Tag: 2026 Football Recruiting

Florida making strong, early push for this in-state class of 2026 OL

Florida’s offensive line coaches are getting some early recruiting work in with Lakewood’s Chancellor Campbell and it’s paying off.

Lakewood High (St. Petersburg, Florida) offensive lineman [autotag]Chancellor Cambell[/autotag] is one of the rising juniors Florida’s recruiting team has focused on heavily this summer, and those efforts are paying, according to Swamp247.

Campbell visited The Swamp twice in March and then secured an offer in May to open the summer. Since then, the Gators have only further cemented themselves as the top team on his list.

He was in Gainesville most recently in June and will be back this weekend for the Grill in the ‘Ville event to close out the summer recruiting period. A return trip at the beginning of fall camp could also happen — frequent visits are one of the positives of recruiting in-state talent.

Kentucky, South Carolina, Syracuse, Toledo and UCF are the other teams that offered the 6-foot-8-inch, 285-pounder.

“Things have been going very well between me and the (Florida) coaches,” Campbell said. “I really appreciate how they teach and communicate with the offensive line. They seem to really know what they are talking about and are great coaches.”

Offensive line coaches [autotag]Rob Sale[/autotag] and [autotag]John Decoster[/autotag] have been Campbell’s main contacts at Florida. Although development seems to be a major recruiting point for Campbell, he’s also focused on receiving a good education.

Recruiting Summary

Cambell is unranked everywhere right now, but he might be one of the big risers in the next major updates from 247Sports and On3.

Florida is dominating the On3 recruiting prediction machine projections with 89.9% odds of landing Campbell, followed by UCF (2.5%), South Carolina (2.2%) and Kentucky (1.8%).

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LSU’s 2025 class building momentum for elite 2026 class

Louisiana’s 2026 recruiting class gives LSU the chance at another elite group.

LSU’s 2025 recruiting class is shaping up to be the best in Brian Kelly’s career and the best LSU’s had in a long time.

Its led by five-star QB and No. 1 overall recruit [autotag]Bryce Underwood[/autotag]. He’s joined by two more five-stars in CB [autotag]DJ Pickett[/autotag] and RB [autotag]Harlem Berry[/autotag]. Both players are considered the top recruits at their respective positions too.

The 2025 class is far from finished. With just 18 commits, LSU will look to add more. Ensuring the current commits make it past the finish line is critical too.

But it’s never too early to look ahead to 2026 when LSU could assemble a class just as strong. Louisiana is set to have one of its best high school crops ever next year, setting LSU up for another elite haul.

According to On3, 247Sports and Rivals, defensive lineman [autotag]Jahkeem Stewart[/autotag] is the top player in the country. Stewart hails from St. Augustine High School in New Orleans, a place that produced the No. 1 overall recruit 10 years ago in [autotag]Leonard Fournette[/autotag].

Stewart gives LSU the chance to land the nation’s top player in back-to-back classes. There’s a long way to go in his recruitment, but the On3 Crystal Ball gives LSU a 90.9% chance of landing Stewart. Underwood and Stewart in consecutive years is the type of core you can build a national title team around.

Stewart isn’t the only Louisiana product in the top 10. Offensive lineman [autotag]Lamar Brown[/autotag] sits at No. 5 overall. Given how strong LSU offensive line coach [autotag]Brad Davis[/autotag] is at recruiting Louisiana, it would be hard to imagine Brown going anywhere else.

Not further down the list, Baton Rouge safety [autotag]Blaine Bradford[/autotag] is on his way to earning a five-star. He’s out of Catholic High School, where LSU has several previous connections.

LSU has three five-stars committed in 2025 and the Tigers may not even leave the state to reach that total in 2026. With Stewart, Brown and Bradford, LSU can land the strongest core the state’s produced in some time.

There’s also OT [autotag]Brysten Martinez[/autotag] and safety [autotag]Aiden Hall[/autotag], two more top 50 recruits in Louisiana.

