Calling it now and I will die on this hill before the summer dead period ends: our 2026 class is going to finish inside the top five nationally when the 247 composite locks in after early signing period. I know everybody wants to look at Oregon stacking five 5-stars and Georgia landing that tight end and Texas loading up on blue chips and they think we are just sitting here in the dust. But here is what the crystal ball chatter and the silent commit noise out of Heritage Hall is telling me. We have multiple high 4-star targets on the west coast that are going to pop before the dead period lifts and they are NOT the names the national guys are tracking yet.
The staff has been working the OV circuit quietly this spring and I have a source telling me that two of the top 100 kids from California that everybody assumed were locks for the Big Ten schools up north are actually leaning toward us. Not saying names yet because nothing is public but the 247 composite is going to jump when these kids announce. The ESPN offseason ranking piece graded us on portal hauls and recruiting stars and I get why they put us in the middle of the pack. But they are not tracking the silent commitments that are sitting in the background right now. Our tight end room is getting a major piece that is going to be a mismatch nightmare and the offensive line haul is deeper than people realize.
The winter portal window being the only window now actually helps us because we are not scrambling to replace spring departures. We know exactly what we need and the staff is targeting specific 2026 kids to fill those gaps. I am looking at the board and I see five realistic ttargets that would bump our class average into elite territory. By the time early signing period hits we are going to be sitting right there with Oregon and Georgia and Texas in the top five. The dead period is when you lock in the foundation and that is exactly what is happening right now.