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Phil Kessel is set to play in his 990th consecutive game Tuesday night (10:30 p.m. ET, ESPN), meaning the Vegas Golden Knights winger will pass retired defenseman Keith Yandle to become the NHL’s all-time iron man.

It’s the latest, and perhaps greatest, moment in a career that’s been equal parts eclectic and electric, historic and hysterical, with enough surreal milestones to make the 35-year-old hockey’s answer to Forrest Gump.

He was the player picked last in a 2011 NHL All-Star Game fantasy draft, and the one called out by President Barack Obama as “a Stanley Cup champion” at a White House celebration.

He was the player who overcame testicular cancer as a rookie, played on two U.S. Olympic teams and used his wicked shot to score close to 400 goals in the NHL.

He’s also the player whose attitude was questioned, whose conditioning was maligned and who once was accused by a Toronto columnist of visiting a hot dog vendor every afternoon — a story debunked by fans who have passionately defended Kessel against such critics.

He’s Phil Kessel: an enigma to some and a legend to others.

In an effort to better understand “Phil the Thrill” and how he became the NHL’s iron man, we spoke with individuals connected to all five of his stops on the NHL: with the Boston Bruins (2006-09), Toronto Maple Leafs (2009-2015), Pittsburgh Penguins (2015-19, winning back-to-back Stanley Cups), Arizona Coyotes (2019-22) and the Golden Knights this season.

Kessel in Boston: ‘He’s always been a popular teammate’

Shane Hnidy was a defenseman for the Boston Bruins for a season and half, during Kessel’s second and third NHL seasons. Hnidy is now a television analyst with the Vegas Golden Knights, where he reunited with Kessel this season.

If you had told me when I first met Phil that he would set the NHL’s iron man record, I would have called you absolutely crazy. I would have said you are out of your mind. I would have taken whatever odds were on it at the time.

You still kind of shake your head. To play that many games in a row is near impossible. So all the respect in the world for what he’s been able to do.

As a young player in Boston, Phil was talented. Extremely talented. You could see at that young age that he had that ability. I think he’s a super-intelligent player that gets underrated for his hockey IQ. That speaks to his game streak: You can’t play that long, be that successful and not put yourself in vulnerable situations if you don’t have a high hockey IQ.

No, he’s not the guy diving in front of shots. No one is going to claim he’s a defensive specialist, but there are a lot of elite players that fall into that category. But he’s also a guy who’s not afraid to go into the corners. You don’t put up the points that he does without going to certain areas of the ice where there are battles.

What guys like him and Keith Yandle have been able to do is staggering to me. Even if you purposely tried to stay away from injuries, there’s a good chance that over 500 games you’d get one. You have to play through some stuff. I almost lost an eye once — in practice. Freaky things happen all the time.

It was exciting to have him in Boston at that moment. The city embraced us. The team was starting to turn the corner, with guys like Phil and Marc Savard and Patrice Bergeron and Milan Lucic. The 2008-09 team just missed the Presidents’ Trophy and then lost in the second round to Carolina. Phil and I have talked about that being one of those teams where it felt like we could win the Stanley Cup but didn’t.

In his rookie year, he had testicular cancer and kept it quiet. When it got into the media, he was upset about it because he’s just a private guy. He was always that quiet guy. That was hard on him. I wasn’t there for it, but the guys said he handled it with his humor. He barely missed any time.

I’m going to try to phrase this the right way: But at times, early on, he frustrated us veterans. Myself, Zdeno Chara, Glen Murray … we’d talk about trying to get a rise out of him. I remember in the 2008 playoffs, we needed him to come. We tried to get him rah-rah’d up, and he wouldn’t. We tried to find different ways to get a reaction out of him, and we couldn’t. It’s not his personality.

But he still scored some big goals. Then he scored 36 of them the next season. We finally figured, “OK, he’s got his own motivation.” You try to find ways. You try to set examples. But later in my career I realized that for certain guys, if it works for you, it works for you.

We had a couple of them like that. Tim Thomas was another. Now, he was a different dude. And he certainly didn’t abide by today’s standards of nutrition. But he stopped the puck and worked hard, and that’s all you wanted. Because Phil was able to perform, to do what was needed of him, it was like, “Well, OK, whatever.” But I will say that here in Vegas, he’s in some of the best shape I’ve ever seen him in. He’s motivated. He felt lost in Arizona.

I think sometimes he’s misunderstood as aloof, but he does care. He wants to win. You’ve seen that in his career. He hasn’t changed. There’s this mystery about him, as this laid-back guy. And he is one. But it’s all about in the room. He’s always been a popular teammate. There are guys in today’s game that pay too much attention to the noise, and he doesn’t. He just wants to score goals and get points. You could see that as a young guy.

I was surprised when Boston traded him. He was a talented guy for them.

Kessel in Toronto: ‘He’s unapologetically himself’

James van Riemsdyk, a Philadelphia Flyers winger, followed in Kessel’s footsteps with the U.S. national team development program and was his teammate on the Toronto Maple Leafs 2012-15.

