Friday Recruiting Rundown: Dec. 26

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>After a thrilling 2025 high school football season that kept us here at Prep Redzone North Carolina as busy as we've ever been, it's time to settle back into some of our offseason rhythms. One of my favorites (and one of the most-read features on the site) is my weekly recruiting rundown article. While it's currently a Division 1 dead period, there's still a ton going on behind the scenes. Here are some tidbits from across the state.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">December 26 Recruiting Rundown</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>While we never spoil an athlete's commitment, we do pick up nuggets here and there. At this time of year, there's a lot of movement in the college coaching rankings, leading to shifts in recruiting. Between the early and late signing periods, FCS and Division II/III schools are the busiest.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":3} --> <h3 class="wp-block-heading">State Championship Stars Finally Seeing Recruiting Movement</h3> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>If you made a list of underrecruited players in North Carolina, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1099168' first='Lan' last='Farmer']</strong> would be near the top. The Shelby star has the size, arm talent, leadership, and production, and the college coaches I've talked to love him, but it's only recently that his recruitment has gained some traction.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Glenville State reached out with an offer, then Averett and Wingate reached out a few days before Christmas. Interestingly, that same day, Wingate offered Watauga quarterback <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1895140' first='Cade' last='Keller']</strong>, as well. Keller may end up pursuing basketball instead, but he has options on the football side.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Crest receiver <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1154024' first='Namajay' last='Thompson']</strong> belongs in this group, too. The junior had a huge state championship game, then received an offer from Boston College the next week.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":3} --> <h3 class="wp-block-heading">First 2027 Dominoes Fall</h3> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I'm not quite sure why December is such a popular commit season for top recruits in the <em>next</em> class, but every year, it seems like our first commits come shortly after the previous class's Early Signing Day.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This year, a pair of Raleigh area defenders were among the first to pledge to their future schools, and two Midwestern Powerhouses were the early beneficiaries.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>First, Cardinal Gibbons defensive back <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='320308' first='Xavier' last='Hasan']</strong>, who could play either safety or corner at the next level, became the first Notre Dame commit in the 2027 class as the Irish continue to prioritize North Carolina.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Then, fellow top-5 defender <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='651173' first='Quinton' last='Cypher']</strong> committed to Ohio State, giving the Buckeyes their first Tar Heel State commit since the 2025 class.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Rounding out the three RDU defenders to commit, Rolesville safety <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='946850' first='Marquis' last='Bryant']</strong> continued the Rolesville to Chapel Hill pipeline, pledging to the Tar Heels on Dec. 16.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>By our count, that's seven committed 2027 football players from North Carolina. Who could be next?</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>It's possible <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1607067' first='Andrew' last='Rogers']</strong>, who reclassified from the 2027 class to 2026 and initially committed to Virginia Tech, could make a move in the near future. After he classed back to 2027 and backed off his Virginia Tech pledge with the coaching change, I expect him to take his time, but he was close to signing in December.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>West Charlotte defensive back <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='378926' first='Davion' last='Jones']</strong> recently talked with Chad Simmons of Rivals about his top four schools, all in the SEC. He put LSU at the top, followed by Tennessee, South Carolina, and Georgia. It sounds as if the star defender could be moving closer to a decision.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>Also See: <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2025/12/top-50-of-2025/">Top 50 of 2025</a></em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We can never rule out top-5 prospects from committing early. In fact, of our most recent 2026 top 10, only <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='823700' first='Aiden' last='Harris']</strong> waited until his senior season to commit.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The three uncommitted top-5 prospects in the 2027 class are <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1607779' first='Jaxon' last='Dollar']</strong> of East Lincoln, Lincolnton's <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1678635' first='Jalaythan' last='Mayfield']</strong>, and Millbrook's <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1553113' first='Rashad' last='Streets']</strong>. They've taken different approaches to the recruiting process.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Dollar hasn't said much publicly, but his visit schedule says otherwise, as he's cast a wide net. That could mean he has a good idea of what he wants to do and he'll narrow the focus in the spring, or that he's wide open and could take a while to decide.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Mayfield just dropped a <a href="https://x.com/JMayfield9145/status/2004277193816625292?s=20">top 10</a>, but he seems to have focused in on a smaller group than even that. Streets dropped a top 12 earlier this season, but he may be focused on a smaller group, even if a top 5 isn't likely until the spring. I'd expect him to be committed by the time he plays his first senior snaps.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":3} --> <h3 class="wp-block-heading">Other News and Notes</h3> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Two Independence receivers are heating up on the recruiting trail. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1332108' first='Ricky' last='Myers Jr'].</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1571334' first='King' last='Rhodes']</strong> each received offers last week, as Rhodes was offered by Fayetteville State and Myers earned an offer from Ferrum College.</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Speaking of Ferrum, the Panthers have been one of the most active teams on the recruiting trail, offering guys like Cuthbertson RB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1671873' first='Mason' last='Iovino']</strong>, Grimsley athlete <strong>Hudson Cooper</strong>, Ashbrook defensive lineman <strong>Quamell Scott</strong>, and Lake Norman receiver <strong>Micah Slaughter</strong>.</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Elon continues to be one of the top FCS teams in the area when it comes to scouting, as it pertains to our rankings. The Phoenix recently offered Cardinal Gibbons playmaker <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1663787' first='Brayden' last='Karras']</strong>. They have seven in-state commitments, including five players in our top 140 and two in our top 85.</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Earlier this month, Weddington defensive lineman <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='327284' first='Miles' last='Funderburk']</strong> committed to South Carolina State.</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>This state is big, and it's easy to miss something. Want to keep us updated on your recruitment? Tag and/or DM me on Twitter/X (<a href="https://x.com/whelms21">@whelms21</a>) to make sure I know what's going on.</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->