National Signing Day 2026 Predictions for Top Recruits After CFP Championship

The 2025-26 College Football Playoff (CFP) wrapped on Monday night, with Indiana outlasting Miami 27-21 to seize the national championship.

Now that the CFP Championship is in the books, Indiana, Miami, and the rest of the college football world will turn its attention the final stages of the 2026 recruiting cycle.

The early national signing period has come and gone, and the regular signing window will open on Wednesday, February 4. While almost all of the top recruits have already selected their college destinations, a few have recently decommitted and are again weighing their decisions.

Before we dive into the latest buzz and make some predictions, let's run down the top recruiting classes of 2026 so far.

Top 2026 College Football Recruiting Classes

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USC head coach Lincoln Riley

1. USC

2. Alabama

3. Oregon

4. Notre Dame

5. Ohio State

6. Georgia

7. Tennessee

8. Texas

9. Texas A&M

10. Miami

11. LSU

12. Michigan

13. Washington

14. Florida State

15. Oklahoma

16. Florida

17. North Carolina

18. Texas Tech

19. Clemson

20. South Carolina

21. BYU

22. Mississippi

23. Illinois

24. Virginia Tech

25. SMU

*Class rankings from 247Sports

Dylan Berymon, DL, Ouachita Parish

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Things move much faster in the recruiting world than they once did, due in large part to the fact that NIL has helped to level the field. Recruits often receive multiple offers well before their senior seasons.

This means that many schools are already putting a big focus on next year's cycle. Of the top 200 recruits in the 2026 cycle, according to 247Sports' composite rankings, only one remains unsigned.

4-star defensive lineman Dylan Beerymon of Ouachita Parish High School (Monroe, LA) has reentered the recruiting pool after decommitting from Texas in November.

By December, Berymon had narrowed his new options to a pair of schools.

"Right now, it is going to be between Kentucky and Nebraska," he told Rivals' Chad Simmons.

Berymon visited Nebraska on January 9 and spent this past weekend with the Wildcats. According to On3's Adam Luckett, Oklahoma State is also hoping to schedule a visit with Berymon.

Per Luckett, Nebraska and Kentucky are both considered "top contenders" to land Beerymon. The prediction here, though, is that the Wildcats land another promising defender after making a successful late push to land 4-star corner Andre Clark Jr.

Teddy Jarrard, QB, North Cobb

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Teddy Jarrard of North Cobb (Kennesaw, GA) has been committed to Notre Dame since last summer. However, the 4-star quarterback remains unsigned and in the headlines.

The 6'3", 190-pound signal-caller was originally part of Notre Dame's 2027 recruiting class but reclassified to the 2026 class not long ago. This has left the Irish targeting other quarterbacks for 2027. According to On3's Kyle Kelly, Notre Dame has offered 4-star Vero Beach (Florida) quarterback Champ Monds.

Jarrard plans to sign with Notre Dame in February and enroll in June, per Kelly. However, other programs are hoping they can flip Jarrard before the regular signing period opens.

According to 247Sports' Tom Loy, Georgia and Indiana are both hoping to lure Jarrard away from the Irish before his decision becomes official. It's not hard to see why. Jarrard has a combination of size, skills, and experience that will give him a chance to start for a big-time program.

"On the older side for the grade, but projects at this stage as a potential multi-year starter at the Power Four level that can thrive in a structured environment with his accuracy and anticipation," Andrew Ivins of 247Sports wrote in his scouting report.

Expect Jarrard to be the continued topic of recruiting buzz between now and February 4, though the prediction here is that he sticks with his commitment to Notre Dame.