How every five-star recruit fits at his new school
2025-05-01T15:23:43Z
There are 21 five-stars in the Class of 2026. We look at how they got to their teams and what they’ll do in college.
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The class of 2026 college football recruits feature a record 21 five-star players in the ESPN 300. With summer recruiting about to heat up, 14 of those prospects have yet to make their college decision, including defensive tackle Lamar Brown, the No. 1 player in the class.
May is set to deliver some big recruiting news in the coming weeks. Jared Curtis, the fifth overall and top uncommitted quarterback in the class, is set to announce his commitment May 5. He is deciding between Oregon and Georgia, where he was previously committed.
A week later, offensive tackle Jackson Cantwell, ranked No. 3 overall and the top offensive player in the class, will decide among Georgia, Michigan, Miami, Missouri, Ohio State and Oregon. He took March official visits to Miami, Ohio State and Michigan.
For each commitment, recruiting reporter Eli Lederman and scouts Craig Haubert and Tom Luginbill will look at how the player landed at his school and what we can expect in college.
Zion Elee, DE
2026 ESPN 300 ranking: 2
School/Hometown: St. Frances Academy/Baltimore, Maryland
Committed to: Maryland Terrapins
Background: Once ranked as the cycle’s No. 1 defender, Elee committed to Maryland on Dec. 7, 2024, after logging 120 total tackles and 23 sacks across his sophomore and junior seasons. If he ultimately signs later this year, Elee will join the Terps as the highest-ranked recruit in program history.
Despite his December pledge, Elee stayed in touch with other Power 4 programs in January and initially scheduled spring official visits to Auburn, Ohio State, Penn State, South Carolina and Texas A&M before canceling those trips and formally shutting down his recruitment in late February. As things stand, Elee is still locked in with the Terps with his June 20 trip to Maryland standing as the only official visit on his calendar this spring.
Scout’s take: Good recruiting starts at home. If Maryland holds on to Elee, he’d be the first No. 1 prospect from the area to reach Maryland in the ESPN 300 era, and the first time in five cycles the Terps landed the top in-state prospect. At roughly 6-foot-4 with an 80-inch wingspan, Elee is a lean, lengthy and disruptive edge rusher. That length blended with an excellent first step and a strong motor wreaks havoc off the edge. Maryland ranked last in sacks (14) in the Big Ten in 2024. The Terps hope signing Elee and 2025 ESPN 300 defensive end Zahir Mathis will remedy that situation. They could emerge as one of the conference’s most formidable pass-rushing duos. — Craig Haubert
Chris Henry Jr., WR
2026 ESPN 300 ranking: 4
School/Hometown: Mater Dei/Santa Ana, California
Committed to: Ohio State Buckeyes
Background: The son of late Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Chris Henry, Chris Henry Jr. has been committed since July 2023, longer than any other prospect within the 2026 ESPN 300.
A knee injury sidelined Henry for the majority of his junior campaign, but he proved himself as an elite playmaker in his last complete season, when he totaled 71 catches for 1,127 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns as a sophomore at Withrow (Ohio) High School in 2023. Initially set for official visits to Ohio State, Miami, Oregon and USC this spring, Henry shut down his recruitment April 1.
Scout’s take: To best maximize his traits, the Buckeyes will need to deploy Henry on the outside. He’s a one-on-one matchup problem on 50-50 balls whom Ohio State can maximize — particularly in the red zone. Even when covered, he isn’t really covered. Few wide receivers 6-foot-5 or taller can move, shake and produce after the catch like Henry. He shows an amazing run-and-catch aspect in the vertical passing game. Henry’s long arms and ability to elevate in traffic create distinct advantages on jump balls. His twitchiness is very similar to that of Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins and sets him apart from other receivers at this size. — Tom Luginbill
Dia Bell, QB
2026 ESPN 300 ranking: 6
School/Hometown: American Heritage/Plantation, Florida
Committed to: Texas Longhorns
Background: Bell, the son of 12-year NBA veteran Raja Bell, is the longest-tenured member of the Longhorns’ 2026 class. He has been locked in with Texas since he committed in June 2024 following a series of visits with the program last spring.
