How Rivals Industry Ranking change impacts Notre Dame’s 2026 class

The rankings changes may seem complicated, but they boils down to these two things:

1. The old Rivals ranking using the 6.0 scale is gone.
2. The On3 rankings led by Charles Power and Cody Bellaire have been rebranded to Rivals.

Blue & Gold’s Kyle Kelly did a great job outlining the changes to the new Rivals rankings updated today. But what about the On3 Industry Ranking?

The name has changed to the Rivals Industry Ranking and equally weighs the primary recruiting services: 247 Sports (33%), Rivals (33%) and ESPN (33%).

So, with the new Rivals rankings updated, the old Rivals rankings phased out, and an increase in how much ESPN is weighted in the formula, how has that impacted Notre Dame’s class of 2026 commits in the Industry Ranking?

From the standpoint of the entire class, it was a net positive. Notre Dame’s class previously ranked No. 4 with a “score” of 92.50. The new class score is 92.53, which ranks No. 3 in America.

This is a minuscule bump, but it’s not a drop like Texas A&M had due to the major update. The Aggies’ class previously was No. 3 overall with a score of 92.603. Mike Elko’s group dropped to No. 4 with a score of 92.381.

Don’t take the smallest bump for granted.

Only Georgia and USC rank ahead of Notre Dame now — in that order. USC was No. 1 before the latest update, but Georgia now has a lead of .002 (93.209 vs. 93.207).

Which Notre Dame recruits saw the most benefit from this change?

Towson (Md.) Loyola Blakefield’s Khary Adams is nearing five-star status. While Rivals only has 12 five-star recruits currently, the Industry Ranking has 32 five-stars.

Adams was the No. 61 player and No. 6 cornerback nationally per the Industry Ranking but now sits at No. 38 overall and No. 5 at his position.

With Wyndmoor (Pa.) La Salle College’s Grayson McKeogh skyrocketing to No. 13 overall by Rivals, his Industry Ranking shot up as well. He’s now the No. 178 overall player and No. 14 offensive tackle — up 102 spots nationally by the metric.

Savannah (Ga.) Benedictine Military School’s Bubba Frazier made his debut in the Rivals300 with a fresh four-star ranking. His Industry Ranking is No. 224 overall and No. 38 wide receiver, up from No. 282 overall and No. 47 nationally.

Phoenix Brophy Prep’s Devin Fitzgerald remains a three-star, but his Rivals recruit grade improved from 87 to 88. He’s now the No. 461 overall player and No. 71 wide receiver by the Industry Ranking in the land and seems to be closing in on four-star status.

The update was kind to Bastrop (Texas) High’s Tiki Hola, who is now an Industry Ranking four-star. He’s the No. 361 overall prospect and No. 39 defensive lineman in the land.

Rivals bumped Toledo (Ohio) Central Catholic’s Preston Fryzel into its top-300 national rankings, but he’s still a three-star by the Industry Ranking. He made a major jump in it though, going from the No. 618 overall recruit to No. 425. He’s the No. 22 tight end per the Industry Ranking, compared to Rivals listing him at No. 14.

No Notre Dame recruit saw a bigger national Industry Ranking change than Avon (Conn.) Old Farms’ Charlie Thom, who was the No. 1,189 overall recruit and No. 97 offensive tackle. Thom is now a high three-star by Rivals’ own rankings and the No. 674 prospect and No. 49 offensive tackle per the Industry Ranking.

McKeogh and Thom had great bumps, but the ranking changes weren’t ideal for three other Irish offensive line commits.

Mechanicsburg (Pa.) Cumberland Valley’s Tyler Merrill took a tumble, falling from No. 128 nationally to No. 202. His IOL position ranking dropped 10 spots to No. 14.

Allegan (Mich.) High’s Sullivan Garvin took a tumble to No. 557 overall and No. 56 in the interior offensive lineman rankings. He was previously a four-star recruit.

Davison (Mich.) High’s Ben Nichols had a relatively small slide, dropping 43 spots nationally and from No. 15 to No. 18 among the interior O-linemen, per the Industry Ranking.

There were other ranking changes, with some commits moving up a bit and others slightly down, but what’s listed above were the notable updates.