Which college football teams have been recruiting the best on defense?

With 213 ESPN 300 recruits committed, quite a few college football recruiting classes are starting to take shape and fill needs.

Some highly ranked and highly sought-after players have come off the board over the past few months, making big impacts on future rosters. We recently highlighted some of the teams that are recruiting the best on offense, and now we’re looking at the teams recruiting the best so far on defense.

Of the five defensive recruits ranked as five-stars, only defensive lineman Peter Woods has made a commitment (Clemson). There are still a lot of big names on the board, but plenty have already made a decision.

Cornerback

Georgia Bulldogs

The Dawgs have had success at this position under Kirby Smart, signing seven ESPN 300 corners over the past three classes. That includes Kelee Ringo, the No. 1 corner in the 2020 class who sealed last season’s national championship with a pick-six.

Ringo returns this season, and while the staff lost Derion Kendrick, Ameer Speed, Lovasea Carroll and Jalen Kimber, it brings in Nyland Green, a former ESPN 300 prospect in the 2021 class; Jaheim Singletary, a top-25 recruit in the 2022 class; and Marcus Washington, a top-100 recruit who reclassified from 2023 to 2022.

In the 2023 class, Georgia currently has three ESPN 300 cornerbacks: A.J. Harris (No. 4 CB), Justyn Rhett (No. 18) and Daniel Harris (No. 23).

Ohio State Buckeyes

The Buckeyes revamped their defensive staff, hiring defensive coordinator Jim Knowles this offseason. Knowles, whose Oklahoma State team ranked 10th in passing defense last year, is returning corner Denzel Burke and Cameron Brown, while also bringing in Oklahoma State transfer Tanner McCalister.

Marcus Williamson, Sevyn Banks and Lejond Cavazos are among the corners from last year to leave the team, leaving some opportunities to play in the future.

The defensive staff has ESPN 300 corners Dijon Johnson, Calvin Simpson-Hunt and Kayin Lee committed, who are all ranked in the top 200 in the 2023 class. The coaches also have unranked four-star Jermaine Matthews in the fold.

Alabama Crimson Tide

The Crimson Tide have recruited nearly every position well under Nick Saban, and corner is in that category. The coaches have two of the top three corners committed in this class with Tony Mitchell and Jahlil Hurley.

Mitchell is a 6-foot-2, 190-pound corner from…