College football recruiting: Top commits for each of the SEC's 16 programs

In the college football world, recruiting runs through the SEC.

The league’s footprint matches the most talent-rich areas in the country, and its 16 teams have combined to land commitments from nearly 40% of the blue-chip prospects in this cycle. And that number was closer to 50% in 2025, when they signed 198 of the country’s top 400 recruits.

Despite the numbers being down a bit this cycle overall, the top-end talent is still flocking to play in the toughest league in the country. Rivals breaks down the top-ranked commitments for each SEC program in the Class of 2026:

Alabama — S Jireh Edwards

Rivals Industry Ranking: No. 18
School: St. Frances Academy (Upper Marlboro, MD)
Scout’s Take: “We feel like Jireh Edwards is really one of the more high-floor, ready-made prospects at safety in this cycle. He is hyper-physical, and really showed out against top competition playing one of the toughest schedules in the country at St. Frances. And he’s just kind of a grown man. He’s older for the cycle and is already pretty physically mature. So there are questions as to the ultimate long-term upside. But in terms of a safety who could come in and earn significant snaps as a freshman, he’s one of the guys in this cycle who could do that.” — Charles Power, Rivals Director of Scouting & Rankings

Arkansas — WR Dequane Prevo

Rivals Industry Ranking: No. 354
School: Bentonville (Bentonville, AR)
Notable Quote: “I see a great chance to play for good coaching staff at Arkansas. Coach Fouch wants guys like me and he has a plan for me to get on the field. The atmosphere is great, I like the coaching staff and how they recruited me was different. It was really an easy decision. It felt right. Arkansas has been recruiting me for a few years and they recruited me hard. They made me feel wanted.” — Prevo to Rivals’ Chad Simmons

Auburn — SAF Bralan Womack

Rivals Industry Ranking: No. 22
School: Hartfield Academy (Brandon, MS)
Scouting Summary: “Three-dimensional safety prospect that excels in run support, man coverage and zone coverage that possesses quality movement skills and physicality. Verified 6-foot, 190 pounds with average length. Strong testing in the spring camp setting, especially in the explosive in fluidity metrics. Has personal bests in the 100m at 11.03 and the 200m at 22.78. Instinctive playmaker that triggers so well to the football, appears to be one step ahead of every player on the field. Rangy defender that covers every balde of grass from sideline to sideline. Physical and willing tackler around the line of scrimmage. One of the most productive defensive backs in the country as a junior intercepting eight passes on defense and securing 54 catches for over 1,000 yards as a receiver on the offensive side of the ball. Versatility makes his defined role at the next level a potential question mark. Fits a lot of different positions at the next level but believe his best fit is as a nickel or strong safety due to his fluidity and physicality.”

Florida — WR Davian Groce

Rivals Industry Ranking: No. 59
School: Lone Star (Frisco, TX)
Notable Quote: “Really just everybody from the coaching staff to the players and even the fans, I feel like the fans did a big job in this as well. I feel they have some of the best fans in the world. The amount of love I’m getting from committing and amount of love going down there. The coaches and their families and even their wives and their kids, they’re all family me and big on helping you out. I feel like they’re very genuine people and they don’t talk negative about other people and their players. They keep everything positive. I need positive energy around me.” — Groce to Rivals’ Steve Wiltfong

Georgia — QB Jared Curtis

Rivals Industry Ranking: No. 4
School: Nashville Christian (Nashville, TN)
Scouting Summary: “Elite arm talent with creative playmaking ability. Has a big frame, measuring in at around 6-foot-3.5, 225 pounds with a 9.5-inch hand prior to his junior season. Looks like the top arm talent in the 2026 cycle. Ball explodes off his hand. Generates considerable velocity on throws to all areas of the field. Has a loose, natural throwing motion. Capable of delivering impressive passes from several arm angles. A pure rotational athlete who does not need his feet set to throw accurate passes. Plays with a gunslinging mentality and is not afraid to drive the football into tight windows over the middle of the field. A fluid athlete who is tough to corral in the backfield. Dangerous playmaker and improviser. Had some unbelievable second-reaction plays as a junior, evading pass rushers and uncorking throws 50+ yards downfield. Made impressive strides with his accuracy and decision-making as a junior. Completed over 70% of his passes for 2,830 yards (11.1 yards per attempt) for 40 touchdowns and 3 interceptions while leading his team to a state title. Also rushed for 637 yards and 18 scores. Does not play top competition and is older for the cycle. Will need to continue improving his consistency, but the pure arm talent and playmaking ability give him one of the highest upsides in the 2026 cycle”

