This recruiting cycle has been shaped by the new NIL and revenue-sharing era. With unlimited visits now allowed beginning Jan. 1 of a prospect’s junior year of high school, many top recruits are expected to take their decisions into the late fall of their senior year — if not past the early signing period (Nov. 12-19) and into the spring.
Entering October, 57 of the 2026 SC Next girls 100 players are committed — including just four players within the top 10, and 10 within the top 25. As such, expect the stock of many of these classes to be subject to significant volatility in the coming weeks.
In the meantime, after a busy summer, we’ve updated the 2026, 2027 and 2028 player rankings.
Looking at the classes, Nebraska, Clemson and Indiana lead the way with three top 100 commits each. North Carolina, Maryland, Kentucky, Texas, Duke, Notre Dame, Louisville, Minnesota, Texas A&M and Arizona each have two top 100 commits.
Nine conferences are represented so far: Big 10, SEC, ACC, Big 12, Mountain West, Atlantic 10, WCC, Big East and the American.
Let’s take a closer look at the recruiting progress with the class of 2026 with six weeks until the early signing window.
Jump to:
Teams off to a fast start |
UConn, South Carolina, LSU |
Predicting uncommitted 5-stars |
Summer stock risers intel |
International names to know
USC Trojans: The class’ top prospect Saniyah Hall committed to the Trojans on July 25, far earlier in the cycle than previous No. 1 prospects at this stage: Aaliyah Chavez (2025) and Sarah Strong (2024) both waited until the spring. In addition to post Sitaya Fagan, the Trojans are also still in the mix for No. 35 Jhai Johnson. With Hall committed already, Fagan and/or Johnson would be an active and versatile forward addition.
Tennessee Lady Volunteers: The Lady Vols landed Oliviyah Edwards, the second-ranked player in the class, on her official visit on Sept. 13. Head coach Kim Caldwell is still in the fight for No. 8 Brihanna Crittendon, No. 9 Jacy Abii, No. 11 Trinity Jones and No. 16 Bella Flemings — all players she’s recruited heavily since taking the job in April 2024. Edwards is the most athletic player in the class, an elite forward who will excel in Tennessee’s uptempo full-court system. Jones and Flemings are perimeter players, while Abii and Crittendon are frontcourt options who stretch the floor. After building the No. 2 recruiting class in 2025, the Lady Vols are looking to follow suit with a comparable class this year.
North Carolina Tar Heels: Landing an elite scoring guard in No. 4 Kate Harpring and a high-motor post player in No. 52 Irene Guiamatsia in the same week was a big splash. The Tar Heels are still in the mix for No. 10 Addison Bjorn, No. 11 Trinity Jones, No. 12 Autumn Fleary, No. 14 Olivia Jones, as well as No. 23 Emily McDonald and No. 36 Alliyah Bell. They will more specifically look to add another perimeter complimentary player or a stretch forward type in Bjorn or Bell.
Kentucky Wildcats: Two top-20 recruits have already pledged to the Wildcats: No. 13 Maddyn Greenway, an up-tempo scoring guard out of Minnesota, and No. 19 Savvy Swords, a Canadian forward by way of Long Island Lutheran (NY) who does a little bit of everything. The Wildcats are still in the running for No. 23 Emily McDonald as well.
Indiana Hoosiers: The Hoosiers locked in point guard Ashlinn James (No. 64) early, then added a significant boost in September by landing New Jersey product Addison Nyemchek (No. 28), a do-everything wing who makes everyone around her better — and also made a huge jump in the rankings. Zoe Jackson, a 6-foot-4 post out of Australia, is also committed. Indiana kept the momentum rolling by reeling in four-star guard Gigi Battle (No. 32) out of Florida on Sept. 24.
Maryland Terrapins: No. 7 Jordyn Jackson’s commitment in August was a big win for the Terps. She’s one of the strongest wings in the country. Fellow commit Mimi Thiero (No. 42), a four-star Pennsylvania native, can use her length to make a quick defensive impact and has some of the biggest upside in the class. The Terps also have a commitment from England: 6-foot 4 post Eva Grace Yebila. This class has major impact both inside and outside, plus an interior anchor with size.
Duke Blue Devils: Snatching two commitments from No. 25 Sanai Green and No. 43 Taylor Sofilkanich is a good start for the Blue Devils, who remain in the mix for five-stars Autumn Fleary, Bella Flemings and Addison Bjorn. Green is a strong wing coming off knee injury who is primed for an impactful senior year at Long Island Lutheran (NY). Sofilkanich is a fundamental old-school interior player who posts hard and has nice touch with either hand around the rim.
Oregon Ducks: Kelly Graves secured two top-40 commitments in No. 26 Brooklyn Haywood, a sharp-shooting combo guard, and No. 41 Emilia Krstevski, a Canadian post player from Sierra Canyon (CA). Point guard La’u Pele Falatea (Utah) is also committed to the Ducks, who are still vying for No. 5 Jerzy Robinson (also of Sierra Canyon) and four-stars Amari Byles (No. 37) and Jenica Lewis (No. 24).