What might have LSU fans particularly excited is how good the Louisiana defensive tackle group is in 2026. Stewart’s at the top, but [autotag]Richard Anderson[/autotag], [autotag]Dylan Berymon[/autotag] and [autotag]Darryus McKinley[/autotag] are three more top 300 prospects that LSU won’t have to go far to get.

Davis was able to turn around LSU’s offensive line after he capitalized on a strong 2022 Louisiana class that included [autotag]Will Campbell[/autotag] and [autotag]Emery Jones Jr.[/autotag]. The 2026 class can have a similar impact on the defensive side for [autotag]Bo Davis[/autotag].

The 2026 cycle has barely begun, but if LSU seizes on the momentum of 2025, it will be another special group. Kelly landed top 10 classes in 2023 and 2024. He came to LSU to work with this caliber of talent.

But there’s a difference between a top-five class and a top-two or three class. Top-five classes keep you in contention, but top-three classes allow you to compete with Georgia. That’s where Kelly and LSU look to be headed.

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Five-star 2026 OL includes Florida among top 14 schools

The Gators remain in the game for probably the best offensive lineman in the 2026 cycle after Jackson Cantwell whittled down his list.

Billy Napier and Co. received some good news on Thursday when one of the top recruits in the 2026 cycle whittled down his top schools list to 14 teams, including the Florida football program.

Five-star offensive lineman [autotag]Jackson Cantwell[/autotag] out of Nixo (Missouri) is among the top overall recruits nationally and a near-consensus No. 1 at his position.

Along with the Gators, he also included the Miami Hurricanes, USC Trojans, Oregon Ducks, Texas A&M Aggies, Arkansas Razorbacks, LSU Tigers, Missouri Tigers, Georgia Bulldogs, Ohio State Buckeyes, Alabama Crimson Tide, Michigan Wolverines, Ole Miss Rebels and Nebraska Cornhuskers.

Recruiting Summary

Cantwell is ranked No. 3 overall and No.  at his position nationally according to the 247Sports composite while the On3 industry ranking has him at Nos. 4 and 2, respectively.

On3’s recruiting prediction machine has Missouri on top with a 27.4% chance of signing him, followed by Oklahoma (14.6%), Nebraska (12.5%) and Georgia (10.4%).

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2026 4-star DB to attend MSU football’s Spartan Dog Con

Add an Ohio 4-star to the list of visitors next weekend

Arguably the biggest recruiting event Michigan State will have in a calendar year, the Spartans will host their annual Spartan Dog Con event next weekend. With such a big event, MSU is bringing in a ton of talent from all over the country.

A new add to the list is Kaden Gebhardt, a 4-star from Lewis Center, Ohio, attending Olentangy High School.

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Blue-chip safety has Florida among top 2 schools, plus commitment timeline

Florida is fighting against Alabama for one of the top safeties in the 2026 cycle.

The deep doldrums of midsummer are here but Florida football’s recruiting efforts never cease under the watchful eye of [autotag]Billy Napier[/autotag]. While the focus of late has been mostly on the 2025 cycle, the Gators are gaining ground for a coveted prep prospect in the following class.

Four-star safety [autotag]Kaiden Hall[/autotag] out of Milton (Florida) in the 2026 cycle recently revealed to Swamp247 that the Orange and Blue are one of his top two preferred collegiate destinations out of the six primary schools he has been communicating with.

“Really, Alabama and Florida,” Hall noted. “They are reaching out the most, telling me they want me the most and that I’m a top priority for them.”

The other teams the 6-foot-3-inch, 195-pound defender has mentioned in the race for his talents are the Florida State Seminoles, Tennessee Volunteers, Michigan Wolverines and Oklahoma Sooners. In June, he visited Alabama, Florida, the Georgia Bulldogs and Ohio State Buckeyes.

The rising high school junior says a final commitment decision could come as soon as this fall.

“Really how comfortable I am at a school will matter a lot,” Hall said. “How they are going to use me in the defense. The place, the coaches, the relationships.”

Recruiting Summary

Hall is ranked No. 136 overall and No. 12 at his position nationally according to the 247Sports composite while the On3 industry ranking has him at Nos. 86 and 8, respectively.

