Breaking down every ACC class in the Rivals Industry Team Recruiting Rankings

After a dismal year on the recruiting trail in the 2025 cycle, the ACC has bounced back with a vengeance in 2026 as we head into football season.

While the league only features one team currently ranked in the top 10 of the Rivals Industry Team Recruiting Rankings, five made the list in the top 25. After signing just 52 blue-chippers total in the last class, the league’s 17 teams have a combined 75 committed already. Miami, Clemson and Florida State each have double-digit pledges from four- and five-stars, but UNC and Bill Belichick are not far behind with eight of their own. Add that to improved classes from SMU, Syracuse, Louisville and Stanford, and the league is enjoying some nice momentum right now.

With only two weeks until the games officially kick off, here’s a look at the latest team rankings:

1. Miami — 91.001

22 total commits
1 five-stars | 15 four-stars | 6 three-stars
Top Commit: OT Jackson Cantwell, No. 3 NATL. (No. 1 OT)
National Class Ranking: No. 10

Cantwell is the headliner for head coach Mario Cristobal and Co., who beat out Georgia, Miami, Oregon , Nebraska and others for the nation’s top tackle. He is one of six O-lineman in the mix. Four blue-chip cornerbacks, headlined by Jaelen Waters and Jontavious Wyman, create an impressive haul in the secondary. Vance Spafford and Somourian Wingo give the ‘Canes a special blue-chip wide receiver tandem, while tight end Israel Briggs and EDGE Jordan Campbell are other top-250 prospects in the mix thus far.

2. Clemson — 90.637

21 total commits
0 five-stars | 13 four-stars | 8 three-stars
Top Commit: WR Naeem Burroughs, No. 71 NATL. (No. 7 WR)
National Class Ranking: No. 13

Similar to their ACC rivals, Clemson has loaded up on the offensive line. Five blue-chip trench monsters are in the mix, headlined by the nation’s No. 5 IOL Leo Delaney and the No. 9 IOL Chancellor Barclay. Their top commit, Burroughs has been committed since March and is now one of three four-star receivers in the class, alongside Connor Salmin and Gordon Sellars. Head coach Dabo Swinney and Co. are back on track this cycle, with four-star DL Keshawn Stancil and four-star safety Kentavion Anderson among the seven top-200 prospects committed to date.

3. Florida State — 90.235

22 total commits
1 five-stars | 12 four-stars | 9 three-stars
Top Commit: CB Chauncey Kennon, No. 27 NATL. (No. 2 CB)
National Class Ranking: No. 15

Florida State has been cooking on the trail this summer and is now within relative striking distance of a top-10 class. Seven of the 10 highest-ranked commits in the class have joined since the beginning of June, including Kennon, top-100 DL Earnest Rankins and legacy WR Devin Carter, the nation’s No. 21 receiver who flipped from Auburn. The secondary is stacked in this class, too. Legacy CB Lawrence Timmons is Rivals’ No. 39 overall prospect and is in the mix after flipping from Indiana. Tight end Xavier Tiller and blue-chip QB Jaden O’Neal are among the other summer additions to the budding pledge list.

4. North Carolina — 89.061

35 total commits
0 five-stars | 8 four-star | 27 three-stars
Top Commit: WR Keeyun Chapman, No. 132 NATL. (No. 17 WR)
National Class Ranking: No. 20

After stacking up three-stars early on in the cycle, Bill Belichick and the new-look UNC staff have pounced on some top targets this summer. Chapman, WR Carnell Warren, LB Calvin Thomas, EDGE Zavion Griffin-Haynes and tight end Carson Sneed — who recently flipped from Tennessee— have all joined the fold in Chapel Hill since June. May brought a big-time pledge from QB Travis Burgess, who has since ascended to blue-chip status ahead of his senior season. DL Trashawn Ruffin flipped from Texas A&M back in March and sat atop the class for a majority of the spring before Chapman jumped in.