He was always a mythical figure. When I was with the U.S. national development program, I came in the year after he left. He was with that 1987 [birth year] group that was legendary, not only with how many talented players they had but how many characters they had. My first world juniors I ever saw was in North Dakota. Phil was 16 or 17 years old, and he was just flying around, scoring goals.

The first time I met Phil was when his brother, Blake, brought a bunch of us to a Bruins afternoon game. After the game, we went to a Qdoba and Phil showed up eventually to join us. I guess he was on his entry-level contract and times were tough, but he picked up the tab.

He was in Toronto before I got there. He was just a complete character. He loves to stir the pot, making dry comments. It’s good to have someone that will speak his mind in the room in certain scenarios. Those dialogues are really healthy and good.

Phil’s the unintentionally funny guy. He’s not trying to be funny, but he ends up being hilarious. It got to the point where my close friends would text me once in a while, and instead of asking how I was doing, they’d say, “Give me the latest Phil story.”

He’s a super-competitive guy. We played poker on the plane all the time. I remember him being middle of the road. Athletes in general tend to be bad card players because of that competitiveness, instead of using your brain and math. But we had some fun times.

Ultimately with Phil — and I respect this about him — he’s unapologetically himself. He just did his thing and didn’t get too wrapped up in the outside noise that you get playing in Toronto. It wasn’t the fans. I think some of the stuff [about him] got covered [in the media] a little unfairly. Phil didn’t let it bother him enough to go back against certain people. I’m sure he was aware of the perceptions of him, but he was a super-productive player when he was there and his numbers spoke for themselves.

He loved playing in Toronto. Loved that white-hot spotlight.

My favorite Phil Kessel story is when he was playing in Pittsburgh. It was the first game after he was traded from Toronto. My line’s lining up against him on the opening draw. So just to f— with him a little bit, I chop him on top of the laces. Not too hard. Maybe like 50%. And he looks over at me, doesn’t smile, and he says, “James … don’t forget who made you a player in this league.”

No one calls me James, either. He’s the only guy that calls me James. It was priceless.

With this record, the biggest thing is that he’s a gamer. I have this quote from Phil burned in my head that I’ve been thinking about a lot as he’s come close to the record:

“I just love playin’ the games, eh?”

[Editor’s note: James van Riemsdyk does an impeccable Phil Kessel impression.]

I feel like that sums it up perfectly. He loves playing the game. He wouldn’t have played this long, or wouldn’t have been as successful, without that love.

Kessel in Pittsburgh: Cards in the Cup

Nick Bonino won two Stanley Cups with Kessel on the Pittsburgh Penguins, in 2015-16 and 2016-17, lining up next to him on the fabled HBK Line along with Carl Hagelin. He’s now a center for the San Jose Sharks.

We both were traded to Pittsburgh in summer 2015. His was the bigger trade, I think.

I was excited to meet him. You’d just hear things around the league about what kind of character he was. They had that [HBO 24/7] documentary when he was in Toronto, and there was stuff from that everyone was talking about. Like him going, “Good one, Randy” to [Toronto coach Randy] Carlyle.

There’s a reason everyone lights up when they talk about Phil Kessel. When he’s in the room, guys rip on him and he rips on them, which I think is important in a good teammate. He wasn’t closed off like he can be in interviews.

Unique. One of a kind. Great guy and a good friend.

My favorite story is probably the one with Pierre McGuire and the breath.

[Editor’s note: In 2016 during the Eastern Conference finals, NBC Sports announcer Pierre McGuire had a postgame interview in which he asked Kessel “how’s your breath?” McGuire meant to inquire about Kessel’s conditioning after the forward played over 19 minutes against the Tampa Bay Lightning. Instead, Kessel thought it was a question about his hygiene and responded “it’s not good, eh?”]

Phil came back into the room after that. He looked at us and just shook his head. He said, “Boys … you’re gonna get a kick out of this when it comes out.” Like, he knew what was going to happen. So the next day, he had a bunch of Tic Tacs and gum piled high in his stall.

The line with him, me and [Hagelin] … that was fun. The opportunity came about because Geno [Malkin] got hurt. It was one of those times in my career where it felt like everything we did was right and everything we shot went in, from Game 60 all the way through when we lifted the Cup.

Haggy was so fast and so smart and knew exactly where he needed to be. I just tried to get pucks to them and be responsible. I was so fortunate to play with Phil. He can shoot the puck like few can in this league. He’s just got such a flex on his stick that he can snap it off, and he can do it in motion, too. I hadn’t seen anyone come down the wing and shoot it in stride like he does. He’s fast. When he gets a step on you, that’s all he needs. And then he’s shooting before the goalie is set.

The popularity of our line was a whirlwind. Something I hadn’t experienced before. I imagine that’s what it’s like for Sid everywhere he goes, or these top guys. When you’re producing and doing well, the fanfare comes with it. Especially in a city like Pittsburgh, which is so sports-crazed.

I played cards with him. I wouldn’t play poker because he was so good at it. But we’d play a bunch of games on the plane. One thing I’ll never forget: playing cards with Phil out of the Stanley Cup on the way back from San Jose. We set it up in the middle of the aisle between us. That was our card table. We were throwing our cards inside the Stanley Cup.

