Craig Haubert, ESPN Staff Writer 12d

2026 college football recruiting class rankings: top 25 schools

Insider College Football, Football Recruiting, USC Trojans, Ohio State Buckeyes, Clemson Tigers, LSU Tigers, Texas A&M Aggies, Oregon Ducks, Penn State Nittany Lions, Notre Dame Fighting Irish, Syracuse Orange, Illinois Fighting Illini, Kansas Jayhawks, Louisville Cardinals, Auburn Tigers, Tennessee Volunteers, Miami Hurricanes, South Carolina Gamecocks, Arkansas Razorbacks, Florida State Seminoles, North Carolina Tar Heels, Boston College Eagles, Arizona State Sun Devils, Rutgers Scarlet Knights, Iowa Hawkeyes, Baylor Bears, TCU Horned Frogs

Texas signed the No. 1 class for the 2025 cycle, followed by Georgia, and while neither team is among the top 25 of our initial 2026 class rankings, this process is still in the early stages.

As we move toward the always active early summer commitment season, several programs are already off to quick starts. USC already has a big class, featuring double-digit ESPN 300 commits.

Defending national champion Ohio State is riding the wave of its 2024 success to a hot start on the recruiting trail. Five-star receiver Chris Henry Jr. has been a longtime commit and leads the class, but the Buckeyes also recently landed several notable defensive players, including pulling top-five safety Blaine Bradford out of Louisiana.

Programs that have not traditionally landed top-25 classes such as Syracuse, Kansas and Illinois are crashing the party with strong starts. Each of those classes has landed a commitment from at least one ESPN 300 prospect to make our list.

With nearly 65% of the ESPN 300 prospects still uncommitted, including 14 of the 21 five-stars, much is still to be determined. 

coverage:
What to know about the 2026 class
Spring's most interesting recruiting visits
Must-have targets for 30 top schools

1. USC Trojans

ESPN 300 commits: 11
Top offensive prospect: Shahn Alston
Top defensive prospect: R.J. Sermons

^ Back to Top ^