Jeff BorzelloCloseJeff BorzelloBasketball recruiting insiderJeff Borzello is a basketball recruiting insider. He has joined ESPN in 2014.Follow on XPaul BiancardiClosePaul BiancardiBasketball Recruiting National Recruiting Director for ESPN.com 18 years of coaching experience at Division I level Former Horizon League coach of the year at Wright StateFollow on XNov 24, 2025, 08:15 AM ET
The dust has finally settled from an incredibly busy early signing period, in which at least 10 SC Next 100 prospects announced their commitments — including two top-10 players and six others ranked inside the top 30. There are still plenty of high-level prospects left on the board entering the winter, with seven top-10 prospects and 11 five-stars overall uncommitted.
Can anyone catch Missouri? Dennis Gates’ program exits the signing period with the top class in the country, led by five-star prospects Jason Crowe and Toni Bryant, as well as a third SC Next 100 prospect in Aiden Chronister. Whom will the Tigers need to fend off in the coming months?
Risers and fallers: There are three new teams in the top 25: Houston, Purdue and West Virginia. The Cougars landed two top-30 recruits in Arafan Diane and Ikenna Alozie, while Purdue added its second SC Next 100 commit in Sinan Huan. West Virginia meanwhile received a pledge from top-25 prospect Miles Sadler.
Duke saw the biggest rise, going from No. 21 to No. 3 following the commitment of top-five prospect Cameron Williams. Maryland wasn’t too far behind, jumping from No. 19 to No. 5 after top-10 recruit Babatunde Oladotun’s commitment. Texas’ first five-star commit under Sean Miller, Austin Goosby, brought the Longhorns from No. 17 up to No. 6. Meanwhile, Michigan State landing Ethan Taylor boosted the Spartans from No. 6 up to No. 2.
The biggest faller was Alabama, which went from No. 9 to completely out of the rankings after Chris Washington Jr. decommitted from the Crimson Tide.
Tyran Stokes and Bruce Branch III: There are a couple of wild-card recruitments at the top of the 2026 class. Stokes, the longtime No. 1 prospect, is down to three finalists: Kansas, Kentucky and Oregon. Kentucky was considered the prohibitive favorite for most of the past few months, but Stokes’ recent high school transfer — and the potential of the Wildcats landing Christian Collins — has thrown that status into flux.
Branch III was the No. 2 prospect in the 2027 class, but he made the long-anticipated decision to reclassify into 2026 over the weekend. He recently turned 17 years old, meaning he’ll be eligible for the 2027 NBA draft, which undoubtedly played a factor. Branch III’s recruitment is sure to heat up after the reclassification news, with the likes of Kentucky, Kansas, Louisville, USC and BYU among the schools in the mix.
Who else can still move the needle? In addition to Stokes and Branch III, there are several other five-star prospects that will have an impact on the class rankings:
Note: Class rankings are determined by a mathematical formula weighting different factors related to the quality and quantity of players in the class.
After leading Missouri to one of the most impressive turnarounds in the country last season, Gates carried that momentum onto the recruiting trail. The Tigers hadn’t landed a five-star prospect since the 2017 class; they have two in this one.
He is not only the Tigers’ most important recruit of this class, he is the second-highest ranked recruit ever to commit to Missouri, following No. 2 Michael Porter Jr. in 2017. Crowe brings immediate scoring prowess that is needed in tight SEC games. The bigger the stage, the bigger he plays.
After not landing a top-25 recruiting class in the last cycle, Tom Izzo bounced back in a strong way — and the Spartans leave the signing period at No. 2 overall. The headliner is now Taylor, who announced his commitment during the period. He runs the floor well and should be a plus-player defensively right off the bat.
Jervis established himself early as a priority for the Spartans. The New York native is a terrific offensive player who had a strong summer and will bring an attack-minded skill set to East Lansing.
Medlock is an in-state product who now plays at Link Academy (Missouri) and is the son of former Eastern Michigan star guard Carlos Medlock. He’s under 6-foot but is adept at beating defenders off the bounce and getting into playmaking positions.
He scores the ball with from anywhere with efficiency. He is not afraid of defense and will guard on the perimeter, work to get over screens and rebound down. He is one of the best two-way scoring guards in the class and brings to mind former Spartan turned Milwaukee Buck Gary Harris.
