National Signing Day 2025 is in the books, and spring football is wrapping up — which means the spotlight now shifts to North Carolina’s rising Class of 2026.
Several top prospects from the Old North State have already made early college commitments. Most, though, are still weighing their options heading into summer camps, junior visits and a crucial stretch in the recruiting process.
So who are the top names to know?
To find out, NC Football News reviewed the latest statewide rankings from national outlets 247Sports, Rivals, On3 and ESPN. From those evaluations, we created our own Composite Rankings List, averaging each outlet’s ratings to get a clearer picture of who pundits believe to be North Carolina’s top 2026 prospects.
As of April 23, a total of 46 players from the state are ranked by at least two of the four major outlets that cover recruiting and make our NC Football News Composite Rankings.
Recruiting is always evolving, so bookmark this page now, as we will continue tracking the latest changes and keep this list updated throughout the year.
📅 Last updated: April 23, 2025
This page is updated regularly to reflect changes in the rankings from 247Sports, On3, Rivals, and ESPN.
👉 Want to skip the story? Take Me To The Composite Rankings List Now!
Grimsley quarterback Faizon Brandon continues to lead the way
Three out of four media outlets continue to list quarterback Faizon Brandon (Greensboro | Grimsley HS) at the top of their North Carolina 2026 rankings. 247Sports has Brandon on top of its national rankings as well – all players, all positions. Rivals has him ranked second nationally. ESPN lists him eighth.
#Vols QB commit Faizon Brandon.
🍊 16 years old
🍊 6’4”
🍊 Elite 11 Finalist
🍊 NC State Champion
🍊29-1 career record
🍊79 passing TDs / 9 career INTs
A bright, bright future ahead.
pic.twitter.com/ECi7q9n4cF — Evan Crowell (@evanvcrowell) April 4, 2025
Brandon has been living the dream so far as a prep player. He led Grimsley to an undefeated season and a 4A state championship win over Rolesville in 2024, throwing three touchdown passes and rushing for another in the title game. He and the Whirlies will open the 2025 season playing in an NFL stadium, as the Whirlies take on 3A state champion West Charlotte in the Carolina Panthers’ Keep Pounding High School Classic on Friday, Aug. 22.
Brandon boasts a long offer sheet from elite level programs. He broke a lot of hearts last August, pledging for the Tennessee Volunteers.
Reidsville two-sport standout Kendre’ Harrison currently ranks 2nd
One of North Carolina’s elite multi-sport standouts ranks second in our 2026 composite rankings. Kendre’ Harrison (Reidsville | Reidsville HS) has been a monster on the gridiron and the hardwood the past couple of seasons.
The 6-7 Harrison helped lead Reidsville to a 2A state championship sweep in both football and basketball during the 2023-24 school year. His ram-shattering dunks have gone viral on social media.
It’s hard not to compare Harrison with former Southern Nash and UNC Tar Heel great Julius Peppers, who went on to a stellar NFL career with the Carolina Panthers, Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers.
Harrison, though, has committed to play college ball out-of-state. He gave a verbal to Oregon this past fall, with the understanding that he’ll be able to play both sports for the Ducks.
Could the appeal of playing for Bill Belichick and Hubert Davis in Chapel Hill ultimately keep him in state? That would be quite the flip for the Heels, though Harrison has said that he’s “100 percent locked in with Oregon.”
Elite linemen dominate our composite top 10
Rodney Dunham (Charlotte | Myers Park HS), Aiden Harris (Matthews | Weddington HS) and Pierre Dean (Clemmons | West Forsyth HS) comprise the rest of our top five. Dunham is an edge rusher. Dean plays on the interior of the offensive line. Harris is a defensive lineman.
Dunham jumped to the top spot in the state in On3’s North Carolina rankings earlier this spring. He’s listed seventh nationally overall and the third-best edge rusher. Dunham had in-state offers from Duke, UNC and NC State, as well as a multitude of high-profile programs like Georgia, Tennessee, LSU, Texas and Florida State. Ultimately, Dunham chose Notre Dame on April 10, quite a coup for the Irish.