It’s funny: I played with Andrew Cogliano, too, who had such a long consecutive games streak himself. I think every guy is different, but they both have a durability to them. Regardless of what was going on with Phil, you knew he was going to play. He wasn’t taking a maintenance day. He was playing. OK, maybe not so much in practice, but you know that in the games, he was going to be there.

He’s a gamer. He wanted to win, whatever he did. Whether it was cards or shooting hoops or playing hockey. You gotta have that drive if you want to play that many games in a row.

Kessel in Arizona: The veteran mentor

Arizona Coyotes forward Clayton Keller was Kessel’s teammate during Phil’s three seasons with the Coyotes from 2019-20 to 2021-22 — including a game on March 8, 2022, when Kessel played one 30-second shift against the Detroit Red Wings to keep his streak alive before hopping on a charter flight arranged by the team for the birth of his daughter, Kapri Mary Kessel.

Phil was an unbelievable teammate, on and off the ice. Someone that I loved playing with. Probably one of the best guys that I’ve ever played with. I definitely miss him.

When I first met him, he was just a normal guy. Loved to play golf, so one of the first days that we were together, we went out and played. That’s when you can really get to know someone, on the golf course. And he was super-fun to golf with. It’s nice because it’s away from hockey and you’re just talking about life and things of that nature.

He also loves to chirp, and he can back it up. He’ll tell you he’s a bad golfer. But he’s very good. Really good putter. Good short game in general. His drives are good too, but if I was going to say one thing [is his best], I’d say putting. He’s got soft hands.

He’s a competitive guy, no matter if it’s hockey or golf or cards on the plane, he wants to win. And if he does, he’ll let everyone know about it.

It was awesome to have him on the Coyotes. He’s a guy that’s played in big games and played in Stanley Cup Finals and won Stanley Cups. So he knows what it’s like. It was nice to pick his brain on some of the teams he’s been on, why they won and things of that nature.

We all knew the situation [with his daughter’s birth]. It was pretty crazy and awesome for the team to do that. Everyone kind of had an idea, but no one knew exactly what was going to happen. You didn’t know when the baby was going to arrive. So he played one shift, got on a plane and he was back with us the next game. We all got him something for the kid.

Like with his streak, he wants to be a part of every game. He’s definitely had injuries throughout his career that he’s played through to get to that level. I hope he gets all the way there and holds that record for a long time.

It’s a long season. There are tough days. But every time you come to the rink and see Phil, he puts a smile on your face. Every day was something new. I miss the laughs and the jokes. I miss playing with him. He cheers you up.

Kessel in Vegas: How hockey is (and isn’t) like poker

Daniel Negreanu is a professional poker player who has won six World Series of Poker bracelets. He has played cards with Phil Kessel and now watches him as a fan of the Vegas Golden Knights.

The first time I met Phil was in Toronto at a mutual friend’s house. A couple of guys on the Leafs loved playing poker, and I met him at a game inside that friend’s house. Phil wanted to “test his skills.” Me being a big hockey fan, I thought that was cool.

I knew about him before that night. Toronto media is very in your business. They go above and beyond trying to get the inside scoop, and sometimes they completely make s— up — like the hot dog thing, which wasn’t even real. But I never experienced him as a person until then. And as I got to know him over the years, he’s probably my most famous friend.

He’s an easy-going guy. When you see him on camera doing interviews, he’s kind of uncomfortable. He doesn’t like it. That’s why during the World Series of Poker, whenever he was there, I would bring my vlog camera out and put him on it and drive him crazy. He’d try to hide.

Once you get to know him, it makes sense that he’s kind of streaky as a player. Mindset for him is incredibly important. When things are going badly, he sort of has a woe-is-me attitude. “Aw, man, puck isn’t going in, eh? Puck’s just not droppin’, eh?” But in hockey, just like in poker, he’s a competitor. He might not look like it, but he’s a competitor.

He was at the World Series of Poker with me when Toronto traded him. I asked him where he was headed, and he said “Pittsburgh.” I told him that you could think of worse places than playing with Crosby and Malkin. He said, “Yeah, not too bad, eh?”

I’m really hoping this works out for him in Vegas. It’s a good opportunity. But he wanted people to know that he didn’t come to Vegas to play poker. He’s here to play hockey and to take it very seriously.

He was in a horrible situation in Arizona. At the trade deadline, he and everybody in the world thought he was going somewhere, but they didn’t have anywhere to move him. Vegas was always in his sights, but they were up against the cap. But they needed a guy for the power play, and who else is a better fit than Phil Kessel, one of the best power-play guys in the NHL? So I was super-excited when he signed with the Knights. It was time to get another jersey with “Phil The Thrill” on the back.

When I first met him, I would have been surprised by him setting this record. But not as surprised as the average NHL fan.

When you play in Toronto, the media creates the narrative for you. So what’s the narrative on Phil Kessel? He’s fat. He likes to eat hot dogs. He doesn’t care. He doesn’t try. He doesn’t play defense. And he doesn’t even like hot dogs. The defense thing … maybe in the regular season, he’s not hitting. He’s maybe coasting in a 4-1 game.

