2026 Rankings Update: Top New Additions

We added over 75 athletes to the Class of 2026 Rankings during our recent update that just went live on Tuesday! So we are going to carry that moment right into some film analysis of those new faces. We are going to focus our attention on all the new additions within the Top 50, giving us 10 total athletes. This Class is showing excellent depth and these 10 athletes are great examples of that. Make sure to have these kids on your boards and check out their film for yourselves. Let's get into it!    The top ranked athlete among the 75+ new additions is Lakeside Lutheran's OT [player_tooltip player_id='1361603' first='Jackson' last='Stein']. The 6'7" 280 lbs junior already looks the part of an FBS OL with his massive frame, long arms, and athletically built lower body. The big man easily carries his 280 lbs, hinting that his body could easily carry 300 lbs at the next level. This fall is looking like it will be his breakout year, but even the sophomore tape from a year ago has exciting traits shining through. Jackson does a great job of using that length to make first contact with accurate, powerful initial punches in pass protection. We see glimpses of agile feet that allow him to easily slide and mirror pass rushers. In the run game we see more of that mobility as he is quick to get in position to wall off defenders and shows he can still get the leverage advantage despite the 6'7" height. The rising OT holds an early offer from Central Michigan.     Our next debuting stud in the 2026 rankings is Pewaukee's [player_tooltip player_id='1361610' first='Tucker' last='Thieneman']. The 6'5" 290 lbs junior has been putting in the work this offseason both in the gym and working on his athleticism. That should have college coaches excited because if Tucker builds on the sophomore tape then he may just be starting his climb up these rankings. The '26 OT has a good and still improving blend of power and athleticism that allows him to dominate in the run game. He explodes out of his stance and instantly has power on contact. From his strong hands to his powerful leg drive, Tucker is able to easily overpower opponents and not only remove them from the gap, but almost off the screen of the film entirely. His desire to finish blocks is apparent. Plus the OT adds the bonus of range that allows him to pull across the entire formation to kick out edge defenders. This is the type of lineman you need if you are looking to control the trenches.     One of my favorite new additions to watch on tape is Port Washington's highly productive safety [player_tooltip player_id='1286202' first='Colton' last='Struckman']. The 5'10" 175 lbs safety piled up 64 tackles, 6 INTs, 12 passes defended, and 4 TFLs. These numbers start to tell the story of Colton's skill set.   The kid is a rangy backend defender with a nose for the ball and strong overall instincts. Colton makes a ton of plays from center field because of those instincts, but also because he has a special athletic skill set that allows him to get to the sideline to make plays on the ball, or fly downhill to aggressively fill against the run or short passing game. The '26 does a great job of reading the QB's eyes and baiting them into bad decisions and then making them pay with good ball skills. Colton is a talented safety prospect that college coaches are going to want to have eyes on this fall.     We return to the OL for another top new prospect to know. No surprise there, it is Wisconsin. This standout to know is the 6'4" 250 lbs athlete who actually plays both sides of the ball, including being an All Region OL selection as a sophomore. Wyatt perfectly fits what Columbus needed in the trenches last fall. He is a devastating run blocker with explosive athleticism that gets him onto and overpowering his opponent right out of his stance, or also allows him to pull and run through his trap target. The OG plays with a strong set of hands that land accurate punches on contact. This is another kid that is already producing at a high level on varsity. We are in store for a big season from the 2026 IOL. Keep your eyes on the look out for his film early this season.     Entering the summer Beckett was one of the top athletes that I had on my board that I wanted to see in person. It happened at the Wisconsin Badgers camp back in June, and I liked what I saw. The 6'5" 270 lbs DL has an impressively built frame that will be able to fill out further over the coming years. Don't let that take away from what he does now, though. Beckett is a force in the trenches. He has an explosive get off and is able to turn that into power to bull rush. The stoutness is also there to hold his ground against the run game. Plus he demonstrated quick feet that are able to move laterally while on the attack. Things are going to really pick up for Beckett when he starts to put out film this season. Keep your eyes peeled for it. Big things coming from this DL.     