
Is Hugh Freeze right for Auburn? The expectations and concerns with the hire
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3 years agoon
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adminAuburn athletic director John Cohen will sign the contract for new football coach Hugh Freeze with both eyes open.
If anyone knows the upside and the risk involved in hiring the former Ole Miss coach, it’s the former Mississippi State athletic director. They didn’t just share a state for five years, they shared a conference. Cohen would have attended AD-level meetings and heard all about why Freeze left Oxford under a dark cloud in the summer of 2017. (At Tuesday’s introductory press conference, Cohen expressed confidence in both Freeze and the thoroughness of Auburn’s vetting procedures but declined to take any questions that would have shed more light on that process.)
Freeze was once the toast of Ole Miss. He tore it up on the recruiting trail and had a high-flying offense that pushed the tempo and took shots downfield. He brought the Rebels to their first Sugar Bowl in 45 years. He beat Alabama and Nick Saban twice.
But the fall from grace was swift and scandalous. There were NCAA recruiting violations, which led to a bowl ban and scholarship reductions, and there were phone calls to an escort service, which ultimately led to Freeze resigning. Had he not resigned, his former athletic director said, he would have fired him. (After Freeze left Ole Miss, USA Today published a story in which three women, who were students at Briarcrest Christian when Freeze was a high school football coach in the late 1990s and early 2000s, said Freeze made them uncomfortable with inappropriate behavior.)
Freeze didn’t coach in 2017 or 2018. And because of the scandals, when he did return, it was at Liberty.
In Lynchburg, Virginia, he started over. And with every win and bowl appearance, it felt like he was inching closer to a return to big-time college football.
In four seasons at Liberty, Freeze went 34-15. But this past summer, a former Liberty student who sued the university for allegedly mishandling sexual assault cases accused Freeze of sending her direct messages on Twitter in reaction to her comments. In one message, Freeze allegedly said Liberty athletic director Ian McCaw — who resigned as Baylor AD in the wake of a campus-wide sexual assault investigation — was a “Jesus-like leader.”
Meanwhile, Auburn was floundering. It had gone outside the box by hiring former Boise State coach Bryan Harsin in Dec. 2020 but a 6-7 first season ended with an internal investigation into Harsin’s handling of the program. Then, after going 3-5 to start this season, Harsin was fired.
Desperate for a proven winner in the SEC — and someone who might be able to beat archrival Alabama — Cohen eventually zeroed in on Freeze.
Why did Auburn hire Freeze?
Andrea Adelson: Because it could not get Lane Kiffin? This sure does feel like a reach. Freeze’s past, quite frankly, should be disqualifying from him ever landing another Power 5 job. Especially when Auburn had a highly qualified candidate standing on its sideline — beloved alum Cadillac Williams, who did an incredible job as interim coach after Harsin was fired. He drew widespread praise for not only the way he handled the situation but for the passion with which his team played. There are qualified Black head coaches across the country who get passed over every single year for coaches like Freeze. This hire is a particular slap in the face to one of Auburn’s own, who has given everything for this program.
But Freeze is a big name with an SEC past who beat Nick Saban twice when he was Ole Miss’ coach, and took the Rebels to two New Year’s Six games. And he can develop quarterbacks. But it’s fair to question whether that should have been enough for him to get the job.
Alex Scarborough: The last few months, starting with hiring athletic director John Cohen from Mississippi State, have felt like a giant course correction for Auburn. Bringing in the former Ole Miss coach — after trying to hire the current Ole Miss coach — is really on the nose. And it’s predictable. Which is not to say it’s the wrong move. If Freeze could contend in the SEC and go 2-3 against Saban and Alabama at Ole Miss, what’s to say he can’t repeat that success at Auburn? It’s a better recruiting territory given the access to Georgia and Florida, and there are unlimited resources — just look at how much money they’re willing to burn on buyouts. (In the past two years, the Tigers have paid more than $37 million to fired coaches Harsin and Gus Malzahn.) The school recently built a new football facility, and it is not afraid to fund NIL ventures.
What should be Auburn’s biggest concerns moving forward?
Adelson: Here’s the thing: A quick Google search clearly shows why this hire comes with huge risks. As outlined above, Freeze has already gotten one SEC school into major NCAA trouble, leading to postseason bans and vacated wins. He was ousted at Ole Miss in part for using burner phones to call escorts, and while at Liberty is alleged to have been direct messaging a woman suing the school over sexual assault claims. But this hire is a win-at-all-costs, go-for-broke situation, and Auburn will deal with the consequences later.