But watch him in the playoffs. Watch him in those Pittsburgh runs and tell me who was backchecking and playing really hard. And if you ask guys around him, when he’s in the gym and under a squat rack, he’s strong as f—. He’s got a very strong lower body.

In poker, he likes to play a game called Pot Limit Omaha. That’s his favorite. And that game has a lot of luck involved, so you can go on these really big swings were you can win or lose a lot in one session.

With poker, you have to be a little even-keeled. But he’s very emotionally attached to swings. He’d say things like, “Bro, I had aces seven times in a row and the guy cracked, eh?” And I’m like, “We should focus on your game. Focus on the things you can control.” He gets caught up in that stuff occasionally.

One year, he was sitting down in a tournament for Pot Limit Omaha at the World Series of Poker. I happened to roll up and I was seated at his table, playing for a world championship. I know how he plays. He’s not a big bluffer. He’s not going to outplay me or anything like that … except on this one hand, when he went absolutely nuts on me and I didn’t see it coming. He completely outplayed me and bluffed me, and everyone started laughing.

I was like, “What the hell, Phil? Where did you get that from?”

It was a high-level play. I didn’t think he was capable of it. The joke was on me.

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Stanford hires former Nike CEO Donahoe as AD

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August 2, 2025

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Stanford hires former Nike CEO Donahoe as AD

  • Seth Wickersham

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    Seth Wickersham

    ESPN Senior Writer

    • Senior Writer for ESPN.com and ESPN The Magazine
    • Joined ESPN The Magazine after graduating from the University of Missouri.
    • Although he primarily covers the NFL, his assignments also have taken him to the Athens Olympics, the World Series, the NCAA tournament and the NHL and NBA playoffs.

Jul 31, 2025, 11:10 PM ET

Stanford has hired former Nike CEO John Donahoe as the school’s new athletic director, the university announced Thursday.

Donahoe, 65, will arrive in the collegiate athletic director space with a vast swath of business experience, as Stanford officials viewed him as a “unicorn candidate” because of both his business ties and history at the school. Stanford coveted a nontraditional candidate for the role, and Donahoe’s hire delivers a seasoned CEO with stints at Nike, Bain & Company and eBay. He also served as the board chair of PayPal.

He also brings strong Stanford ties as a 1986 MBA graduate. He has had two stints on the Stanford business school’s advisory board, including currently serving in that role.

“My north star for 40 years has been servant leadership, and it is a tremendous honor to be able to come back to serve a university I love and to lead Stanford Athletics through a pivotal and tumultuous time in collegiate sports,” Donahoe said in a statement. “Stanford has enormous strengths and enormous potential in a changing environment, including being the model for achieving both academic and athletic excellence at the highest levels. I can’t wait to work in partnership with the Stanford team to build momentum for Stanford Athletics and ensure the best possible experiences for our student-athletes.”

Donahoe replaces Bernard Muir, who announced in February that he was stepping down after serving in that role since 2012. Alden Mitchell has been the school’s interim athletic director.

The hire is a head-turning one for Stanford, bringing in someone with Donahoe’s high-level business experience. And it comes at a time when the athletic department has struggled in its highest-profile sports, as football is amid four consecutive 3-9 seasons and the men’s basketball team hasn’t reached the NCAA tournament since 2014.

In hiring Donahoe, Stanford is aiming for someone who can find an innovative way to support general manager Andrew Luck and the football program while also figuring out a sustainable model for the future of Stanford’s Olympic sports.

“Stanford occupies a unique place in the national athletics landscape,” university president Jonathan Levin said in a statement. “We needed a distinctive leader — someone with the vision, judgment, and strategic acumen for a new era of college athletics, and with a deep appreciation for Stanford’s model of scholar-athlete excellence. John embodies these characteristics. We’re grateful he has agreed to lead Stanford Athletics through this critical period in college sports.”

Stanford’s Olympic sports remain the best in the country, as Stanford athletes or former athletes accounted for 39 medals at the 2024 Paris Olympics. If Stanford were a country, it would have tied with Canada for the 11th-most medals. Stanford has also won 26 of the possible 31 director’s cups for overall athletic success in college, including a 25-year streak from 1995 to 2019.

School officials approached Donahoe in recent weeks about the position, with both Levin and former women’s basketball coach Tara VanDerveer among the chief recruiters. Donahoe has a long-standing relationship with both, as he maintained strong ties to the school throughout his career.

Sources said Luck will report to Donahoe. Luck spent time with him in the interview process and is excited to work with him, sources said. It’s also a change from the prior structure, as upon Luck’s hiring he had been slated to report to Levin.

“I am absolutely thrilled John Donahoe is joining as our next athletic director,” Luck said in a statement. “He brings unparalleled experience and elite leadership to our athletic department in a time of opportunity and change. I could not be more excited to partner with and learn from him.”

Stanford is set to begin a football season in which it is picked to finish last in the 17-team ACC. Former NFL coach Frank Reich is the interim coach, and both sides have made clear this is a definitive interim situation and that he won’t return after the 2025 season.