The rest of our NC Football News composite top 10 as of April 23, 2025 includes: offensive lineman Ekene Ogboko (Garner | South Garner HS), cornerback Samari Matthews (Cornelius | Hough HS), offensive lineman Leo Delaney (Charlotte | Providence Day), edge Ebenezer Ewetade (Garner | South Garner HS) and defensive lineman Keshawn Stancil (Clayton | Clayton HS).
Elite out-of-state programs making inroads in our state
It’s been an age-old battle for North Carolina’s ACC contingent to keep top level talent within the Old North State’s borders. That looks to be the case again with the Class of 2026.
Of the 14 players from our composite list who have announced commitments, only two have pledged in-state. Meanwhile, Notre Dame has landed three North Carolina commits, all top 11 players in our composite list (Dunham, Ewetade and linebacker Thomas Davis (Matthews | Weddington HS). Tennessee has two commitments, while Oregon, Clemson, Miami, Louisville, Rutgers, Syracuse and Virginia have one apiece.
💡How we assembled our composite rankings
To get our composite rankings, we plugged the statewide rankings from 247Sports, Rivals, On3 and ESPN into a spreadsheet to get an average. When a player doesn’t show up on a particular outlet’s rankings, we give him the next number after the last one (for example, everyone not listed in Rivals’ top 25 for North Carolina was given 26).
Not a perfect system for sure. But it gives us an idea of where North Carolina players stack up among national media outlets devoted to prep football recruiting coverage.
Players only listed by one recruiting service are not included in our composite rankings.
🏈 2026 North Carolina Composite Football Rankings
(Based on 247Sports, Rivals, On3, and ESPN)
| RANK | NAME | AVG | POS | HT | WT | HOMETOWN | SCHOOL | HARD COMMIT | 247 | RIVALS | ON3 | ESPN |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Faizon Brandon | 1.75 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 1 | QB | 6-3 | 197 | Greensboro | Grimsley HS | Tennessee 8/3/24 |
| 2 | Kendre Harrison | 2.50 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 2 | TE | 6-7 | 243 | Reidsville | Reidsville HS | Oregon 11/30/24 |
| 3 | Rodney Dunham | 3.50 | 2 | 7 | 1 | 4 | EDGE | 6-4 | 227 | Charlotte | Myers Park HS | Notre Dame 4/10/2025 |
| 4 | Aiden Harris | 5.75 | 5 | 4 | 6 | 8 | DL | 6-3 | 240 | Matthews | Weddington HS | |
| 5 | Pierre Dean | 6.00 | 7 | 5 | 5 | 7 | IOL | 6-5 | 305 | Clemmons | West Forsyth HS | |
| 6 | Ekene Ogboko | 6.00 | 3 | 8 | 10 | 3 | IOL | 6-6 | 280 | Garner | South Garner HS | |
| 7 | Samari Matthews | 6.75 | 9 | 3 | 9 | 6 | CB | 6-0 | 180 | Cornelius | Hough HS | |
| 8 | Leo Delaney | 10.00 | 6 | 16 | 13 | 5 | IOL | 6-6 | 280 | Charlotte | Providence Day | |
