Early National Signing Day 2025 Predictions, Rankings for Top Football Recruits

While top college programs like Ohio State and Alabama are preparing for conference title games and a potential run to the College Football Playoff, programs must maintain an eye on recruiting.

The early national signing period is set to open on Wednesday, and while most of the nation's top recruits have already committed, a few remain available. We may also see a few recruits change their decisions, due in no small part to the shifting coaching landscape.

Let's dive into the latest recruiting rankings and make a few predictions.

Top 2026 College Recruits

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These are the top 2026 recruits and their collegiate destinations, according to ESPN's rankings:

1. Lamar Brown, DT, committed to LSU

2. Zion Elee, DE, committed to Maryland

3. Jackson Cantwell, OT, committed to Miami

4. Keisean Henderson, QB, committed to Houston

5. Jared Curtis, QB, committed to Vanderbilt

6. Dia Bell, QB, committed to Texas

7. Chris Henry Jr., WR, committed to Ohio State

8. Richard Wesley, DT, committed to Texas

9. Faizon Brandon, QB, committed to Tennessee

10. Tristen Keys, WR, committed to Tennessee

11. Derrek Cooper, RB, committed to Texas

12. JaReylan McCoy, DE, committed to Florida

13. LaDamion Guyton, LB, committed to Texas Tech

14. Kendre' Harrison, TE, committed to Oregon

15. Immanuel Iheanacho, OT, committed to Oregon

16. Jireh Edwards, S, committed to Alabama

17. Tyler Atkinson, LB, committed to Texas

18. Brandon Arrington, ATH, committed to Texas A&M

19. Keenyi Pepe, OT, committed to USC

20. Kaiden Prothro, TE, committed to Georgia

Only Two Top 100 Recruits Remain Uncommitted

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We'll inevitably see some changes to the recruiting landscape in the coming days as programs change and players change their minds. Decommits will reenter the recruiting pool, as wide receiver Jayden Petit recently did when decommitting from Wisconsin.

Only two uncommitted players are ranked inside the top 100 by ESPN and are likely to make announcements during the early signing period, however. They are Douglas County High School edge-rusher Jordan Carter and Orange Lutheran offensive tackle Sam Utu.

Carter decommitted from Texas A&M after taking visits with Auburn, Georgia Tech and Tennessee. According to ESPN's Eli Lederman, Tennessee and Georgia Tech are the "clear leaders" in Carter's renewed decision-making process.

Utu had been committed to Alabama decided to reenter the recruiting pool "amid late-cycle flip efforts from SMU" just this week, according to ESPN's Eli Lederman.

There's obviously no guarantee that either Carter or Utu will make an announcement this week, but we do have thoughts on where they'll land.

Prediction: Carter commits to Georgia Tech, while Utu commits to SMU.

Lane Kiffin, LSU Will Shake Up Recruiting Landscape

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New LSU coach Lane Kiffin

Lane Kiffin shook up the college football world over the weekend. After guiding Mississippi to an 11-1 record and a likely CFP bid, Kiffin departed to take LSU's head coaching job. The change will inevitably have an impact on incoming college players, like No. 1 overall recruit and LSU commit Lamar Brown.

"It's great to know that I'll have a coach who's ready to compete for a national championship and wants to bring one back to Baton Rouge," Brown told Rivals' Sam Spiegelman. "From talking to others who know him more than I do, it seems like he's one of the greatest coaches to be around."

Kiffin's arrival in Baton Rouge may bring in a few more commits that LSU previously didn't have. Fans should keep an eye on Mississippi commits, like running back Damarius Yates and safety Craig Tutt, who may have chosen Ole Miss specifically to play for Kiffin.

If Kiffin does bring more 2026 talent to LSU, it'll be a massive win that could quickly change the Tigers' fortunes in the SEC.

LSU currently has the 15th-ranked recruiting class in the country, according to ESPN. The prediction here, though, is that Kiffin draws enough highly-rated recruits to land the Tigers' class inside the top 10.