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Iowa State extends Campbell, bumps pay to $5M

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  • Max OlsonAug 1, 2025, 04:59 PM ET

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    • Covers the Big 12
    • Joined ESPN in 2012
    • Graduate of the University of Nebraska

Iowa State and coach Matt Campbell have finalized a contract extension through 2032 after the winningest coach in program history led the Cyclones to their first-ever 11-win season in 2024.

Campbell will earn $5 million per year in total compensation, according to a copy of the contract obtained by ESPN on Friday. The three-time Big 12 Coach of the Year honoree took a discount on the deal, sources told ESPN, to ensure that his staff salary pool increased and to allow Iowa State to allocate an additional $1 million to revenue-sharing funds for its football roster.

Campbell earned $4 million in 2024 while leading the Cyclones to a Big 12 championship game appearance, an 11-3 record and a No. 15 finish in the AP poll. He’s entering his 10th season in Ames and has won a school record of 64 games during his tenure.

Colorado coach Deion Sanders will be the Big 12’s highest-paid head coach this year at $10 million after landing a five-year, $54 million contract extension in March. Campbell’s new salary will not rank among the top five in the conference, but he prioritized maximizing Iowa State’s ability to invest in its football roster following a historic season.

Campbell, 45, told ESPN in July at Big 12 media days that “probably our top 20 guys took a pay cut to come back to Iowa State” for 2025, relative to what they could’ve earned in NIL compensation by entering the transfer portal.

The head coach’s deal includes performance incentives based on the Cyclones’ regular-season record, starting at $250,000 for seven wins and climbing to $1.5 million for a 12-0 season. He’ll earn at least $100,000 for a Big 12 title game appearance and up to $500,000 for a Big 12 championship. The deal also permits him to distribute up to $100,000 of his performance incentive earnings each year to his football staff.

If Campbell accepts another Power 4 head coaching job before the end of his contract, his buyout would be $2 million. He would not owe liquidated damages if he departs for an NFL coaching opportunity. Campbell interviewed with the Chicago Bears in January during the organization’s head coaching search.

Campbell surpassed Dan McCarney as the program’s winningest head coach last season and has led the Cyclones to bowl games in seven of the past eight seasons, including a Fiesta Bowl victory and a top-10 finish in 2020.

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What you missed from college football recruiting this summer

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What you missed from college football recruiting this summer

  • Eli LedermanAug 2, 2025, 07:33 AM ET

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      Eli Lederman covers college football and recruiting for ESPN.com. He joined ESPN in 2024 after covering the University of Oklahoma for Sellout Crowd and the Tulsa World.

The busiest 60 days of the annual recruiting calendar are officially behind us. And while another four months still remain before the December early signing period, college football’s top programs have already wrapped up the majority of their business in the 2026 cycle.

Per ESPN Research, a total of 155 prospects in the 2026 ESPN 300 made commitments in an avalanche of summer recruiting business from June 1 to July 31. In the wake of that, only 16 uncommitteds remain in the ESPN 300 as of Saturday morning. Within that group are just nine top-100 recruits, with five-star defensive end Jake Kreul, No. 2 running back Savion Hiter and No. 2 defensive tackle Deuce Geralds among those expected to come off the board in August.

More settled by this point of the cycle than any other in recent memory, college football’s 2026 class is unfolding against the backdrop of yet another moment of change in the sport. The House settlement and earliest ebbs of college athletics’ revenue sharing era have already shaped the 2026 cycle, and their effects will continue to ripple across the class until February’s national signing day.

As the recruiting trail prepares to take a (relative) back seat to fall camp practices, here’s a look at how the cycle played out this summer and what could come next for the class of 2026:

Revenue sharing and a new era in recruiting

The House settlement, which now permits schools to pay their athletes directly, among other sweeping changes, officially took effect July 1.

But according to personnel staffers, agents, recruits and parents surveyed by ESPN this month on the condition of anonymity, byproducts of college football’s new reality and the initial revenue sharing cap of $20.5 million across all sports have been steering the 2026 cycle for months. “In the past, collectives would always say we’re only going to offer what we know we can pay you,” a player agent told ESPN. “Now programs know what the budget will be, and harder numbers were discussed earlier than usual. The ability for programs to get those numbers out there early was huge.” As schools prepared roster budgets and braced for post-settlement oversight this spring, a number of Power 4 programs began front-loading their 2025 rosters in the lead-up to July 1.

In some cases, that meant negotiating updated, pre-settlement contracts with transfers and current players, deals that will not count against the post-July 1 revenue share cap. In others, sources told ESPN that programs and collectives found workarounds on the recruiting trail, doling out upfront payments as high as $25,000 per month to committed recruits in the 2026 class, primarily through advantageous high school NIL laws that exist in states such as California, Oregon and Washington.

Those front-loading efforts helped several programs jump out to fast starts in the 2026 cycle. Per sources, the impending arrival of revenue sharing also played a significant role in speeding up the 2026 class this spring. With programs in position to present firmer financial figures, a flurry of elite prospects committed to schools on verbal agreements before July 1.