Clemson Tigers: Landing three top-50 commits in No. 39 Julia Scott, No. 27 Kimora Fields and No. 50 Meeyah Green has elevated Clemson’s recruiting to another level. Green is a proven point guard and Fields is a tough cover on the wing. Scott meanwhile is more of a power forward with modern floor-spacing and the old-school willingness to bang inside. Three-star post Dyarri Braddick rounds out the class, but the Tigers are still on the board for five-star Trinity Jones.
Texas Longhorns: The summer’s most improved player, Aaliah Spaight (No. 20), is a combo guard in the mold of Rori Harmon. Texas also secured a commitment from four-star Amalia Holguin (No. 57), Spaight’s club teammate on Team Why Not in the Nike EYBL. Texas is also a possible landing spot for No. 3 Olivia Vukosa, Australian star Sitaya Fagan, No. 8 Brihanna Crittendon and No. 9 Jacy Abii.
There are still plenty of decisions remaining that will shape the final results of the 2026 recruiting landscape. And some of the nation’s biggest powerhouses are lying in wait.
The Huskies, Gamecocks and Tigers are still in the mix for several five-stars, including No. 3 Olivia Vukosa, No. 5 Jerzy Robinson and international sensation Sara Okeke. Landing any of these would be the first 2026 commits for all three programs as well.
UConn remains a possible destination for five-star Addison Bjorn (No. 10) as well. She fits that long, versatile forward role that could replace Caroline Ducharme. Bjorn’s list also includes Texas, Notre Dame, Kansas, Iowa, North Carolina and Duke.
South Carolina is a possible landing spot for Sitaya Fagan, No. 17 Kaeli Wynn, and improved post player No. 18 Kelsi Andrews. Any of these frontcourt players would give the Gamecocks more depth.
LSU is also still in play for Andrews, as well as No. 9 Jacy Abii and No. 12 Autumn Fleary. All three are a great system fit. Fleary is a true point guard, Abii a skilled forward and Andrews a back-to-the-basket big that can play in the high/low game.
These are the schools still in play for the top recruits still on the board:
A number of improved their play and boosted their stock coming out of the July NCAA recruiting periods. Some of them kept rising in the most recent update.
Combo guard Aaliah Spaight (Texas commit) is the nation’s biggest stock riser, jumping from No. 77 to No. 20 after an impressive summer averaging 26.3 points, 4.6 rebounds and 5.1 assists in July’s Nike Nationals.
Guard Emily McDonald is up to No. 23 in the SCNext 100, and down to a few schools in her recruitment, though she hinted to ESPN at the Wootten Top 150 Camp that she’s closing in on a decision. McDonald continued to display why she is the one of the most effective shooting and scoring guards in the country all summer on the Power 24 circuit.
Florida State commit Morgan Stewart jumped from No. 57 to No. 31. The guard proved in recent months she can run a team while maintaining a balanced scoring effort.
Forward Jhai Johnson plans to visit Vanderbilt, Oregon, USC, Syracuse and NC State. Her leap up 40 spots from No. 75 to No. 35 comes after showing better motor, aggressiveness and efficiency this summer, earning the Cerebro Sports top rating at Nike Nationals.
Forward Alliyah Bell jumped from No. 61 to No. 36 as a strong-bodied forward with a feathery touch beyond the three-point line who had a dominant showing on the adidas 3SSB circuit (20-plus PPG). She will choose between North Carolina, Louisville, Michigan, Nebraska and Oklahoma.
Several of the top players in the 2025 class come from overseas, including UConn’s Blanca Quinonez (Ecuador/Italy), UCLA’s Lena Bilic (Croatia) and Washington’s Sienna Harvey (Australia). In the 2026 cycle, two recruits in particular will have a potential major impact on recruiting classes:
Spanish post player Sara Okeke is long, aggressive and active, and at 6-3 is reminiscent of the Ogwumike sisters. She will make a massive immediate defensive impact in college. She led Spain to a gold medal and won MVP at the 2025 FIBA U18 EuroBasket after averaging 13.8 points and 7.8 rebounds — including 23 points and 7 rebounds in the final. She will play her final high school season at DME Academy (Florida), and is considering UConn, Tennessee, LSU and South Carolina — though there’s also some speculation she could jump straight to the pros overseas.
Australian forward Sitaya Fagan’s length and versatility stands out. She’s a floor-stretcher who runs the floor with ease and can guard multiple positions. She is quite comfortable using her physical gifts to slash to the rim or create easy off-ball scoring opportunities. She averaged 12.3 points and 5.8 rebounds at the U19 World Cup for a silver medal in July. She will choose between Texas, South Carolina and USC.