The new Rivals250 for the 2026 class has been released and there were a lot of changes after a busy football season. Rivals national recruiting director Adam Gorney gives his thoughts at each position.

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Thursday: Defensive position rankings released

Friday: State rankings released

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This is a very strong quarterback group with four five-stars already in Ryder Lyons, Tennessee commit Faizon Brandon, Jared Curtis and Florida State pledge Brady Smigiel leading the way.

Now the question becomes how to order them. This is probably a three-person race at the top and we like Lyons a smidge more because of his incredible playmaking ability and the magic that he can make happen in the passing and running game.

But Brandon is also very special and has all those tools as well. Curtis is a new five-star who doesn’t play great competition but has incredible ability and plays with a confidence that he can get anything done on the field.

Others could push up the list as well since this quarterback group is not only top-heavy but deep as well. Oklahoma commit Jaden O’Neal is really impressive physically and throws a great ball; Texas pledge Dia Bell has a pro pedigree since his dad, Raja, played in the NBA; Texas A&M pledge Helaman Casuga posted huge numbers this season; and we might not be talking enough about Jackson, Ala., standout Landon Duckworth, who is a superior athlete and playmaker.

The state of Texas is the home of many elite running backs in the 2026 cycle and we moved up Carthage standout KJ Edwards, who has a phenomenal mix of speed, elusiveness and power to break through arm tackles and keep his feet moving. Savion Hiter from Mineral (Va.) Louisa County is also one notch away from five-star consideration.

This is also a deep list.

Forney, Texas standout Javian Osborne is an elite playmaker, Moultrie (Ga.) Colquitt County’s Jae Lamar is landing every major SEC offer and all-purpose backs Tradarian Ball, an Oregon commit, and Davian Groce are phenomenal. Unsurprisingly, both Ball and Groce are from Texas as well.

There is no five-star running back yet but through this cycle it would be a surprise if at least one didn’t emerge with that highest ranking.

This is a position that could see a ton of disruption before the end of this recruiting cycle.

Ohio State commit Chris Henry Jr. is a great-looking prospect and he has flashed at times but when he comes back from a knee injury we’d love to see more consistent domination from him as an outside receiver.

Alexander City (Ala.) Russell’s Cedarian Morgan has been hugely impressive this season and could push toward five-star status. Hattiesburg, Miss., standout Tristen Keys has also shown elite ability numerous times. Texas A&M commit Aaron Gregory and Douglasville (Ga.) Douglas County teammate Devin Carter are also highly ranked.

Georgia commit Vance Spafford is not going to blow anyone away physically but maybe no receiver in the 2026 class gets open as consistently and almost never drops a pass like him, as he posted another huge season at Mission Viejo, Calif.

At No. 10 in the position rankings, Jacksonville (Fla.) Bolles’ Naeem Burroughs might still be too low.

The 2026 group is not as loaded as 2025, but there is some elite talent. Oregon commit Kendre Harrison from Reidsville, N.C., is a new five-star. He has all the physical tools to be great and we just want to see him dominate more on the national level.

Kaiden Prothro is a massive target who looks more like a big receiver than a tight end. Brock Harris is a big, physical kid who catches everything and then the Midwest is represented very well near the top by Mack Sutter, JC Anderson and Lincoln Keyes, who lives in Ann Arbor but committed to Georgia recently.

The top of the offensive tackle group is excellent led by No. 1 overall Jackson Cantwell and Immanuel Iheanacho, who is massive and physical but still moves surprisingly well for someone who is 6-foot-7 and 345 pounds.

We loved Penn State commit Kevin Brown at the Rivals Five-Star last summer as he showed elite athleticism and toughness. Brown will also be in the five-star discussion. Mansfield (Texas) Lake Ridge’s Felix Ojo has moved up and he might not be done yet.

There is still a lot to be figured out among the interior offensive linemen. Lamar Brown from Baton Rouge (La.) University Lab leads the way at offensive guard as Texas A&M stands out most in his recruitment. After that there could be a lot of movement both up and down as we see these players more this offseason.

Grant Wise is a tough, hard-nosed kid from Pace, Fla., who dominated in his junior season. Zykie Helton and others make up a decently strong center class.

Both defensive end spots have elite players at the top but both weak-side and strong-side could see a lot shake out as the rankings cycle goes through the next year.

Anthony Jones was already a five-star but made enormous strides from his sophomore to junior year. He looks bigger, stronger and more dominant, not only playing off the edge but some inside work, too. We want to see Baltimore (Md.) St. Frances’ Zion Elee, who recently committed to Maryland over Oregon and others, at some big events this offseason to get a feel on where he should be placed. Khamari Brooks from Bogart (Ga.) North Oconee has moved up and moved to weakside, and he could keep climbing.

At strongside defensive end, there are no five-star defensive ends but Jordan Carter and Aiden Harris will definitely be in the running. Both are elite talents but we weren’t ready to pull the trigger just yet. Titan Davis is an interesting prospect and Nolan Wilson from Picayune, Miss., has seen his recruitment take off in recent months.

Defensive tackle is very strong. Daverin “Deuce” Geralds was dominant at the Rivals Five-Star this past summer and then was impressive through the season. He will be pushed by New Orleans (La.) Edna Karr’s Richard Anderson, who basically took over the Louisiana state championship this past weekend. Let’s see if another elite defensive tackle emerges among a strong group of four-stars.

Outside linebacker is loaded. Five-star Tyler Atkinson can blitz off the edge, he can play in space and he’s a productive defensive prospect. USC commit Xavier Griffin has tremendous size and length.

The list goes on and on of productive defensive playmakers in Talanoa Ili, Auburn commit Shadarius Toodle, Miami pledge Jordan Campbell, Kosi Okpala and others. It’s one of the stronger and deeper groups in the 2026 class.

The inside linebacker spot is strong but not nearly as loaded as the other position. Tai’Yion “Tank” King and Malik Morris lead the way but after that there could still be a lot of movement as we figure out who stands out most. Kenneth Goodwin is a really intriguing recruit and then Brayden Rouse and others could emerge.

Elbert Hill, a new five-star from Akron (Ohio) Hoban, is actually a little undersized but he’s amazingly fluid and versatile. He also stars on offense and special teams and we like where we have him now in the rankings. It’s rare to be that smooth and Hill can cover anybody.

It’s a very strong group of corners and I’m interested to see Zyan Gibson and J’Vari Flowers more as they could definitely move up even higher.

Safety is absolutely loaded and while it’s not an incredibly popular first-round grade in the NFL Draft, there might be more than one five-star in the group. Blaine Bradford leads the group but Jireh Edwards and Aiden Hall are all elite players that will get serious consideration for that highest designation. This is definitely one of the best position groups in the 2026 class as Jett Washington, Bralan Womack and others are major players as well and can impact a game in many ways.

As we go through the 2026 class and specific positions become clearer, a lot of the top prospects in this group will be moved around but right now it’s a loaded spot led by five-stars Derrek Cooper and Brandon Arrington.

Cooper is a phenomenal running back but plays all over and Arrington could move to cornerback (think Sauce Gardner 2.0) but he’s also an elite receiver.

Houston commit Keisean Henderson is an interesting one. The Spring (Texas) Legacy standout is a high four-star and wants to play quarterback but could be under five-star consideration as an athlete. He’s elite all over the place but could be better at another position, which makes his recruitment even more interesting.