College football is divided into two different seasons: The actual playing season, where fans get to follow their favorite teams on the field, and recruiting season, where it’s all about bragging rights surrounding who can land the biggest fish on campus and secure a commitment.
The 2026 recruiting cycle has been thrilling to watch and is now set to enter a “dead” period beginning Aug. 1 through Aug. 31. Coaches can not have in-person contact and can’t go to games or practices with recruits or their parents during this period. Ahead of that, it’s a good time to see which teams have been heating up or losing momentum on the recruiting trail.
* All team and player rankings are based off 247 Composite rankings.
STAYING HOT
Current class ranking: 6
Average player ranking: 91.74
Total commitments: 21
Top commit: QB Dia Bell (No. 4 overall, No. 1 QB)
Since Steve Sarkisian became the head coach at Texas, the Longhorns have had a trio of top-three recruiting classes, highlighted by securing the No. 1-ranked class in 2025. Sarkisian has the Longhorns in position to finish top-three once again in the 2026 cycle. The Longhorns have been scorching on the recruiting trail as of late, picking up a recent commitment from four-star RB Derrek Cooper, the No. 43-ranked player nationally and No. 5 prospect in Florida. Texas picked up two other key commits on July 15 from Georgia: five-star LB Tyler Atkinson (No. 11 nationally) and four-star DL James Johnson (No. 56 nationally, No. 5-ranked defensive lineman), who the Longhorns were able to flip from SEC rival Georgia. Texas already holds commitments from two other five-star prospects in QB Dia Bell and DL Richard Wesley, both committing in June.
Texas HC Steve Sarkisian talks planning for Ohio State and Jeremiah Smith, expectations for Arch Manning
Current class ranking: 1
Average player ranking: 92.27
Total commitments: 30
Top commit: QB Jared Curtis (No. 5 overall, No. 2 QB)
The Bulldogs have consistently finished with a top-five recruiting class since Kirby Smart took over in 2016. Georgia has picked up five commitments in the month of July, headlined by five-star TE Kaiden Prothro, the nation’s No. 37 player and No. 4 tight end. A trio of four-stars then committed to Georgia in a six-day span: DL Valdin Sone, the No. 4-ranked player in Virginia, LB Nick Abrams II and athlete Tyriq Green. This class is headlined by five-star QB Jared Curtis, who committed to the Bulldogs in May of this year. Curtis, who hails from Tennessee, is the No. 2-ranked QB and No. 5 player nationally in the 2026 recruiting class. With the recent hot streak they have been on, the Bulldogs have taken the top spot from the USC Trojans.
Current class ranking: 8
Average player ranking: 93.67
Total commits: 16
Top player committed: DL Lamar Brown (No. 3 overall, No. 1 DL)
The Tigers have been sizzling in the month of July, securing six commitments. The big one came from their own backyard, with the nation’s No. 3 player, DL Lamar Brown – who hails from Baton Rouge – pledging to the Tigers on July 10. LSU was also able to land a commitment from Trenton Henderson, the No. 6-ranked edge rusher in the nation. While many spent July 4 celebrating with fireworks, the Tigers were busy getting two more talents – DB Isaiah Washington and OT Bryson Cooley. Tristen Keys is another five-star talent in LSU’s class. He is ranked as the No. 1 WR in the nation and No. 6 player nationally.
Current class ranking: 11
Average player ranking: 93.82
Total commits: 15
Top player committed: OT Immanuel Iheanacho (No. 8 overall, No. 1 IOL)
If there’s one thing Dan Lanning learned from Kirby Smart when he took the head coaching job at Oregon after winning the 2021 national championship as Georgia’s defensive coordinator, it was how to recruit. The Ducks have finished with back-to-back top-five recruiting classes and have dominated in the transfer portal period. In the month of July, they picked up four of their 15 commits, including Immanuel Iheanacho, the top-ranked interior offensive lineman in the nation. He’s the Ducks’ top commit and third five-star recruit in the class, along with TE Keandre Harrison and S Jett Washington. The reigning Big Ten champions are in the mix with other top uncommitted recruits and, with Lanning leading the way along a heavy NIL war chest, they are a serious threat to make their way into the top five in 2026.
Dan Lanning has turned Oregon into a destination for top recruits. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images)
REASON FOR CONCERN?
Current class ranking: 16
Average player ranking: 89.81
Total commits: 24
Top player committed: OT Kevin Brown (No. 60 overall, No. 4 OT)
Penn State has one of the best rosters in the country and is fresh off making the CFP semifinals last season. Yet, James Franklin and the Nittany Lions haven’t finished with a top-10 recruiting class since 2022. Penn State’s current class is ranked No. 16, with only one top-100 recruit committed in offensive tackle Kevin Brown. Brown is the No. 60-ranked prospect in the nation and one of the 12 four-star players in the class. Penn State does not have a five-star player in its class right now and has only picked up two commits in the month of July. Could the Nittany Lions make a push for a top-10 class?
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Current class ranking: 70
Average player ranking: 88.96
Total commits: 11
Top player committed: LB Jaquez Wilkes (No. 90 overall, No. 12 Edge)
Auburn’s 2026 recruiting class ranks 15th in the SEC and stands at No. 70 overall. Head coach Hugh Freeze only has two top-200 recruits in this current class, both of which he picked up in July. Four-star LB Jaquez Wilkes is Auburn’s highest-rated recruit, No. 90 overall and the No. 6 player in the state of Alabama. Another Alabama native joins him in the Tigers’ class, Hezekiah Harris, the No. 7-ranked player in Alabama and No. 100 nationally.
Current class ranking: 72
Average player ranking: 88
Total commits: 12
Top player committed: DB Claude Mpouma (No. 185 overall, No. 15 OT)
With a recruiting class that currently sits at No. 72 in the nation and ranks last in the Big Ten, Matt Rhule is still trying to bring the Cornhuskers back to glory. After two straight top-25 recruiting classes (highlighted by the 2024 class that included five-star QB Dylan Riola), Nebraska has a lot of ground to cover in this cycle. Claude Mpouma (No. 185 nationally) and Danny Odem (No. 203 nationally) are the top-ranked prospects in the current class.
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