Some teams perform their best with their backs proverbially against the wall. We will find out if that’s the case for the Dallas Stars.

The Edmonton Oilers have opened up a 3-1 lead over the Stars in the Western Conference finals, heading into Game 5 Thursday night (8 p.m. ET, ESPN/ESPN+).

Can the Stars send it back to Alberta for Game 6 on Saturday? Or will the Oilers close them out and join the Florida Panthers in the Stanley Cup Final for a second consecutive year?

Here are notes on the matchup from ESPN Research, as well as betting intel from ESPN BET:

More from Game 4: Recap | Grades

Matchup notes

Dallas Stars at Edmonton Oilers
Game 5 | 8 p.m. ET | ESPN/ESPN+

The Oilers’ odds to win the Western Conference finals are now -1200, up from -375 heading into Game 4. Meanwhile, the Stars’ odds to rally for the win are now +600, up from +280 when the series was 2-1. Edmonton is now +110 to win the Cup, while Dallas is +1400. Connor McDavid leads the Conn Smythe odds list, at +130; Leon Draisaitl (+650) is the only other player in this series under 10-1.

Edmonton is now 6-1 at home this postseason, outscoring opponents 33-17. The Oilers are 17-1 in best-of-seven series all-time when leading 3-1; their only loss was the 1989 division semifinals against the Los Angeles Kings.

Dallas has been outscored 10-0 on the road in the first period this postseason, the first team in Stanley Cup playoff history to fail to score a first-period goal on the road through eight games of a single playoff year. They have lost all 16 best-of-seven series when trailing 3-1.

Draisaitl had a power-play goal and an assist in Game 4, the 13th game-opening playoff goal in his career, which ties Wayne Gretzky and Glenn Anderson for the most in franchise history. It was his 20th career power-play goal in the postseason, which is fourth in Oilers’ franchise history behind Gretzky (23), Jari Kurri (22) and Anderson (22).

With another multipoint game, McDavid now has more career playoff games with two or more points (45) than one or zero points combined (44).

Stuart Skinner has gone 5-1 in his past six starts, and his 24th career playoff win moves him ahead of Andy Moog into third on the franchise leaderboard; Bill Ranford is second, with 25, while Grant Fuhr is No. 1 with 74.

Jason Robertson scored a power-play goal in the Game 4 loss. His seven power-play goals over the past four postseasons are the most for the Stars in that span.

Dallas’ Mikko Rantanen finished with no goals on two shots on goal. He now has a seven-game goalless drought, which is tied for his longest in a single postseason (2022, with the Colorado Avalanche).

With his next win, Stars goalie Jake Oettinger will move up the leaderboard for playoff wins by a U.S.-born netminder. His 32 are tied for fourth with Jon Casey and Frank Brimsek, behind Tom Barrasso (61), Jonathan Quick (49) and Mike Richter (41).

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Scoring leaders

GP: 15 | G: 5 | A: 19

GP: 17 | G: 9 | A: 12

Notre Dame has pushed its way into the No. 2 slot of our 2026 class rankings after adding a second ESPN 300 running back. On the heels of landing Javian Osborne, the Fighting Irish brought on Jonaz Walton, a versatile athlete who is also an accomplished track-and-field participant.

Walton has a compact frame and can produce after contact, but with multiple 10.6 100-meter times, he also has the speed to pull away when he gets in the open. As a junior, he not only rushed for more than 1,300 yards but also showed he can be productive as a target out of the backfield, hauling in 39 passes for more than 600 yards.

The Fighting Illini shook off the loss of ESPN 300 CB Victor Singleton quite well and have managed to ascend the rankings. Leading that charge was the commitment of Nasir Rankin, a top-10 athlete in the ESPN 300. An early in-state priority for this class, the two-sport prospect (basketball) could contribute on either side of the ball but projects to offense, where he can use good ball skills and his ability to make defenders miss after the catch.

With a wave of official visits set for many of the top prospects, June is shaping up to be a busy month, with the expectation that by early July, a sizable portion of the 150-plus uncommitted ESPN 300 prospects will come off the board. With that, the class rankings are poised for several shake-ups over the coming weeks.

Here’s a look at our latest top 25.

New this ranking: Texas

Out: Ole Miss

(Previous update: May 14)

Previous ranking: 1

ESPN 300 commits: 12
Top offensive prospect: OT Keenyi Pepe
Top defensive prospect: CB Elbert Hill

No program has more 2026 momentum than USC under Lincoln Riley, especially after hiring general manager Chad Bowden away from Notre Dame. The Trojans have double-digit ESPN 300 commits, with several joining the list since January. That includes two five-stars to start May in Pepe and Hill, and a pair of four-star commits who flipped from Big Ten rival Oregon: in-state defensive lineman Tomuhini Topui and quarterback Jonas Williams. Topui is a physical, aggressive defensive tackle who could develop into an interior pass-rushing headache for opposing offenses, and Williams is a true dual-threat signal-caller.

