Ever since Liberty made the move to the ranks of an FBS Independent, one of the big questions has been – who are Liberty’s rivals? It hasn’t really changed much since moving to Conference USA, though some teams appear to be emerging as potential rivals. There are several teams that could fit into that category of being a rival, and maybe the best way is to track who Liberty is recruiting against.

This can identify potential rivals as well as point to what Liberty’s program could look like in the future with multiple FBS recruiting classes piled on top of each other. If the Flames are consistently recruiting against Power Four opponents, then it makes sense that the program could rise to that level. But if Liberty is recruiting against mainly the FCS upper tier and worst teams in the FBS, then that’s likely the team Liberty will have on the field.

We could compare the list of all the prospects Liberty has offered the past couple of seasons and compare those to other offers those prospects have received, but that would take too much time and it’s probably not very accurate. On the offer list, there are certainly some prospects that Liberty is no longer actively recruiting and there are others at the other end of the spectrum that have zero interest in the Flames.

To get a true gauge of who the Flames are actively recruiting against, it is better to compare who makes Liberty’s top prospects finalists list and also who has taken an official visit to campus in Lynchburg. For the Class of 2026, we have compiled all prospects that have released a finalist list of a top 12, top 10, top 8, etc. with Liberty included, and tabulated who has made those finalists lists with the Flames, as well as who has also offered prospects that have taken (or are scheduled to take) official visits to Liberty.

Here is whose name showed up most frequently on prospects’ finalists lists alongside Liberty:

  • South Florida
  • East Carolina
  • Appalachian State
  • Western Kentucky
  • James Madison

Those five programs have stood out among the rest of the FBS over the past two recruiting cycles. Liberty is frequently recruiting against these. It shouldn’t come as much of a surprise, maybe USF could be a bit of a surprise.

Here’s a look at the next group of schools that Liberty frequently recruits against:

  • Arkansas State
  • Charlotte
  • Georgia Southern
  • Southern Miss
  • Troy
  • Georgia Tech
  • UConn
  • Wake Forest

Others that also show up frequently, but trail the top two groups:

  • Coastal Carolina
  • Georgia State
  • Jax State
  • Memphis
  • Miami OH
  • Virginia Tech

Other CUSA teams that show up occasionally include Delaware, Kennesaw State, and FIU.

One school that used to be at or near the top of these lists was Old Dominion, but it doesn’t seem like the Flames and Monarchs are frequently recruiting the same player anymore.