A three-year starter at American Heritage, Bell threw for 2,597 yards and 29 touchdowns with a 70.6% completion percentage as a junior last fall before suffering a season-ending leg injury. Despite flip efforts from Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia and LSU earlier this year, Bell’s sights remain set on signing with the Longhorns and coach Steve Sarkisian in December.
Scout’s take: Hopefully Bell takes a page out of Arch Manning’s development blueprint when it comes to patience and focus. He’s going to only get bigger, stronger and more mature without being thrown into the fire right away. Bell’s fit is quite similar to what Manning brought to the Longhorns. He’s a naturally gifted passer who is a better athlete and runner than Quinn Ewers and gives the Longhorns another player they can develop. Bell has continually performed at a high level against top high school competition and should be ready to make the leap to the next level. — Luginbill
Faizon Brandon, QB
2026 ESPN 300 ranking: 8
School/Hometown: Grimsley High School/Greensboro, North Carolina
Committed to: Tennessee Volunteers
Background: Brandon committed to the Vols last August before totaling 2,159 passing yards and 27 touchdowns with one interception as a junior at Grimsley last fall.
Brandon remains in near-daily contact with the Tennessee staff and has not engaged with other programs in 2025. He is focused instead on helping recruit a 2026 Vols class that already includes ESPN 300 pass catchers in wide receiver Tyreek King and tight end Carson Sneed. Brandon will take his official visit to Tennessee on June 20.
Scout’s take: The departure of Nico Iamaleava could allow Brandon to battle for the starting job sooner rather than later in a very quarterback-friendly system. Several recent Volunteers quarterbacks have similar stature, athleticism and arm strength. Brandon is more advanced than Hendon Hooker at the same stage and the pair share several traits. Brandon is also much more accurate than Joe Milton. While he lacks Iamaleava’s polish at this stage, Brandon throws an exceptional deep ball, which is a requirement in this scheme that loves to attack vertically. — Luginbill
Tristen Keys, WR
2026 ESPN 300 ranking: 10
School/Hometown: Hattiesburg/Hattiesburg, Mississippi
Committed to: LSU Tigers
Background: Keys, ESPN’s No. 2 wide receiver prospect, committed to LSU over Alabama, Tennessee and Texas A&M on March 19. He enters late spring as the Tigers’ top-ranked commit and the leader atop one of the nation’s deepest wide receiver classes alongside fellow ESPN 300 pass catchers and LSU pledges Jabari Mack, Jakai Anderson and Kenny Darby.
However, Keys’ recruitment might not be over. The 6-foot-3, 190-pound receiver followed his commitment to LSU with visits to Ole Miss, Auburn and Miami, and Keys is still expected to take a handful of officials later this spring as perhaps the top flip candidate among the committed five-star prospects in the 2026 class.
Scout’s take: Even if he’s not an elite runner, Keys’ combination of size, range and ball skills is unmatched. Former LSU receiver Brandon LaFell is a favorable comparison. The Tigers can use Keys’ length, long arms and physicality to create matchup headaches for defenses either inside or outside. Keys has great body control and coordination on jump balls, making him a dangerous threat even when covered. He won’t win a lot of open-field foot races, but Keys could develop into a go-to option if utilized in the slot against zone coverages or on the outside for deep balls. — Luginbill
2026 ESPN 300 ranking: 11
School/Hometown: Reidsville/Reidsville, North Carolina
Committed to: Oregon Ducks
Background: Harrison kept a recruiting profile after he committed to Oregon over Tennessee, North Carolina, Miami, Penn State and Florida State before officially shutting down his recruitment in March.
A two-sport star who is committed to play basketball with the Ducks, Harrison remains the top-ranked member of an Oregon recruiting class that has lost four top-150 pledges since mid-February. Harrison, North Carolina’s second-ranked recruit in 2026, will be back on campus for an official visit with the Ducks in June.
Scout’s take: The tight end position played a pivotal role in Oregon fielding one of college football’s best passing attacks in 2024, with Terrance Ferguson hauling in 43 catches. While Harrison won’t arrive for another season, he’ll help the Ducks reload at that spot and could supply even greater big-play ability.
