Top 10 classes in the 2026 On3 Industry Team Recruiting Rankings

While the 2025 recruiting cycle is in full swing, the 2026 cycle is just getting underway. Some of the nation’s top recruits have announced a college destination as they head into their junior years.

The On3 Industry Team Recruiting Rankings measure a class’s overall strength based on the On3 Industry Ranking of the recruits committed to that school.

The On3 Industry Ranking is a proprietary algorithm that compiles ratings and rankings from all four primary recruiting media services. The On3 Industry Ranking is the industry’s most advanced, complete and unbiased measurement.

The On3 Industry Ranking weights the primary recruiting media services based on past performance data, and overall scouting and recruiting coverage investment.

For football, the algorithm is weighted as follows: On3 (35%), 247Sports (35%), Rivals.com (20%) and ESPN (10%). 

1) Auburn – 92.787

0 five-stars | 5 four-stars | 0 three-stars
Top Commit: Huntsville (Ala.) Jemison four-star EDGE Hezekiah Harris, No. 22 NATL. (No. 4 EDGE)

Hugh Freeze and Co. locked down a pair of early 2026 commitments in November and January, with four-star offensive lineman Kail Ellis and four-star wideout Denairius Gray starting off the class with a bang.

Almost seven full months later, they struck not once, not twice, but three times in the same weekend by landing Harris and four-star in-state linebackers Shadarius Toodle and JaMichael Garrett. The three are part of the ‘Freeze Five’ — a group of elite in-state targets that the Tigers want to sign. They are also three of the top eight in-state recruits in the 2026 class, Auburn a major jumpstart.

2) Penn State – 92.752

0 five-stars | 3 four-stars | 1 three-stars
Top Commit: Harrisburg (Pa.) four-star IOL Kevin Brown, No. 39 NATL. (No. 3 IOL)

The Nittany Lions have been busy in the city of Harrisburg early in the 2026 cycle, landing Brown and top-100 running back Messiah Mickens nearly a year apart. The duo play together at the high school level and will now team up in college, too. James Franklin and Co. have their quarterback in the class as well with four-star San Marcos (Calif.) Mission Hill passer Troy Huhn, who committed in June.

They also have a dynamic playmaker at receiver in the fold with three-star Jahsiear Rogers as well.

3) Georgia – 92.604

1 five-stars | 2 four-stars | 0 three-stars
Top Commit: Nashville (Tenn.) Christian School QB Jared Curtis, No. 8 NATL. (No. 1 QB)

The Bulldogs are the only program in the country with a five-star commitment in the 2026 cycle, and that belongs to Curtis, the country’s top quarterback prospect.

In late July, they added a pair of coveted cornerbacks by flipping Tampa (Fla.) IMG Academy’s Dominick Kelly from USC and landing in-state star Jontavius Wyman out of Jonesboro.

4) Florida State – 92.501

0 five-stars | 4 four-stars | 1 three-stars

Top Commit: Newbury Park (Calif.) four-star quarterback Brady Smigiel, No. 49 NATL. (No. 5 QB)

Miami Barbara Goleman Senior four-star safety Darryl Bell is the earliest commit of the class, having pledged in October. Vero Beach (Fla.) four-star athlete Efrem White joined the class in mid-December, and Tampa Gaither four-star athlete Darryon Williams gave the ‘Noles another key addition in April.

“I love the environment and energy they bring,” White told Warchant about his commitment. “The facility is great, and so are the fans. But most of all, I really respect and love how the coaching staff runs everything. They really make it feel like I’m home when I’m there, and I love the way they treat academics to better the players off the field.”

And despite a couple of key decommitments, FSU has stayed on track with the commitments of Smigiel and four-star safety Tedarius Hughes this summer, giving them one of the nation’s best early 2026 crops.

5) USC – 91.731

0 five-stars | 2 four-stars | 3 three-stars
Top Commit: Gainesville (Ga.) four-star linebacker Xavier Griffin, No. 20 NATL. (No. 2 LB)

The Trojans dipped into Georgia for another elite prospect in July with Griffin, despite losing five-star Peach State defensive lineman Justus Terry and Isaiah Gibson from the 2025 class earlier this summer.

He joins Los Angeles Loyola four-star cornerback Brandon Lockhart, who committed to USC back in October, nearly two months after Los Alamitos (Calif.) three-star wide receiver Ja’Myron Baker.

Lockhart pledged to USC in late October over Penn State and Oregon.

“I have for sure talked to other 26s and even a few 25s,” Lockhart told WeAreSc. “I think the class is stacked and has a huge opportunity to make USC a national powerhouse for years to come. ‘JuJu’ committing first is going to get things started for sure. Having a great quarterback lets everyone know what the offense will look like. 

“I can be the guy that people will look to for what the defense will look like.”

Bellflower (Calif.) St. John Bosco three-star athlete Joshua Holland and Pasadena (Calif.) Sierra Canyon three-star athlete Madden Riordan round out the class.

Teams 6-10

6. Oklahoma — 91.044
7. Florida – 90.133
8. Syracuse — 89.928
9. Miami — 89.685
10. LSU — 87.595