On3’s recruiting prediction machine gives the Gators a 35.8% chance of landing him, followed by Georgia (23.7%), Florida State (13.8%) and Alabama (11.5%).

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LSU makes the cut for top-50 2026 DL JaReylan McCoy

Ole Miss was the favorite for the Tupelo, Mississippi, prospect but didn’t make his top 12.

LSU already has a very strong defensive line class in 2025, and its looking to carry that momentum into the next cycle.

On Monday, four-star Tupelo, Mississippi, defensive lineman [autotag]JaReylan McCoy[/autotag] trimmed his list to 12 teams, and the Tigers made the cut. Joining them in the top 12 for the top 50 national prospect was Arkansas, Auburn, Georgia Tech, Kentucky, Louisville, Minnesota, Mississippi State, Oklahoma, Oregon, Penn State and Tennessee.

“These schools have been consistent with the conversation and just getting to know my family instead of making it all about football,” McCoy told On3’s Chad Simmons. “Another thing is the schooling and how they have some good programs that can help me in the long run. Most of the schools in my top are schools that took the time to look over my film and break down what I could do differently. They just fill me up with better moves and try to help me get better.”

The Tigers were thought to have to fend off in-state Ole Miss, which is the heavy favorite to land his services. However, the Rebels didn’t make his top 12, and that could open the door for LSU to become the frontrunner.

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Gators crack top 10 in ESPN’s 2026 college football recruiting rankings

There are a lot of familiar names on ESPN’s top 2026 recruiting classes, with the Florida Gators sneaking into the top 10.

The focus of late has been college football’s 2025 recruiting class, which wrapped up its summer official visit schedule last month. Now, they are preparing for the upcoming fall, when those who have not made their commitment yet will make a few more OVs ahead of their final decision.

But beyond that cohort is the 2026 class, which is slowly growing in the background as rising high school juniors begin to make their verbal pledges. One of the programs that have had a hot start to the cycle is the Florida Gators, who rank No. 10 in ESPN’s recent top recruiting class rankings.

“Coming off the key signing of five-star quarterback [autotag]DJ Lagway[/autotag] this past cycle, the Gators don’t currently have a passing prospect in their 2025 class but have struck early in the 2026 cycle by landing ESPN Junior 300 QB [autotag]Will Griffin[/autotag]. A passer with a sturdy build and big hands, he has a strong arm and can drive the ball downfield and into tight windows.

“On defense, rangy cornerback prospect [autotag]Jaelen Waters[/autotag] was a one-time commit to in-state rival Florida State.”

Other notable teams in ESPN’s top 10

Speaking of FSU, the Seminoles are the top-ranked program in Haubert’s rankings, followed by newly-added Southeastern Conference foe, the Oklahoma Sooners. The Texas Longhorns, another recent addition to the SEC, rounds out the top five.

The Miami Hurricanes, LSU Tigers and Mississippi State Bulldogs are ranked seventh through ninth, respectively, and are all on Florida’s fall schedule.

Florida’s 2024 season opener

The Florida and the Miami Hurricanes open their schedule on Aug. 31 in Gainesville, Florida. Kickoff time is slated for 3:30 p.m. ET and the game will be broadcast on ABC Sports.

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5-star offensive lineman narrows his lists of finalists to include LSU

The No. 5 recruit in the 2026 recruiting class has narrowed his list of finalists down to 12 schools.

The No. 5 recruit in the 2026 recruiting class has narrowed his list of finalists down to 12 schools.

[autotag]Lamar Brown[/autotag] is a 6-foot-4, 275-pound, five-star interior offensive lineman from Erwinville, Louisiana, where he plays for University Lab. Brown is ranked as the No. 1 interior offensive lineman in the class as well as the No. 5 overall recruit.

His top 12 consists of LSU, Ole Miss, Houston, Texas A&M, Florida State, Michigan, USC, Tulane, Alabama, UCF, Tennessee and Miami. Brown does not have any crystal ball projections at this time but LSU is the overwhelming favorite to land him per On3 as the Tigers are a 98% favorite to land him.