Kentucky — QB Matt Ponatoski

Rivals Industry Ranking: No. 241
School: Archbishop Moeller (Cincinnati, OH)
Scout’s Take: “Matt Ponatoski is a prospect who came on our radar last fall. He had an awesome junior season at Archbishop Moeller and is one of the most productive passers we’ve seen in the cycle. He threw for over 4,200 yards with 57 touchdowns and just three interceptions while playing top competition. This guy is one of the top dual-threat athletes in all of high school sports. Ponatoski is also an All-American-caliber baseball player and was heavily recruited in both sports. He has a legitimate shot to be an impact player in football and baseball at the college level. What stands out to me about Ponatoski on the football field is his accuracy and his feel for the passing game. He’s a cool customer, one that’s hard to fluster. He has that natural feel for finding open receivers and spaces in the defense. He has a strong understanding of his high school offense and we saw his accuracy at the Elite 11 Finals. He’s a high-volume rhythm passer who’s super accurate. I feel, with very good conviction, that he’ll be a productive college quarterback, just based off what we’ve seen from his thus far.” — Charles Power, Director of Scouting and Rankings

LSU — ATH Lamar Brown

Rivals Industry Ranking: No. 2
School: University Lab (Erwinville, LA)
Scouting Summary: “The rare prospect with five-star ability on either line of scrimmage. A true jumbo athlete. Measured in at around 6-foot-4, 285 pounds before his senior season. Has a plus length with arms around 34 inches. A mega athlete in the camp setting, posting some of the best testing numbers on the national camp circuit for a lineman. Lines up at right tackle and defensive end for his high school. Elite athleticism and movement skills show up on both sides of the ball. Fires off the snap from his right tackle position. Flashes outstanding twitch in pass protection and working to the second level. Can take defensive linemen for a ride once engaged. Shows disruptive ability as a big defensive end. Has the power to hold his ground and sift through the trash to make plays in the backfield. Can close quickly on the quarterback. Touts a strong background as a thrower in track and field, winning an indoor state title in the shot put (56-2.75 feet) and an outdoor gold medal in the discus (151-6 feet) as a junior. Enters his senior season more proven as an offensive lineman than defense on Friday nights. Would be the top interior offensive line prospect in the 2026 cycle if he wanted. Should be considered a high-upside, developmental defensive line prospect who will need to make strides in his overall technique as he gains more experience on that side of the ball.”

Mississippi State — TE Zayion Cotton

Rivals Industry Ranking: No. 383
School: Grenada (Grenada, MS)
Notable Quote: “Mississippi State was my first offer,” he told MaroonandWhiteDaily. “They’ve always been with me from the start and they always stayed in touch with me and my family. … “They see me playing receiver and tight end,” noted Cotton. “I think being a tight end is mismatch against linebackers and nickels. If I need to go play wideout, I can do that and it is nothing new to me.”

Missouri — OT Johnnie Jones Jr.

Rivals Industry Ranking: No. 137
School: Venice (Bradenton, FL)
Notable Quote: “Even with the loss to Alabama, there still was some success, just from a positional standpoint, to what made him decide to commit. In a way for him, he can say, ‘Hey, they have what I like, what interests me, the people in the building are who I can see myself being able to be around, grow and develop.” — Jones’ father to MizzouToday on his commitment

Oklahoma — EDGE Jake Kreul

Rivals Industry Ranking: No. 42
School: IMG Academy (Fla.)
About: Kruel opted to transfer from Bishop Moore in Orlando to IMG for his final two seasons of high school football. As a sophomore for the Hornets, he was an absolute menace to offensive lines. Along with 76 total tackles, he notched 34 tackles for loss and a whopping 17 sacks. Playing alongside tons of Division I talent at IMG, he still managed to total 39 tackles, six sacks and 11 QB hurries last fall. He chose Oklahoma over Texas and Ole Miss on Aug. 12 in a massive win for the Sooners. Through six games this season, he has been in on 25 total tackles, notching 11 TFLs and a pair of sacks.

