The 2026 Rivals250 was unveiled last month and teams around the country are beginning to sort out their priorities for the next recruiting cycle. Here are five programs from the East Region that are off to good starts with the 2026 class.
CLEMSON
Clemson operates by its own rules when it comes to recruiting so it hasn’t offered any 2026 prospects just yet but, nevertheless, the Tigers are set up for an outstanding 2026 recruiting class.
The impact of changes made to the coaching staff by Dabo Swinney has already made a noticeable difference for the 2025 class. Bringing in coaches Matt Luke and Chris Rumph have provided a necessary jolt on the recruiting trail at key positions that have seen better days on the field.
With a massive 2024 season on the horizon, improved outcomes on the field should put Clemson back among the elite when it comes to recruiting highly ranked talent. That’s true for the 2025 and 2026 classes.
Rivals250 prospects Tyler Atkinson, Samari Matthews, Bryce Perry-Wright, Maxwell Riley and Leo Delaney are just a few coveted 2026 prospects who have shown a lot of interest in Clemson thus far.
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NORTH CAROLINA
The 2026 cycle in the state of North Carolina is excellent and the Tar Heels are in position to capitalize on the opportunity. They’ve already offered more than 15 in-state prospects and nearly all of them have been on campus at least once. More importantly, the 10 Rivals250 in-state prospects are all very close with the Tar Heels coaching staff. They don’t hold a commitment just yet in the class but it’s just a matter of time.
It will be extremely important for North Carolina to not have a down year on the field to at least maintain momentum on the recruiting trail. That might be a tall order with Drake Maye heading to the NFL along with other key pieces, but the ACC is fairly wide open this season.
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PENN STATE
Penn State made a splash in August of last year by adding a commitment from running back Messiah Mickens. The in-state top-100 prospect has been an active recruiter for the Nittany Lions since he jumped aboard. When it comes to the 2026 class, James Franklin and his staff have been flexing their talent evaluation muscles. Penn State was one of the first offers for Rivals250 prospects Zion Elee, Kevin Brown, David Davis, Carter Scruggs and many others.
There were very high hopes for Penn State last season but it fell just short, losing to Ohio State and Michigan by one possession. Still, a 10-win season and finishing No. 17 in the 2024 team recruiting rankings is nothing to look down on. Coordinator changes on both sides of the ball have brought renewed optimism to Happy Valley and a big season on the field should yield massive results on the recruiting trail.
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SOUTH CAROLINA
The Gamecocks hold one commitment in the 2026 class in big-time quarterback Landon Duckworth, a top-100 prospect, and there are plenty of other highly ranked targets South Carolina is in good position for already. Shane Beamer and his staff are coming off of a very good 2024 recruiting class in which they signed 16 prospects and finished at No. 30 in the recruiting team rankings.
No team inside the top 30 signed fewer players than South Carolina but their average stars per commit was very high at 3.69, which should make it clear just how talented the group is as a whole. South Carolina also has the No. 6 overall transfer class in the 2024 cycle, giving the Gamecocks a top-25 ranking in the comprehensive team rankings. All of this is to say, South Carolina has serious momentum on the recruiting trail.
The Gamecocks are set up well for the 2026 class and have done a good job identifying talented prospects in their state for next year’s cycle. South Carolina has offered six in-state prospects thus far and there are nearly 10 more who have offers from other programs already.
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SYRACUSE
There hasn’t been this much excitement surrounding the Syracuse program in more than a decade. New head coach Fran Brown has injected the Orange fanbase with an incredible amount of enthusiasm and it’s all because of his ability to recruit. Syracuse signed its highest-ranked recruiting class ever last year, and Brown did it after being on the job for just a few months.
With the staff he has assembled, Brown is attracting more talent than Syracuse has ever seen from the high school ranks and the transfer portal is playing a major part in his recruiting strategy as well. Kyle McCord (Ohio State), Fadil Diggs (Texas A&M), Zeed Haynes (Georgia) and a number of other impact players have transferred to Syracuse because of their relationships with Brown and his staff.
The Syracuse campus has been busier than ever with visitors this spring and it has already paid dividends in the form of a commitment from 2026 Florida native Demetres Samuel.
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Adam Friedman, National Recruiting Analyst