| 9 | Ebenezer Ewetade | 10.50 | 15 | 12 | 3 | 12 | EDGE | 6-4 | 221 | Garner | South Garner HS | Notre Dame 4/5/2025 |
| 10 | Keshawn Stancil | 11.00 | 13 | 10 | 8 | 13 | DL | 6-3 | 260 | Clayton | Clayton HS | |
| 11 | Thomas Davis Jr. | 13.25 | 11 | 9 | 23 | 10 | LB | 6-2 | 205 | Matthews | Weddington HS | Notre Dame 11/12/2024 |
| 12 | Gordon Sellars | 13.50 | 17 | 17 | 11 | 9 | WR | 6-2 | 180 | Charlotte | Providence Day | Clemson 4/18/2025 |
| 13 | Trashawn Ruffin | 13.75 | 12 | 11 | 18 | 14 | DL | 6-3 | 307 | Mount Olive | North Duplin HS | North Carolina 3/27/2024 |
| 14 | Zavion Griffin-Hayes | 14.25 | 16 | 6 | 24 | 11 | EDGE | 6-6 | 235 | Rolesville | Rolesville HS | |
| 15 | Andrew Harris | 16.25 | 20 | 15 | 15 | 15 | DL | 6-2 | 235 | Matthews | Weddington HS | |
| 16 | Noah Clark | 17.00 | 8 | 14 | 30 | 16 | DL | 6-3 | 318 | Durham | Jordan HS | |
| 17 | Elijah Littlejohn | 18.25 | 14 | 19 | 22 | 18 | EDGE | 6-2 | 205 | Charlotte | West Mecklenburg HS | |
| 18 | Ben Boulware | 19.75 | 18 | 18 | 20 | 23 | DL | 6-5 | 305 | Winston-Salem | Oak Grove HS | |
| 19 | Keysaun Eleazer | 20.25 | 24 | 23 | 17 | 17 | EDGE | 6-5 | 190 | Raleigh | Southeast Raleigh HS | |
| 20 | Camdin Portis | 20.75 | 10 | 27 | 27 | 19 | CB | 6-0 | 165 | Charlotte | Myers Park HS | Miami 10/27/24 |
| 21 | Damaad Lewis | 23.00 | 19 | 31 | 14 | 28 | DL | 6-4 | 245 | Charlotte | Myers Park HS | |
| 22 | J.B. Shabazz | 24.00 | 36 | 31 | 7 | 22 | OT | 6-7 | 295 | Kernersville | East Forsyth HS | |
| 23 | Jace McCallum | 24.00 | 21 | 31 | 16 | 28 | EDGE | 6-4 | 220 | Harrisburg | Hickory RIdge HS | |
| 24 | Tyran Evans | 24.00 | 29 | 31 | 12 | 24 | WR | 6-3 | 185 | Charlotte | Hough HS | Tennessee 1/5/2025 |
| 25 | Brody Keefe | 24.25 | 34 | 13 | 29 | 21 | WR | 6-3 | 185 | Charlotte | Myers Park HS | |
| 26 | William Vaughn | 25.25 | 27 | 25 | 21 | 28 | TE | 6-4 | 231 | Kings Mountain | Kings Mountain HS | |
| 27 | Terande Spencer | 26.75 | 23 | 31 | 25 | 28 | EDGE | 6-3 | 235 | Rockingham | Richmond Senior HS | |
| 28 | Manny Lewis | 28.00 | 22 | 31 | 31 | 28 | EDGE | 6-2 | 250 | Waxhaw | Marvin Ridge HS | |
| 29 | D'Various Surratt | 29.00 | 25 | 22 | 41 | 28 | S | 6-0 | 185 | Shelby | Crest HS | |
| 30 | Lyrik Pettis | 30.25 | 28 | 31 | 34 | 28 | S | 6-1 | 175 | Shelby | Crest HS | |
| 31 | Nick Reddish | 30.50 | 26 | 28 | 40 | 28 | S | 5-11 | 185 | Charlotte | Independence HS | |
| 32 | Ja'Vaughn Hargett | 30.75 | 38 | 31 | 26 | 28 | OT | 6-5 | 260 | Durham | Southern HS | |
| 33 | D.J. Howerton | 31.50 | 30 | 30 | 38 | 28 | TE | 6-4 | 220 | Greensboro | Grimsley HS | |
| 34 | Jaire Richburg | 31.50 | 39 | 31 | 28 | 28 | WR | 6-3 | 180 | Kernersville | East Forsyth HS | |
| 35 | Dallas Brannon | 32.50 | 49 | 20 | 33 | 28 | LB | 6-2 | 205 | Charlotte | Independence HS | |
