Right now, there are only 21 high school prospects ranked in 247Sports’ top 100 who have committed to college programs. That is an unusually low number at this point in the calendar. And through the summer and now early fall, there is still a lack of clarity on many of the top recruitments. With players now already deep into their official schedule, recruitments will become clearer, as more visits and meetings happen, more players will come off the board.
So why has the recruitment landscape of the 2026 class been so slow to develop? Why is this particular class so strange? How are college staffs approaching the 2026 class compared to previous cycles?
Missouri has commitments from No. 3-ranked Jason Crowe Jr. and No. 23-ranked Toni Bryant. No. 12 JJ Andrews pledged to Arkansas way back on May 15.
Those are the only three prospects ranked in the top 25 who have made a decision. And don’t expect too many of the top prospects in the 2026 class to come off the board in the near future as they continue to take their time with official visits this fall
“I haven’t talked to one kid who is close to making a decision,” a Power Five assistant told 247Sports back in June. “We’re recruiting about 10 kids, and none of them are close.”
College basketball commitments plummet amid big changes in recruiting: ‘Nobody knows what to do right now’
Matt Norlander
So why is the 2026 class moving so slowly?
It comes down to three big reasons: the aggressive evolution of the transfer portal in college basketball, the lack of talent…
..
