The college football recruiting class of 2018 refers to the recruiting of high school athletes to play college football starting in the fall of 2018. The scope of this article covers: (a) the colleges and universities with recruiting classes ranking among the top 20 in the country as assessed by at least one of the major media companies, and (b) the individual recruits ranking among the top 20 in the country as assessed by at least one of the major media companies. Georgia was rated by 247Sports, Rivals and On3 as having the No. 1 recruiting class in 2018. Ohio State was rated by the same selectors at No. 2.
Quarterback Trevor Lawrence was rated by Rivals, 247Sports, and USA Today as the No. 1 recruit in the 2016 class. Lawrence played for Clemson from 2018 to 2020 and for the Jacksonville Jaguars since 2021.
Quarterback Justin Fields was rated by the same selectors as the No. 2 recruit. Fields played for Georgia in 2018, Ohio State in 2019 and 2020, the Chicago Bears from 2021 to 2023, the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2024, and for the New York Jets since 2025.
Top ranked classes
School 247 Rivals On3Georgia111Ohio State222Texas343USC434Alabama576Penn State655Clemson787Miami (FL)8612Oklahoma988Notre Dame10119Florida State111013Auburn121210Oregon131317Florida141716LSU151411Washington161515Texas A&M171614South Carolina181819UCLA191920North Carolina202325Tennessee212026Nebraska232118
Top ranked recruits
PlayerPositionSchoolRivals247SportsUSA TodayESPNTrevor LawrenceQuarterbackClemson1112Justin FieldsQuarterbackGeorgia2221Eyabi AnomaDefensive endAlabama7433Amon-Ra St. BrownWide receiverUSC3111235JT DanielsQuarterbackUSC4161664Xavier ThomasDefensive endClemson5334Micah ParsonsLinebackerPenn State6557Patrick Surtain IICornerbackAlabama8665Jamaree SalyerOffensive guardGeorgia9101023Zamir WhiteRunning backGeorgia109915Nick Petit-FrereOffensive tackleOhio State117713Adam AndersonDefensive endGeorgia12181956Lorenzo LingardRunning backMiami (FL)13252660Tyreke JohnsonSafetyOhio State14343537Justyn RossWide receiverClemson15454874Jackson CarmanOffensive tackleClemson16171721Brendan Radley-HilesCornerbackOklahoma173839101Justin ShorterWide receiverPenn State18878Cade MaysOffensive tackleGeorgia19222325Teradja MitchellLinebackerOhio State20444324Tyson CampbellCornerbackGeorgia2512119Terrace Marshall Jr.Wide receiverLSU27131310KJ HenryDefensive endClemson2614146Palaie Gaoteote IVLinebackerUSC21151518Caden SternsSafetyTexas24191939Taron VincentDefensive tackleOhio State40201819Brenton Cox Jr.Defensive endGeorgia33232211B.J. FosterSafetyTexas57242412Asante Samuel Jr.CornerbackFlorida State46605714Devon WilliamsAthleteUSC47403816Ricky SladeRunning backPenn State37272517Brevin JordanTight endMiami49333020
References