USC also made it a point to beef up in the trenches. It pulled four-star defensive tackle Jaimeon Winfield out of Texas, landed in-state defensive end Simote Katoanga and traveled to Utah to snag Corner Canyon offensive lineman Esun Tafa. To further bolster the O-line, the Trojans landed Pepe out of IMG Academy. He is huge at roughly 6-foot-7 and 320 pounds, but is light on his feet as well as physical and can become a standout tackle. On the perimeter, they will not have to wait for in-state defender R.J. Sermons as the ESPN 300 CB reclassified to 2025 and will join the Trojans this fall. For 2026, they pulled Elbert Hill, the top-ranked corner, out of the Midwest. Hill possesses elite speed, having been measured at over 22 mph in game play.

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Previous ranking: 3

ESPN 300 commits: 12
Top offensive prospect: OT Tyler Merrill
Top defensive prospect: DE Rodney Dunham

Notre Dame started the year off slowly on the recruiting trail but heated up during the spring, landing a handful of ESPN 300 prospects in April. On defense, the Irish landed Dunham, an edge player with nice length and a quick first step, and Ayden Pouncey, a rangy safety out of Florida.

On offense, ESPN 300 OT Gregory Patrick joined a class that already featured several top OL prospects including top-10 OT Merrill, who at 6-7 and 335 pounds is a massive presence with physicality and power in the run game. This group collectively can continue the school’s strong reputation as an offensive line factory.

The Irish also landed Thomas Davis Jr., whose father is former Panthers star Thomas Davis, and four-star quarterback Noah Grubbs, who already has shown impressive footwork and a sound release from the pocket.

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Previous ranking: 2

ESPN 300 commits: 11
Top offensive prospect: WR Chris Henry Jr.
Top defensive prospect: S Blaine Bradford

Ryan Day has the luxury of building his 2026 class around one of the most coveted players in the country: five-star receiver Henry, whose father, the late Chris Henry, was a star receiver for West Virginia and the Cincinnati Bengals. Henry Jr. stands 6-6 and has a combination of length and quickness rarely seen from high school receivers.

The rest of the Buckeyes’ class has started to take shape around Henry. The team has added a handful of ESPN 300 prospects since March, including Bradford out of Louisiana and linebacker Simeon Caldwell out of Florida. C.J. Sanna is a prospect we like on tape; he is a big, physical linebacker with excellent range and is a bit of an underrated pickup for this talented class. In-state offensive tackle Maxwell Riley is impressive changing direction and finishes plays with the type of nastiness that will endear him to fans in Columbus.

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Previous ranking: 4

ESPN 300 commits: 6
Top offensive prospect: WR Davion Brown
Top defensive prospect: S Matt Sieg

The Nittany Lions jumped out to a fast start fueled by strong in-state recruiting and have kept that momentum going. Several of their top commits are Pennsylvania natives, including four-star Harrisburg High School teammates Kevin Brown and Messiah Mickens. Brown is a big, flexible offensive tackle, while Mickens has been a productive prep running back, which bodes well for a Penn State program that must finally replace Kaytron Allen and Nicholas Singleton after 2025.

James Franklin also landed in-state athlete David Davis Jr., who has clocked a 20.5 mph max speed and has the cover skills to fit into the back end of a defense one day. While most of the early commits are within Penn State’s primary recruiting radius, the Nittany Lions also landed strong-armed quarterback Troy Huhn out of California. He’s a big body with good feet and brings nice upside. They also went out of state to land a potential big-play target in Davion Brown. Out of Virginia, Brown possesses excellent speed, having been recorded at over 21 mph in game play, and can do a good job of high pointing the football to win contested matchups.

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Previous ranking: 5

ESPN 300 commits: 8
Top offensive prospect: WR Naeem Burroughs
Top defensive prospect: S Kentavion Anderson

Clemson is coming off a College Football Playoff appearance, but the Tigers are still chasing the heights of their mid-2010s success under Dabo Swinney, and their 2025 class ranked just 37th in the country. Their 2026 group is looking more promising, especially after a red-hot March in which Swinney landed eight verbals, including five ESPN 300 commits.

Much of the talent is currently concentrated on offense. Burroughs is a burner in the 100-meter dash who can take the top off a defense and has a high football IQ. Fellow receiver Connor Salmin is another big-play threat. Grant Wise, Adam Guthrie and Chancellor Barclay give the Tigers multiple ESPN 300 OLs to help reload a senior-heavy unit that is projected to lose multiple starters after 2025. They could one day protect fellow four-star Tait Reynolds, a dual-threat QB out of Arizona who could push to be part of the long-term solution to replace Cade Klubnik.

While the foundation of the class is on offense, Anderson is a key in-state pickup on the other side of the ball. With his frame (roughly 6-foot-2, 190 pounds) and range, he can be a versatile back-end defender for the Tigers.

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Previous ranking: 6

ESPN 300 commits: 6
Top offensive prospect: RB Jonathan Hatton Jr.
Top defensive prospect: CB Victor Singleton

Mike Elko has quickly proved he can identify and recruit at a high level. He has worked fertile recruiting grounds, landing the Aggies’ top-ranked commit, defensive end Jordan Carter, out of Georgia. He landed fellow four-star defensive tackle Jermaine Kinsler out of New Jersey.

Elko has also been able to unearth talent from more unlikely places, such as quarterback Helaman Casuga out of Utah. Casuga is not a big, physical prospect at roughly 6 feet, but he has a live arm and can get the ball out quickly. Singleton, one of the top prospects in Ohio, was a nice flip from Illinois. He has clocked a 21 mph max speed and has the type of quickness and excellent feet to thrive in man coverage. A key in-state keep is Hatton, who has an excellent blend of size (200 pounds) and speed (he was measured hitting 21 mph on film).

