Tuesdays with Gorney: New Rivals250 for 2026 released

The new Rivals250 for the Class of 2026 has been released and after a summer full of evaluation opportunities, there are a lot of changes. Here are the thoughts of Rivals' national recruiting director on each position Adam Gorney.

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RIVALS RANKING WEEK

Sunday: Who should be number 1?

Monday: Five-Star Countdown | Meet the new Five Stars

Tuesday: New Rivals250 introduced | Gorney goes through position by position | Biggest climbers

Wednesday: New Offensive Position Rankings Released | QB Rankings Breakdown | RB Rankings Breakdown | WR/TE Rankings Breakdown | OL Rankings Breakdown

Thursday: New defensive position rankings released | DL rankings breakdown | LB rankings breakdown | DB rankings breakdown | ATH rankings breakdown

Friday: New state rankings released | Who is number 1 in which state?

Saturday: Round table on the new Rivals250 rankings

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There is a new No. 1 professional quarterback in Faizon Brandon, who recently committed to Tennessee. He showed off his dynamic skills and all his talent on the throwing arm in the offseason to prevail over Brady Smigiel, who is also still a five-star player and has now been signed by Florida State.

The real question among the pro quarterbacks is whether there will be another five-star player. The strongest chances are Georgia's Jared Curtis, Oklahoma's Jaden O'Neal and Michigan's Brady Hart, but two quarterbacks from the West – Helaman Casuga and Luke Fahey – are also in the running. Curtis is the most interesting player and his junior season will be a deciding factor here.

As a dual-threat quarterback, Ryder Lyons (who has USC, Ole Miss and others at the top of the list) is the only five-star player and it will be hard to knock him off his perch. I've compared him to a better Jaxson Dart and that still holds true as he has a great junior season coming up. I'm also very excited to see how Clemson freshman Tait Reynolds does this season as the two-sport star (including baseball) has a ton of potential.

The running back position could change significantly over the course of this recruiting cycle – especially with two seasons left to figure everything out. Savion Hiter, who has Michigan at the top of its list but also many other players, remains the top-ranked running back in the class, but we'll be seeing a lot more of these guys in the coming years and then reaching a final ranking.

Tradarian Ball, who committed to Oregon, and Jonathan Hatton Jr., who committed to Oklahoma, are really impressive and interesting and could make it even higher up the list. Texas is very well-positioned in this running back class and KJ Edwards and Javian Osborne are two more to keep an eye on.

As an all-purpose back, Davian Groce of Frisco (Texas) Lone Star exudes a certain Ollie Gordon vibe, and that's high praise, so he's one to keep a close eye on, too.

Chris Henry is the only five-star player in this group. After that, everything could still be uncertain.

Receivers Devin Carter and Aaron Gregory from Georgia are currently the top-ranked four-star prospects, but Vance Spafford from Mission Viejo, Calif., has made a big jump after a phenomenal summer. There are some physical paragons with outstanding measurables that should also be given more consideration.

One of them is Denairius Gray, who has committed to Auburn. Calvin Russell of Miami (Florida) Northwestern could rise very quickly with a great junior season. Jordon Gidron and Tristen Keys could be two more who could climb even higher in the next rankings release.

This could be a receiver class with a lot of movement during this recruiting cycle, but Henry, who committed to Ohio State but is being aggressively pursued by Oregon and others, has a pretty secure grasp on the top spot.

New Charlotte (NC) Providence Day tight end Kendre' Harrison is just a stone's throw from five-star status, and with a basketball background, his size, athleticism and playmaking ability are unquestionable. Harrison will have to want to dominate, though, so we'll keep an eye on that during his junior season.

He has a good chance of keeping that No. 1 position throughout the recruiting cycle, but there will be plenty of others putting pressure on him, starting with standout Kaiden Prothro of Bowdon, Georgia, who has the size and length of a tight end but the athleticism of a wide receiver.

Brock Harris of St. George (Utah) Pine View seems too talented to be third at the position, and then the Illinois duo of Mack Sutter and JC Anderson are definitely two more to keep an eye on. Staying in the Midwest, standout Lincoln Keyes of Saline, Michigan, might still be ranked way too low.

