We’re still in the early stages of the 2026 high school football recruiting cycle but that doesn’t mean major commitments aren’t around the corner.
For some of the top players in the 2026 class, they’ve already made their college decisions. Others are close but haven’t and others likely won’t know until after their official visits.
It’s fun to predict where the best of the best will land and that’s what we’re going to do here.
More: Westerly shift? Pair of Big Ten programs land atop early 2026 football recruiting rankings
Looking at the top 2026 prospects according to 247Sports’ ranking, here’s where we believe the top uncommitted players in the class will land.
Jackson Cantwell
School: Nixa (Mo.)
Position: Offensive Tackle
247Sports Rank: No. 3
Prediction: Georgia
Summary: Cantwell dropped a top six of Georgia, Miami, Michigan, Missouri, Ohio State and Oregon earlier in the month. He has visits to Miami, Ohio State, and Michigan lined up for March and is expected to announce his official visit dates at any time.
Where he goes is anyone’s guess, but we’ll lean towards the Bulldogs right now.
He’s visited Athens five times up to this point in his recruitment, and an official visit over the summer seems more than likely.
Tristen Keys
School: Hattiesburg (Miss.)
Position: Wide Receiver
247Sports Rank: No. 4
Prediction: Tennessee
Summary: Keys will likely stay in the south, with Alabama, Miami and Tennessee as three perceived favorites in his recruitment. Ole Miss isn’t out of it either.
Three of those four teams don’t have a five-star quarterback commitment. Tennessee does in Faizon Brandon, and Keys has also visited Knoxville twice.
Keys has locked in six official visits to Alabama, Auburn, LSU, Miami, Tennessee, and Texas A&M. An unofficial visit to Ole Miss in March is also on the docket.
Immanuel Iheanacho
School: Georgetown Preparatory School (Rockville, Md.)
Position: Offensive Tackle
247Sports Rank: No. 5
Prediction: Oregon
Summary: Iheanacho is quoted as saying that the Ducks are currently the favorite in his recruitment. There is still a ways to go, though.
He currently has three official visits to Maryland, Penn State and Georgia lined. Don’t be shocked to see one to Oregon added in the next few weeks.
The last time he was in Eugene was last July.
Ryder Lyons
School: Folsom (Calif.)
Position: Quarterback
247Sports Rank: No. 6
Prediction: USC
Summary: The Trojans have been viewed as the favorite for Lyons for some time now. His older brother Walker is a tight end for the Trojans.
Classified as a 2026 prospect, Lyons can be viewed more as a 2027 prospect. He is scheduled to take a one-year LDS mission following his high school career.
Even with USC as the perceived favorite, schools like Arizona, BYU, Oregon and Michigan continue to push for Lyons.
Jared Curtis
School: Nashville Christian School (Nashville, Tenn.)
Position: Quarterback
247Sports Rank: No. 7
Prediction: Oregon
Summary: Curtis decommitted from Georgia last October, but the Bulldogs have stayed heavily involved in his recruitment.
It was recently announced that Curtis’ decision was down to the Bulldogs and Ducks. He has official visits lined up to both schools in June, plus one with South Carolina.
We have Oregon coming out on top because of the recent development of four-star quarterback Jonas Williams, who has flipped his commitment from Oregon to USC.
Dan Lanning and Co. seem to have all of their focus on Curtis, which makes him the cornerstone of their No. 1 overall class.
Rodney Dunham
School: Myers Park (Charlotte, N.C.)
Position: EDGE
247Sports Rank: No. 9
Prediction: Tennessee
Summary: Several programs appear to be in the mix for Dunham, including Notre Dame, Texas, Duke, South Carolina, and Georgia.
However, he’s visited Tennessee more than any other school, and the Vols appear to be the favorite in his recruitment.
He’s been to Knoxville three times and was last on campus in January before taking a trip to South Carolina the following weekend.
Lamar Brown
School: University Lab (Baton Rouge, La.)
Position: Interior Offensive Lineman
247Sports Rank: No. 11
Prediction: LSU
Summary: LSU’s been the favorite to land Brown and keep him home, but it’s not a given.
Texas A&M continues its pursuit, as does Florida State and Miami. He has official visits set for each school in June.
This may come down to LSU and Texas A&M, but when it comes to keeping elite in-state talent, the Tigers have a long history of doing so.
Trenton Henderson
School: Pensacola Catholic (Pensacola, Fla.)
Position: EDGE
247Sports Rank: No. 12
Prediction: Alabama
Summary: It’s a pick ’em between Alabama and Auburn when it comes to choosing the favorite to land Henderson.
The Tigers appeared to be the favorite to land him for some time, but following Alabama’s junior day in February, the Crimson Tide made some massive strides forward.
Henderson has official visits set for each school this summer, but after that successful junior day, the Crimson Tide is the team to beat.
Calvin Russell
School: Northwestern (Miami, Fla.)
Position: Wide Receiver
247Sports Rank: No. 14
Prediction: Miami
Summary: It wouldn’t come as a shock to anyone if Russell decided to stay in his home state. Of the programs in the Sunshine State, Miami and Florida are most well-positioned to land Russell.
We’ll lean toward Russell staying home in Miami.
The trip to Coral Gables is a short one and Russell has visited Miami five times. He was back on campus alongside several other Hurricane targets earlier in the month.
Jett Washington
School: Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas, Nev.)
Position: Safety
247Sports Rank: No. 16
Prediction: Ohio State
Summary: Washington is another player whose recruitment is fairly wide-open.
He’s received visits from several coaches and has taken his fair share of visits up to this point in his recruitment. Currently, Ohio State and UCLA are the two schools he’s visited the most.
Noon kickoffs prevented Washington from making it out to Ohio State last season. However, Buckeyes safeties coach Matt Guerrieri visited him in January.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY High School Sports Wire: 2026 football recruiting predictions for top uncommitted athletes