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Previous ranking: 8

ESPN 300 commits: 1
Top offensive prospect: OL Kaden Snyder
Top defensive prospect: CB J.J. Dunnigan

Lance Leipold is no stranger to building a program, and he’s off to a hot start in fortifying Kansas’ 2026 class. At 6-3, 190 pounds, in-state corner Dunnigan has the length to reroute receivers off the line and the straight-line speed to hang with them on vertical routes. The Jayhawks have a few offensive linemen committed, led by 6-5 Kansas native Snyder, who has an enticing combination of athleticism, pass protection skills and upside if he can continue to fill out his frame.

The Jalon Daniels era enters its sixth and final season in 2025. In-state three-star commit Jaylen Mason is an intriguing developmental option for the future at QB.

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Previous ranking: 7

ESPN 300 commits: 1
Top offensive prospect: OT Javeion Cooper
Top defensive prospect: DE Kamron Wilson

The Fran Brown era in Syracuse certainly isn’t boring. He led the Orange to just their second 10-win season since 2001 behind Ohio State transfer Kyle McCord, then landed a solid 2025 recruiting class. Now he’s pushing for more talent in 2026. Four-star defensive end Jarius Rodgers out of Florida is one of Brown’s biggest gets so far. The 6-5 220-pounder has tremendous length and an impressive track background. He has considerable physical tools and upside if Syracuse’s coaching staff can harness it. Wilson is another big pull out of Florida; the edge defender has good initial quickness and tallied 17 sacks in 2024.

Cooper has real upside too. He has good size (6-5, 300 pounds) yet plays with impressive balance for someone with his power and contact explosiveness. The Orange also have been active in the mid-Atlantic, landing three receivers from Delaware. Among that group is B.J. Garrett, a big target (6-3, 191 pounds) with good hands who could develop into a player in the mold of Oronde Gadsden, who had similar measurables coming out in the 2021 class.

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Previous ranking: 9

ESPN 300 commits: 2
Top offensive prospect: QB Jake Fette
Top defensive prospect: DE Julian Hugo

Kenny Dillingham deftly pulled all the roster-building levers available to him as he rebuilt the Sun Devils back to national relevancy. They have an interesting 2026 class so far that includes a pair of ESPN 300 recruits. Fette, a four-star Texas native, is a dual-threat playmaker with excellent short-area quickness and a smooth, consistent release.

They lost a key, potentially productive, target with the decommitment of Israel Briggs, but still sit in good position. The class already included another TE in Hayden Vercher, who possesses excellent ball skills and is a good route runner, with more than 1,000 yards receiving in 2024. Shortly after losing Briggs, they added ESPN 300 WR Nalin Scott, a big target at roughly 6-3, 210 pounds who moves well for his size and can be tough to tackle after the catch.

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Previous ranking: 20

ESPN 300 commits: 1
Top offensive prospect: ATH Nasir Rankin
Top defensive prospect: LB Cam Thomas

Good recruiting starts at home, and an early priority for the Fighting Illini was in-state athlete Rankin. A two-sport star who also excels on the hardwood, the ESPN 300 prospect projects to wide receiver, where he can be a playmaker with good hands and the ability to make defenders miss after the catch. Also from in-state, big man Casey Thomann is one of the top OL prospects in Illinois, and three-star Tony Balanganayi is an interesting big man. He projects to the defensive line, where he has shown he can be disruptive, but with more mass could offer higher upside as an OL.

From within the Big Ten footprint, four-star Thomas (Ohio) is a defender with an outstanding first step and could develop into an edge rusher with big upside. Parker Crim brings good arm length, can move well and has shown he can be explosive off the ball. Tony Williams, out of Florida, is a middle linebacker with good instincts and can be a physical presence between the tackles.

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Previous ranking: 10

ESPN 300 commits: 8
Top offensive prospect: WR Tristen Keys
Top defensive prospect: CB Havon Finney Jr.

The Tigers are tough to beat for in-state talent, and they built the foundation for one of the top classes in the country on homegrown recruits. But landing Keys from nearby Mississippi delivered Brian Kelly and his staff their first five-star of the 2026 cycle. As of now, the 6-3 Keys would be the highest-rated receiver to make it to Baton Rouge since Kayshon Boutte. Keys is a long strider with long arms who prioritizes winning and is a favorite of coaches and teammates alike.

LSU also recently added wide receiver Jabari Mack (a strong route runner) and offensive tackle Brysten Martinez, a pair of in-state four-star recruits who bolster a class that now features more than half of the top 10 players from Louisiana. That includes a pair of teammates from Edna Karr High: DT Richard Anderson, a stout presence at more than 300 pounds with good initial quickness, and Aiden Hall, a safety with good length, speed and downhill physicality. Though much of their recruiting success is from within their primary recruiting footprint, the Tigers did go out west to land ESPN 300 Finney. A 2027 prospect who reclassified into the 2026 class, he has shown he can be physical in press coverage but also brings excellent speed to be able to run with receivers.

