By Mark Pszonak
Ten days ago, I wrote an article about five FBS schools that were struggling with Class of 2026 recruiting. While it hasn’t been a long time since then, a few things have changed that have brought some optimism to a couple of the schools. However, that isn’t true for all five.
Nebraska (12 commitments)
The skinny: The Huskers were already digging their way out of an early hole, but in the last ten days they have fully emerged with three quality commitments. Two came on June 30th, with Leon Noil Jr. (New Orleans, LA) and four-star Claude Mpouma (Chicago, IL) adding more talent and depth to a vital position. Then wide receiver Larry Miles (Orlando, FL) committed a day later after also taking official visits to Kentucky and Pittsburgh. This gives the Huskers four offensive line commitments, with Mpouma being the second four-star, joining Hayden Ainsworth (Biloxi, MS). With seven commitments coming between June 20th and July 1st, and four of those being four-stars, the Huskers are on the right path.
Missouri (10 commitments)
The skinny: The Tigers have added three commitments over the last ten days, most notably four-star offensive lineman Brandon Anderson (Kennesaw, GA). The one-time Tennessee commitment took official visits to Knoxville, Missouri, North Carolina and Maryland before committing to Missouri. The Tigers then dipped back into Georgia to grab a talented three-star defensive back, Tony Forney Jr., who chose Missouri over Auburn, Wisconsin and Pittsburgh. More work is needed to get the class into the position they have been in the last two years, but things are trending in a better direction.
Virginia Tech (9 commitments)
The skinny: The Hokies received good news on July 3rd with their best commitment to date, four-star offensive lineman Thomas Wilder (Virginia Beach, VA). It is also their third commitment in this class from Green Run High School, whose pipeline has greatly helped this class. Also committing in July was three-star offensive lineman Adrian Hamilton (Washington, DC), as the Hokies have pieced together a quality group of linemen despite only having nine total commitments at this time. If head coach Brent Pry can get himself off the hot seat during the season, it would go a long way in saving this recruiting class in Blacksburg.
Auburn (8 commitments)
The skinny: While the Tigers only added one commitment since June 28th, it was a big one. Four-star linebacker Adam Balogoun-Ali (West Palm Beach, FL) committed yesterday, choosing the Tigers over Missouri, Oklahoma and Kentucky. That’s the good news. The bad news is that he is only the eighth overall commitment for head coach Hugh Freeze, which continues to put them into a tricky spot as we head towards mid-July.
Colorado (6 commitments)
The skinny: Despite two commitments in July, high school recruiting remains lackluster in Boulder. The first commitment came from linebacker Colby Johnson (Sammanish, WA) before offensive lineman Xavier Payne (Miami, FL) committed after decommitting from Florida State in late June. Head coach Deion Sanders’ recent health problems has not helped the process, but considering the overall buzz the program has had, it is difficult to understand how they continue to flounder.
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The skinny: Nebraska and Missouri have righted the recruiting ship to the point that there shouldn’t be any current panic. Work is still needed, but both are on the right track. However, that isn’t the case with Auburn, Virginia Tech and Colorado. That is especially true because of Hugh Freeze and Brent Pry being on the hotseat and Deion Sanders dealing with health issues. These are easy factors for other schools to negative recruit against.
With Nebraska and Missouri in a safer position, two schools that enter the panic stage are Maryland and Virginia. The Terps only have seven commitments coming off a 4-8 season, while the Cavs have nine commitments, are coming off a 5-7 season and have to deal with head coach Tony Elliott being on the hot seat.
