It was largely an oversight not to have had Pannell in our last update, as the emerging rim-runner experienced his breakout this past summer while playing on the 16U circuit with the class of 2027. A senior at Bartram, Pannell easily aces the look test with towering height, an enormous wingspan, and natural mobility that makes him a budding force on the defensive end. Still relatively new to the game, he’s still a work in progress, but has the type of tools and a foundational skillset that are impossible to overlook when projecting as a long-term prospect. While still likely to elect for a post-grad year and enter the 2027 class to further his development, Pannell slots in for now in the top 30 of our 2026 ranking.

While still in the early stages of his development, Pannell could have as high a long-term ceiling as any prospect in the league. Still somewhat of an unknown even locally while being relatively new to the game, the emerging rim-runner brings obvious tools to intrigue even the highest levels of D1 with a rare blend of size, length, and natural mobility. He’s already an effective rim protector with apparent natural timing and technique while showing capable hands on the glass or as a finisher offensively off teammates’ penetration. The ability he flashes to step onto the perimeter defensively and bother opposing guards also helps separate him from other raw frontcourt prospects in his ilk. Pannell has begun to draw D1 attention coming out of the summer with the strong likelihood of a post-grad year to further bolster his development.