On3 Outliers: 2026 prospects On3 ranks higher than the recruiting industry

Attention is beginning to turn toward the junior class as the fall treks on, and On3 has released its latest recruiting rankings for the 2026 cycle. Included on that list are a number of prospects that On3 is higher on than the industry’s other three services: 247Sports, ESPN and Rivals.

Director of Scouting and Rankings Charles Power and National Scout Cody Bellaire break down some of the biggest outliers for On3 so far in the 2026 cycle:

S Kaiden Hall

On300 Ranking: No. 24
Next Highest Ranking: No. 197 (ESPN)
Industry Comparison
Scout’s Take: “Kaiden Hall has a big frame and overall great size as a safety prospect. He’s around 6-foot-2 and 195 pounds. You see it show up on the field where he’s a two-way player, playing quarterback and safety for his high school. Very physical, downhill run-defender. A guy who we could possibly see growing into a linebacker, depending on how he continues to fill out his frame. Shows good on-field athleticism and versatility with his ability to play the run and the pass. It puts him in a pretty good position in what looks to be a good safety group nationally. He’s going to have a lot of competition, but he’s one that we’re high on right now.” — Charles Power, On3 Director of Scouting and Rankings

OT Claude Mpouma

On300 Ranking: No. 31
Next Highest Ranking: N/R
Industry Comparison
Scout’s Take: “Claude Mpouma is in his first year of football. He’s primarily been a basketball athlete to this point. His recruitment has blown up and for good reason. He looks to be a natural left tackle. He moves really well and I think for a first-year player, he shows very good ability to drive through his hips, play with leverage and just has natural play-strength, combined with the basketball athleticism. When you watch him play, he appears to be a natural, which isn’t always the case with players who are new to the sport. Appears to have a very high upside. Reminds us a little bit of Andrew Babalola this time last year after he got his first varsity action. Mpouma is on a similar trajectory based off what we’ve seen so far.” — Charles Power, On3 Director of Scouting and Rankings

OT Kelvin Obot

On300 Ranking: No. 39
Next Highest Ranking: N/R
Industry Comparison
Scout’s Take: “Kelvin Obot is a highly athletic offensive tackle and one that has some of the most fun film we’ve seen this update. He is an utterly dominant offensive tackle playing in the state of Idaho. He does what he wants against the competition, which you would hope for for a blue-chip OT. He’s an elite mover and plays with a nasty streak, just an array of pancake blocks and him making explosive plays as a run-blocker and pass-protector. As we continue to get more information about where he stacks up physically, we’ll have a better idea on his ultimate ceiling. But his film is as good as any that you’ll watch midway through the junior year. He has a multi-sport background to back up the explosiveness he shows on Friday nights, too.” — Charles Power, On3 Director of Scouting and Rankings

QB Jake Fette — Arizona State commit

On300 Ranking: No. 55
Next Highest Ranking: No. 177 (ESPN)
Industry Comparison
Scout’s Take: “Jake Fette is a dynamic playmaker at quarterback. One of the better athletes at QB in the 2026 cycle that we’ve seen thus far. A guy who’s very explosive with the ball in his hands and is off to a strong start in his junior year. Had a game recently where he threw eight touchdowns in the first half, so he’s playing really well. A true dual-threat and a fluid athlete with a good arm. We were high on him coming out of his sophomore year and when we’ve looked at how he’s played to this point as a junior, we felt like his high ranking was merited at this point. A guy who’s floated a little under the radar to this point, from El Paso, a city that’s not loaded with typical blue-chip prospects. What we’ve seen from Fette this far, the overall athleticism and playmaking, has been very encouraging.” — Charles Power, On3 Director of Scouting and Rankings