The offensive tackle group in 2026 is absolutely loaded, led by five-star Jackson Cantwell, who could push for No. 1, and massive OL Immanuel Iheanacho. But there could be more five-star players as this class fills up, as Kevin Brown, who committed to Penn State, is in the Rival Five-Star this summer and then Keenyi Pepe, John Turntine and others will be among the elite at this position.

We moved Lamar Brown from Baton Rouge (Louisiana) University Lab from defensive line to offensive guard because of his ability to play and dominate on both sides of the ball. He's the new No. 1 offensive guard, but Tyler Merrill, Chancellor Barclay and others will put pressure on him.

Even the centers are pretty strong at the top: Zykie Helton, who has Alabama and Georgia high on the list, takes the top spot, followed by powerful interior lineman Grant Wise, who has Clemson, Oklahoma, the in-state programs and a number of other players on the team.

Jahkeem Stewart is the No. 1 candidate in the Rivals250 2026 and the standout player from New Orleans (Louisiana) St. Augustine, who has involved LSU, Texas, USC, Ohio State and others, has confirmed this again at the Rival Five-Star this summer. Stewart is so physical, so aggressive, so tough – he has everything it takes to be an elite player for years to come.

This is a very strong group, though. Jordan Carter is really talented at strongside defensive end and is just a step away from five-star status. Jake Kreul, who has a can't-lose attitude, has impressed this summer.

At the weakside defensive end position — essentially edge rusher — Mobile (Ala.) St. Paul's Anthony Jones is a new five-star, as Alabama and Auburn are primarily battling for him. Gainesville (Georgia) four-star Xavier Griffin has incredible length and athleticism. Baltimore (Maryland) St. Frances' Zion Elee has all the potential in the world and will showcase his skills on a national schedule this year.

The defensive tackles are also well positioned. Even though there are no five-star players in this group yet, Daverin Geralds is a solid player after an outstanding performance at the Rival Five-Star. He was so tough that Gerald's one dreadlock was ripped out of his head, he kept going and won nearly every rep. There are a number of other elite four-stars, led by James Carrington and Bryce Perry-Wright, who could continue to rise.

Linebacker is another very strong position in the 2026 class, both inside and outside linebacker. The only five-star player so far is Tyler Atkinson of Loganville (Ga.) Grayson, who can play in space and come from the side, so he can pretty much do it all. But Talanoa Ili is an elite linebacker at Orange (Calif.) Lutheran. Shadarius Toodle, Jordan Campbell, Kosi Okpala, Samu Moala and others are phenomenal players.

There could be a lot of movement at the inside linebacker position with Tai'Yion King taking over, but Kennethn Goodwin, Cam Thomas and others are in the mix. Goodwin has proven to be an absolute beast and a tough hitter. Thomas is getting bigger every time we see him. This is a really loaded group and could be top heavy, but the top spots at both positions are great.

Cornerback is one of the positions in 2026 that doesn't have any five-star players, and the order of the top players there is far from set. Elbert Hill takes the top spot there, but USC freshman Brandon Lockhart and high-profile four-star Samari Matthews are also right there. Justice Fitzpatrick, Minkah's brother, is also high up the list, and Zyan Gibson is one of the others who could shoot up the charts.

Safety is in good shape and that could bode well for LSU in the long run. Two of the top three safeties in the class of 2026 – Blaine Bradford and Aiden Hall – come from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and New Orleans, respectively. In between them is Jireh Edwards of Baltimore (Maryland) St. Frances, one of the hardest hitters in the entire class. Jontavius ​​Wyman, who has committed to Georgia, is one who could continue to climb the charts.

As time goes on, more prospects in the 2026 class in the athlete category will be moved to specific positions as their future place becomes clearer. But the top two players may never be moved, as Derrek Cooper can play almost anywhere and Keisean Henderson is valued higher as an athlete than as a quarterback, which is where he wants to play in college.

Cooper is a new five-star and Henderson is a high-profile four-star athlete, while others are pushing up. Brandon Arrington is someone who could climb up the list, as he is one of the fastest young players in the country regardless of class.