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 XDec 11, 2025, 08:15 AM ET
After a burst of commitments during the early signing period, there has been a lull in players coming off the board, creating the perfect opportunity to update the SC Next 100 — and thus our class rankings.
The biggest winner of this most recent update was USC, which jumped from No. 24 all the way to No. 9 despite not adding any commitments. The Trojans saw both of their signees make enormous leaps in the player rankings, with Adonis Ratliff rising 76 spots to No. 10, and his brother Darius Ratliff climbing from No. 52 to No. 26. Eric Musselman’s program still has irons in the fire with available top-100 prospects, so the Trojans could rise even further.
Meanwhile, Tennessee and Texas A&M cracked these rankings while Georgia Tech and Wake Forest dropped out.
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.
Crowe led the Nike EYBL in scoring this past summer and is arguably the most explosive offensive player in the class. He’s a left-handed guard who gets by his defender at will. He’ll be joined in Columbia by fellow five-star Bryant, who was a priority early in the cycle for Gates — he is tremendously athletic and excels in transition. Finally, Chronister is a prolific 3-point shooter who should get open looks courtesy of Crowe’s drive-and-kick ability.
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.
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.
No. 7 PF Babatunde Oladotun No. 53 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 10 thanks to 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.
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.
He provides offense as an aggressive driver who can make an occasional 3-pointer with nice positional size to play the big wing or as a power forward. His frame is ready for ACC action — he already makes athletic plays at and above the rim. He is a potential X factor defensively, with anticipatory skills for deflections and steals, along with shot-blocking instincts. Foster is one of Capel’s highest-rated recruits at Pitt.
The Commodores hadn’t landed a single recruit ranked in the SC Next 100 since the 2018 class, when they got three top-100 prospects. Fast-forward seven years, and coach Mark Byington and Vandy sit as one of just six programs with three top-100 recruits already in the fold.
Brown is the highest ranked of the group. The point guard had a terrific summer on the Nike EYBL circuit and is a high-usage scorer and distributor with plenty of playmaking chops. Mgbako is the younger brother of former five-star prospect and current Texas A&M forward Mackenzie Mgbako, and is beginning to expand his offensive game on a similar trajectory. Sheffield does most of his work around the rim and is physically ready for the college game.
Byington will need Brown to score against high-level defenses in SEC play. He already demonstrates the toughness required to succeed in the high-powered conference.
Coming out of the early signing period, USC was one of the easiest classes to peg as a group poised to rise over the winter — mostly because of the Ratliffs emerging as arguably the biggest stockrisers in the 2026 class in the fall, after battling injuries last summer.
Adonis moved up 76 spots in the SC Next 100, raising eyebrows after the 7-footer made nine 3s in a game in the fall. He’s also a switchable defender who can block shots.
Darius is the more physically ready of the twins, capable of making an impact defensively as a rim protector and on the glass.
No one has seemed to separate them yet, so why try now? Both are now coming into their own and both have NBA draft potential. A strong senior season of intense, injury-free basketball will show what they are capable of next season at USC.