Notre Dame leads all programs with six top-32 recruits in updated 2026 Rivals300

No college football program in America has more elite talent in its 2026 recruiting class than Notre Dame. At least that’s what the latest Rivals300 player rankings indicate.

On Monday, Rivals updated its 2026 rankings for the first time since September. The Irish had six players inside the top 32 — the threshold for five-star status — the most of any team. They also had 16 commits in the Rivals300, trailing only Georgia’s 17.

In the penultimate 2026 class update, the Rivals scouting team — led by director of scouting and rankings Charles Power and national scout Cody Bellaire — awarded 21 players five stars. Offensive tackle Grayson McKeogh and edge rusher Rodney Dunham Jr. claimed two of those spots as the Nos. 9 and 10 players in the class, respectively.

When the rankings are finalized in February, Rivals will increase the number of five-star prospects in the 2026 class to 32, mirroring the number of first-round NFL Draft picks. Though currently rated as four-star recruits, cornerback Khary Adams, safety Joey O’Brien, tight end Ian Premer and edge rusher Ebenezer Ewetade are all tracking toward the coveted five-star rating.

Rivals ranked Adams, O’Brien, Premer and Ewetade as the Nos. 23, 25, 27 and 28 players in the class, respectively. O’Brien and Premer are also listed as the top prospects at their positions.

One of the biggest movers was four-star safety Ayden Pouncey. The 6-foot-2½, 165-pounder climbed 23 spots to No. 96 overall. Pouncey has had one of the strongest senior seasons of any Notre Dame commit, totaling 54 tackles and 7 interceptions in 10 games. He’s also been outstanding on offense, catching 35 passes for 684 yards and 7 touchdowns.

Two Notre Dame commits debut in the Rivals300

Of the 18 Notre Dame-bound players featured in the Rivals300, two were additions. Offensive tackle Charlie Thom and defensive lineman Elijah Golden are the newly minted four-star prospects, ranking as the Nos. 206 and 229 overall players in the class. Golden’s rating jumped from 88 to 91 and Thom’s rose from 89 to 91, both major improvements.

Golden’s bump comes amid an outstanding senior season. In his first 10 games, he has racked up 50 tackles, including 25 stops for loss, 11 sacks and 26 quarterback hurries. Thom’s high school team has not published his stats, though he also contributes on the defensive line and excels on both sides of the ball.

All but one of Notre Dame’s commits in the Rivals300 — wide receiver Bubba Frazier at No. 239 — were ahead of Thom and Golden. Cornerback Chaston Smith (No. 104), wide receiver Kaydon Finley (110), running backs Jonaz Walton (121) and Javian Osborne (135), offensive lineman Gregory Patrick (139) and tight end Preston Fryzel (195) all slotted higher.

How did Notre Dame football’s commits fare in the updated Rivals player rankings?

Here is a complete breakdown of how Notre Dame’s 27 commits fared in the updated Rivals rankings.

Wyndmoor (Pa.) La Salle College OT Grayson McKeogh

New ranking: No. 9 overall player, No. 3 offensive tackle nationally and No. 1 prospect in Pennsylvania (98 rating).
Previous ranking: No. 11 overall player, No. 3 offensive tackle nationally and No. 1 prospect in Pennsylvania (98 rating).
Ranking change: +2 overall, +1 positionally and N/C in the state (same rating)

Charlotte (N.C.) Myers Park EDGE Rodney Dunham

New ranking: No. 10 overall player, No. 3 EDGE nationally and No. 1 prospect in North Carolina (98 rating)
Previous ranking: No. 10 overall player, No. 4 EDGE nationally and No. 1 prospect in North Carolina (98 rating)
Ranking change: No change overall, +1 positionally and N/C in the state (same rating)

Towson (Md.) Loyola Blakefield CB Khary Adams

New ranking: No. 23 overall player, No. 2 cornerback nationally and No. 2 prospect in Maryland (97 rating)
Previous ranking: No. 35 overall player, No. 4 cornerback nationally and No. 3 prospect in Maryland (94 rating)
Ranking change: +12 overall, +2 positionally and +1 in the state (+3 rating)

Wyndmoor (Pa.) La Salle College S Joey O’Brien

New ranking: No. 25 overall player, No. 1 safety nationally and No. 3 prospect in Pennsylvania (97 rating)
Previous ranking: No. 25 overall player, No. 1 safety nationally and No. 2 prospect in Pennsylvania (95 rating)
Ranking change: N/C overall, N/C positionally and -1 in the state (+2 rating)

