College football’s ecosystem has undergone radical transformations since returning from the COVID-19 pandemic, not the least of which are the changes to recruiting.The February National Signing Day already lost some of its significance as a major tentpole of the college football calendar. The introduction of the December early signing period began in 2017. Post-pandemic, relaxed transfer rules have placed a heightened premium on landing experienced playmakers who can make an immediate impact.And then there’s the role Name Image Likeness (NIL) plays in wooing recruits.Even with the metamorphosis of recruiting, plenty remains as it was years before: There is still a direct correlation between contending for a national title and the quality of recruiting classes signed — and retained. Many of the top-ranked recruits who signed before 2021 are still at the same school in 2024.–Winning on the trail, winning on the fieldPointing out the correlation between acquiring talent and winning games is hardly revelatory.Still, this year’s early-signing period reinforces that the connection is as strong as ever, even with the transfer portal sucking up some of the oxygen once reserved for the recruiting of freshmen.To wit, 247Sports’ top five-ranked classes as Wednesday began to wind down were all teams currently in line for College Football Playoff berths.1. Texas (Playoff No. 2)2. Georgia (No. 5)3. Alabama (No. 11)4. Oregon (No. 1)5. Ohio State (No. 6)There’s an obvious throughline from recruiting to results.But this can also work in reverse: Wins come first and thus attract recruits.Take SMU, another team heading into Championship Week with a clear pathway to the playoff.The Mustangs have the No. 30-ranked recruiting class commensurate with their upcoming appearance in the ACC championship game. That marks a new program-best under coach Rhett Lashlee, who was given another advantage in recruiting with a long-term contract extension this year.UNLV, which is playing for the Mountain West Conference championship and at No. 20 in the playoff rankings, very much alive for a spot in the postseason, has the No. 73-ranked 2025 recruiting class. That may not seem impressive, until one considers that Barry Odom’s first Rebels signing class ranked No. 132.Winning begets more winning, and the route to creating this kind of self-sustained success built on the recruiting trail is more feasible with the advent of the new transfer portal.–Budding Big Ten rivalry between Oregon and Ohio State reaches the recruiting trailMichigan and Washington will always be the true rivals to Big Ten Conference counterparts Ohio State and Oregon. However, as two of the most consistently successful programs of the 21st century and two of the most high-profile members of the new-look Big Ten, the Buckeyes and Ducks make for intriguing competitors of a different sort.A 32-31 classic for league supremacy in October set the scene for a heated competition that extended to National Signing Day. Dan Lanning’s Oregon staff flipped 5-star cornerback Na’eem Offord (Parker High School, Birmingham, Ala.) after a 10-month verbal commitment to Ohio State, scoring the Ducks their second major win over the Buckeyes in 2024.The 6-foot-1, 185-pound Offord is ranked the nation’s No. 2 cornerback prospect by 247Sports and No. 12 overall. His in-conference flip gave Oregon its second five-star pledge, joining No. 8-ranked overall prospect and wide receiver Dakorien Moore from Duncanville, Texas.Don’t shed any tears for Ryan Day and his Ohio State staff, though: The Buckeyes signed a pair of top-five recruits in quarterback Tavien St. Clair (Bellefontaine, Ohio) and cornerback Devin Sanchez (North Shore High School/Houston).–Can Billy Napier and Matt Rhule parlay strong National Signing Days into restored glory for Florida and Nebraska?Late-season wins over LSU, Ole Miss and a rout of in-state rival Florida State has Florida football on an upward trajectory. Coach Billy Napier and his staff continued the positive momentum on signing day with a class ranked No. 10 overall and headlined by Sunshine State blue-chippers.Of the Gators’ four most highly rated signees, three come from Florida: wide receiver Vernell Brown III (Jones High School/Orlando); cornerback Ben Hanks Jr. (Booker T. Washington High School/Miami); and safety Hylton Stubbs (Mandarin High School/Jacksonville).Signing three of the state’s top 10 prospects adds symbolic value of the Gators maintaining a strong presence in critical recruiting territory, despite a lean stretch for the program overall.Nebraska similarly capped its 2024 regular season with some positive direction, securing the program’s first bowl in eight years. That’s a small step for a program with national championship aspirations, but attracting the second top 20-ranked recruiting class in as many years under coach Matt Rhule bodes well for the Cornhuskers taking longer strides in the immediate future.