EDGE Nolan Wilson

On300 Ranking: No. 56
Next Highest Ranking: N/R
Industry Comparison
Scout’s Take: “Nolan Wilson is a disruptive EDGE defender with tremendous burst and power at the point of attack with impressive pop in his hands for a prospect his age. That raw strength can be seen off the field as well as he throws in the shot put and the discus. Wilson has excellent knifing ability and is constantly finding his way into backfields by getting skinny between blockers and flying off the line of scrimmage. His overall movement skill for his size with his length is exactly what coaches at the next level are looking for off the edge. This is a player that will continue to get even better as he adds mass to his frame and develops his hand usage.” — Cody Bellaire, On3 National Scout

DL Earnest Rankins

On300 Ranking: No. 57
Next Highest Ranking: N/R
Industry Comparison
Scout’s Take: “Earnest Rankins possesses a phenomenal combination of size and twitch along the interior defensive line. One of the freakier human beings in the 2026 class from a body type perspective standing in at 6-foot-5, 290+ pounds with absurd length. has the ability to plug gaps along the interior without being moved off the line of scrimmage as well as the ability to get skinny and knife between guards with ease. He has arguably one of the highest ceilings of any interior defensive linemen in the country.” — Cody Bellaire, On3 National Scout

LB Isaiah Simmons

On300 Ranking: No. 67
Next Highest Ranking: No. 277 (ESPN)
Industry Comparison
Scout’s Take: “Isaiah Simmons is a prospect that we are banking on having hit down the line as more of a long term projection at the linebacker position. At 6-foot, 190+ pounds, Simmons has good length with excellent movement skills. His top-end speed and explosiveness that he has displayed on the camp circuit shows up on tape when he triggers to the football. Need to see some development when it comes to scanning the field and diagnosing opposing offenses, but the physical and athletic traits are already super impressive for his age. Has a chance to be one of the more dominant prospects coming out of the east coast in this 2026 cycle.” — Cody Bellaire, On3 National Scout

EDGE Ronelle Johnson

On300 Ranking: No. 100
Next Highest Ranking: N/R
Industry Comparison
Scout’s Take: “Ronelle Johnson is one of the more physically impressive prospects on the defensive side of the ball in this 2026 cycle and has the numbers off the field to back it up as well. During his sophomore track and field season, Johnson threw over 49 feet in the shot put as well as a 138-foot discus, That raw power shows up on Saturdays where he can be seen bullying offensive linemen at the point of attack. But Johnson has some impressive bend and ability to get after the quarterback as well with advanced hand usage for his age and excellent burst off the line of scrimmage. One of the safest prospects on the defensive side of the ball in 2026.” — Cody Bellaire, On3 National Scout

QB Tayden Kaawa

On300 Ranking: No. 101
Next Highest Ranking: N/R
Industry Comparison
Scout’s Take: “Tayden Kaawa is a physical specimen at the quarterback position with impressive athletic ability to match. The 6-foot-5, 220+ pound signal caller from Utah has one of the best physical builds of any quarterback in the 2026 recruiting cycle and he can rip the football as well. His ability to rifle passes into tight windows as well as drop the ball in the bucket on deep balls jumps off the tape. He is comfortable on the move and can throw the ball with great accuracy on the run. If he can develop more consistency with his mechanics and continue to improve in his decision making Kaawa can be finish as one of the top signal callers in the country.” — Cody Bellaire, On3 National Scout

QB Matt Ponatoski

On300 Ranking: No. 110
Next Highest Ranking: N/R
Industry Comparison
Scout’s Take: “Matt Ponatoski has seen his recruitment take off in football as a junior and he’s having a fantastic season, playing top competition at Moeller High in Cincinnati. His film as a passer is up there with the best we’ve watched so far in this junior season. He’s just dicing teams up, showing good arm talent, the ability to make throws to multiple levels, throwing with touch and accuracy. He has an interesting background. He’s considered an elite baseball prospect, the No. 1 baseball prospect in Ohio, has over 40 offers. I think he’s going to have a lot of options in football once he starts to gain traction with college coaches based on how he’s played to this point. His production as a passer is among the best we’ve seen in this cycle and I think he has the look of a national prospect at QB, based off the film and what he’s done so far this fall.” — Charles Power, On3 Director of Scouting and Rankings