Ranking Top 2026 Uncommitted CFB Recruits Heading into Early Signing Day

Say what you want about the new-age world of college football where players switch schools two or three times before they can establish a major and shop around in the portal year-in and year-out, but kids these days at least are committing early.

The only real drama around the early signing period is flips. This year, you've got to go all the way down to the No. 160-ranked player in the 247Sports Composite rankings before you get to a prospect who isn't verbally committed to a program.

Players are saving their shocks for their college careers. There's very little suspense surrounding this year's signing day. But, still, there are a few big-name prospects "offically" on the market.

This list doesn't count flip candidates who are still weighing their options but haven't decommitted from their school of choice yet (Penn State and Florida have a ton of these guys who likely will wind up else where). The players on this list have officially decommitted and are on the market.

Of course, with all the coaching turnover, there will be players make last-minute changes, but when it comes to the currently uncommitted prospects, there just aren't a lot of them.

But from a stellar signal-caller to some potentially star players on both sides of the ball, there are a few. Here is my list of the best players who haven't made a college declaration heading into the early signing period.

10. Blake Stewart, Safety

Thanks to Clemson coach Dabo Swinney's archaic approach to recruiting, the Tigers may be out of the mix for a high-rising, potential elite playmaker at safety.

Blake Stewart recently decommitted from Swinney's Tigers. He wanted to take some looks at other schools, but the program doesn't let its commits visit elsewhere. Now, Stewart—an Atlanta product who goes to Woodward Academy—is no longer a Clemson pledge.

The 6'0", 175-pound defender visited home-state Georgia for the game against Texas, and Miami is a very big player for the prospect. Vanderbilt and Georgia Tech could find themselves in the mix, too, but the Hurricanes are going to be a big-time threat.

It appears Stewart won't wind up at Clemson, so somebody is going to get a high-impact defender very late in the process.

Stewart's versatility is a big deal as he's scored on offense, defense and special teams in high school this year and can do a lot of things with the ball in his hands. He projects as a safety or nickel on the next level.

"I'm looking for somewhere I can go that fits my style of play," Stewart told DawgNation's Jeff Sentell . "Somewhere that I can be myself and just play. I want to play early if I can. If the coaches see that I can play early with that, so I can step on the field and dominate."

9. Samuel Utu, Offensive Guard

Coach Kalen DeBoer is putting together another stellar class in his second full cycle as Alabama's head coach, but he is dealing with some late-cycle decommitments, just as he did a season ago.

Just in the past week, elite 4-star offensive lineman Samuel Utu of Orange, California, decided he didn't want to play for the Crimson Tide.

Now, the 6'4", 320-pound offensive lineman will seek elsewhere to play his college ball. But when you're planning on signing in the early period and it's this late in the game, you don't do something this drastic unless you know where you're going to go.

Much of the buzz surrounding his recruitment recently has come from the SMU Mustangs, which have been working hard to flip him and make Utu one of the centerpieces of their class. Coach Rhett Lashlee recently signed a big extension, and playing in Dallas may be attractive to Utu.

Though it's not exactly close to his Golden State home, it's also not as far away as the Deep South. Tennessee, Texas and others were in pursuit of Utu when he committed to Alabama, but the Mustangs are the ones making noise now.

8. Trez Davis, Wide Receiver

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With all the buzz surrounding Jon Sumrall the past few weeks, you can't blame Tulane recruits for looking around.

When they get a chance to go to an even better program in the Power Four, though, you have to expect them to pay attention. That's exactly what happened with West Monroe, Louisiana, wide receiver Trez Davis.

He seemed all set on going to the Green Wave, but the 6'0", 180-pound pass-catcher received several more offers—including one from Washington—so he decided to reopen things and look around.

The Huskies could be very strong here for the 4-star receiver who may be prepared to go all the way across the country from the bayou to the Pacific Northwest to play his college ball. Houston, Arkansas and others are in the picture, but Davis may be leaning toward coach Jedd Fisch's program.

Davis visited Seattle for Washington's blowout win over Purdue, and with the Huskies only having a pair of pass-catchers committed in this class, it could be a good opportunity for Davis to be a huge part of the class.

7. Davion Brown, Wide Receiver

There will be a common theme throughout this article that has a Virginia Tech tone to it. That's because the recruiting impact James Franklin is already displaying in Blacksburg has been a bit overwhelming.

He was always a juggernaut recruiter at Penn State, and now entrenched with the Hokies, look for him to flip several Nittany Lions recruits, sign several more marquee players and even bring some players already on the PSU roster.

One of the receiver prospects he brought to Blacksburg this weekend is 4-star pass-catcher Davion Brown.

The 6'1", 195-pound Richmond, Virginia, native represents exactly why the Hokies had to get Franklin once he was let go from Penn State. Franklin already built his PSU roster with Virginia prospects, so it's only natural he does it at Tech.

This is a sleeping giant, and Brown would be exactly the type of early recruiting win to show everybody this. He is an explosive player ready to play right away, and he visited Blacksburg recently, too.

If the Hokies don't get Brown, it would be a major surprise. Look for several others on this list to follow.

6. Tyren Hornes, Wide Receiver

It's a confusing exercise to try to look up information on star pass-catcher Tyren Hornes because there are some name differences in his profiles.

On 247Sports, the Sarasota, Florida, receiver is listed as Tyren Wortham, and on On3, his profile says Tyren Hornes. He goes by Hornes now, though.