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Previous ranking: 15

ESPN 300 commits: 6
Top offensive prospect: QB Jared Curtis
Top defensive prospect: S Zechariah Fort

The Bulldogs have been a consistent staple among the top three overall classes during Kirby Smart’s tenure and look to be a contender to do so again in 2026. A big step toward finishing near the top again is bringing five-star quarterback Curtis back into the mix. After a decommitment, the Bulldogs were able to fend off other suitors, most notably Oregon, and give themselves a potential impact QB for the future. Curtis might need to adjust to a relatively steep jump in competition level, but he has elite physical tools, including a smooth, quick release and the ability to change arm angles.

With three of their top four pass catchers from 2024 having moved on and the fourth likely to leave after this season, Georgia is bringing in new receiving targets with speed. Vance Spafford out of California won the fastest-man competition last summer at the UA Future 50 event and in-state prospect Brady Marchese has been recorded hitting over 22 mph in game play. After signing two ESPN 300 TEs in their 2025 class, the Dawgs continue to restock there, adding Lincoln Keyes, who with his big frame and good body control can offer a wide catch radius. On defense, Fort is a safety with good range who can be active in run support.

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Previous ranking: 13

ESPN 300 commits: 1
Top offensive prospect: RB Crew Davis
Top defensive prospect: DT Trashawn Ruffin

Unsurprisingly given his ethos, Bill Belichick is building North Carolina’s 2026 class from the inside out. In-state four-star defensive tackle Ruffin flipped from Texas A&M and the 300-pounder has plenty of raw physicality to mold. Ruffin is one of several interior linemen in the class right now, and Belichick went to his former home base in Massachusetts to bring in 335-pound guard Lenneil Hall. The Tar Heels also pulled a pair of three-star corners out of California in Justin Lewis and Marcellous Ryan. High three-star athlete O’Mari Johnson further bolsters that unit as he also projects to the secondary.

Now North Carolina is beginning to layer in skill players such as three-star receiver Darrion Kirksey, who picked the Tar Heels over offers from Ole Miss and Arkansas and has outstanding short-area quickness. Davis can be a versatile back with the power to run between the tackles, but he also possesses good ball skills. As a junior, he rushed for more than 1,300 yards and also hauled in more than 50 receptions.

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Previous ranking: 14

ESPN 300 commits: 1
Top offensive prospect: RB Evan Hampton
Top defensive prospect: DB Jaydin Broadnax

Jeff Brohm has raised Louisville’s floor with a 19-8 record and an appearance in the ACC championship game two years ago. His 2026 class already has more than a dozen commits, with four-star defensive back Broadnax out of Florida the biggest get so far. At nearly 6-3, he has great length, balance and body control for a corner. DE Kevontay Hugan was another nice pull out of Florida. He lacks ideal length but possesses a quick first step and has been a versatile defender for his high school and was productive as a junior with more than 100 tackles with 18 sacks.

Hampton, a three-star running back, ran for 1,549 yards and 20 touchdowns as a junior at in-state Owensboro High School. He’s an elusive, upright runner with the ball skills to affect the pass game and also has a baseball background; he originally committed to rival Kentucky as a freshman before pursuing football. Adding more help along the line could be a focus for Louisville after Miami flipped three-star offensive tackle Joel Ervin.

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Previous ranking: 12

ESPN 300 commits: 5
Top offensive prospect: OT Jackson Cantwell
Top defensive prospect: LB Jordan Campbell

Despite a rocky finish to the 2024 season, the Hurricanes are trending in the right direction. They’re coming off a 10-win season, former QB Cam Ward was the No. 1 pick in the NFL draft and they’ve reeled in two consecutive top-15 recruiting classes. Mario Cristobal’s 2026 class is working to match or even exceed those groups.

The Hurricanes are adding pieces to field a dominant offensive line. They could lose several projected 2025 starters after this season but are adding big men who can step in and project a bright future in the trenches. In addition to landing the top-rated interior OL in the 2025 class, they have added several OLs to their 2026 class, led by No. 1 tackle Jackson Cantwell. Much like current standout OT Francis Mauigoa, who was a five-star himself and a Year 1 starter, Cantwell could step in at one of the tackle spots upon arriving in South Florida. He is a massive presence at roughly 6-7 and 320 pounds and carries his size well. In addition to being powerful, he possesses good quickness and flexibility, and much like Mauigoa is being projected to be a high NFL draft pick.

QB Dereon Coleman has room for growth but has a quick release and accuracy. Four-star Miami native Jordan Campbell is 6-2, 220 pounds with the versatility to make plays in pursuit and the bend and power that portend a potential impact pass rusher. He’s a candidate to take a leap with college coaching.

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Previous ranking: 11

ESPN 300 commits: 5
Top offensive prospect: TE Kendre’ Harrison
Top defensive prospect: DT Tony Cumberland

Dan Lanning’s run of sustained excellence in Eugene rolls on with Oregon’s 2026 class. Reeling in five-star tight end Harrison in November set the tone. The 6-6 250-pounder is a dynamic two-sport athlete with an exceptional catch radius who is a nightmare for opposing defenses in the red zone. In late February, the Ducks added four-star defensive back Xavier Lherisse, who clocked an impressive 1.62 10-yard dash and 4.49 40-yard dash a few days later at the Under Armour Miami camp. Four-star running back Tradarian Ball adds explosiveness and excellent ball skills.

