It’s a chaotic time of year in college football. Conference championship weekend is days away, and the coaching carousel is in full swing.
But on top of all of that, early signing day has arrived. The early signing period opened on Wednesday and will run through Friday, allowing high school prospects to make their commitments official.Â
Thousands of recruits did just that on Wednesday, signing their national letters of intent for the 2026 season. The biggest recruiting drama actually came on Tuesday, though, when Vanderbilt flipped Jared Curtis — the No. 1 quarterback in the 2026 recruiting class — from Georgia.Â
That wasn’t enough for Vanderbilt to have a top-10 recruiting class this year, even if it was a major coup for Clark Lea’s program. So, which programs have the 10 best recruiting classes for the Class of 2026? Here’s the full top 10, courtesy of 247 Sports (as of 5 p.m. ET on Wednesday).Â
10. Miami (Fla.)
Top signings/commits: Offensive tackle Jackson Cantwell (No. 7 overall prospect, No. 2 OT), wide receiver Somourian Wingo (No. 50 overall prospect, No. 7 WR), wide receiver Milan Parris (No. 64 overall prospect, No. 9 WR)
5 stars: 1
4 stars: 20
Total number of signees: 30
Number of commits: 0
Whoever replaces Carson Beck at quarterback next season will have some freshman help. Cantwell made headlines this past summer when he reportedly signed a $2 million NIL deal to commit to the Hurricanes.Â
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9. Texas A&M
Top signings/commits: Edge rusher Tristian Givens (No. 26 overall prospect, No. 6 edge rusher), running back KJ Edwards (No. 46 overall prospect, No. 3 RB), athlete Brandon Arrington (No. 55 overall prospect, No. 3 ATH)
5 stars: 1
4 stars: 22
Total number of signees: 26
Number of commits: 0
Texas A&M has added another five-star defensive lineman in recruiting, with Givens being the latest five-star defensive lineman to commit to the Aggies. Mike Elko’s program also had the ninth-best class last offseason, helping Texas A&M build on a likely CFP appearance this year.Â
8. TexasÂ
Top signings/commits: Athlete Jermaine Bishop (No. 16 overall prospect, No. 2 ATH), quarterback Dia Bell (No. 27 overall prospect, No. 4 QB), linebacker Tyler Atkinson (No. 38 overall prospect, No. 2 LB)
5 stars: 3
4 stars: 12
Total number of signees: 23
Number of commits: 4
Did Steve Sarkisian land Arch Manning’s eventual replacement at quarterback in this recruiting cycle? Bell won Gatorade Player of the Year in Florida in 2024, scoring 31 total touchdowns while throwing five interceptions that season. Bell’s also the son of former NBA standout Raja Bell.Â
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7. Ohio State
Top signings/commits: Wide receiver Chris Henry Jr. (No. 32 overall prospect, No. 3 WR), linebacker Cincere Johnson (No. 40 overall prospect, No. 4 LB), cornerback Jay Timmons (No. 45 overall prospect, No. 4 CB)
5 stars: 1
4 stars: 17
Total number of signees: 25
Number of commits: 2
Ohio State’s ranking is in flux as Henry has yet to sign. The five-star recruit said in a social media post that he has yet to sign following offensive coordinator/wide receivers coach Brian Hartline’s decision to become the next head coach of USF. If Henry opts not to sign with Ohio State, Oregon and USC are rumored to be the top possible landing spots for him. As it stands, this is set to be Ohio State’s lowest-ranked recruiting class since 2019.Â
Henry is the son of former NFL standout Chris Henry.Â
6. GeorgiaÂ
Top signings/commits: Defensive lineman Valdin Stone (No. 28 overall prospect, No. 2 DL), tight end Kaiden Protho (No. 48 overall prospect, No. 4 TE), offensive tackle Ekene Ogboko (No. 71 overall prospect, No. 8 OT)
5 stars: 1
4 stars: 22