For Ferguson, the presence of Tez Johnson and Evan Stewart opened up more room to operate. Oregon’s high-level recruiting should allow Harrison to enjoy a similar situation playing alongside No. 1 wide receiver Dakorien Moore. An excellent basketball player, the 6-foot-6 Harrison has elite height, length and a massive catch radius. Much like former basketball-to-football standouts Jimmy Graham, Antonio Gates and Julius Thomas, Harrison can high-point the ball and box out defenders in contested situations, giving Oregon another dangerous playmaker in the passing game. — Haubert
Keisean Henderson, ATH
2026 ESPN 300 ranking: 16
School/Hometown: Legacy the School of Sports Sciences/Spring Creek, Texas
Committed to: Houston Cougars
Background: Henderson stands among the most intriguing quarterback prospects in the 2026 cycle and remains the subject of flip efforts from some of the nation’s top programs despite his long-standing pledge to Houston, situated roughly 28 miles from his home.
Committed to the Cougars since May 27, 2024, Henderson has repeatedly emphasized his intention to stick with Houston this spring. But those public rebuffs have not stopped programs such as Alabama, Auburn, Florida State, Georgia, Ohio State and Oregon from keeping in touch in recent months, and Henderson’s recruitment certainly remains one to watch as the 2026 quarterback market plays out from now to the early signing period.
Scout’s take: It’s unclear whether Henderson pans out at quarterback or another position. His fundamentals are raw, but he’s very competitive and productive. Henderson is similar to Duke transfer quarterback Darian Mensah, who was recruited by coach Willie Fritz to Tulane before Fritz took the Houston job. Landing Henderson is a significant pickup for the Cougars, even if he’s not polished enough to make an immediate impact. He’s a developmental player who needs more consistency in the passing game and more downfield arm strength. Henderson builds toward his top-end speed as opposed to being initially explosive. He has hit 20.6 mph on tape, which is a great time for a quarterback. Henderson has a high ceiling regardless of his position. — Luginbill
Keenyi Pepe, OT
2026 ESPN 300 ranking: 17
School/Hometown: IMG Academy/Bradenton, Florida
Committed to: USC Trojans
Background: Originally from Long Beach California, the 6-foot-7, 325-pound offensive tackle from Florida’s IMG Academy is set for a return to Southern California as the top-ranked pledge in coach Lincoln Riley’s 2026 class at USC.
Pepe is one of four offensive tackles among 2026’s five-star prospects. He took over as the starting left tackle at IMG Academy during his junior season last fall and stiff-armed the likes of Florida, Georgia, Miami and Texas to join the Trojans’ incoming class, where he projects as a potentially foundational piece for the future on the offensive line.
Keenyi Pepe adds another impressive building block to USC’s OL class. UA Next
Scout’s take: Now a member of the Big Ten, USC is working to strengthen its roster in the trenches. The Trojans’ 2026 class already has double-digit commitments along the offensive and defensive lines. Now, Pepe becomes the highest-ranked player in the class. There will be some turnover of the offensive line heading into the 2025 season with redshirt sophomore Elijah Paige returning at left tackle. Aaron Dunn and Alex Payne, both 2025 linemen ranked in the ESPN 300, come in with the 2025 class to provide young depth at least. Combine them with Pepe in the 2026 class, and USC has retooled its offensive line with some impactful recruits.
Coming out of IMG, Pepe is a prospect who has faced strong competition in practice and games. He gives the Trojans a big man who can play a key role early in his career much like Paige, who stepped in as a starter as a redshirt freshman last season. Pepe is a massive presence at roughly 6-foot-7 and 320 pounds with excellent arm length. He is more than just a big body as he is also light on his feet for his size and has good flexibility. He can continue to work on and be more consistent in some technical areas but demonstrated as a junior at the Under Armour All-America game that he is competitive, wants to learn and get better and can match up and battle against elite edge rushers. Pepe has the tools to be a starter and anchor the Trojans OL and could end up being a nice replacement for Paige at left tackle in the future.
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