expectations in that category. Likewise, they are standing firm in their team rankings. The critique would be that the Spartans aren’t coming close to their 2022 numbers, and while that probably won’t jeopardize the expectations presented for them here, it is a bit disappointing.
• 2025 Summary: The general consensus this year was that the Spartans would be in store for quite a drop-off from the Brennen era. That proved to be inaccurate on the field, but there was a step back on the recruiting trail this time around. San Jose State still put together a serviceable class in order to restock some of the positions of need for the 2025 season.
• 2026 Summary: The Spartans appear to have altered their recruiting philosophy with the new coaching staff, focusing more on transfer players. That is reflected in the data here, ending up on the wrong side of the top 115 with the past two classes. Also, their total three-stars haven’t been able to get over 15, mainly because they aren’t bringing in as many high school players. Even if San Jose State going transfer heavy, they can’t afford to slip further down in these dates points if they want to remain competitive.

UNLV

• Average Recruiting Ranking: 91.25 (128) (76) (99) (62)
• Total Number of 4 stars: (0) (1) (0) (0)
• Total Number of 3 stars: 61 (4) (19) (14) (24)
• Bottom Line: The Rebels look like a force to be reckoned with on the recruiting trail under Arroyo. They have put together back-to-back classes in the top ranks of the conference, and they have also landed some of the best individual recruits in the entire conference. As UNLV rebuilds, it is essential they continue their strong recruiting efforts, as it gives them an edge amongst their conference peers. Even if they simply continue their 2020/2021 efforts, they would meet these standards with little issue.
• 2023 Summary: The Rebels’ recruiting efforts had to endure a last-minute coaching change, but it seems like they are emerging from it in pretty good shape. When this exercise was created, Coach Arroyo had put together back-to-back strong recruiting classes, but that quickly faded and Coach Odom likely won’t recruit in the same fashion. Due to that, UNLV probably won’t meet the expectations for four-stars or four-year high for recruiting rankings laid out above. However, they can still build towards gathering three-stars and raising the bar on their four-year average for rankings.
• 2024 Summary: In Coach Odom’s first full class, it went about as well as it possibly could have. They brought in a ton of talent, with a focus on recruiting locally, and assembled one of the best classes in the Mountain West. It’s led by one of the few four-star recruits in the conference and joining him are a slew of skilled players who appear to fit their offensive and defensive schemes. This class goes a long way in salvaging the expectations laid out for them years ago under a different coach.
• 2025 Summary: The Rebels were on their way to arguably the best recruiting class in the Mountain West for the 2025 cycle, but things unraveled after the coaching change. They lost eight members of their high school recruiting class after they signed, bringing the class down a peg or two. UNLV still brought in a lot of talent in this class, but it was impacted by additional factors.
• 2026 Summary: The Rebels have seen huge progress in their recruiting the past three years to go along with their success on the field. 2026 was their highest-rated recruiting class ever, which is saying something considering their success the past few years, and it’s helped their four-year average under 100. Futhermore, the three-star total jumped over 60 for the last four years thanks to bringing in over 20 this past class. UNLV is developing a strong recruiting track record and it looks like it will continue.

Utah State

• Average Recruiting Ranking: 104.25 (110) (118) (95) (94)
• Total Number of 4 stars: 1 (1) (0) (0) (0)
• Total Number of 3 stars: 53 (7) (9) (20) (17)
• Bottom Line: Recruiting is much more challenging to be consistent with when facing a coaching changing just two years after the last coaching change. That’s the struggle Coach Anderson faces now, and since he wasn’t given much time to build the 2021 class, he can’t start to be evaluated in recruiting until the class of 2022. For the Aggies, their first step is (re)establishing recruiting ties and filling out classes with their needs. Due to those needs, their recruiting expectations are set lower. They should be able to meet those expectations, and it is essential that they do.
• 2023 Summary: After going transfer-heavy the past two years, Coach Anderson and his staff focused on junior college players to go along with their high school recruits in this class. While their final ratings may not compare to last year’s numbers, this class is solid at the top, with several intriguing recruits. Utah State continues to take a step forward in their recruiting efforts in terms of rankings, although they will fall off track with three stars players.
• 2024 Summary: Under Coach Anderson, the Aggies continue to put a focus on junior college and transfer players with high school players serving as more of a secondary focus. It’s worked for them on the field, but it does show up here as lacking as far as their recruiting expectations. While their recruiting ranking and number of three-stars has gone in the wrong direction the past two years, Utah State scored a victory by bringing in a four-star player from one of their junior college signees. That ensures that they will exceed the expectations set out for them in one category.
• 2025 Summary: Similar to Fresno State, Utah State was in a tough situation trying to recruit all season despite the uncertainty at head coach. But they put together a pretty complete class, prioritizing high school players for the first time in quite a few years. Most of the signed players stayed on with the new head coach, proving the Aggies a nice foundation in this new era.
• 2026 Summary: Despite bringing in a high number of transfers the past two seasons, the Aggies have put together back-to-back top 100 recruiting classes. While the program has never expereinced a ton of recruiting success, it seems they are getting better in recent seasons. It’s also impmortant to remember how little high school recruiting was prioritized under the previous regime. Utah State has greatly increased the three-stars in their class this year and last, showing they are making steady progress.

Wyoming

• Average Recruiting Ranking: 106 (121) (103) (92) (108)
• Total Number of 4 stars: 2 (0) (1) (1) (0)
• Total Number of 3 stars: 54 (3) (18) (16) (19)
• Bottom Line: The Cowboys have employed a methodical recruiting approach under Bohl, one focused on player development. It has worked for them, but it is far from flashy. They appeared to be taking a step forward in their 2020 class, but it didn’t necessarily carry over in 2021. Currently, there isn’t a wide gap between their best and worst classes over a four-year cycle. That should be Wyoming’s focus and the next step in their efforts, which seems attainable.
• 2023 Summary: The Cowboys have long focused on their type of players over recruiting rankings, and this year is no exception. They only had a quarter of the three-star recruits that they managed to sign last year and dropped a few dozen spots in the rankings. While some of their players may be underrated this cycle, this class may have undone the gains they made in the last one. Last year may end up being their four-year high when the cycle is done.
• 2024 Summary: The Cowboy’s class is a bit peculiar. They landed a four-star, their second in the past few years, and brought in what is easily their highest number of three-stars in the past three seasons. However, the class isn’t in the top 100 this season and isn’t even their best in recent cycles. As mentioned with a few other teams, the Wyoming coaching staff focuses on development, so they don’t need to secure top classes to be competitive. For Craig Bohl’s farewell class, this one has lots of potential.
• 2025 Summary: This time around, the Cowboys seemed to benefit from a new recruiting strategy under Jay Sawvel despite the rough results on the field. There also seemed to be a bigger emphasis on talent at the skill positions, and perhaps they adjusted their prototypes for those positions as well. It will be worth watching to see if this becomes more of the norm with this coaching staff.
• 2026 Summary: The Cowboys have been inconsistent in their recruiting efforts, with this current class looking like a step back from the 2025 cycle. They aren’t necessarily bad, but it doesn’t seem like the program is making much progress in the recruiting deparment. Similarly, the three-stars Wyoming is bringing into each class has plateued as well. Consistently does count for something, but the program needs to find an edge somewhere.

Next year, this post will likely use the established four-year recruiting ranking and four-year average number of three and four-star recruits to be able to compare the new class to the previous four classes. Then, the new class will be worked into the four-year averages each year. This will still accomplish the post’s original goal of looking at patterns for each program as they recruit.