4-star RB Brian Bonner names top 5 schools

Santa Clarita (Calif.) Valencia four-star running back Brian Bonner is down to five schools in his recruitment, he tells On3’s Hayes Fawcett.

Among the remaining contenders are Notre Dame, Nebraska, UCLA, Washington and Penn State. Bonner already has an official visit locked in with the Huskies, and is coming off a trip to Happy Valley to see the Nittany Lions and new running backs coach Stan Drayton. Now he’ll be looking to set up more OVs for the coming month.

Bonner also made stops at Notre Dame and Michigan last month, but the Wolverines didn’t ultimately make the cut of his final five.

The 6-foot-1, 185-pounder is the No. 99 overall prospect and No. 7 RB in the 2026 class, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.

On3, however, is higher on him than the other three services. In the most recent On300 rankings, he was tabbed as the country’s No. 55 recruit and No. 4 running back.

Bonner’s junior season was his first as a full-time running back, and he showed out in a big way. The do-it-all back rushed 197 times for 1,493 yards (7.6 avg.) and 25 touchdowns. Through the air, he pulled in 40 receptions for 498 yards and four more scores. He also is a standout on the track, running a sub-10.5 100-meter dash as a sophomore.

Bonner recently broke down some of his top contenders

In an interview with On3’s Chad Simmons earlier this month, Bonner talked about the top schools in recruitment.

Washington: “I was at Washington on March 8 and I will be back on April 25 for my official visit. It is about the way they recruit me with Washington. Coach Graham stays in contact with me a lot, he is always checking on me and he and the staff want me up there as much as possible. I like the relationships I have with the coaches at Washington, how hard they recruit me and the education they offer too.”

Notre Dame: “What stood out most about Notre Dame was the education. I learned a lot about their program, and I knew the education was good, but I didn’t know it was one of the best in the world. Education is very important to me and it is something I am looking for, so that caught my attention.

Penn State: “Like Michigan and Notre Dame, I want to get to Penn State, see how I feel and decide if I want to go back for an official visit or not,” Bonner said. “The running backs they have and what they have done are what has Penn State on my radar. How they operate their offense through the running backs stands out too. Even though they changed running back coaches, their staff has been recruiting me hard. I am talking more with coach Drayton now, but I have been in contact with most of the staff. That showed me a lot.”

Nebraska and UCLA: “I have had a couple of great visits to Nebraska and UCLA is a school I like too. Both are recruiting me very hard and I am considering them for official visits also. It is a lot for me to think about.”