LSU currently has two commitments for the [autotag]2026 recruiting class[/autotag] [autotag]Richard Anderson[/autotag], a defensive lineman from New Orleans and [autotag]Jakai Anderson[/autotag], a safety who is also from New Orleans. The class is currently ranked as the No. 13 overall class according to 247Sports.

Hopefully, [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] can keep Brown on the Bayou.

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Class of 2026 QB commit Will Griffin recruiting receivers to UF

Quarterbacks are often the first to commit in a recruiting class, which leads to some peer recruiting over the summer and high school seasons.

Committing a year early isn’t too common in college football these days, but it usually means a player is willing to be the face of a recruiting class. That’s the role Jesuit (Tampa) quarterback [autotag]Will Griffin[/autotag] will play for Florida’s class of 2026, according to Gators Online.

“I recruit all the time,” Griffin said at the Future 50 Media Day. “That was another big thing when I committed early. I knew the responsibility I had of recruiting my class and the 2025 class. I’m pitching in here and there with the class above me, but why not? Those will be guys I will be playing with too.”

Like any good quarterback, Griffin’s primary focus is bringing in guys that can catch the ball. Griffin is in touch with some of Florida’s top targets, including class of 2025 five-stars [autotag]Vernell Brown III[/autotag] and [autotag]Caleb Cunningham[/autotag].

Recruiting Summary

Griffin is one of the top quarterbacks in the class of 2026. He is ranked No. 117 overall and No. 11 at his position, according to the On3 industry ranking. The 247Sports composite has him slightly higher at Nos. 102 and 9, respectively.

After fielding offers from several Power Four programs, Griffin picked Florida — the program he’s loved his whole life — on June 1. Florida was equally high on Griffin. Several reports name him as the Gators’ top quarterback target in the class.

He’s already spent time shadowing freshman DJ Lagway and learning at OTAs. His next visit should come at the end of the month for the Grill in the ‘Ville cookout, and then he’ll be back for the season opener against Miami.

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Gators reoffer 4-star ATH from class of 2026, summer visit likely

A visit to the Swamp for four-star class of 2026 athlete Jordan Thomas could come as soon as the end of the summer.

Oradell (New Jersey) Bergen Catholic athlete [autotag]Jordan Thomas[/autotag] has held an offer from the University of Florida since October, but a coaching change at the assistant level left his status in limbo for months.

Thomas received some clarity on June 18, when Florida reoffered him, according to Corey Bender of Gators Online.

Florida’s new defensive backs coach, Will Harris, traveled to New Jersey to extend the offer and has been developing a relationship with Thomas since. Harris’ assistant, Beyah Rasool, was one of the first to make contact with Thomas once the calendar hit June 15. Before that, coaches weren’t able to reach out to players from the class of 2026 directly.

When will Jordan Thomas visit Florida?

Thomas called Florida a “top priority” for him and plans on getting to Gainesville soon. He’s hoping to experience The Swamp at its best during the regular season, but Thomas could also come to town over the summer.

“We do plan on getting down to Gainesville,” he said to Gators Online. “It’s not set in stone which date yet, but we do plan on it. We plan to maybe visit during July when they have the BBQ.”

Florida’s annual Grill in the ‘Ville event is usually a mix of rising seniors who are committed or close to committing and some of the top targets in the junior class behind them. Thomas falls into the third category in the class of 2026, giving the Gators some time to get him on board.

Recruiting Summary

Thomas is a four-star recruit everywhere but On3’s standalone rankings. However, the On3 industry ranking takes into consideration all four major recruiting services and grants him four-star status.

He’s ranked No. 229 nationally and No. 17 among athletes on the industry ranking, while the 247Sports composite has Thomas slightly lower at No. 239 overall and No. 18 among cornerbacks.

The On3 recruiting prediction machine has Syracuse (25.2%) and Penn State (22.1%) at the top of the list right now, with Maryland (9.9%) in third place. Miami, Notre Dame and Ohio State are all tied for fourth with 8.3% odds.

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