Where the top 2026 North Carolina recruits signed this cycle

North Carolina is no longer an under-the-radar hotbed for high school football talent. The 2026 cycle is chock-full of elite prospects from the Tar Heel State.

According to the Rivals Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all major recruiting media companies, there are 18 blue-chip prospects in North Carolina this cycle. All have signed with Power Four programs.

Below is a look at the top 2026 prospects coming out of North Carolina and where they’re headed to play their college football next season:

QB Faizon Brandon — Tennessee

School: Grimsley
Rivals Industry Ranking: No. 9 NATL.

Scouting Summary: “Accurate passer with the physical traits to make him one of the top quarterback prospects in the 2026 cycle. Measured around 6-foot-3.5, 200 pounds with a 9.25-inch hand before his senior season. Has the frame to add more good weight. Flashes a live arm, particularly in the camp setting, easily generating zip on his passes. Piloted his team to a state title as a junior, completing 77.1% of his passes for 2,814 yards (13.1 YPA) and 35 touchdowns against 2 interceptions. A good athlete with solid speed, running for 625 yards and nine touchdowns as a junior. Does a good job limiting mistakes and avoids putting the ball in harm’s way. Has the skill set to stress defenses with his arm and legs. An effective distributor in operating the quick passing game. Also played basketball. Plays in a conservative high school offense that offers few downfield passing opportunities. Will benefit from honing his footwork and lower body mechanics once he works with college coaches. One of the youngest top quarterbacks in the cycle, turning 17 years old in June before his senior season. Will need to continue gaining more useful passing reps, but has early-round upside if developed properly.”

2. TE Kendre’ Harrison — Oregon

School: Reidsville
Rivals Industry Ranking: No. 16 NATL. (No. 1 TE)

Scouting Summary: “Freakish two-sport athlete who is one of the most physically imposing prospects in the nation, regardless of class. A true ‘first off the bus’ type. Listed at 6-foot-7, 230 pounds. Plays both tight end and defensive end for his high school team. Moves like a much smaller player. Runs well and shows the ability to separate from linebackers. Has considerable mismatch ability as a pass catcher. Does not lumber unlike many players of his size. Also flashes intriguing upside as a pass rusher on defense. Doubles as a national basketball prospect with high major offers. Averaged over 21 points and 15 rebounds per game as a high school freshman on the hardwood. Has genuine positional ambiguity at this stage in his evaluation, but owns one of the higher physical upsides in the 2026 cycle.”

3. EDGE Rodney Dunham — Notre Dame

School: Myers Park
Rivals Industry Ranking: No. 17 NATL. (No. 5 EDGE)

Scouting Summary: “Athletic pass rusher with the skill set and functional movement skills that point to a high upside. Measured at around 6-foot-4, 215 pounds with good length as a junior. Lines up on the edge for his high school team, rushing the passer out of two and three-point stances. Limber athlete who has very smooth movements. Displays outstanding get-off, bursting off the snap. Has excellent curvilinear movement skills, showing the ability to accelerate while rounding the edge. Dips his shoulder to shirk contact with offensive tackles. Closes quickly on ball carriers once in the backfield. Play speed is evident as he stalks down ball carriers from behind. Shows burgeoning power at the point of attack, shedding offensive linemen once engaged. Will need to continue developing from a physical and technical standpoint. Could stand to improve his production. A younger prospect for the cycle, turning 18 years old in July before his freshman season of college football.”

4. OT Ekene Ogboko — Georgia

School: South Garner
Rivals Industry Ranking: No. 36 NATL. (No. 6 OT)

Scouting Summary: “Mauling offensive tackle who plays with a physical edge and shows encouraging movement skills. Measured at 6-foot-6, 310 pounds with arms over 34 inches and big hands before his senior season. Added considerable mass over the final two years of high school. Lines up at left tackle and defensive line on Friday nights. Shows signs of dominance as a run blocker. Locks on to defensive linemen and works to finish with authority. An emphatic block finisher. Increased play strength and overall confidence over his final two seasons of high school football, developing into a bully on contact. Effective working to the second level. Solid movement skills and agility on offense. Also flashes the athleticism on defense, showing impressive closing speed. Solid in pass protection, but will benefit from more reps in passing situations at the college level. Has an upward trajectory as a prospect, given his steady improvement. Could end up being one of the top offensive tackles in the cycle.”