“People rushed to get deals done pre-House,” a Power 4 personnel staffer told ESPN. “You know there’s only so much money available, and schools let kids know that. The first one to say yes gets it.”

Friday loomed especially large in the short-lived history of the House settlement.

Per the settlement, Aug. 1 was the first official date rising seniors could formally receive written revenue share contracts from programs and NIL collectives, the latter of which will now operate under looser regulation from the newly founded College Sports Commission, per a memo sent to athletic directors on Thursday. Put another way, Aug. 1 was the first day committed prospects and their families could officially learn whether terms they had agreed to earlier this year were legit.

“We’re going to see how serious these schools are,” said the parent of an ESPN 300 quarterback. “I think we might see some kids decommit and find new schools this fall.”

Across the industry, sources believe programs will, for the most part, deliver on the verbal agreements. Multiple agents and personnel staffers told ESPN that a number of programs have also generally ignored the Aug. 1 stipulation across the spring and summer, presenting frameworks of agreements to prospective recruits or flouting the rule entirely. Another question hovering over the months ahead: How much will these agreements do to contain the annual shuffle of flips, decommitments and late-cycle drama in the 2026 class?

“These deals should keep things more in check,” another Power 4 personnel staffer said. “But I’m not naive to think some won’t flip. There’s some snakes out there.”

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No. 1 overall prospect Lamar Brown commits to LSU

No. 1 overall prospect Lamar Brown stays home and commits to play for the LSU Tigers.

Where do things stand with the 2026 five-star class?

Oregon offensive tackle commit Immanuel Iheanacho, No. 13 in the 2026 ESPN 300, initially planned to announce his commitment Aug. 5. But, like many of the 2026 five-stars who entered late spring still uncommitted, Iheanacho felt the heat of an accelerated market in June.

“There were a couple of schools I was looking at that asked me to commit early, really wanting to get me in their class,” Iheanacho told ESPN. “Oregon didn’t rush me at all.”

Even so, Iheanacho eventually shifted his commitment timeline forward more than a month. ESPN’s second-ranked offensive line prospect picked the Ducks over Auburn, LSU and Penn State on July 3, landing as one of 11 five-star recruits to commit between June 14 and July 20.

As of Saturday morning, only one of the record 23 five-star prospects in ESPN’s class rankings for 2026 remains uncommitted. LSU secured a class cornerstone and the highest-ranked pledge of the Brian Kelly era in No. 1 overall recruit Lamar Brown on July 10. Meanwhile, Florida (McCoy) and Texas A&M (Arrington) each landed a top-15 defender, Ojo landed a historic deal with Texas Tech, and Texas closed July with the most five-star pledges — four — in the country.

With Kreul, the skilled pass rusher from Florida’s IMG Academy nearing a decision from among Ole Miss, Oklahoma and Texas, ESPN’s 2026 five-star class could be closed out before Week 0.

No matter how it plays out from here, the cycle’s five-stars are already historically settled. As of Saturday morning, 95.6% of the five-star class is committed among 14 schools across the Power 4 conferences. Per ESPN Research, it’s by far the highest Aug. 1 five-star pledge rate in any cycle since at least 2020. Just over a decade ago, only six of the 20 five-stars (30%) in the 2015 cycle were committed on Aug. 1, 2014; nearly half the class committed after New Year’s Day.

Highest rate of five-star pledges by Aug. 1 since the start of the 2020 cycle

  • 2026: 95.6%

  • 2024: 76.1%

  • 2025: 72.7%

  • 2021: 66.6%

  • 2020: 58.8%

A number of factors — the early signing period, NIL, transfer portal, new rules around recruiting windows and on-campus visits — explain why elite recruiting continues to inch further and further from the traditional February signing day. Amid the fallout of the House settlement, the latest five-star class seemingly received another nudge this summer.

What’s left for the 2026 QB market after summer moves?

The last major quarterback domino in the 2026 class fell July 18 when four-star Landon Duckworth (No. 178 overall) committed to South Carolina. More than four months from the early signing period, the quarterback market in 2026 is effectively closed.

After Ryder Lyons (BYU), Bowe Bentley (Oklahoma) and Jaden O’Neal (Florida State) found homes in June, Duckworth was the last uncommitted ESPN 300 quarterback. Further down the class, several major programs across the Big Ten and SEC dipped into the flip market or outside the top 300 to secure their 2026 quarterback pledge(s) this summer.

Notable quarterback moves since June 1:

Oregon ended its monthslong chase for a quarterback pledge June 25 with former Boise State commit Beaver. One of the cycle’s top summer risers after a standout Elite 11 finals showing, Beaver landed with Ducks coach Dan Lanning and offensive coordinator Will Stein over interest Alabama, Auburn, LSU and Ole Miss in whirlwind, 13-day rerecruitment.

