2026 Rankings Update: Storylines to follow

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>With the turn of the new year came an update to our statewide rankings for the class of 2026. See below for a handful of storylines worth tracking in looking over the class as a whole.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Can anyone challenge Jackson for #1?</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>With the departure of Gonzaga pledge <a href="https://prephoops.com/player/luca-foster/">Luca Foster</a> to Link Academy (MO) coinciding with a jump in his level of play to begin his senior season, Roman Catholic swingman and VCU commit [player_tooltip player_id='1406768' first='Sammy' last='Jackson'] has widened the gap between himself and the rest of the field in terms of the top spot in the class. Previously known as more of a cerebral playmaker, Jackson has clearly leveled up as a perimeter shotmaker and overall scorer, all while maintaining his versatile impact across the floor game.<br><br>In terms of challengers, a group of three appear to have separated themselves at the top behind Jackson. Hill School guard [player_tooltip player_id='2251704' first='Ethan' last='Johnston'] is the only Power 5 signee in the state, bound for Marquette come this fall, and maintains a strong hold on that spot but hasn't quite made the jump that would push Jackson off his perch. Coming on strong beyond Johnston are a pair of guards bound for the mid-major ranks Hofstra-bound [player_tooltip player_id='2949318' first='Xavier' last='Blake'] (Phelps School), a transfer from Canada whose put together some explosive scoring performances this year, and Temple signee [player_tooltip player_id='1611959' first='Derrick' last='Morton-Rivera'] (Father Judge), who's missed much of the year with an ankle injury.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Stock-risers in the Top 10</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>While Blake made a slight jump from 5th to 3rd thanks to a string of 30+ point performances to begin the year, the rest of the Top 10 is marked by a pair of significant stock-risers. Coming in at 6th, recent Buffalo pledge [player_tooltip player_id='1486760' first='Jahrel' last='Vigo'] jumped more than 10 spots, as the southpaw post-grad by way of Allentown has teamed with Blake at Phelps to form arguably the most dynamic backcourt around. Seeing him continue to impose his athleticism and versatility against a new level of competition while continuing to develop as a perimeter shooter has allowed him to steadily elevate since moving into the 2026 class. On the other hand, Towson-bound guard [player_tooltip player_id='1576723' first='Mani' last='Sajid'] took a slight tumble in our previous update, but is back on the rise to 7th thanks to his dynamic scoring ability and, most importantly, a renewed impact on winning as he has P-W out to a successful start.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Uncommitted talent still on the board</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Despite changes in the recruiting climate forcing many high school seniors to delay their college commitments, each of the top 16 prospects in our rankings (and 17 of the top 18) have signed to Division 1 programs. That leaves 17th-ranked [player_tooltip player_id='2845070' first='Mykel' last='Bruce-McCrommon'], a late-blooming swingman out of Pittsburgh, as the top unsigned prospect in the state. There remains an abundance of available talent, however, as spots 19-37 see just three more prospects already committed to a college destination. While some are expected to filter into the prep school ranks in the class of 2027, several more are sure to make D1 and D2 programs happy late in the recruiting cycle heading into the spring and summer.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->