Paul BiancardiMay 1, 2026, 09:00 AM ETClose 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 XMultiple Authors
No. 1 CBB prospect Tyran Stokes makes pick live on ‘NBA Tip-Off’ (1:04)Tyran Stokes selects where he’ll launch his college basketball career live on “NBA Tip-Off.” (1:04)
The class of 2026 prospects initially looked a little weak, especially compared with the 2024 and 2025 star-studded classes — Cooper Flagg, AJ Dybantsa, Cameron Boozer et al. But this year’s crop of high school seniors eventually developed into a strong group, aided by a couple of timely reclassifications from Bruce Branch III and Babatunde Oladotun.
To find out, we built a position-by-position comparison between the top players in the 2026 and 2025 recruiting classes, weighing high school track record, long-term projection — and, in the case of the 2025 class, early college returns.
The result: Although the 2026 class offers plenty of upside, the 2025 group holds the edge for now, buoyed by both proven production and top-end talent already translating at the next level. That said, there is one 2026 prospect who wins out.
Crowe is California’s all-time leading high school scorer, with 4,718 career points. He also broke Jayson Tatum’s Hoophall single-game record with 48 points this winter. Safe to say, he’s an elite scorer with an exceptional knack for getting his shot off from anywhere at any time. His next challenge? Learning to blend his scoring-oriented game with a team structure at Missouri. Dennis Gates will entrust him with the ball, and the team, from day one.
Both Crowe and Acuff are acclaimed scoring point guards and elite shotmakers with enough vision to make the assist. But Acuff has already translated his game at the college level with elite production and efficiency (shooting 48% overall, 44% on 3s and 80% on free throws) while handling primary playmaking responsibilities.
At 6-foot-6, Peterson’s positional size is tough to beat. So is his combination of shooting, scoring and flawless execution on ball screen actions — which he does with extreme confidence.
Stokes loves to facilitate, and his passing is the best part of his game. His size, strength and force allow him to pile up gaudy free throw totals — and he makes them at a 75% clip. He’s a capable 3-point shooter and has an impressive basketball IQ. Add it all up, and it suggests an extremely bright future in college and beyond. And, if all goes according to plan, he’ll be the No. 1 pick in the 2027 NBA draft.
This one was close. Stokes and Dybantsa were once high school and travel circuit teammates. Both were No. 1 in their respective recruiting classes. But Dybantsa is the projected No. 1 pick in one of the best drafts in recent memory, so he wins out.
Williams has the tools that NBA teams covet in big men. He can knock down 3-pointers, and at 6-11 with a 7-2 wingspan can lure opposing bigs away from the basket. Defensively, he’s a shot-blocking rim protector. His power and finishing ability will only get better as he adds strength and learns to play lower in his stance. He will play a key role for Duke and, given time to develop, could blossom into a lottery draft pick.
Along with his physical makeup, accomplishments and talent, Boozer is exceptional in two important traits that separate him from Williams and his peers: competitiveness, and coachability.
Bryant ended his high school career on a high note, improving as a catch-and-shoot 3-point shooter and performing well throughout the McDonald’s All American week. Overall, he’s a force in the paint and a dominant shot blocker and rebounder. Bryant’s defensive impact graded out at elite levels, and offensively he averaged 22.6 points and converted 62% of his shots, according to Cerebro Sports. He has a promising future at Missouri and beyond.
Cenac was an outstanding vertical threat and rebounder in high school. He often overwhelmed opponents with superior athleticism, speed, explosiveness and mobility. The 6-11, 240-pounder was integral to Houston’s success inside the arc, averaging 9.5 points and 7.9 rebounds on 48% shooting. He also showed he was capable of stretching out to the 3-point line, where he made 30 triples (33.3%) on the season. Cenac will be a first-round draft pick.
The 6-9 Bryant has length, size and blossoming tools to become an immediate factor at Missouri as a rim runner, finisher and defensive anchor. He projects as a center in the NBA, and when his face-up game develops more consistency, his production will take a step forward.
Dybantsa is the ideal small forward. He’s explosive and covers tons of ground with long strides. He excels at creating his own shot with the ball in his hands or using ball screens to free himself for shots. But the versatile Dybantsa also enjoys making plays for others. He led the nation in scoring last season (25.3 points per game) and averaged 29.8 points over his last five college outings. He also chipped in nearly seven rebounds per game while shooting 51% overall. He has earned the No. 1 spot in the upcoming draft.
Boozer is one of the most accomplished high school players. He won both the Gatorade National Player of the Year and the AP’s National Player of the Year, then carried that momentum into his freshman season at Duke, where he made his presence, production and potential felt in nearly every game. He has a great blend of multilevel scoring, playmaking and rebounding, and his processing ability to make split-second decisions benefits him on both ends of the floor. His play style is conducive to winning and will make him a high lottery pick and great long-term NBA player.
No. 1 CBB prospect Tyran Stokes makes pick live on ‘NBA Tip-Off’ (1:04)Tyran Stokes selects where he’ll launch his college basketball career live on “NBA Tip-Off.” (1:04)
Paul BiancardiMay 1, 2026, 09:00 AM ETClose 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 XMultiple Authors
Close 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 X
PG: 2026 No. 7 Jason Crowe vs. 2025 No. 7 Darius Acuff Jr.
SG: 2026 No. 2 Jordan Smith vs. 2025 No. 2 Darryn Peterson
SF: 2026 No. 1 Tyran Stokes vs. 2025 No. 1 AJ Dybantsa
PF: 2026 No. 4 Cameron Williams vs. 2025 No. 3 Cameron Boozer
C: 2026 No. 13 Toni Bryant vs. 2025 No. 6 Chris Cenac Jr.
Now comes the natural question: How does this class stack up against the group just ahead of it?
Player rankings: Final 2026 SC Next 100 | 2027 SC Next 60 | 2028 SC Next 25
Tyran Stokes selects where he’ll launch his college basketball career live on “NBA Tip-Off.” (1:04)