Regardless of his name, the former Michigan State commitment reopened his recruitment, and he's become a hot commodity ever since. This weekend, the 6'0", 175-pound speedster is a guy a lot of schools want.

This weekend, he's going to see what new coach James Franklin has to sell at Virginia Tech, and it's possible he could be one of the latest pieces in what could be a recruiting juggernaut in Blacksburg. 

Just how much of an impact is Franklin making on recruiting already? Wortham recently released a top five of Auburn, Georgia, Louisville, Ole Miss and UCF with no Hokies anywhere to be seen. But yet he's going to watch them play Virginia today.

Somebody is going to get the most explosive playmaker remaining on the market.

5. Tyreek Jemison, Interior Offensive Lineman

For those who don't think recruiting is heavily impacted by coaching decisions, take into consideration the recruitment of 6'5", 315-pound elite interior offensive lineman Tyreek Jemison.

The Paulding County, Georgia, prospect is exactly the type of player the Dawgs have made a living keeping at home over coach Kirby Smart's tenure, and they are a major player to land the 4-star offensive lineman.

But Jemison also likes Lane Kiffin a lot, and he's been eagerly waiting to see where the coach would wind up. He told DawgNation's Jeff Sentell of his pending decision regarding Kiffin's decision: "It would change just a little bit, but not anything drastically. Because Ole Miss is still Ole Miss at the end of the day."

The comment wasn't anything derogatory against the Rebels. Jemison has built a great relationship with the staff in Oxford, and it appears right now the Dawgs and Rebels are the two hottest suitors for Jemison.

Whether or not LSU could jump into the fray or not remains a question mark, but somebody is getting a mauler.

4. Troy Huhn, Quarterback

Of all the positions out there, it's extremely difficult to find an impact quarterback, and that becomes even more compounded as you move into the winter months. By this time, the majority of signal-callers have been settled with their schools and have been recruiting.

As Vanderbilt tries to flip No. 1-ranked quarterback Jared Curtis from Georgia, that's the biggest prize. But as far as currently uncommitted quarterback pledges go, Troy Huhn is a big fish.

The 6'4.5", 215-pound San Marcos, California, signal-caller was all set to come across the country and play for coach James Franklin at Penn State. But he decommitted in October, opening things up.

Now, he's a top target for several teams. With offers from Michigan, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Ole Miss, Oregon, Texas, Texas A&M, Indiana, it seemed everybody wanted him.

But it appears the Hokies have the best chance to land him now. He will make his commitment Monday on live TV.

If they can complete the process of getting Huhn in the fold, it would be a major puzzle piece to start rebuilding that once-proud program in Blacksburg.

3. Jordan Carter, Edge

It's not easy to find a potentially elite edge-rushing prospect this late in the recruiting cycle, but there is one that remains out there, and he seems destined to be a major commitment for an SEC program soon.

Jordan Carter of Douglas County, Georgia, may be the best defensive athlete remaining during this recruiting cycle who is officially uncommitted. The 6'3", 245-pound defender may be the best athlete remaining on that side of the ball, and he is just outside of the top 200 prospects in the 247Sports Composite.

Carter was once committed to Texas A&M, but he elected to back off his pledge for the Aggies, and now, he appears focused on Tennessee and Auburn. The Tigers have yet to hire a coach, so that can't help their chances.

The prospect has a great relationship with Vols defensive line coach Rodney Garner, which could allow them to ultimately gain his signature on scholarship papers. One school that could throw a wrench into those hopes, though, is Georgia Tech.

The Yellow Jackets have been known to put together big NIL packages for local kids they want, and Carter fits that bill. It's going to be a tough pull whoever gets him, but Carter could be in the mix early in school.

2. Dylan Berymon, Defensive Lineman

A little less than a month ago, Monroe, Louisiana, defensive lineman Dylan Berymon decided to back off his commitment to the Texas Longhorns and reopen his recruitment.

Now, that puts a prospect back on the market who, like the top player on this list, could be an early-impact difference-maker at the vital position of interior defensive line. The 6'2", 315-pound Ouacita Parish High School prospect is a big-bodied force who seemed set to play for coach Steve Sarkisian.

Now, things are up in the air for the No. 199-ranked overall prospect in the 247Sports composite rankings and the 23rd-rated defensive tackle.

USC and Mississippi State are in the mix for his commitment, as well as Texas A&M, LSU and Ole Miss could be in the mix, too. But the Trojans could be strong here.

They pulled Jahkeem Stewart from the Bayou last year, and coach D'Anton Lynn has had success with star players from Louisiana. It's possible Berymon could be next, and he'd be a major coup for the Big Ten team in SEC country if they can pull it off.

1. Danny Beale, Defensive Lineman

The top-ranked uncommitted player according to the 247Sports rankings is defensive lineman Danny Beale, a 6'3.5", 315-pound Arkansas native who has drawn a ton of interest from SEC teams.

Right now, it looks like Missouri and Ole Miss could be the favorites to land him.

Beale—who is the top-ranked player in the state of Arkansas—was once pledged to the Oklahoma State Cowboys, but he decommitted once they parted ways with coach Mike Gundy. It will be interesting to see if they can get back in the mix for the jumbo lineman now that Eric Morris is heading to Stillwater.

With Eli Drinkwitz staying at Mizzou, the Tigers could be a big factor in Beale's recruitment.

No matter who gets Beale, he'll be the top prize remaining on the board during the early signing session. He's got a college-ready body and is the type of run-clogger who can pull snaps right away.