While the commitment of five-star DE Richard Wesley was short-lived, the Ducks still have a strong defensive line foundation within this class. They secured the top two big men in-state, in ESPN 300 DTs Cumberland and Viliami Moala. The latter is a massive 300-pounder who not only brings jolting power but is light on his feet for his size and can be a handful in the heart of the trenches. DE Dutch Horisk will arrive from one of the top programs in California (St. John Bosco), where he will have been a multiyear starter and is a sound football player who uses his hands well. As a junior he had nine TFLs and four sacks.

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Previous ranking: NR

ESPN 300 commits: 6
Top offensive prospect: QB Dia Bell
Top defensive prospect: CB Hayward Howard Jr.

As Texas tackles the 2025 season led by one of the most high-profile signings in recent years in quarterback Arch Manning, the Longhorns continue to build for the future as well, including another five-star QB. Bell brings valuable experience, having faced quality competition during his time in high school. He has shown good accuracy and deep-ball touch, and as a junior threw for more than 2,500 yards and completed 70% of his passes.

The Horns also added potential targets including ESPN 300 WRs Chris Stewart and Jermaine Bishop Jr. Stewart brings big-play speed, and Bishop is a quick, fluid target who can create after the catch. To protect their new offensive weapons, they have also landed some top in-state OLs, including top-10 OG Nicolas Robertson, a powerful big man with good feet.

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Previous ranking: 17

ESPN 300 commits: 4
Top offensive prospect: QB Faizon Brandon
Top defensive prospect: DE Zach Groves

Brandon, a five-star quarterback, is the headliner, and rightfully so. He’s a strong, accurate passer who fits Tennessee’s offense perfectly. His commitment was big initially but seems even more impactful now after the well-publicized split with Nico Iamaleava. In-state four-star receiver Tyreek King (Knoxville Catholic) pairs well alongside Brandon. He is a quick, fluid target who has clocked in-game speeds faster than 21 mph. The Vols also added 6-3 wide receiver Tyran Evans out of North Carolina in January, and likely aren’t done at the position.

They are doing well in-state, and Groves is another strong addition from within their borders. A defender with good quickness and power, he has amassed more than 50 TFLs heading into his senior season. Keep an eye on in-state offensive tackle Gabriel Osenda, who is a massive presence (6-7, 330 pounds) for the Vols to develop.

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Previous ranking: 25

ESPN 300 commits: 2
Top offensive prospect: WR Dyzier Carter
Top defensive prospect: ATH Chris Hewitt Jr.

The Scarlet Knights have added some top talent to their wide receiver room with Carter and Elias Coke, both of whom have been long-time commits, having joined the class before the 2024 season started. Carter is a good route runner with strong hands and could be a quick contributor once arriving. Coke is a nice target at roughly 6-2.

On defense, Joey Kopec is a two-way player in high school, contributing at RB and LB. He has good range and is effective dropping into coverage. Athlete Hewitt projects to the secondary.

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Previous ranking: 24

ESPN 300 commits: 2
Top offensive prospect: TE Brock Harris
Top defensive prospect: DT Bott Mulitalo

The Cougars finished 63rd in the 2025 cycle but are capitalizing on in-state talent to compete for one of the top classes in the Big 12 in 2026. Harris is the top-rated player in the state of Utah and one of the top TE prospects in the country. He has excellent size at roughly 6-6 and is smooth in his movements with excellent ball skills. Harris could be a highly productive target in BYU’s passing attack.

Mulitalo, the top-ranked defensive player in the state, can offer versatility along the line and, in camp evaluations, has demonstrated an intense demeanor with the ability to take and apply coaching well. He has been transitioning his focus to the offensive line, evident by his OL MVP performance at the UA Salt Lake City camp this spring. His ability to contribute on either side of the ball only raises his value. The Cougars also stayed in-state to land a QB to develop in Kaneal Sweetwyne, who has a rangy frame with quick feet and can be a dual-threat option with nice upside as a passer.

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Previous ranking: 16

ESPN 300 commits: 5
Top offensive prospect: WR Devin Carter
Top defensive prospect: DE Hezekiah Harris

Though other teams have more total commits at this stage, Hugh Freeze has done a great job attracting premium talent to the Plains as he rebuilds the Tigers. In-state defensive talent forms the early foundation, with commitments from Harris and linebackers JaMichael Garrett and Shadarius Toodle. Harris is a lengthy edge defender with good power and range. Toodle and Garrett are highly productive players who have combined for more than 200 tackles and 20 tackles for loss in their careers.

Freeze then added four-star Carter out of Douglasville (Georgia) High School in January. The son of 1990 NFL first-round running back Dexter Carter, Devin is one of the faster receivers in the class and pairs his speed with fluid, smooth route-running ability.

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Previous ranking: 22

ESPN 300 commits: 1
Top offensive prospect: OG Marek Jin
Top defensive prospect: DE Mason Leak

Bill O’Brien has injected new life into Boston College by returning the program to its local roots. That has continued so far in 2026, with most of BC’s commits hailing from Massachusetts, Connecticut or New York. A key add from that Northeast footprint is Jin, an ESPN 300 OL. At their height, the Eagles built a reputation for developing NFL-caliber talent, particularly along the offensive line and on defense, and just recently had two offensive linemen drafted into the NFL. Jin, who played both ways in high school, fits that mold but projects to the offensive line, where he can be very productive with a nice blend of flexibility and mobility.

