Introducing the New Top 5 Athletes in the Class of 2026
In this article:
The Class of 2026 Rankings have just undergone a minor update. With this update, we still have a number of prominent stock risers, New Additions, and Watch List Standouts to talk about! This article will feature the New Top 5…
Access all of Prep Redzone
Continue reading this article and more.
Continue ReadingThe Class of 2026 Rankings have just undergone a minor update. With this update, we still have a number of prominent stock risers, New Additions, and Watch List Standouts to talk about! This article will feature the New Top 5 in the class of 2026, which has a few newcomers and a major transfer in former #3 player AJ Marks AJ Marks 5'8" | 140 lbs | DB Orchard Lake St. Mary's | 2026 MI transferring to IMG Academy in Florida. So, I now present the New Top 5 in the Class of 2026!
Corey remains the #1 player in the 2026 class, and it’s going to be extremely hard for anyone to overtake this position. This is an athlete who’s been a nationally-ranked prospect since his middle school days, and he practically has free-reign to where he’ll play college football. Corey is a legitimate elite athlete who can go D1 at just about every skill position. Watch his tape; he’s elite, and I reserve the word “elite” for the best of the best. I’m extremely interested to see how Corey will transition to the QB position this season!
Marcello works his way up to #2 in the rankings. From what I know, he’s one of the hardest workers in Divine Child history (Alums include Aidan Hutchinson), and Marcello seems just as driven as Aidan. He’s another athlete who can truly do it all. His elite athleticism bodes well at any skill position. As a RB, Marcello has incredible burst and good vision, allowing him to speed past defenses given any hole. As a DB, he’s solid in man coverage and is able to get between passing lanes in zone, which resulted in a few INTs. As a LB, he’s incredibly reactive and shoots himself out of a cannon to get to the ballcarrier. I could go on and on, but just know that Marcello is an absolute game breaker!
Highlights
Canty remains at the very top of the rankings. He’s a natural mauler with elite physical traits and the performance to match. At the end of last season, Canty quickly started raking in MVP awards at some of the most well-known camps. This got the attention of programs like Michigan, and many P5 offers followed. Amazing lineman who I’ve watched a few times in person, and I can’t say I’ve seen him lose a single rep.
This is a big stock-riser. At the beginning of the offseason, Gregory earned a few D1 offers. As impressive as that was, he consistently began attending camps which earned him plenty more offers, some including Michigan State and Oklahoma. I’ve watched Gregory in person, and like all others on this list, he’s consistently dominant. Notably, amazing pass sets and wins against some of the best EDGE rushers out there.
Lincoln is a MAJOR stock-riser in this update. When I first watched Lincoln’s film, I knew he was a phenomenal athlete but he had yet to prove himself in the offseason, and knowing De La Salle, it was unclear if he’d be a cornerstone player on Varsity. Now, there’s no doubt. With Six D1 offers, Watkins has quickly become one of the highest-rising athletes in Michigan on a team that is almost a shoo-in to win another state title. I’m very excited to see what position Lincoln plays this coming season (QB? WR? LB?) though I know that whatever he plays, he will excel.