Great Bend (Kan.) High TE Ian Premer

New ranking: No. 27 overall player, No. 1 tight end nationally and No. 1 prospect in Kansas (97 rating)
Previous ranking: No. 27 overall player, No. 2 tight end nationally and No. 1 prospect in Kansas (95 rating)
Ranking change: N/C overall, +1 positionally and N/C in the state (+2 rating)

South Garner (N.C.) High EDGE Ebenezer Ewetade

New ranking: No. 28 overall player, No. 7 EDGE nationally and No. 3 prospect in North Carolina (97 rating)
Previous ranking: No. 30 overall player, No. 8 EDGE nationally and No. 2 prospect in North Carolina (95 rating)
Ranking change: +2 overall, +1 positionally and -1 in the state (+2 rating)

Winter Park (Fla.) High S Ayden Pouncey

New ranking: No. 96 overall player, No. 7 safety nationally and No. 11 prospect in Florida (94 rating)
Previous ranking: No. 119 overall player, No. 11 safety nationally and No. 14 prospect in Florida (92 rating)
Ranking change: +23 overall, +4 positionally and +3 in the state (+2 rating)

Konxville (Tenn.) Catholic CB Chaston Smith

New ranking: No. 104 overall player, No. 15 cornerback nationally and No. 4 prospect in Tennessee (94 rating)
Previous ranking: No. 100 overall player, No. 14 cornerback nationally and No. 4 prospect in Tennessee (92 rating)
Ranking change: -4 overall, -1 positionally and N/C in the state (+2 rating)

Aledo (Texas) High WR Kaydon Finley

New ranking: No. 110 overall player, No. 15 wide receiver nationally and No. 13 prospect in Texas (94 rating)
Previous ranking: No. 118 overall player, No. 16 wide receiver nationally and No. 16 prospect in Texas (92 rating)
Ranking change: -8 overall, -2 positionally and -2 in the state (same rating)

Carrollton (Ga.) Central RB Jonaz Walton

New ranking: No. 121 overall player, No. 5 running back nationally and No. 19 prospect in Georgia (93 rating)
Previous ranking: No. 121 overall player, No. 6 running back nationally and No. 17 prospect in Georgia (92 rating)
Ranking change: N/C overall, +1 positionally and -2 in the state (+1 rating)

Forney (Texas) High RB Javian Osborne

New ranking: No. 135 overall player, No. 8 running back nationally and No. 18 prospect in Texas (93 rating)
Previous ranking: No. 140 overall player, No. 8 running back nationally and No. 17 prospect in Texas (91 rating)
Ranking change: +5 overall, N/C positionally and -1 in the state (+2 rating)

Portage (Mich.) Northern OL Gregory Patrick

New ranking: No. 139 overall player, No. 10 interior offensive lineman nationally and No. 1 prospect in Michigan (93 rating)
Previous ranking: No. 128 overall player, No. 9 interior offensive lineman nationally and No. 1 prospect in Michigan (92 rating)
Ranking change: -11 overall, -1 positionally and N/C in the state (+1 rating)

Toledo (Ohio) Central Catholic TE Preston Fryzel

New ranking: No. 195 overall player, No. 8 tight end nationally and No. 11 prospect in Ohio (91 rating)
Previous ranking: No. 195 overall player, No. 11 tight end nationally and No. 13 prospect in Ohio (90 rating)
Ranking change: N/C overall, +3 positionally and +2 in the state (+1 rating)

Avon (Conn.) Old Farms OT Charlie Thom

New ranking: No. 206 overall player, No. 21 offensive tackle nationally and No. 1 prospect in Connecticut (91 rating)
Previous ranking: No. 31 offensive tackle nationally and No. 3 prospect in Connecticut (89 rating)
Ranking change: Rivals300 debut, +10 positionally and +2 in the state (+2 rating)

Sarasota (Fla.) Cardinal Mooney DL Elijah Golden

New ranking: No. 229 overall player, No. 23 defensive lineman nationally and No. 28 prospect in Florida (91 rating)
Previous ranking: No. 56 defensive lineman nationally and No. 70 prospect in Florida (88 rating)
Ranking change: Rivals300 addition, +33 positionally and +42 in the state (+3 rating)