Ole Miss — RB Damarius Yates

Rivals Industry Ranking: No. 114
School: Kemper County (De Kalb, MS)
About: Across his team’s eight games this season, Yates has rushed for 1,304 yards and 18 touchdowns on a whopping 10.3 yards per carry. In three full varsity seasons, the 5-foot-9, 195-pounder has totaled 3,784 yards and 52 touchdowns with a 10.3 YPC average. He is also a huge threat in the passing game, with 61 career receptions, 977 yards and 10 more scores through the air. Yates committed to the in-state Rebels in May over offers from Mississippi State, Alabama, Tennessee, Florida State and dozens of other offers.

South Carolina — Darius Gray

Rivals Industry Ranking: No. 32
School: St. Christopher’s School (Richmond, VA)
About: The Gamecocks landed their third five-star commitment is as many classes by beating out LSU, Tennessee, Ohio State and a long list of other offers for Gray. He was a Navy All-American as a junior in 2025. And he starred on both sides of the ball for St. Christopher’s, helping leading them to the state Division I playoffs. He played primarily left tackle on offense and was credited with 50 tackles (17.5 TFLs), eight sacks, and two forced fumbles on defense.

Tennessee — WR Tristen Keys

Rivals Industry Ranking: No. 8
School: Hattiesburg (Miss.)
Scouting Summary: “Contested catch maven who looks like the top wide receiver prospect early in the 2026 cycle. Has good size, measuring at ver 6-foot-2, 185 pounds with good length as a junior. Turned in a strong junior campaign, catching 58 passes for 1,275 yards and 14 touchdowns while leading his team to a deep playoff run. Excels in contested catch situations, elevating to come down with acrobatic grabs. Hangs in the air and is able to contort his body into favorable positions. Displays a huge catch radius, high-pointing the football and coming down with one-handed grabs. High-level ball tracker with the ability to locate and corral the ball over his shoulder.

…Shows some route-running nuance. Has some shake off the line of scrimmage and is able to stack corners with his releases. Runs hard after the catch. Able to attack all areas of the field with his well-rounded skill set. Made some huge plays in big contests as a junior. Also a star on the 7-on-7 circuit before his junior season. Good marks in track and field in the high jump (6-0 feet) and triple jump (43-2 feet). Also plays basketball. Can continue improving his top-end speed.”

Texas — QB Dia Bell

Rivals Industry Ranking: No. 5
School: American Heritage (Fort Lauderdale, FL)
Scouting Summary: “Precision passer with the arm talent, size, and athleticism to translate to college football and beyond. Measured in at around 6-foot-2.5, 215 pounds with a 10-inch hand before his senior season. Mechanically clean with a smooth throwing motion that he replicates with consistency. Has polished footwork that is married to his upper body. Shows high-level arm talent, delivering well-placed passes to multiple levels of the field. A dangerous operator from the pocket. Able to evade pressure, reset his feet, and fire. Throws a pretty deep ball. Was a first-year starter as a sophomore and showed marked improvement while playing top competition as a junior. Flashed an added playmaking element and rushing component to his game down the stretch of his junior season. Ripped off long runs, including two 40+ yard touchdown runs against top programs. Completed 70.6% of his passes for 2,597 yards (11.4 yards per attempt) and 29 touchdowns against six interceptions in 2025. Also rushed for 561 yards and five touchdowns. Was tabbed as the Elite 11 MVP prior to his senior season. Also has a basketball background. Is the son of long-time NBA veteran guard Raja Bell. The level of improvement displayed throughout his junior season should be taken as an encouraging sign of his long-term upside.”

Texas A&M — CB Brandon Arrington

Rivals Industry Ranking: No. 14
School: Mount Miguel (Spring Valley, CA)
Scouting Summary: “Elite athleticism at the corner position with impressive mirror ability for a taller, longer corner prospect. One of the strongest track profiles in the country. Ran a blistering 10.21 in the 100m and a 20.35 in the 200m during his junior track season. Can run with any receiver lined up across from him. Has the length and ball skills to attack the football and play through the receiver’s hands in order to separate them from the ball. Would like to see him gain some mass throughout his frame and become more confident in run support. Boundary corner projection due to his size and speed. Has the length and athleticism to line up against virtually any receiver type at the next level.”

Vanderbilt — RB Evan Hampton

Rivals Industry Ranking: No. 420
School: Owensboro (Owensboro, KY)
Notable Quote: “The family feel, academic opportunity, and Nashville, Tennessee is all something I felt was right up my alley,” Hampton told Rivals’ Steve Wiltfong. “I believe they’re having success from doing the right things, the small details with discipline and more. They showed that this past season, and I’m ready to hop on that boat and be along for the ride, because I believe Vanderbilt football is trending.”