The top newcomer at the QB position is Bay Port's QB1 [player_tooltip player_id='1247534' first='Matt' last='Stevens']. There is a lot of intriguing tools when you watch Matt play. He has a prototypical QB frame at 6'4" 195 lbs with the skills you would expect from a QB prospect his size. Matt has a LIVE arm. He can drive the ball on deep routes when needed and understands when to use touch instead of that raw arm strength. His control over the ball placement stands out as several times he has shown he can throw his man open or put the ball in a place where his receiver can make a play as soon as he catches it. Stevens also shows that he has the athleticism to do damage with his legs as a runner, but also within the pocket to buy time and give his receivers time to get open. Matt also shows the ability to deliver the ball accurately while throwing off platform. The base skill set that he has is intriguing. I'm excited to see him on Friday nights this season.     Patrick's film is on the defensive side of the ball in 2023, but look for the impressive lineman to be dominating on the offensive side of the ball this season. After catching up with him at camps where he was playing OL I have high expectations for his junior season. Patrick brings power to the trenches. Last year he used it to drive his man into the backfield and disrupt plays. This year look for him to open up holes for his RBs. He is quick out of his stance, plays with active hands, and has an effective quick set in pass protection on the interior. The big man is set up to really turn heads this season.     Tyler could be setting himself up for a big jump up the rankings after this season. He has an excellent frame at 6'3" 265 lbs to win at DT or NG. The big man is showing that he can potentially be a very versatile prospect. We see him eating up double teams without giving up ground. That gives his LBs the chance to run free and make plays at the line of scrimmage. Tyler can also take that strength to hold his ground and use it to bull rush his way into the backfield against 1 on 1s. In those situations we see the strong lower body and the active, heavy hands. Tyler can also move well in the trenches. We see him play laterally down the line to close on RBs for TFLs. Don't be surprised to see Hinn dominate the interior of the trenches this fall.     A talented two way playmaker who had himself a great rankings debut is [player_tooltip player_id='1361639' first='Kobe' last='Russell'] of Prescott. The northern WI ATH checks in at 6'1" 185 lbs, and the frame was already looking well filled out and strong like that of a senior despite only being a sophomore in his most recent tape. On offense Kobe is able to really let his athletic traits shine. He consistently runs away from CBs on routes at every level of the field giving his QB easy targets. The '26 is a shifty, sudden route runner with the balance required to be able to get through route breaks while maintaining speed and accelerating out of them. The '26 is a natural playmaker with the ball in his hands too. He is able to see the field, set up blocks, find green grass or create it by making defenders miss.   On defense the 2026 is an impressive CB. He will play press man at the line of scrimmage. His quick feet and agility allow him to easily turn and run with defenders. The reactive athleticism is there in spades too as he quickly changes direction with receivers as they run their routes against his man coverage. The impressive ball skills carry over to that side of the ball as well. Kobe had a strong year as a sophomore on varsity, but that may be just the start of what he has to offer.     Debuting as TE1 in the Class of 2026 is the 6'6" 220 lbs athlete out of Oregon High School. The junior possesses the head turning frame that top end TE prospects always have. The '26 is building a very well balanced skill set that resembles that of a traditional TE. One that you can count on to make an impact in the run game just as much as he does in the pass game. On the ground, Brayden is a huge advantage for the offense. He has the range to get up to level two and clear out LBs or he can get outside the contain man to spring his RB free into the open field. He has the strength to drive his man off the line of scrimmage and the power in his hands to deliver pancake creating punches.   In the pass game, Brayden offers reliable hands and a big target radius for his QB. He is able to get clean releases off the line and has shown he can sell the delayed release very well. Brayden is a smooth athlete out in space, looking natural running short routes and then getting up field after the catch. I'm excited to see if we see more from him in the pass game this fall. Either way, the film is going to be fun to watch from the well rounded TE prospect.

We added over 75 athletes to the Class of 2026 Rankings during our recent update that just went live on Tuesday! So we are going to carry that moment right into some film analysis of those new faces. We are going to focus our attention on all the new additions within the Top 50, giving us 10 total athletes. This Class is showing excellent depth and these 10 athletes are great examples of that. Make sure to have these kids on your boards and check out their film for yourselves. Let's get into it!