5. SMU — 88.365

21 total commits
0 five-stars | 5 four-stars | 16 three-stars
Top Commit: RB Christian Rhodes, No. 186 NATL. (No. 15 RB)
National Class Ranking: No. 22

Quietly, Rhett Lashlee and the SMU staff have put together a top-25 class nationally after their CFP appearance last year. Of the 21 commits in the fold, 16 are in-state, headlined by Rhodes, the nation’s No. 15 IOL Drew Evers and WR Aljour Miles. Arkansas OT Evan Goodwin committed at the end of June and forms an impressive OL duo with Evers. New Orleans WR Jakai Anderson flipped to the Mustangs from LSU in May, while LB Kenneth Goodwin III chose the ACC program over Michigan, among others at the beginning of July.

6. Syracuse — 87.856

28 total commits
1 five-stars | 3 four-stars | 24 three-stars
Top Commit: WR Calvin Russell, No. 28 NATL. (No. 4 WR)
National Class Ranking: No. 28

Second-year head coach Fran Brown made a seismic splash on the Fourth of July weekend by beating Michigan for Russell, the nation’s No. 4 receiver and No. 4 player in Florida. He’s the class jewel and is currently one of four blue-chippers in the fold, alongside WR Amare Gough, EDGE Jarius Rodgers and EDGE Kamron Wilson. The Orange have a strong Florida pipeline going, as seven of the 28 commits in the class hail from the Sunshine State.

7. Louisville — 87.602

21 total commits
0 five-stars | 5 four-stars | 17 three-stars
Top Commit: CB Jaydin Broadnax, No. 276 NATL. (No. 27 CB)
National Class Ranking: No. 34

The Cardinals have also made their presence felt on the Florida recruiting trail this cycle. Louisville has five Sunshine State commits, including Broadnax, a top-30 corner in the nation. OT Jarvis Strickland is a former Kentucky commit and now in the mix for the Cards as the No. 1 recruit in the Bluegrass State. Blue-chip safety Jayden McGregory chose head coach Jeff Brohm and Co. over Mizzou, while four-star QB Briggs Cherry joined the fold back in January and is one of the leaders of the group.

8. Stanford — 87.406

20 total commits
0 five-stars | 3 four-stars | 17 three-stars
Top Commit: CB Lasiah Jackson, No. 115 NATL. (No. 16 CB)
National Class Ranking: No. 38

It’s an interesting transitional period in Palo Alto, but temporary head coach Frank Reich and GM Andrew Luck are picking up some important commitments on the trail. They went into Georgia to land Jackson last month over a host of other schools. The nation’s No. 17 RB Ryelan Morris flipped from Baylor at the beginning of June and hails from Texas. Arizona, North Carolina, Louisiana and New Jersey are among the other states represented in the class to date. IOL Jalayne Miller is the other blue-chipper in the class.

9. Boston College — 87.049

26 total commits
0 five-stars | 1 four-star | 25 three-stars
Top Commit: EDGE Mason Leak, No. 325 NATL. (No. 33 EDGE)
National Class Ranking: No. 43

As Bill O’Brien and his new staff look to bring Boston College back to a level of prominence, the Eagles are making waves with some top local talent. The Northeast accounts for myriad pledges in the class, including Leak, the No. 2 recruit out of Connecticut. Top three-stars in the class to date include IOL Marek Jin, TE William Vaughn, OT Marcelino Antunes and IOL Brady Bekkenhuis.

10. Georgia Tech — 87.033

20 total commits
0 five-stars | 2 four-stars | 18 three-stars
Top Commit: CB Traeviss Stevenson, No. 302 NATL. (No. 28 CB)
National Class Ranking: No. 44

The Yellow Jackets have made it a priority to win inside their own state, and they’ve done exactly that. Nearly two-thirds of their 20 pledges hail from the Peach State, including their top two commits in Stevenson and cornerback Jaedyn Terry. Wide receiver has also been a major priority this cycle, with four commitments at that position alone so far.

11. California — 86.952
12. Pittsburgh — 86.929
13. Duke — 86.751
14. NC State — 85.537
15. Wake Forest — 85.193
16. Virginia — 84.503
17. Virginia Tech — 83.813