D.J. Bordeaux gives O’Brien a promising quarterback to develop. The three-star has bounced around a bit in high school but has a smooth throwing motion, completed 68% of his passes as a junior and performed well among a talented QB pool at this offseason’s Under Armour Salt Lake City camp. On defense, Leak is an interesting prospect who probably will need developmental time but flashes very good raw tools and could in time be a breakout player from this class.

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Previous ranking: 21

ESPN 300 commits: 0
Top offensive prospect: WR Dequane Prevo
Top defensive prospect: DE Colton Yarbrough

The talk about coach Sam Pittman on the hot seat seemed to cool off entering the offseason, which will benefit recruiting and aid a 2026 class that already has a solid foundation. Four-star Prevo out of Texas is a 5-10 receiver who has outstanding balance, body control and short-area burst. Several high-three-star prospects anchor the class, including quarterback Jayvon Gilmore, a tall (6-4) but lean passer with a nice frame to develop. He has a strong arm with a smooth release and is a nice early pickup by the Razorbacks.

Yarbrough brings upside at defensive end with good first-step quickness and range. Pittman, a former offensive line coach, also landed in-state big man Tucker Young, who can get push and help create lanes in the run game.

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Previous ranking: 19

ESPN 300 commits: 3
Top offensive prospect: OT Kodi Greene
Top defensive prospect: DE Derek Colman-Brusa

Jedd Fisch did an excellent job bringing in talent at Arizona and is now working to retool Washington’s roster and get the Huskies back into the playoff hunt. The Huskies won a key recruiting battle by pulling away Greene, an ESPN 300 OL, from rival Oregon. He is a 300-pounder who moves very well for his size with good quickness and the one-time Washington resident can be a key option in the trenches. The Huskies went east to land their QB in Derek Zammit, a tough, smart player with a smooth, quick release. He should continue to improve with the tools to develop into a productive starter.

Washington landed several commitments in the secondary, including in-state Durr, who has good size at roughly 6 feet and is smooth in his movements. He could develop at cornerback or safety.

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Previous ranking: 18

ESPN 300 commits: 3
Top offensive prospect: ATH Efrem White
Top defensive prospect: S Tedarius Hughes

The Seminoles are coming off a disastrous 2-10 season and a disappointing No. 26 finish in the 2025 recruiting cycle after losing several ESPN 300 commitments down the stretch. Florida State also took a hit when four-star 2026 quarterback Brady Smigiel decommitted in late January. Despite the challenges, they are still scoring some victories on the recruiting trail.

In-state athlete White projects as a receiver but has been a jack-of-all-trades in his high school career as a quarterback, corner and returner. Though he’s undersized at 155 pounds, his speed, quickness and creativity make him dangerous in space. Fellow four-star athlete Darryon Williams has the elusiveness and ball skills to develop into a valuable receiver in the open field once he gets to campus. The Seminoles further bolstered their class by adding a trio of in-state prospects early in 2025: offensive tackle Xavier Payne, running back Amari Thomas and linebacker Karon Maycock, who can close well and be a physical hitter.

THE CALLS GET louder by the day. In Boston, where the Red Sox have stumbled to a 27-31 start, the caterwauling for the promotion of the best prospect in baseball, outfielder Roman Anthony, is pointed and shrill. In Kansas City, where Royals outfielders have combined for seven home runs in more than 600 plate appearances, the pleas for the arrival of the best power hitter in the minor leagues, Jac Caglianone, are about to enter their third month.

So, why isn’t Anthony patrolling the outfield at Fenway Park? And why isn’t Caglianone in the middle of a Royals lineup starving for offense? And if not now, when will they arrive?

While the answers are likely to be dissatisfactory to those awaiting push notifications announcing the game’s most eagerly anticipated promotions, the reasons reflect how executives approach the great unknowns inherent in baseball — and the rarity with which a rookie instantaneously changes the fortunes of a franchise.

The Red Sox are seeing the vagaries of trusting a rookie in real time. Along with Anthony, shortstop Marcelo Mayer and infielder/outfielder Kristian Campbell formed the greatest position-playing prospect trio in a decade coming into the 2025 season. Campbell broke camp with Boston and after the season’s first month looked the part of a star. Since then, he has gone 9-for-79 and posted the worst OPS of any hitter in Major League Baseball.

“It’s really difficult to predict that someone is going to be successful out of the gate,” Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow told ESPN this week. “You’re making these long-term, probabilistic bets that guys who perform the way Kristian and Marcelo and Roman have tend to be productive big leaguers. But does that happen in Week 1, Month 1, Season 1? You don’t know. You try to round out their development as well as possible. It’s really important that communication between our major league staff and player-development group is seamless so we know exactly what their training, game-planning and routines look like so we can control as many of those variables as possible knowing what we can’t control.”

What Breslow and Royals general manager J.J. Picollo do control is the debuts of Anthony and Caglianone. And despite being the two most impressive hitters in the minor leagues this season, they’re still waiting.

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EARLY IN SPRING training, a Royals official laid out a potential timeline for Caglianone’s ascent to the big leagues. Fortune had struck the previous July when the 6-foot-5, 250-pound, power-hitting, gas-throwing two-way player slipped to them with the sixth pick in the 2024 draft. Caglianone, the official said, would start at Double-A, ditch pitching and get most of his reps at first base — where he had played at the University of Florida — before transitioning to Triple-A and spending most of his time in right field to prepare for where he could be needed most in the majors.

