2026 Master Thread

317Irish

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I went through today and made the "Best Case Scenario" class for about the top 15 current classes on 247. I added the recruits in the top 600 of the On3 player rankings for whom each school was the clear leader or in heavy contention. For example, for the three players below, I put Lamar Brown in LSU's class, Tyler Atkinson in Georgia's, and Savion Hiter in both OSU and UGA's classes (as Hiter could reasonably in both teams' "best case scenario" classes, according to these On3 percentages).
View attachment 3059315

When putting the 97 uncommitted top-600 players in each class calculator, here is the projected top ten "best case scenario" classes. Notre Dame would come in at #6.

1. Georgia - 312.28
2. USC - 303.43
3. Bama - 300.90
4. OSU - 300.45
5. TAMU - 295.05
6. ND - 290.61
7. LSU - 288.01
8. Mich - 280.19
9. Oregon - 278.10
10. Texas - 271.51

Obviously there will lots of movements and surprises (see Ojo to Texas Tech), but this feels like a more or less reasonable finish, as things stand right now. What I found interesting was the scarcity of uncommitted players on the board (with plenty more committing in the next several days):

View attachment 3059316
This is awesome and much appreciated work Domer.
One request from me- can you run a scenario where Michigan loses all of their recruits in the top 150 or so and fills them with solidly below top 600 guys? Gives me something more precise to root for rather than my typical “0 signed recruits and death penalty by the NCAA” scenario that I’ve hoped for in prior years.
 

domer13

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This is awesome and much appreciated work Domer.
One request from me- can you run a scenario where Michigan loses all of their recruits in the top 150 or so and fills them with solidly below top 600 guys? Gives me something more precise to root for rather than my typical “0 signed recruits and death penalty by the NCAA” scenario that I’ve hoped for in prior years.
Done. I took anyone currently or projected to be committed who was rated in the top 161 and replaced with someone in the 500/600s who Michigan had actually offered, according to On3. The changes are below:

QB Brady Smiegel (92) -> Kane Archer (624)
RB N/A - top-rated RB is Jonathan Brown (1007)
WR Calvin Russell (32), Zion Robinson & Travis Johnson (160/161) -> Brody Keefe (603), DJ Williams (653), Elias Coke (682)
TE Matt Ludwig (129) -> Luke Sorenson (689)
OL Malakai Lee (119) -> Katrell Webb (625)
DL Carter Meadows (36), Titan Davis, (105) & McHale Blade (155) -> Landon Bland (774), Jimmy Alo-Suliafu (549), & Alex Haskell (632)
LB N/A - top-rated LB is Markel Dabney (816)
CB N/A - top-rated CB is Dorian Barney (199)
S N/A - fop-rated S is Andre Clarke (185)
ATH CJ Sadler (93) -> Daylen Sharper (557)

The class score would be 218.57, which, on average, places Michigan outside the top 25.
 

domer13

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Done. I took anyone currently or projected to be committed who was rated in the top 161 and replaced with someone in the 500/600s who Michigan had actually offered, according to On3. The changes are below:

QB Brady Smiegel (92) -> Kane Archer (624)
RB N/A - top-rated RB is Jonathan Brown (1007)
WR Calvin Russell (32), Zion Robinson & Travis Johnson (160/161) -> Brody Keefe (603), DJ Williams (653), Elias Coke (682)
TE Matt Ludwig (129) -> Luke Sorenson (689)
OL Malakai Lee (119) -> Katrell Webb (625)

DL Carter Meadows (36), Titan Davis, (105) & McHale Blade (155) -> Landon Bland (774), Jimmy Alo-Suliafu (549), & Alex Haskell (632)
LB N/A - top-rated LB is Markel Dabney (816)
CB N/A - top-rated CB is Dorian Barney (199)
S N/A - fop-rated S is Andre Clarke (185)
ATH CJ Sadler (93) -> Daylen Sharper (557)

The class score would be 218.57, which, on average, places Michigan outside the top 25.
One down, 9 to go!

 

IRISHbluehen

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Fantastic ISD Intel today about the recruiting dept that is a free article this week.

 

IAIrish

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Fantastic ISD Intel today about the recruiting dept that is a free article this week.

What i got from that is: Carter Auman, Notre Dame Man (better fit than Bowden).
 

Irish#1

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Veritate Duce Progredi

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Fantastic ISD Intel today about the recruiting dept that is a free article this week.

Damn, that was a long and incredibly well-written article. Auman has rocketed up my list of "need to keeps". Sounds like an absolute all-star recruiter so I hope the staff pay him well and continue incentivizing his involvement. Fantastic piece by ISD.
 

FWIrish4

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Damn, that was a long and incredibly well-written article. Auman has rocketed up my list of "need to keeps". Sounds like an absolute all-star recruiter so I hope the staff pay him well and continue incentivizing his involvement. Fantastic piece by ISD.
It also helps he, and basically his entire family, attended ND and thoroughly love the university. Hopefully that bodes to keeping him long-term!
 

NDPhilly

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Ebenezer and Grayson confirmed as top 20 guys on new rivals release. TBD on Joey O and Dunham. They are at #10 now.
 

domer13

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Looks like this is the updated top 100
6 - Dunham
13 - McKeough
20 - Ewetade
26 - Premer
34 - Adams
47 - O'Brien (Crazy...)

And the rest of the top 300
109 - Finley
120 - Walton
135 - Smith
139 - Osborne
152 - Pouncey
178 - Patrick
232 - Frazier
283 - Nichols
296 - Fryzel

Unless I miscounted, SIX top 50 , 10/11 top 150, 15 top 300 players. Pretty good.
 

NDPhilly

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Super impressive list. No Merrill, Golden, or Grubbs. First two definitely surprising.

I don’t really get why Golden has fallen so much, he has offers from everyone and most of them were received after his junior season, including UGA, Bama, Texas, A&M, Oregon, PSU in January. Just odd.
 
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