Total number of signees: 26
Number of commits: 4
Georgia took a bit of a hit following the last-minute flip of Jared Curtis. But Kirby Smart is set to bring in another talented recruiting class to Athens. Unsurprisingly, most of Georgia’s top signees and commitments are in the trenches. Â
5. Tennessee
Top signings/commits: Quarterback Faizon Brandon (No. 2 overall prospect, No. 2 quarterback), wide receiver Tristen Keys (No. 10 overall prospect, No. 1 WR), offensive tackle Gabriel Osenda (No. 24 overall prospect, No. 5 OT)
5 stars: 2
4 stars: 14
Total number of signees: 26
Number of commits: 1
It looks like Josh Heupel has the nucleus of his offense set for the foreseeable future. Brandon should be in a position to compete to be Tennessee’s starting quarterback next season if Joey Aguilar isn’t granted another year of eligibility.Â
4. AlabamaÂ
Top signings/commits: Edge rusher Xavier Griffin (No. 13 overall prospect, No. 1 edge rusher), cornerback Jorden Edmonds (No. 17 overall prospect, No. 1 CB), running back Ezavier Crowell (No. 29 overall prospect, No. 2 RB)
5 stars: 4
4 stars: 9
Total number of signees: 20
Number of commits: 2
Some might think that the first two years of the Kalen DeBoer era haven’t been the greatest on the field. But DeBoer has delivered on the recruiting front. Alabama is bringing in four five-star recruits this year after landing three last offseason. Alabama’s recruiting class also includes four-star quarterback Jett Thomala.Â
3. Notre Dame
Top signings/commits: Edge rusher Rodney Dunham (No. 8 overall prospect, No. 2 edge rusher), tight end Ian Premer (No. 21 overall prospect, No. 1 TE), safety Joey O’Brien (No. 30 overall prospect, No. 2 S)
5 stars: 4
4 stars: 19
Total number of signees: 27
Number of commits: 0
Marcus Freeman and Notre Dame had a stress-free early signing day, getting all 27 of their commits to sign. The Irish added multiple four-star running backs and offensive tackles as part of their recruiting class as well, seeking to keep the identity Notre Dame has built over the last few years.Â
Should Notre Dame be worried about being left out of the CFP? 🤔
2. Oregon
Top signings/commits: Edge rusher Anthony Jones (No. 19 overall, No. 5 edge rusher), safety Jett Washington (No. 22 overall, No. 1 S), interior offensive lineman Immanuel Iheanacho (No. 25 overall, No. 2 IOL)
5 stars: 4
4 stars: 12
Total number of signees: 15
Number of commits: 6
Oregon has suddenly emerged as a force in recruiting in the NIL era, with this year marking the third-straight year that it has landed a top-five recruiting class. Armed with resources and the backing of Nike founder Phil Knight, Dan Lanning has landed the signing or commitment of seven prospects in 247 Sports’ top-60 prospects. The Ducks could add another if they’re able to flip wide receiver Chris Henry Jr. from Ohio State.Â
1. USC
Top signings/commits: Offensive tackle Keenyi Pepe (No. 5 overall prospect, No. 1 OT prospect), tight end Mark Bowman (No. 42 overall prospect, No. 3 TE prospect), wide receiver Kayden Dixon-Wyatt (No. 47 overall prospect, No. 6 WR prospect)
5 stars: 1
4 stars: 19
Total number of signees: 34
Number of commits: 1
After a handful of relatively down years in recruiting, USC is back on top in the recruiting world. In fact, USC will be the first non-SEC team to have the top recruiting class since 2008, per 247 Sports. USC’s already landed 20 four- or five-star recruits, and just like Oregon, it has a chance to add another if it’s successful in getting Henry to flip. It already got one Ohio State wide receiver commit to flip on Wednesday, landing Dixon-Wyatt.Â
USC also landed Jonas Williams, the ninth-ranked quarterback, as part of its 2026 class.Â
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