Despite the recent addition of Williams, Duke’s class remains far from finished, as the Blue Devils remain heavily in the mix for multiple five-star prospects. Williams singlehandedly boosted the class into the top 3 nationally, choosing Duke over Arizona and Texas. He has some of the best long-term potential in the class and should make an immediate impact at both ends of the floor.
Howard was a key get for Jon Scheyer, though, picking Duke over North Carolina and Kentucky. He was one of the biggest risers in the country during the spring and summer, bringing outstanding perimeter shooting.
Meyer is more of a project, but he’ll be a multiyear college player and will have time to develop in Durham.
Duke will have high-level rim protection next season along with 3-point ability from the 6-11 five-star. The mobile big man has as made a steady climb to the top of the rankings. He will acquire more strength, a better base and lower leverage once he steps on campus. His upside and tools make him a future draft lottery pick.
One year after landing potential No. 1 NBA draft pick Darryn Peterson, Bill Self is building his 2026 class around an immediate-impact, elite point guard. Kinney has the size and playmaking ability to cause matchup problems against smaller backcourts, is a terrific scorer with a variety of finishing moves and is developing as a playmaker.
Self secured a string of pledges in the wake of Kinney’s commitment, starting with Perry three days later, then Adkins a week after that. The Jayhawks also landed a top-50 recruit for the class of 2027, Javon Bardwell, in-between Perry and Adkins. Adkins’ physical tools portend an incredibly high ceiling. Perry, meanwhile, is long and should give help at both ends of the floor.
He will provide stability and high-end scoring as the lead guard following Peterson’s expected departure for the NBA. Kinney plays the most important position on the floor with confidence and skill. He is the catalyst of this class.
No. 8 PF Babatunde Oladotun No. 47 SG Kaden House Four-star PF Austin Brown Four-star PF Adama Tambedou
The Terps jumped into the rankings when House committed on Halloween and then skyrocketed into the top five following Oladotun’s commitment toward the end of the signing period. Oladotun was a statement recruit for Buzz Williams, who beat out Arkansas and Georgetown for him. He’s an effective shotmaker at 6-10 and can guard multiple positions.
The son of former NBA veteran Eddie House, Kaden House is a big-time scorer who loves to get into the teeth of the defense and finish in traffic. Williams will love House’s intensity on the defensive end of the floor, too.
Tambedou is a physical force on the interior who dominates the offensive glass and finishes with power.
Sean Miller didn’t land any high school recruits in his first spring at the helm in Austin, but he transformed his future perimeter group with his 2026 group. Five-star guard Austin Goosby is the biggest name for next season, picking Texas over BYU. He was the top player in the state of Texas, and has shown two-way potential given his ability to play either guard spot and disrupt the game defensively.
Ogden was a terrific first pickup in September. He was one of the best scorers on the Adidas 3SSB circuit and is a truly elite perimeter shooter, making nearly 53% of his 3-point attempts last spring and summer.
Sterling is another excellent shooter, making better than 44% of his 3s on the Puma circuit last summer.
Miller and staff made up ground to secure his commitment. Goosby scores and playmakes as a combination guard with terrific positional size. On defense, he displays a knack to block shots with his wingspan. Under Miller’s tutelage, he has a chance to get to the next level.
Steve Lutz leaned on the transfer portal for this season’s roster, but is looking to establish a foundation in Stillwater with a 2026 group headlined by three top-100 prospects. Allmond is the top name of the group after a terrific summer on the Adidas 3SSB circuit. He can really make an impact around the rim, and is capable of playing with his back to the basket and dominating the backboards at both ends of the floor. He has also shown a developing face-up game out to the perimeter.
His dad, Brian Montonati, played for the Cowboys, averaging 12.1 points per game and 7.2 rebounds as a senior in 1999-2000. Jalen is more perimeter based with the résumé of a terrific shooter and the ability to read his defender, space the floor and shoot off screens.
October was a massive month for Jeff Capel and the Panthers. They landed all three of their 2026 commitments in a three-week span, catapulting all the way to No. 4 in these rankings.
Jones was the first off the board. He can play either backcourt position and should make an impact at both ends of the floor with his athleticism and defensive versatility. His high school teammate, Foster, followed less than two weeks later. Foster is one of the highest-ranked commits of the Capel era, slotting in as one of the 10 best power forwards in the country. He’s a high-ceiling prospect with tremendous upside due to his physical tools and developing offensive game.
Rounding out the trio is Felesi, who picked the Panthers in late October. Pitt beat out several big-time schools for his pledge, and he’s only getting better.