2026’s Biggest Offensive Recruiting Targets

With National Signing Day for the Class of 2025 mostly in the rearview, prime time for the current junior class is here.   Over the next few months, their recruiting cycles are going to ramp up - even for those who already have offers and interest. College programs will see what they need to start bolstering within their own rosters, and another year for them means another year of battling the constant attrition tied to today's football landscape.   Enter the Class of 2026.    These offensive targets are ones we believe will move the needle even before the 2025 season begins.   [player_tooltip player_id='1165753' first='Tre' last='Aiken'] OL, Clinton   It's been nearly two years since Aiken picked up his first NCAA Division I offer (Coastal Carolina). Others followed, and in the two months since Clinton won a state title, he's added two more Power 4 offers to his growing list. Aiken is very much seen as one of the top offensive tackles in a class full of them, and whatever he decides will surely set off the dominoes as others race to lock up others. Including…   [player_tooltip player_id='1395031' first='Caden' last='Muskus'] OL, Chapin   Muskus went from the shadows to the forefront in a hurry. In fact, he's pulled four Division I offers in the last three months. The reasoning is pretty clear; he's added some significant weight even since last year's Carolinas Coaches Combines and he notched a solid year of film and evaluations to his resume while protecting [player_tooltip player_id='272715' first='Brady' last='Albro'] in the Eagles' offense. He might not be the best left tackle in the class, but his stock is rising fast.    [player_tooltip player_id='1395078' first='Kam' last='Taylor'] TE, Woodruff   It would be easy to look at Taylor and think he's a gadget-type extra receiver. The more you dive into his skill set, though, you see that he's also an excellent blocker out of a variety of sets. He was already north of 6-foot-4 and 210 pounds last spring and uses his long arms to get leverage. As far as catching the ball, he has surprising speed when he's in space and has averaged better than 15 yards per reception over his last 20 games. The likelihood of him moving up in our rankings in the spring? High to quite high.    [player_tooltip player_id='402486' first='Carnell' last='Warren'] WR, Bluffton   The state of Arizona clearly likes Warren, as he recently pulled offers from both the Sun Devils and Wildcats. Warren is viewed as a huge body (6-foot-3, 205 pounds) with a monster catch radius (81-inch wing span) who can box out would-be defenders in traffic and has enough speed to get behind them. He took every fourth catch as a junior into the end zone and has the types of measurements schools rarely find. And with two of the three receivers in the class ahead of him in South Carolina already verbally committed, more schools likely turn to Warren.    [player_tooltip player_id='1267334' first='Kameron' last='Vance'] WR, Northwestern   When the university of South Carolina signed [player_tooltip player_id='1012637' first='Jackson' last='Repp'] this week, it sent another message that you don't have to look like Warren to get a Power 4 opportunity. Vance, at all of 5-foot-7 and 160 pounds, is even more evidence. While four of his five offers (as of last check) came prior to last season, his junior year production is undeniable. During the Trojans' Class 5A, Division II title run, he hauled in 72 passes for 1,126 yards and 16 touchdowns. He has an excellent top speed, and he doesn't need long to get there.    [player_tooltip player_id='402503' first='Michael' last='Doe'] RB, North Augusta (pictured)   Remember all those offensive linemen we referenced earlier? North Augusta's [player_tooltip player_id='1251916' first='Malcolm' last='Gaston'] would certainly fit into that category. In many ways, Gaston and Doe are feeding off each other. It's a big reason the tailback was able to hit 1,800 yards and 32 touchdowns on the ground last fall. Where Doe does his own recruiting some serious favors on top of all that is how well he catches the ball out of the backfield. He amassed another 405 yards and two scores receiving. It's a rare skill set that will get someone's attention. And then someone else's. And so on.   [player_tooltip player_id='473029' first='Jaiden' last='McDowell'] RB, Gaffney and [player_tooltip player_id='473027' first='Meliq' last='McGowan'] RB, Goose Creek    Both tailbacks came into 2024 with some serious momentum. They also both suffered injuries that derailed a solid chunk of their junior seasons. Upon McDowell's return, he rushed for another 270 or so yards and four touchdowns over the final four games while McGowan put up just shy of 400 and three in four games. What's more, both hauled in north of 180 receiving yards in those games. The rebounds affirmed their ability to impact games even after long layoffs and probably not being at 100 percent. Give them the offseason, and McDowell and McGowan re-develop into high-profile targets again.    [player_tooltip player_id='473002' first='Cameron' last='McMillon'] QB, South Pointe    While transferring from Fairfield Central last offseason was probably going to pay dividends for McMillon long term, it probably also left some folks hitting the pause button - especially after he suffered a minor injury that limited his early playing time. Still, the months leading up to his second year with the Stallions should help him bolster what colleges already know about him: He's big, has a huge arm and isn't afraid to squeeze throws into tight windows.    [player_tooltip player_id='1025784' first='Roper' last='Wentzky'] QB, AC Flora    In recruiting terms, Wentzky is still a bit of an enigma because he isn't a 24/7 football guy. He's not bouncing from offseason camp to offseason camp, and it's not unheard of for him to avoid football for weeks at a time during his baseball schedule. Yet, there is some serious interest while colleges wait to see what he does next because he has one of the liveliest arms in the class and an ability to absolutely sling it. His instincts for the position certainly don't match what would be expected. And that makes him a really interesting prospect.

With National Signing Day for the Class of 2025 mostly in the rearview, prime time for the current junior class is here.