Ole Miss, Notre Dame, and Michigan Surge in Summer Recruiting as Lane Kiffin, Marcus Freeman, and Jim Harbaugh Reload for 2025
Summer recruiting has become one of the most critical battlegrounds in college football, and in 2025, three of the nation’s biggest programs—Ole Miss, Notre Dame, and Michigan—are seizing the spotlight. Each school is riding significant momentum, landing blue-chip prospects and reshaping the national landscape in their own distinct ways. As the race to dominate the recruiting trail heats up, Lane Kiffin’s Rebels, Marcus Freeman’s Fighting Irish, and Jim Harbaugh’s Wolverines are setting themselves up for massive future success.
At Ole Miss, Lane Kiffin has long had a reputation as one of college football’s most creative offensive minds and aggressive recruiters. But this summer, he’s taken it to another level. The Rebels are trending upward with a wave of high-profile commitments, especially on the offensive side of the ball. Kiffin has secured pledges from several top-rated wide receivers and quarterbacks, reinforcing his vision of building a dynamic, high-scoring team that can compete with the SEC elite.
Kiffin’s success has come not just from talent identification but from his use of modern recruiting tools. Ole Miss has become one of the most active and effective programs in the NIL space, giving it an edge with recruits who are evaluating long-term financial and branding opportunities. Unlike other programs that shy away from NIL discussions, Kiffin embraces it. His pitch is simple and compelling: come to Ole Miss, get developed for the NFL, and build your personal brand in a way that few other schools can offer.
The Rebels have been particularly dominant in the Southeast, poaching talent from traditional SEC powers and holding their own against schools like Alabama, Georgia, and LSU. This year’s class already includes multiple top-100 prospects, with more expected to commit before the season kicks off. Defensive recruiting has also improved under Kiffin’s leadership, thanks in part to a stronger emphasis on player development and scheme versatility. If this summer is any indication, Ole Miss is no longer just a fun offensive team—it’s becoming a serious contender in every phase.
Meanwhile, Notre Dame is putting together one of the strongest recruiting classes in the country under Marcus Freeman. Freeman, who has brought youthful energy and relentless work ethic to South Bend, is proving that Notre Dame can not only keep pace with modern recruiting powers but beat them outright. This summer has seen the Irish land commitments from elite prospects across multiple positions, particularly in the defensive secondary, offensive line, and at quarterback.
Freeman’s approach is a blend of old-school Notre Dame tradition and forward-thinking innovation. He emphasizes academics, national exposure, and NFL development, but he also understands how to connect with recruits in the social media era. His authenticity has resonated with both players and their families, and the result has been a surge in recruiting wins over programs like Ohio State, Michigan, and USC.
Perhaps most impressively, Freeman has built a recruiting machine that operates coast-to-coast. Notre Dame has landed top prospects from California, Texas, Florida, and the Midwest this summer, showing just how far the program’s national brand still reaches. Recruits are responding not just to the name on the jersey, but to the vision Freeman is selling: compete for championships, prepare for the NFL, and grow into leaders off the field. That message is paying off in a big way.
Notre Dame’s momentum is especially noticeable at the quarterback position, where the Irish have secured a commitment from one of the top passers in the 2025 class. That addition, paired with multiple blue-chip receivers and a top-5 offensive tackle, suggests Freeman is building a complete and balanced roster that can go toe-to-toe with the best in the country. Defensively, Notre Dame is loading up on hybrid athletes who can play multiple positions—a trend that mirrors the direction of modern football and gives the Irish flexibility in how they attack opponents.
Then there’s Michigan, a program with its own unique recruiting energy under Jim Harbaugh. After a brief NFL flirtation, Harbaugh has returned to Ann Arbor with renewed focus and is turning that energy into recruiting wins. Michigan’s summer has been defined by steady, methodical success—landing highly-rated players at premium positions, while also securing key in-state commitments that solidify its Big Ten dominance.
Harbaugh’s recruiting blueprint is built around development, toughness, and a clear NFL pipeline. His track record of sending offensive linemen, edge rushers, and defensive backs to the pros is a major draw, and this summer he’s doubling down on those strengths. Michigan has landed multiple top offensive linemen, including a five-star tackle who many believe could be the next cornerstone of the Wolverines’ line. That commitment alone sent shockwaves through the recruiting world and reaffirmed Harbaugh’s ability to win head-to-head battles with SEC programs.
The Wolverines are also making noise on the defensive side of the ball, where their 2025 class is shaping up to be one of the deepest in recent memory. Speed, versatility, and size have all been points of emphasis, and Michigan’s commits reflect that priority. Several defensive backs with sub-4.4 speed have joined the fold, giving the Wolverines a potential secondary that can compete with the high-flying Big Ten offenses of USC and Oregon.
Perhaps most importantly, Michigan is starting to win more battles outside the Midwest. For years, Harbaugh’s recruiting was criticized for being too regional. But this summer, Michigan has gone into Georgia, Texas, and California and come out with top talent. That national footprint is crucial as the Big Ten becomes a bi-coastal conference with the addition of West Coast powerhouses. Harbaugh appears to be adjusting his strategy accordingly—and succeeding in the process.
What makes this summer surge from these three programs so compelling is that they’re all rising in different ways. Ole Miss is ascending through innovation and charisma. Notre Dame is leveraging tradition with a modern edge. Michigan is building a machine based on fundamentals and NFL production. And yet, all three are finding common ground in their success: elite recruiting results that could transform their programs for years to come.
There’s also an underlying sense of urgency driving these recruiting battles. With the expanded College Football Playoff arriving soon, the window for national relevance is both widening and becoming more competitive. Programs that stack back-to-back top classes now will be in position to not only qualify for the playoff, but to win games once they’re in. Lane Kiffin, Marcus Freeman, and Jim Harbaugh all understand this dynamic, and their summer recruiting hauls reflect a calculated push to stay ahead of the curve.
Another notable factor is the way each head coach has involved himself personally in the recruiting process. Kiffin is constantly engaging on social media, using humor and relatability to connect with younger athletes. Freeman is visiting high schools, sitting down with families, and pitching Notre Dame face-to-face with passion and clarity. Harbaugh is taking a more stoic approach, but his NFL credibility and recent on-field success speak loudly during in-home visits and official visits alike.
Each coach is different, but their results are trending in the same direction—up. That’s bad news for their rivals. With Ole Miss poised to disrupt the SEC hierarchy, Notre Dame emerging as a serious playoff threat, and Michigan strengthening its position atop the Big Ten, the recruiting landscape is being reshaped before our eyes. The ripple effects of this summer will be felt not just in 2025, but well beyond.
Recruits talk, and momentum matters. A five-star edge rusher sees who’s joining Ole Miss and thinks, “Why not me?” A blue-chip quarterback watches Notre Dame land two elite receivers and suddenly sees a fit. A top cornerback looks at Michigan’s recent draft results and imagines himself in that same spot. That’s how snowballs become avalanches in college football recruiting.
Of course, landing recruits is just the beginning. Development, culture, and continuity will ultimately determine whether these summer gains translate into fall victories. But if recruiting is the lifeblood of any program, then Ole Miss, Notre Dame, and Michigan are walking into the 2025 season healthier than most. They’re not just stacking stars—they’re building identities, rosters, and futures.
The 2025 college football season is still months away, but the groundwork for greatness is being laid right now. In Oxford, South Bend, and Ann Arbor, the buzz is real, the momentum is tangible, and the expectations are growing. These three programs, each with their own style and strategy, are staking their claim as contenders in a new era of college football. Whether they can sustain it remains to be seen, but one thing is clear: this summer, they’ve already won the battle for national attention.