Alabama has five-star freshman Keelon Russell. But still repairing the program’s quarterback pipeline under coach Kalen DeBoer, the Crimson Tide added two pledges this summer between Thomalla — an Iowa State flip — and Kaawa. Across the state, Auburn and coach Hugh Freeze made their move June 26 flipping Falzone from Penn State before Ohio State (Fahey) and Kentucky (Ponatoski), another pair of quarterback-needy programs, landed pledges in July.

For now, the quarterback class is settled and only so many major programs are still searching in 2026.

Among the 68 Power 4 programs and Notre Dame, only 10 reached August without at least one pledge among the 106 quarterback prospects rated by ESPN: Colorado, Georgia Tech, LSU, Iowa, Iowa State, Maryland, Stanford, UCLA, Virginia Tech and West Virginia.

Who might still be looking within that group?

Colorado (Julian Lewis), Maryland (Malik Washington) and UCLA (Madden Iamaleava) each signed a top-300 quarterback in the 2025 class. With all three programs in the midst of roster rebuilds, none is likely to make a serious push at the position this fall.

With Garrett Nussmeier out of eligibility in 2025, and after the LSU lost No. 1 overall recruit Bryce Underwood to Michigan last fall, the Tigers remain a program to watch in the coming months.

What did ESPN’s top five classes do this summer?

The Trojans got the bulk of their work done on the trail this spring and began June with the most ESPN 300 pledges of any program nationally. That remains the case as USC has bolstered its top-ranked incoming class with five more ESPN 300 pledges over the past eight weeks, adding defenders Talanoa Ili (No. 54 overall), Luke Wafle (No. 104) and Peyton Dyer (No. 269), a July 4 pledge from No. 3 wide receiver Ethan “Boobie” Feaster (No. 25) and the commitment of highly regarded four-star offensive guard Breck Kolojay (No. 198) on Friday.

Can USC hold on to secure its first No. 1 class since 2013? Time will tell. Sources told ESPN that the Trojans’ biggest moves in the cycle are likely finished while the program continues to target the tight end and safety positions, but there’s still time for plenty more to unfold this fall.

The Bulldogs went for volume and quality this summer, collecting 19 commitments including 12 from inside the ESPN 300. Georgia continued to build around five-star quarterback Jared Curtis with five-star tight end Kaiden Prothro, top-50 offensive tackle Ekene Ogboko, running back Jae Lamar and pass catchers Brayden Fogle and Craig Dandridge. On the other side of the ball, defensive backs Justice Fitzpatrick, Chase Calicut and Caden Harris, and defensive tackle Pierre Dean Jr. rank among the newest arrivals in an increasingly deep Bulldogs defensive class.

Georgia’s summer wasn’t without a few major misses. Losing out to Texas on No. 1 outside linebacker Tyler Atkinson — a priority in-state target — stung. Top running back Derrek Cooper’s subsequent pledge to the Longhorns marked another blow, as did wide receiver Vance Spafford‘s decision to flip to Miami in late June. But the Bulldogs are loaded up once again on top during this cycle and will hit the fall in line to secure the program’s 10th straight top-three signing class for 2026.

The Aggies landed a key local recruiting win over Texas on June 17 with a commitment from No. 5 running back K.J. Edwards, the state’s No. 6 prospect in 2026. But Texas A&M’s summer of recruiting was defined on defense, where coach Mike Elko is building another monster class.

Five-star athlete Brandon Arrington, who will play defensive back in college, became the program’s top-ranked 2026 pledge on June 19. Behind him, the Aggies have added top-150 defenders Bryce Perry-Wright, Camren Hamiel and Tristian Givens, and top 300 linebacker Daquives Beck since June 1 to a defensive class that features nine ESPN 300 pledges.

Even after narrowly missing on top defenders Lamar Brown (LSU) and Anthony Jones (Oregon) in July, Texas A&M holds one of the nation’s deepest classes and appears poised to contend later this year for its first top-five class since the Aggies went No. 1 in 2022.

It was a five-star bonanza for coach Steve Sarkisian and the Longhorns this summer.

It began with a late-June pledge from Oregon decommit Richard Wesley, ESPN’s No. 3 defensive end. From there, Texas went on to secure its latest pair of recruiting wins over Georgia last month, swooping in to land Atkinson on July 15 before earning Derrek Cooper’s commitment five days later. With No. 1 quarterback Dia Bell already in the fold, the Longhorns have as many five-star pledges in 2026 as the program signed across 11 classes from 2011 to 2021.

Top-50 offensive lineman John Turntine III marked a key addition July 4, and the Longhorns got deeper on defense with commitments from cornerback Samari Matthews and former Georgia defensive tackle pledge James Johnson. But the five-star moves have been the story for Texas this summer, and Sarkisian & Co. might not be done yet with the Longhorns heavily in the mix for Jake Kreul, the last remaining five-star in the 2026 class.

After a productive spring, the Irish landed five ESPN 300 pledges after June 1, plugging the few remaining holes in the program’s 2026 class with a series of elite high school prospects.

Notre Dame landed its top two defensive back commitments within hours of each other on June 20 with pledges from cornerback Khary Adams and Joey O’Brien. On June 26, the Irish secured their highest-ranked tight end commit since the 2021 class in four-star Ian Premer. And in early July, Notre Dame bolstered its wide receiver class with an infusion of talent and NFL pedigree, adding Kaydon Finley (son of Jermichael Finley), Brayden Robinson and Devin Fitzgerald (son of Larry Fitzgerald).

