The commitments of five-stars Jackson Cantwell and Jared Curtis in the last 10 days kicked off a “commitment season” that will surely be full of fireworks. Before the tidal wave of commitment announcements hits its peak, take a look at which teams have the best recruiting classes at each position.
MORE CANTWELL: Miami pulls off a stunner | How badly does this sting Georgia, Oregon and Ohio State? | How often do No. 1 prospects flip from their original commitment? | CanesCounty.com coverage
CLASS OF 2025 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Team | Position | State
CLASS OF 2026 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Team | Position | State
CLASS OF 2027 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Team | Position | State
TRANSFER PORTAL: Full coverage | Player ranking | Team ranking | Transfer search | Transfer Tracker
QUARTERBACK: Tennessee
Commitments: Faizon Brandon
Despite the departure of Nico Iamaleava, the future of Tennessee’s quarterback room is secure thanks to Brandon. The North Carolina native has all the physical tools to excel at the next level and has an elite arm. Brandon has proven he can be productive with or without high-level playmakers lining up beside him.
Expect head coach Josh Heupel and company to give Brandon every opportunity to play early in his college career.
RUNNING BACK: Oregon
Commitments: Tradarian Ball
Most of the top running backs in the Rivals250 have yet to announce their commitment, but Ball made the early decision to play for Oregon. The speedster out of Texas was heavily recruited throughout the process, but the Ducks identified him early and made sure he was treated like a priority.
Ball, who was being courted by Texas, Texas A&M, and Miami, should fit into Oregon’s offensive style very nicely and is expected to make an impact as a pass catcher as well.
WIDE RECEIVER: Ohio State
Commitments: Chris Henry Jr., Kayden Dixon-Wyatt, Brock Boyd, Jaeden Ricketts
It normally wouldn’t come as a surprise that Ohio State has the best recruiting class at receiver but LSU made this a very close call. Still, the Buckeyes get the nod thanks to five-star Henry and No. 31 overall prospect Dixon-Wyatt.
Ohio State is also the only team that currently holds commitments from more than three receivers with at least a four-star rating.
Henry was an early pledge to Ohio State, but flirted with Oregon. He has since reaffirmed his commitment to the Buckeyes and helped recruit Dixon-Wyatt, despite major pushes from Oregon, Georgia, USC and Texas.
Boyd was an early pledge to TCU but the Texas native decided to flip to Ohio State last month. Ricketts, an in-state prospect, jumped at the chance to play for Ohio State when given the opportunity.
TIGHT END: Oregon
Commitments: Kendre' Harrison
Harrison is one of the rare five-star prospects at the tight end position thanks to his abilities on both sides of the football but also because of the freakish athleticism he’s shown off on the basketball court.
A high-level recruit in both sports, Harrison seriously considered North Carolina, Georgia and a few others before he chose Oregon. The chance to play both sports for the Ducks was one of the biggest factors going for Oregon.
OFFENSIVE LINE: Clemson
Commitments: Grant Wise, Chancellor Barclay, Adam Guthrie, Braden Wilmes
There are many highly ranked offensive linemen who have yet to announce their commitment but at this point in the process, Clemson has put together the most impressive group. Top 100 prospects Wise and Barclay were heavily recruited by teams across the country, but the Tigers were able to reel in their commitments.
Wise is one of the top high school weight-lifters in the nation and Barclay has shown outstanding development throughout his high school career.
They are joined in this recruiting class by fellow Rivals250 prospect Guthrie, who seemed to be leaning toward staying in-state and choosing Ohio State before visiting Clemson. Wilmes, a four-star out of Kansas, was the first offensive lineman to announce his commitment to the Tigers this cycle back in early December.
DEFENSIVE LINE: USC
Commitments: Braeden Jones, Tomuhini Topui, Simote Katoanga, Jaimeon Winfield, Jake Johnson, Malik Brooks
One of the reasons why USC currently has the top-ranked recruiting class in the 2026 cycle is how well it has recruited along the defensive line. In all, the Trojans hold four four-star D-line commitments and each of them are in the Rivals 250.
Jones and Katoanga are the only defensive ends in the group and Jones is USC's highest-rated defensive line commitment thus far. The Trojans' defensive tackle haul is led by Topui (No. 118 in the Rivals250) and Winfield (No. 187). They are joined by defensive tackles Johnson and Brooks.
Frankly, no other team comes close to the type of firepower USC has assembled on the defensive line.
EDGE DEFENDER: Notre Dame
Commitments: Rodney Dunham, Ebenezer Ewetade, Ja'Kobe Clapper
Notre Dame did a great job of identifying its targets at edge and prioritizing them quicker than the competition. Dunham is one of the crown jewels of this Fighting Irish recruiting class but Notre Dame is equally excited about the potential of Ewetade. Both of them are Rivals250 prospects from North Carolina and bring impressive athleticism to the field. Dunham is a standout baseball player while Ewetade is a converted wide receiver.
Landing Ohio native Clapper was a big win for Notre Dame as well. The four-star picked the Fighting Irish over Michigan and should bring more versatility to the Notre Dame defense.
LINEBACKER: Auburn
Commitments: Shadarius Toodle, Jamichael Garrett
With many of the top-ranked linebackers still uncommitted, Auburn has done the best job assembling an impressive duo so far. The Tigers picked up a commitment from Toodle in July of last year and the in-state Rivals250 prospect has remained firmly committed. He’s been a frequent visitor to the Auburn campus and so has Garrett. The four-star is still being pursued by Miami, Oregon, Texas A&M, Colorado and others despite also committing to Auburn in July of last year.
DEFENSIVE BACK: USC
Commitments: Elbert Hill, Brandon Lockhart, RJ Sermons, Madden Riordan, Josh Holland
USC’s top-ranked recruiting class is full of elite prospects and its commitments in the secondary is second-to-none. The Trojans were able to secure a commitment from No. 1 cornerback Hill, who they pried out of Ohio. Their other four defensive back commitments are in-state prospects but all of them had options around the country.
No. 32 overall prospect Lockhart, a tall cornerback with long arms, has a very solid skill set with impressive speed for his size. Speaking of speed, Sermons, a top-100 prospect, is one of the fastest players in this class, boasting a 10.3-second 100m. Four-star Riordan and three-star Holland are also headed to USC.
