Pre-Season Class of 2026 Top 10 Ranked Players

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>With the kickoff of 2025 football season just a little over a month away we update the class of 2026 rankings. Here is a rundown of the pre-season Top 10, all who have announced their verbal commitments before pre-season practice has begun.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='392779' first='Jackson' last='Cantwell'] OT Nixa<br>- 6'8" 300 Committed to the University of Miami. The mountain of a high school offensive tackle is one of the most athletic offensive line prospects you will ever find. A dual sport athlete who was coveted by every college in the country. Jackson has held the number one ranking in his class since he was a ninth grader and before he earned his first offer. His great size combined with his strength, quickness and blocking ability has led some recruiting fan sites to make him the number one prospect in the nation overall. That's a lot to live up to, but if anyone has the intelligence, mindset and physical gifts to do it Cantwell does.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>2.[player_tooltip player_id='1112565' first='Titan' last='Davis'] DE De Smet<br>- 6'5" 260 Committed to Michigan. Titan told me he was a quarterback the first time I met him right before his freshman year of high school. He was already 6'4" 220 and looked the part of a future defensive lineman then. It was soon after he was lining up at DE for his freshman team. With each year he has grown physically and as a player with a good combination of explosiveness and motor that helps him get after the QB and make plays in the backfield. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>3. [player_tooltip player_id='1130114' first='Jacob' last='Eberhart'] ATH Kirkwood<br>- 6'3" 210 Committed to Illinois. The most versatile prospect in the top ten and class overall is the top athlete on the board that drew attention from schools from coast to coast. Jacob sees double duty on offense as a receiver as well as safety but has the ability to play almost any position on either side of the ball. He has great speed and pass big play catching ability, but his future team the Illini see him as a safety in their system where he can cover a lot of ground and make big plays against both the pass and run for them.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>4. [player_tooltip player_id='284045' first='Ronelle' last='Johnson'] DL Blue Springs<br>- 6'3" 270 Committed to Indiana. This talented defensive end has grown physically since the end of last season and really made himself a dominant and versatile defensive linemen who can play pretty much any spot along the defensive line. He has kept his speed and explosiveness off the edge to rush the pass but has added the strength to play inside, and with his quickness and first step makes it incredibly tough for interior offensive linemen to block him. Ronelle is equally good playing against the run. The Hoosiers got a good one. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>5. Kennan Harris LB SLUH <br>- 6'1" 225 Committed to Missouri. Another very versatile player on the high school level who is a weapon on both offense and defense. Harris looked starting as a 9th grader when I first saw him like he could be a very talented prospect as either a receiver or cornerback. However, he has grown into a safety and then a linebacker, where he will play on the college level for his home state Missouri Tigers. Keenan is strong, physical and really lowers the boom when he hits. He can play the run extremely tough but has the coverage and ball skills to be a big asset on passing downs.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>6. [player_tooltip player_id='849688' first='Rocco' last='Marriott'] QB Platte County<br>- 6'4" 214 Committed to James Madison. As athletic as the first five players in the 2026 class are, there may not be a better athlete in the class that the talented signal-caller from the Kansas City area Marriott. Rocco has consistently run a 4.5 forty, sub-4.0 shuttle and broad jumped over 10-feet. A true dual threat who can beat teams with his arm or his feet, he set single season records for total offense , total touchdowns (63) and passing touchdowns (39) while earning just about every post-season honor there is. This spring he also earned first team All-State in baseball as a centerfielder. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>7. [player_tooltip player_id='284039' first='DeZephen' last='Walker'] RB Raymore-Peculiar<br>- 6'0" 205 Committed to Oklahoma. The future Sooner burst on the high school football scene in Kansas City as a little bit of a known commodity with his football skills and speed already talked about. DeZephen looked the part of a D1 player pretty much out of the gate with his vision, feet and breakaway big play speed that could take it all the way on any given play. He has drawn a crowd ever since. With great size and strength to go with that speed he looks poised for a monster senior season under new head coach Greg Jones. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>8. [player_tooltip player_id='604213' first='Mason' last='Marden'] LB Ladue<br>- 6'3" 220 Committed to Arizona State. One of the top linebacker prospects in the Midwest who is headed to the Sun Belt to play for the Sun Devils. Mason is big, fast and means business as he arrives in a hurry in a gap or sideline-to-sideline against the run, rushing the quarterback or in pass coverage, a skill he has really developed during his high school career. He has great hands and reads pass plays very well in coverage to be able to pick the ball. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>9. [player_tooltip player_id='1127277' first='Landon' last='Bland'] DE Carthage<br>- 6'4" 225 Committed to Oklahoma State. A talented edge prospect with great get off and first step to get in the backfield and make plays with. I got to watch him battle Cantwell in a game last season and he did a good job against the potential number one player in the country. Landon is physical, quick and has good strength playing against the run, and the speed to chase down plays from the back. The Cowboys look like they have a good one who is full of potential and just scratching the surface of his talents. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>10. [player_tooltip player_id='284043' first='Nick' last='McClellan'] DB CBC<br>- 6'0" 185 Committed to Kansas State. McClellan is just a very good football player. Sure he has great speed, athleticism, vision, balls skills, football IQ and playmaking ability. But Nick is just a football player. Meaning, I line him up at any position and he is going to beat the guy he is going up against regardless of the position. The are a lot of talented athletes, but not a lot of talented football players coming out of high school. McClellan has made himself into a talented quarterback through hard work, dedication and being a football player to the point where some schools wanted him as a run QB for their college programs. What he will be in college in a playmaking ballhawk cornerback or safety who produces for his team. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->