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There are just under 20 five-star recruits in the ESPNW Class of 2026. Three players committed well before the 2025 summer recruiting period began, and more announcements should begin to trickle in during the fall. The most recent commitments were a pair on Saturday: No. 8 Jordyn Jackson to Maryland and No. 4 Kate Harpring to North Carolina. They follow No. 1 Saniyah Hall's commitment to USC, announced July 25. With rosters more fluid than ever due to the increased focus on the transfer portal and the new era of revenue sharing, high school recruits must think more carefully about their future college landing spot. We won't see these players in a college uniform for another season, but we can make some informed projections. How will they fit in their chosen system? What's next for those programs that have signed these top-tier talents? We try to answer all these questions here. Bookmark this page, as we will update this list and add key analysis every time a five-star recruit announces a commitment. Five-stars are ordered by rank below. Last updated: Aug. 9, 2025 See the full ESPNW 100 class of 2026 rankings here    Saniyah Hall, G2026 ESPNW 100 Ranking: 1
Committed to: USC Trojans
Commitment date: July 25, 2025 Background: Hall announced her commitment to USC on ESPN's "NBA Today." She went directly from her official visit at USC to the ESPN studios to break the news, choosing the Trojans over UCLA and North Carolina. She dominated at Montverde (Florida) last season and has transferred closer to home to Spire Academy (Ohio) for her senior year of high school. Hall was named the MVP of the U19 FIBA Women's World Cup held in the Czech Republic, where Team USA won gold once again. She averaged 19.9 PPG, 6.4 RPG, 2.0 APG and 2.9 SPG. She shot 52.6% from the field through the tournament, including 39.3% from behind the arc. How she fits: Hall will join a 2026-27 roster that will include Jasmine Davidson (also on the gold medal-winning U19 squad), JuJu Watkins, and 2025 FIBA Americup Gold medalist Kennedy Smith (No. 6 in the ESPNW 100 class of 2024). The versatility and scoring prowess of this combination will pose problems for opposing teams. The Trojans will have a WNBA/European style feel to the roster. Each of these players has a niche, but all of them can handle, score and defend at a high level. USC will look to further bolster its interior play in this 2026 class, and is targeting No. 2 recruit Oliviyah Edwards, who visited campus officially earlier in the year. How Hall must adjust: Hall has enough talent to contribute immediately -- there was even talk of her possibly reclassifying into the 2025 class. However, she will still need to make adjustments, primarily on defense, as a wing who will likely play some at forward (like she did primarily for Team USA). Hall has been the focal point offensively for her teams -- and though that aggressiveness will serve her well at all levels, she will be joining a roster that has Watkins, arguably the best scoring guard in the country. So, Hall will need to learn how to play with other truly elite players, possibly taking some of the load off Watkins as she returns from an ACL injury. How USC is positioning itself in the recruiting race: The signing of Hall shows just how strong of a brand the Trojans have built in recruiting, particularly after joining the Big Ten. The USC staff kept Watkins, the No. 1 recruit in 2023, close to home, had the No. 1 recruiting class in 2024, landed the No. 1 player in 2025 (Jasmine Davidson) -- and has done it again with Hall. All signs point to the Trojans being a recruiting powerhouse.
 Kate Harpring, PG2026 ESPNW 100 Ranking: 4
Committed to: North Carolina Tar Heels
Commitment date: Aug. 9, 2025 Background: The Georgia native, who currently plays for Marist School, picked the Tar Heels over the likes of Iowa, South Carolina and other powerhouse programs. Harpring has had an exceptional year, being named MVP of the inaugural Overtime Select competition and signing an NIL deal with Adidas. She averaged 32.3 points and 10.6 rebounds during her junior year and 19.0 points, 6.0 rebounds and 3.5 assists for her Adidas 3SSB team Southeast All Stars. Also a member of the women's under-19 5-on-5 team, Harpring helped Team USA to a gold medal at the FIBA U19 Women's World Cup, averaging 8.3 points, 3.7 rebounds and 2.4 assists in seven games. Her father, Matt, was Mr. Georgia and starred for Marist and Georgia Tech in the 1990s. He was a first-team All-ACC selection three times before an 11-year career in the NBA -- including seven with the Utah Jazz. Kate has already broken some of her father's high school scoring records. Her brother Luke currently plays football at Georgia Tech. How she fits: Harpring is a physical, competitive scorer who blew up last year to become a top-5 player in the class. She gives North Carolina its highest-rated recruit since No. 4 Ciera Toomey in 2023. The Tar Heels have now filled a hole in their perimeter with Harpring, who will slot into the guard spot well with her rebounding and hard-nosed defense as well as multifaceted scoring. She should easily take on the role once played by the likes of Lexi Donarski and Indya Nivar and should complement point guard Lanie Grant and wing Nyla Brooks very well next fall. After losing out on No. 1 Saniyah Hall, the Tar Heels will build around Harpring and hope for another solid recruiting class to follow the fifth-ranked 2025 group (headlined by Brooks). They've already gotten a head start, landing No. 48 Irene Guiamatsia on Friday night: a 6-4 forward and an active athlete around the rim who challenges shots defensively and carves out space for rebounds. Guiamatsia, who has shown considerable improvement this summer in her touch around the rim and beyond, is a lot like Maria Gakdeng, who just graduated from UNC.