Notre Dame’s trip to last season’s national title game arrived amid the program’s steady rise on the recruiting trail under coach Marcus Freeman. That has continued in 2026, where the Irish are poised to sign more ESPN 300 pledges — 17 — than in any cycle since at least 2006.

Five programs poised to push for a top-five finish this fall

Current ESPN class ranking: No. 6

Only one program can match USC’s count of nine top-100 pledges in 2026: Alabama.

The Crimson Tide’s second class under coach Kalen DeBoer boomed in June and July as the Crimson Tide secured a slew of commitments on defense with five-star safety Jireh Edwards (No. 23 overall), No. 3 outside linebacker Xavier Griffin (No. 30) and defensive ends Nolan Wilson (No. 53) and Jamarion Matthews (No. 92). Priority in-state offensive targets Ezavier Crowell (No. 31) and Cederian Morgan (No. 47) marked two more key additions this summer.

Alabama whiffed on another major in-state recruit Thursday when four-star outside linebacker Anthony Jones, the state’s No. 1 prospect in 2026, committed to Oregon. Jones represented one of the last elite targets on the Crimson Tide’s board. But Alabama has already flipped four Power 4 commits this summer and could continue to climb this fall as long as DeBoer and his staff remain active within the class from now to the early signing period.

Current ESPN class ranking: No. 11

LSU enters the month with ESPN’s No. 1 overall recruit, a five-star wide receiver in Tristen Keys (No. 10 overall) and 10 total ESPN 300 commits in the program’s incoming recruiting class.

How can the Tigers climb into the upper reaches of the 2026 cycle this fall? First and foremost, they have to hang onto Keys, ESPN’s No. 3 wide receiver. He has been committed to LSU since March 19, but that didn’t keep him from taking multiple official visits in the spring or shield him from serious flips efforts from Miami, Tennessee and Texas A&M this summer.

The Tigers’ battle to keep Keys could stretch all the way to the early signing period.

Sources expect LSU to ramp up its own flip efforts with in-state safety and Ohio State pledge Blaine Bradford (No. 34 overall) in the coming months. The Tigers are also finalists for Deuce Geralds and remain top contenders in the recruitments of offensive linemen Darius Gray (No. 73) and wide receiver Jase Mathews, both of whom are set to commit in August. LSU can’t be counted out from renewing its work in the 2026 quarterback this fall, either.

Current ESPN class ranking: No. 7

The defending national champs had a relatively quiet summer atop the 2026 cycle, adding only four ESPN 300 pledges highlighted by the in-state pledges of outside linebacker Cincere Johnson (No. 82 overall) and running back Favour Akih (No. 160). Fahey, ESPN’s No. 28 pocket passer, will pad Ohio State’s future quarterback depth after Air Noland‘s offseason transfer, too.

One priority target who could help push the Buckeyes over the edge is four-star prospect Bralan Womack (No. 32). Ohio State has been consistent a leader in the recruitment of ESPN’s No. 3 safety through the spring and summer, and coach Ryan Day & Co. will have to hold off late pushes from fellow finalists Auburn, Florida and Texas A&M from now until Womack’s Aug. 22 commitment date. The Buckeyes also remain involved in the recruitments of No. 2 running back Savion Hiter and Darius Gray, the nation’s 10th-ranked offensive lineman.

Current ESPN class ranking: No. 8

Wolverines coach Sherrone Moore has filled out his class with nine ESPN 300 pledges since June 1, headlined by top-100 defender Carter Meadows (No. 88 overall), who trails only quarterback Brady Smigiel (No. 44) among the top prospects pledged to Michigan in 2026.

Who could be next for the Wolverines? Michigan are finalists for ESPN 300 defenders Davon Benjamin (No. 63) and Anthony Davis Jr. (No. 299) with each set for a decision Saturday. More prominently, the Wolverines remain focused on Hiter (No. 24 overall), a top priority for the Michigan staff this summer whose commitment date is set for Aug. 19. The Wolverines also continue to be linked with Syracuse wide receiver pledge Calvin Russell (No. 28). ESPN’s No. 4 wide receiver closed a narrowing process with a commitment to the Orange on July 5, but sources expect Michigan and Miami to remain involved with Russell this fall.

Current ESPN class ranking: No. 10

No. 2 outside linebacker Anthony Jones committed to the Ducks on Thursday, joining five-stars Immanuel Iheanacho and Jett Washington in a string of high-profile pledges for Oregon this summer.

Insiders believe the Ducks have backed off at the very top of the 2026 class after spending in the 2025 cycle, but Jones’ pledge could be the first move in a late-summer surge for coach Dan Lanning. Oregon is viewed as the front-runner for both Deuce Geralds and Davon Benjamin as the pair of top-65 prospects prepare to announce their commitments Saturday afternoon. If the Ducks land both, Lanning & Co. could be in position to sign another top-five class by December.

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