The fear over Kansas City’s outfield depth was acute. The Royals made the 2024 postseason in spite of their outfield, and they returned a similar group this season with similar results so far: a combined .236/.285/.332 line. Caglianone himself has twice as many home runs as all the Royals’ outfielders put together. In a four-game stretch last week following his promotion to Triple-A, he hit five home runs, nearly as many as Kansas City’s outfield collective has hit all season.

With every towering drive, Caglianone has strengthened his case to get the call to Kansas City and rescue a Royals team with otherworldly pitching and the inverse offensively. And that only hardened Picollo’s stance that both Caglianone and the organization would benefit from the young slugger getting more seasoning in the minor leagues.

“The hardest part about this for us is we’re trying to do what’s best for the player,” Picollo said this week. “That’s ultimately what this is. You want the player to be as prepared as he can when he comes in the major leagues. It’s not fair to any player, whether it’s Jac Caglianone or whoever, when a team may be scuffling offensively to try to put it on him and hope he’s going to come save the day.”

Not only is Kansas City sticking to the plan it mapped out before the season, it’s doing so with a purpose. For all of his power — he hit a ground ball nearly 121 mph earlier this year and his 111.6-mph, 90th-percentile exit velocity would top current major league leaderboards — Caglianone’s propensity to swing at pitches outside the strike zone remains a flaw in his game.

Caglianone dropped to the sixth pick last summer almost entirely on account of fear over his chase rate. Nearly everything else about his game screamed star, but in his final season at Florida, he offered at 41.6% of pitches out of the strike zone — a number exceeded by only five qualified big league players this season. For a man of his size and strength, Caglianone possessed uncommon bat-to-ball skills, but his swing decisions needed fixing.

The improvements he has made are tangible. By no means did Caglianone turn overnight into Juan Soto, who swings at the fewest pitches out of the zone in MLB. Caglianone’s chase rate is down to 34.2%, though, and that’s facing competition in the upper minor leagues whose talent and stuff dwarf the vast majority of SEC pitching.

“We just want him to face more advanced pitching in Triple-A, see how they game-plan for him, how he adapts and makes adjustments,” Picollo said. “Not just game-to-game but at-bat-to-at-bat. Is he learning how better, more skilled pitchers can execute a game plan? Is he learning from that and is he making those adjustments?”

For the most part, yes. Before his promotion to Triple-A, the Royals impressed upon the 22-year-old Caglianone the importance of swinging at the right pitches. Caglianone is so talented, so dexterous in his bat-to-ball skills and, above all, so capable of performing at elite levels in spite of them that there’s a compelling argument that he belongs in the big leagues regardless of his flaws. The counterargument — that not only is Caglianone chasing too much still, but his two-strike chase rate this year has jumped to 49.2%, the sort of thing major league pitchers will happily exploit — is one the Royals believe worth addressing before any promotion.

Picollo doesn’t know if that’s the proper call. He loves Caglianone, wants him in Kansas City sooner rather than later. Already Caglianone is taking to right field — “For having only done it for a couple weeks,” Picollo said, “it’s been pretty positive” — and the reasons for him not supplanting one of Kansas City’s outfielders dwindle by the day.

The Royals’ Triple-A team is in the midst of a two-week homestand, and if Caglianone continues his solid outfield play and further cuts into his chase rate, he could debut soon thereafter, according to a source familiar with Kansas City’s plans.

“I don’t want to put a timetable on it, but we want to see it for a little bit,” Picollo said. “I mean, this first week was great, but we certainly weren’t saying when he went to Double-A, ‘Have a good first week and bring him to Kansas City.'”

Royals fans were. And that’s to be expected. No other sport has the buildup to a debut quite like baseball. Even on an accelerated path like Caglianone’s, it’s an ever-present consideration. In the case of Anthony, it has been years in the making.

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SOON AFTER THE Red Sox chose Roman Anthony out of Stoneman Douglas High with the 79th pick in the 2022 draft, members of the front office would tell one another in hushed tones: We stole him. A tweak to his swing unleashed the full extent of his power and with the elite swing decisions he had shown during his amateur career, Anthony quickly became an arrow-up prospect.

At 6-foot-3 and 200 pounds, he cut the figure of a middle-of-the-order bat, and in his first full season, Anthony did more than look the part, jumping from Low-A to Double-A at 19. He kept hitting last year, finishing the season on a hot streak at Triple-A and picking right back up this year, hitting .320/.452/.529 with eight home runs and as many walks as strikeouts in 48 games.

The chorus pleading for Anthony to make the 45-mile drive from Worcester, Massachusetts, to Boston has likewise grown. Breslow hears it. Not just from fans but also from officials inside the organization who believe Anthony should be in the big leagues today.

“You try to make these decisions as unemotionally as possible, which is really, really difficult because the rest of the organization and I are incredibly invested in the success of this team,” Breslow said. “You try to build out the best process you can when emotions aren’t high so you can approach it as rationally as possible.”