  Jordyn Jackson, G2026 ESPNW 100 Ranking: 8
Committed to: Maryland Terrapins
Commitment date: Aug. 9, 2025 Background: Jackson chose Maryland over other finalists TCU, Alabama, Miami, South Carolina and Ohio State. A strong wing player, she established herself early in high school as one of the potential stars of the 2026 class. She has seen national success at perennial top-five program Sidwell Friends, but on July 15 announced she was transferring to the St. James Academy, following Tamika Dudley, her high school and club head coach. Jackson solidified her five-star status this past calendar year after adding advanced handle and shooting skills, as well as nuance to her change of pace. She is an explosive high-level defender and rebounder, and now that she's more skilled with the ball in her hands, she has made her slashing physical style to the rim that much harder to guard. She most recently averaged 15.0 points, 6.4 rebounds and 2.1 assists at July's Nike Nationals in Chicago. How she fits: Maryland plays an up-tempo and aggressive scoring style. ESPN recently compared Jackson to Maryland's Kaylene Smikle because of their similar size, build and scoring ability. Smikle will graduate this school year, so Jackson can step right in to fill that void in 2026-27. She will fit nicely with returners Kyndal Walker (PG), Oluchi Okananwa (G) and shooter Rainey Welson (G). Jackson is also Maryland's first commit of the 2026 class, so coach Brenda Frese will now look to bolster the interior, and perhaps the right combo type of guard to complement those players.
 Maddyn Greenway, PG2026 ESPNW 100 ranking: 11
Committed to: Kentucky Wildcats
Commitment date: Nov. 16, 2024 Background: The 5-foot-8 multisport athlete (basketball, soccer, track) chose Kentucky over finalists Iowa, Duke, Clemson, UCLA, and Stanford in November. It was a massive win for Wildcats coach Kenny Brooks, who has two five-star commits (No. 18 Savvy Swords). Greenway is one of the most decorated high school players to come out of Minnesota. She won state championships in all three sports, and just earned a gold medal with the 2025 USA Women's Basketball U19 World Cup team. She's also the reigning Minnesota Gatorade Player of the Year. Her mother, Jenni, ran track at Iowa (and is her high school track coach), and her father, Chad, played 11 years in the NFL after starring at linebacker for the Hawkeyes. How she fits: Kentucky's point guards must be major playmakers, and Greenway provides that. She puts immediate pressure on the defense and scores at all three levels. She's the ultimate competitor defensively, applying ball pressure and all-out hustle in rotations. What's next: Greenway will be tasked with becoming the next star point guard for Brooks, much like Georgia Amoore, who led Virginia Tech to a Final Four with him as coach in 2023 before both moved to Kentucky. Brooks is hoping to build Kentucky similarly in Year 2.
 Lilly Williams, P2026 ESPNW 100 ranking: 17
Committed to: Michigan State Spartans
Commitment date: Feb. 4, 2024 Background: Williams' path to becoming one of the top post players in the country was different from many on this list: She was homeschooled until this upcoming season (where she will attend Howell High School in Michigan), and she played for an independent club program, the Michigan Mystics P24, rather than for a shoe circuit team. She is not only good now, but has more potential to reach: At 6-foot-5, Williams can dunk. How she fits: Williams committed to Michigan State in early 2024. She had offers from most of the Big Ten, and then some. She will join the program as the tallest player on the roster, and will be expected to anchor a defense that prides itself on pressure and creating turnovers. As a mobile and strong interior player, Williams will give the Spartans a true center to play through. The program will still look to sign a point guard and scoring guard to round out the class.
Savvy Swords, W2026 ESPNW 100 ranking: 18
Committed to: Kentucky Wildcats
Commitment date: June 21, 2025 Background: The younger sister of Michigan guard and Canadian Olympian Syla Swords, Swords is a Canadian national team staple when not playing at Long Island Lutheran (New York) in high school. She missed most of the 2024-25 high school season and summer because of a knee injury, but has rehabbed successfully. She has played with a lot of winning teams, from high school to FIBA competition. She committed to Kentucky over finalists South Carolina, UCLA, Michigan and Notre Dame. How she fits: Swords, 6-1, can log minutes at wing or forward and potentially be interchangeable with 2025 McDonald's All-American signee Kaelyn Carroll. Swords is a confident shooter and facilitator from the perimeter, but plays with the physicality needed inside. She and Maddyn Greenway are a great early tandem of commits for the Wildcats.
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