Updated national rankings for the senior class of 2026 are now live, and it’s been a long time coming.
The summer grassroots circuits wrapped up over five weeks ago now. It’s no secret in the industry that no one is on the road and getting more live evaluations for every part of the recruiting calendar than our staff at 247Sports.
So, why then did it take so long to get these rankings out?
Well, because even if you’re in the gym every day, all day, there are typically multiple events going on at the same time. And then, within individual events, there are multiple courts and games in action at the same time. So, we’ve spent the last four weeks going back, circuit-by-circuit, to break down the best prospects in the class and produce the most detailed scouting reports in the industry.
Now, that process has culminated with the release of the most credible player rankings in the industry.
All 150 players on this list have been live scouted by multiple members of our staff. We have broken down film and analyzed each player from a statistical perspective.
The process and approach for the post-summer, post-grassroots rankings update is also different than other rankings updates because, unlike other iterations, where we use the previous rankings list as a starting point, this update starts completely from scratch.
We begin with a position-based depth chart in each circuit that is done as part of our Summer Scouting Series. Then we put those lists together to get rankings for every position. Finally, we blend those positional lists into one master ranking. It’s not until we get to that point that we even look to see where someone was previously ranked.
The end result is a list that has plenty of rankings movement after a busy summer.
Where things remain the same, though, is at the very top of the class. No. 1-ranked Tyran Stokes and No. 2-ranked Jordan Smith retain the top two spots.
What makes Stokes unique in this group is that he provides both glaring productivity with long-term upside. Whereas there have been numerous prospects who have checked both boxes in recent years — names like Cooper Flagg, Darryn Peterson, AJ Dybantsa, and Cameron Boozer – Stokes is currently one of one in the 2026 class.
Where Jordan Smith distinguishes himself is in his productivity, and specifically, his impact on winning. When we look just one year down the road and ask ourselves which of these players is best prepared to help a college program win on the highest national level next season, Smith is the first name that comes up. He has all the physical attributes with his length, strength, and athleticism, but it’s really his motor and competitive spirit that differentiate him.
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Making his debut in the top three is Jason Crowe Jr. The prolific southpaw scorer just turned 17 years old. He put up an incredible 24 points per game in EYBL play, all before his birthday. Crowe is already off the board to Missouri, where he will be an immediate focal point of what the Tigers are doing.
Making his debut inside the top five is Cameron Williams, a high upside big man who combines size, skill, athleticism, and mobility. Now measuring in at just under 7-feet, Williams plays above the rim with ease, can shoot out to the arc, and covers the court fluidly.
Rounding out the top five is Caleb Holt, a player who is cut from a similar cloth to Smith in that he is a two-way competitor and should be one of college basketball’s best freshmen a year from now. He’s also made some notable strides with the progression of his guard skills, shooting in particular, which solidified his spot in the top five.
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Dylan Mingo comes in at No. 6 overall, but could have more runway in front of him to keep rising. He’s a full year young for his grade, has a 6-foot-10 wingspan, and is evolving into a big lead guard after averaging 18 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals per game in the EYBL season.
No. 7-ranked Anthony Thompson is another compelling prospect. He’s young (just turned 17), extremely long (7-foot-3-plus wingspan), still growing, and is coming off a big 3SSB campaign that solidified his shot-making ability while also showcasing his increasing athleticism.
At No. 8 is Christian Collins, who may not have put up huge scoring numbers this summer, but he still has glaring long-term upside with his combination of length, mobility, and athleticism at his size. Collins’ offensive game is a work in progress, but when he’s committed to flying around the court, he already impacts the game on both ends.
Brandon McCoy is checking in at No. 9. He re-emerged for USA Basketball and the Nike Peach Jam after opting out of most of the spring. The rust was evident, particularly with his shooting and guard skills, but he still put up 20 points and 7 rebounds per night while reestablishing himself as one of the class’ best perimeter defenders.
Rounding out the top 10 is Baba Oladotun, who was previously the top-ranked rising junior in the country before he reclassified into 2026. The jumbo wing initiator turns 17 in December, which means if he were born just a few weeks later, he wouldn’t have been one-and-done eligible in 2026. As it stands, he still has a lot of physical maturing to do. His ranking is based on upside at the moment, and his production will have to grow to solidify the spot.
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