| 36 | Gavin Waddell | 32.75 | 35 | 31 | 37 | 28 | WR | 6-1 | 175 | Rolesville | Rolesville HS | Louisville 4/3/2025 |
| 37 | Jamal Rule | 32.75 | 42 | 29 | 32 | 28 | RB | 6-0 | 205 | Charlotte | Charlotte Christian | |
| 38 | Donovan Johnson | 33.50 | 33 | 26 | 55 | 20 | DL | 6-4 | 325 | Fayetteville | Pine Forest HS | Rutgers 3/11/2025 |
| 39 | Jayden Griffin-Haynes | 33.75 | 32 | 24 | 51 | 28 | WR | 6-3 | 200 | Rolesville | Rolesville HS | |
| 40 | Kamdon Gillespie | 33.75 | 40 | 31 | 36 | 28 | EDGE | 6-2 | 230 | Cornelius | Mooresville HS | |
| 41 | Caleb Gordon | 34.00 | 48 | 21 | 39 | 28 | LB | 6-0 | 215 | Gastonia | Ashbrook HS | |
| 42 | Jackson Debe | 36.25 | 43 | 31 | 43 | 28 | QB | 6-3 | 185 | Charlotte | Providence HS | |
| 43 | Zaid Lott | 36.50 | 44 | 31 | 45 | 26 | QB | 6-0 | 215 | Charlotte | Providence Day | Syracuse 3/25/2025 |
| 44 | Ely Hamrick | 39.00 | 51 | 31 | 49 | 25 | QB | 6-4 | 215 | Asheville | Crest HS | Virginia 9/16/2024 |
| 45 | Rob Lange | 39.25 | 52 | 31 | 46 | 28 | EDGE | 6-4 | 230 | High Point | Northwest Guilford HS | |
| 46 | Jacob Smith | 39.50 | 50 | 31 | 50 | 27 | QB | 6-1 | 205 | Pfafftown | Reagan HS | NC State 8/6/24 |
🕵️♂️ 2026 Composite Recruiting Rankings | Watch List
These 2026 prospects were ranked by one of the major recruiting services:
| NAME | RANK | POS | HT | WT | HOMETOWN | SCHOOL | HARD COMMIT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tyrell Simpson | 31st by 247Sports | OT | 6-7 | 310 | Leland | North Brunswick HS | |
| Aiden Smalls | 35th by On3 | ATH | 6-1 | 170 | Raleigh | Clayton HS | |
| Marcus Monroe | 37th by 247Sports | ATH | 6-4 | 220 | Raleigh | North Raleigh Christian | |
| Jayson Franklin | 41st by 247Sports | RB | 5-11 | 205 | Fayetteville | Seventy First HS | |
| Aaryn Tate | 42nd by On3 | ATH | 5-11 | 165 | McLeansville | Northeast Guilford HS | |
| L.J. Porter | 45th by 247Sports | ATH | 6-0 | 200 | Charlotte | Charlotte Christian | |
| Alex Voss | 46th by 247Sports | WR | 6-4 | 200 | Waxhaw | Marvin Ridge HS | Boston College 4/18/2025 |
| Davis Brown | 47th by On3 | TE | 6-4 | 235 | Raleigh | Rolesville HS | |
| Jarvis Potts | 47th by 247Sports | IOL | 6-4 | 310 | Cornelius | Hough HS | |
| KD Cotton | 48th by 247Sports | ATH | 5-10 | 175 | Charlotte | West Charlotte | |
| Noah Terry | 52nd by On3 | RB | 5-9 | 210 | Raleigh | Cardinal Gibbons | |
| Dominic Basrawala | 53rd by On3 | EDGE | 6-3 | 245 | Charlotte | Charlotte Catholic | |
| David Green | 53rd by 247Sports | K | 5-10 | 170 | High Point | High Point Christian | North Carolina 4/11/2025 |
| Miles Funderburk | 54th by On3 | IOL | 6-1 | 285 | Charlotte | Providence Day | |
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