Savannah (Ga.) Benedictine Military School WR Bubba Frazier

New ranking: No. 239 overall player, No. 33 wide receiver nationally and No. 31 prospect in Georgia (91 rating)
Previous ranking: No. 228 overall player, No. 33 wide receiver nationally and No. 27 prospect in Georgia (90 rating)
Ranking change: -11 overall, N/C positionally and -4 in the state (+1 rating)

Note: While the Notre Dame commits outside the Rivals300 technically moved down in the positional rankings — and most of the state rankings — all but Grubbs’ ratings remained the same. So, Rivals did not “drop” these Irish pledges. Rather, other prospects in the class moved ahead with updated ratings.

Davison (Mich.) High OL Ben Nichols

New ranking: No. 28 interior offensive lineman nationally and No. 6 prospect in Michigan (90 rating)
Previous ranking: No. 285 overall player, No. 22 interior offensive lineman nationally and No. 4 prospect in Michigan (90 rating)
Ranking change: No longer in Rivals300, -6 positionally and -2 in the state (same rating)

Mechanicsburg (Pa.) Cumberland Valley OL Tyler Merrill

New ranking: No. 34 interior offensive lineman nationally and No. 14 prospect in Pennsylvania (89 rating)
Previous ranking: No. 31 interior offensive lineman nationally and No. 13 prospect in Pennsylvania (89 rating)
Ranking change: -3 positionally and -1 in the state (same rating)

Matthews (N.C.) Weddington LB Thomas Davis Jr.

New ranking: No. 41 linebacker nationally and No. 21 prospect in North Carolina (89 rating)
Previous ranking: No. 39 linebacker nationally and No. 19 prospect in North Carolina (89 rating)
Ranking change: -2 positionally and -2 in the state (same rating)

Cincinnati St. Xavier LB Kobe Clapper

New ranking: No. 33 linebacker nationally and No. 28 prospect in Ohio (89 rating)
Previous ranking: No. 32 linebacker nationally and No. 21 prospect in Ohio (89 rating)
Ranking change: -1 positionally and -7 in the state (same rating)

Lake Mary (Fla.) High QB Noah Grubbs

New ranking: No. 40 quarterback nationally and No. 60 prospect in Florida (88 rating)
Previous ranking: No. 31 quarterback nationally and No. 48 prospect in Florida (89 rating)
Ranking change: -9 positionally and -12 in the state (-1 rating)

Phoenix Brophy College Prep WR Devin Fitzgerald

New ranking: No. 71 wide receiver nationally and No. 9 prospect in Arizona (88 rating)
Previous ranking: No. 69 wide receiver nationally and No. 11 prospect in Arizona (88 rating)
Ranking change: -2 positionally and +2 in the state (same rating)

Red Oak (Texas) High WR Brayden Robinson

New ranking: No. 90 wide receiver nationally and No. 72 prospect in Texas (88 rating)
Previous ranking: No. 87 wide receiver nationally and No. 76 prospect in Texas (88 rating)
Ranking change: -3 positionally and +4 in the state (same rating)

Allegan (Mich.) High OL Sullivan Garvin

New ranking: No. 57 interior offensive lineman nationally and No. 12 prospect in Michigan (88 rating)
Previous ranking: No. 51 interior offensive lineman nationally and No. 10 prospect in Michigan (88 rating)
Ranking change: -6 positionally and -2 in the state (same rating)

Bastrop (Texas) High DL Tiki Hola

New ranking: No. 101 defensive lineman nationally and No. 137 prospect in Texas (87 rating)
Previous ranking: No. 95 defensive lineman nationally and No. 139 prospect in Texas (87 rating)
Ranking change: -6 positionally and +2 in the state (same rating)

Charlotte (N.C.) Independence S Nick Reddish

New ranking: No. 67 safety nationally and No. 43 prospect in North Carolina (87 rating)
Previous ranking: No. 65 safety nationally and No. 43 prospect in North Carolina (87 rating)
Ranking change: -2 positionally and N/C in the state (same rating)

Boca Raton (Fla.) Saint Andrew’s School WR Dylan Faison

New ranking: No. 169 wide receiver nationally and No. 115 prospect in Florida (87 rating)
Previous ranking: No. 168 wide receiver nationally and No. 110 prospect in Florida (87 rating)
Ranking change: -1 positionally and -5 in the state (same rating)