5. DL Keshawn Stancil — Miami

School: Clayton
Rivals Industry Ranking: No. 86 NATL. (No. 7 DL)

Stancil on his commitment: “I’ve always liked the coaches at Miami,” he told CaneSport. “Being down there multiple times just feeling at home, but Clemson also felt like home so I made a hard decision and I chose Clemson, but things happen and I’m a Miami Hurricane. No disrespect to Clemson either. Clemson’s a great school. I still love the Clemson staff, still love everybody over there.”

6. EDGE Ebenezer Ewetade — Notre Dame

School: South Garner
Rivals Industry Ranking: No. 90 NATL. (No. 13 EDGE)

Scouting Summary: “Speed rusher with the physical traits and skill set to develop into to one of the top pass rushers in the 2026 cycle. Measured in at around 6-foot-4, 220 pounds before his senior season. Has plus length and a frame to add weight with 34.75-inch arms and 10-inch hands. Primarily lined up as a stand-up pass rusher as a junior. Flashes dynamic first-step quickness, allowing him to live in opposing backfields. A bendy, flexible mover around the edge. Finds ways to disrupt even if he doesn’t finish the play behind the line of scrimmage. Uses his top-end speed to stalk down ball carriers in pursuit impressively. Also has some pop in his hands on contact. Finished his junior season with 28 tackles for loss and 10 sacks in nine games. Older for the cycle, turning 18 years old in January of his junior year. Will need to continue adding size and strength, but the juice and movement skills off the edge point to a high developmental upside.”

7. DL Aiden Harris — South Carolina

School: Weddington
Rivals Industry Ranking: No. 93 NATL. (No. 9 DL)

Harris on his commitment: “It just always felt like home here. Even though I had my ups and downs with certain colleges, they were just one of the main schools to always be there for me,” he said.”t was just there to prove to me that I was one of the main priorities.”

8. DL PJ Dean — Georgia

School: West Forsyth
Rivals Industry Ranking: No. 109 NATL. (No. 12 DL)

Scouting Summary: “Explosive jumbo athlete with blue-chip ability on either line of scrimmage. Measured at over 6-foot-3, 255 pounds, good length, and huge hands that measure over 10.5 inches. Cut over 50 pounds from his junior to senior year. Was considered an offensive line prospect until the offseason prior to his senior season. A super explosive straight-line athlete who runs extremely well in the combine setting. First-step quickness is readily evident in limited film on the defensive line. Has the strength in his hands to handle offensive linemen at the point of attack. Has limited experience on the defensive line, leading to murkiness in his evaluation and projection. How he takes to the position as a senior will be telling. After the weight cut, he may be more of a 5-technique at the next level. Younger brother of former Georgia center and 3rd round pick Jared Wilson. Young for the cycle, turning 17 years old in late June before his senior season.”

9. CB Samari Matthews — Texas

School: William Amos Hough
Rivals Industry Ranking: No. 124 NATL. (No. 17 CB)

Scouting Notebook: “After a quiet Day 1 of OT7 yesterday being hardly thrown at all afternoon, teams decided to test Samari Matthews on Sunday and they paid the price. It felt like every time you looked up Matthews was getting his hand on a pass or coming down with an interception. He was dominant in the redzone as well showing off his physicality and hip fluidity in press man coverage, forbidding any receiver the chance of coming down with a touchdown when going up against him. Matthews was shutting down an entire side of the field throughout Day 2 of OT7 and made offenses pay the price for testing him.”

10. WR Gordon Sellars — Clemson

School: Providence Day
Rivals Industry Ranking: No. 163 NATL. (No. 25 WR)

Sellars on his commitment: “I am all in with Clemson. I am only taking my official visit to Clemson. The environment at Clemson is one of a kind. There are special people there and it is a special culture. The feeling is different at Clemson and it feels like home. It is like family. Everyone knows everyone and everyone roots for everyone. You could be downtown or eating somewhere, the people will know you. Clemson has great fans, it is a great environment to be in and everyone is there for you.”

Other 2026 blue-chip signees from North Carolina

11. IOL Leo Delaney — Clemson
12. CB Camdin Portis — Miami
13. LB Thomas Davis Jr. — Notre Dame
14. CB Kosci Barnes — South Carolina
15. DL Noah Clark — South Carolina
16. DL Trashawn Ruffin — North Carolina
17. QB Grant Lawless — Wake Forest
18. EDGE Andrew Harris — South Carolina