College basketball recruiting is in an unusual place, as late September arrives with only a handful of the top-50 prospects from the Class of 2026 committed. Duke, Kentucky and Kansas are just a few of the high-profile programs that have yet to land even a single high school commitment.
Shifting economic dynamics are the reason for the dearth of commitments, as Matt Norlander explored for a piece at CBS Sports this week. Prospects will eventually start committing, but predicting which schools will wind up with the best classes has never been more challenging.
Arkansas AD Hunter Yurachek frustrated with state of recruiting, suggests breaking rules might be needed
Gary Parrish
Unburdened by the financial requirements of compensating FBS football rosters, schools from the Big East are poised to have an advantage in building their 2026-27 rosters. That’s a frustrating reality for schools in other high-major leagues, who are searching for workarounds to the financial limitations brought about by the House settlement. Even the Atlantic 10 could make a splash in this new world; VCU currently ranks No. 7. In the 247Sports Team Rankings for the Class of 2026 with a pair of four-star commitments.
If traditional powers in the ACC, Big 12, Big Ten and SEC have tighter budgets than in past seasons and choose to prioritize transfers with their spending, it could open the door for some unusual suspects to challenge for high school recruiting supremacy. Against that backdrop, our writers are making their picks for which…
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