The rational case for keeping Anthony in the minor leagues is twofold. The first involves similar markers to Kansas City’s for Caglianone. While Anthony doesn’t struggle with chase — his 17.6% rate would rank fifth in MLB, behind Soto, Gleyber Torres, Trent Grisham and Kyle Tucker — his propensity to hit the ball on the ground gives Boston pause. Plenty of good players have ground ball rates in the same neighborhood as Anthony’s 52% — among them: Elly De La Cruz, Jacob Wilson, Fernando Tatis Jr., James Wood, Gunnar Henderson, Soto — but combine that with a low number of balls pulled in the air and it suggests Anthony has even more to unlock.

The second is because, unlike in Kansas City, Boston’s lineup is packed with strong performers including an outfield seemingly with no spot for Anthony. Left fielder Jarren Duran last year put up the most Wins Above Replacement from a Red Sox player since Mookie Betts’ departure. Multiple teams’ internal defensive metrics suggest Ceddanne Rafaela is the best defensive center fielder in baseball. Right fielder Wilyer Abreu is hitting 30% better than league average. Boston’s best bat, Rafael Devers, is a full-time designated hitter.

Options do exist. The Red Sox could shift Rafaela to second base, slide Campbell to first and free up a spot for Anthony. They could sit shortstop Trevor Story — like Campbell, he’s in a monthlong swoon — and move Rafaela there. But these sorts of permutations remove an elite defensive center fielder from his best position, and that’s something other organizations wouldn’t even consider, even if Rafaela’s offense has been paltry.

“We have to be willing to react and pivot to all the variables in front of us,” Breslow said. “Things change. Guys get hurt. The lineup doesn’t look exactly the same as we thought it would on Opening Day. We try to balance all these things.”

Striking that balance isn’t easy. Anthony has been so good and is so polished for a player who just turned 21 that the Red Sox, mired in mediocrity and without slugging third baseman Alex Bregman for an extended period, are potentially wasting an opportunity for Anthony to help turn their season around.

That sort of thinking, Breslow said, looks past the prospect of lending too much credence to a handful of games and acting out of desperation to remedy ills that go well beyond what one player can do. So even as Anthony whacks home runs that leave the bat at 116 mph at Triple-A, Boston is sticking with its development plan, lest it promote Anthony and watch him spiral like the last No. 1 overall prospect to arrive in the American League East, Baltimore second baseman Jackson Holliday.

Following his ballyhooed debut, Holliday lasted 10 games in the big leagues before returning to Triple-A. He went 2-for-34 with 18 strikeouts and reminded that regardless of one’s minor league numbers, the relentlessness of the big leagues eats at even the most talented players. Even so, there will come a point at which Anthony’s advancement will be undeniable. It could be weeks. It could be days. He’s training to better attack in-zone fastballs, which he should punish more regularly. He’s spending more time in left field, in case Boston opts to use him there. He’s tapping into his power by focusing on elevating more.

These areas to improve are all nitpicks, a fact acknowledged by Breslow. Like Picollo with Caglianone, he has reverence for Anthony: the skills, the personality, the maturity. Breslow, who spent parts of 12 seasons in the big leagues, knows as well as anyone the challenges major league pitchers present and wants to ensure the organization handles Anthony with the utmost care, even if it’s sacrificing an unknown future for a grim present.

“We think,” Breslow said, “he’s going to be a heck of a big league player.”

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IT’S SUPER 2 cutoff season. Around this time of year, first-year players arrive in the big leagues and become part of the so-called Super 2s, a group of players whose time on a major league roster is in the top 22% of their service class. Being a Super 2 comes with a privilege: an extra year of arbitration beyond the standard three, giving about a quarter of players a golden ticket to earn more than the major league minimum before their third full season.

Because Super 2 players can make millions more in the arbitration system than their peers who don’t qualify, some teams have held back their best prospects. But Picollo and Breslow insist service time has nothing to do with their decisions on Caglianone and Anthony, and considering both organizations have recently started the season with a highly touted prospect in the big leagues — Bobby Witt Jr. in 2022 and Campbell this year — neither organization is afraid to look past service-time considerations. By keeping Caglianone and Anthony down, both teams also gave up the opportunity to collect an extra draft pick as Kansas City did this year with Witt through the Prospect Promotion Incentive program, which awards teams for starting top prospects in the big leagues at the beginning of a season.

Still, the optics of keeping both in minor league systems they’ve come close to conquering while their major league offenses struggle only inflames their fan bases. The public’s view of Caglianone and Anthony is not in the moments where they’re vulnerable or still learning but rather social media clips of balls traveling unthinkable distances at silly speeds that leave teammates breathlessly recounting their exploits.

“The whole dugout feels something different when he connects,” said Royals outfielder John Rave, who spent time with Caglianone at Triple-A. “Obviously he’s a physical specimen, but, yeah, he had a couple balls this past week where you kind of put your head down and laugh. You’re like, this is a little bit ridiculous. They might have to start moving the fences back on some of these fields.”

The fences at Kauffman Stadium are plenty deep. And that’s where Caglianone is headed next. He’ll almost certainly be with the Royals when they face the Red Sox at Fenway on Aug. 4. And if everything goes according to plan, Anthony will be in the middle of the Red Sox’s starting lineup, too.

The next generation of baseball is on deck, just waiting for its time. What’s right, what’s wrong, when that is — no one really knows. But that doesn’t stop people from blaming the Royals and Red Sox anyway. Caglianone and Anthony are an inevitability, here sooner rather than later, ready to reward those anxiously awaiting their arrival.