Scarborough: Ask his former athletic director and president at Ole Miss. They stood up and defended Freeze on multiple occasions only to end up embarrassed. Cohen will have to explain why he felt comfortable that Freeze has learned his lessons and is trustworthy. And even then, only time will tell. But as far as the product on the field, let’s not forget that Freeze hasn’t coached in the SEC in six years. That’s an eternity. The last three SEC games Freeze coached were against Kevin Sumlin, Derek Mason and Dan Mullen. So, yeah, a lot has changed. Freeze has to show his offense has evolved and that he can navigate the complexities of roster management in the era of NIL. Doing it at Liberty is great, but it’s not nearly the same as Auburn.
How does Freeze get Auburn back in SEC contention?
Adam Rittenberg: He accomplished the first step by keeping Cadillac Williams on staff. He also needs other assistants who know the SEC recruiting landscape and can attract transfers. Auburn ultimately must become a quarterback destination under Freeze. Since 2018, Alabama leads the nation in total QBR, while Georgia is No. 4. Auburn ranks 55th. Freeze has to improve that position through recruiting and the portal.
Chris Low: Right at the top is finding, signing and developing a quarterback. Freeze has won with different styles of quarterbacks, which should make playing in his system attractive for a lot of quarterbacks out there. In the end, offensive systems don’t win games (or championships) in the SEC. Players do. And make no mistake: Freeze’s mission at Auburn is to win titles. The Tigers are one of six schools nationally over the last 12 years to have won a national title and played in another national title game during that span. The way you do that is by signing and developing great players, especially from the state of Georgia. When Auburn has been really good, the Tigers have always had great players from Georgia. And that’s harder than ever now with Kirby Smart in Athens.
Mark Schlabach: I think the Auburn roster needs a complete overhaul. Harsin’s recruiting abilities weren’t up to SEC standards, and the Tigers lost too many players to the transfer portal. And then Freeze will need to win over the Auburn power brokers, just like basketball coach Bruce Pearl was able to do. Freeze has to unite Auburn fans and boosters and get everyone on the same page. For too long, Auburn’s biggest opponent has been itself because of so much dysfunction behind closed doors.
What does this mean for the Alabama-Auburn rivalry?
Rittenberg: Freeze knows the blueprint for beating Bama, and it’s all about recruiting and NIL, two areas where Auburn should thrive under his leadership. Auburn needs schematic and talent upgrades on offense to beat an Alabama team that has pivoted more toward quarterback and wide receiver play. Freeze has a strong track record on offense, especially at wide receiver, but his ability to attract and develop elite SEC quarterbacks to match Alabama’s will be worth watching.
Low: The Iron Bowl is always going to be one of the best rivalries in college football, but a new face is only going to spice it up. There was also a time that Saban and Freeze nearly ended up together. After Freeze resigned at Ole Miss, Saban was interested in bringing Freeze on as an analyst or even an offensive coordinator, but sources say SEC commissioner Greg Sankey was against the idea of Freeze being back in the league while Ole Miss was still on probation.
Schlabach: The Tide might be as vulnerable as they’ve ever been under Saban. Reigning Heisman Trophy winner Bryce Young is leaving for the NFL, along with linebacker Will Anderson Jr., the best player on defense. The Tide don’t seem to have a bruising running back like they’ve had in the past, and their young receivers haven’t panned out. Alabama has been undisciplined and plagued by turnovers and penalties. If Freeze and his staff can recruit well and pluck a few difference makers out of the transfer portal, they might be competitive with Alabama sooner than people believed.
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Seth Wickersham
CloseSeth 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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Max OlsonAug 1, 2025, 04:59 PM ET
Close- 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
Published
1 day agoon
August 2, 2025By
admin
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Eli LedermanAug 2, 2025, 07:33 AM ET
Close- 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.
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DT Lamar Brown, LSU, No. 1 overall
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RB Derrek Cooper, Texas, No. 7 overall
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DE JaReylan McCoy, Florida, No. 9 overall
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DE Richard Wesley, Texas, No. 11 overall
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OT Immanuel Iheanacho, Oregon, No. 13 overall
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OLB Tyler Atkinson, Texas, No. 14 overall
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ATH Brandon Arrington, Texas A&M, No. 15 overall
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TE Kaiden Prothro, Georgia, No. 19 overall
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OT Felix Ojo, Texas Tech, No. 20 overall
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S Jett Washington, Oregon, No. 21 overall
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S Jireh Edwards, Alabama, No. 23 overall
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
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2026: 95.6%
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2024: 76.1%
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2025: 72.7%
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2021: 66.6%
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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:
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Ryder Lyons, BYU, No. 49 overall
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Jaden O’Neal, Florida State, No. 166 overall
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Bowe Bentley, Oklahoma, No. 168 overall
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Peyton Falzone, Auburn, No. 208 overall
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Jett Thomalla, Alabama, No. 14 pocket passer
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Bryson Beaver, Oregon, No. 15 pocket passer
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Matt Ponatoski, Kentucky, No. 16 pocket passer
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Tayden-Evan Kaawa, No. 24 pocket passer
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Luke Fahey, Ohio State, No. 28 pocket passer
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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