Three of North Carolina’s top 2026 high school football recruits are off the board — all headed to the SEC.
Jace McCollum, a three-star edge rusher from Hickory Ridge High in Harrisburg, announced Wednesday that he has committed to Vanderbilt for 2026. Twin brothers Aiden and Andrew Harris, defensive stars at Weddington High in Matthews, committed to South Carolina in a joint announcement on June 8.
All three Charlotte metro players reside in the top 30 in our NC Football News’ 2026 composite player rankings, with Aiden Harris topping the list at No. 6 (see the full rankings HERE).
McCollum chose the Commodores after a weekend visit to the Nashville campus. He had narrowed down a list of 28 Division I offers to five finalists before his announcement. Duke and NC State had been in the running, along with Georgia Tech and Virginia Tech.
Despite Hickory Ridge’s struggles during a winless campaign, McCollum dominated individually — leading the Greater Metro 4A Conference with 14 sacks to go with 60 tackles and four forced fumbles.
“On tape, McCallum displays athletic burst off the line of scrimmage in pass-rushing situations with the ability to go to multiple different moves,” Robbie Weinstein of Vanderbilt’s 247Sports site wrote in a story on his commitment. “McCallum rates as the best high school edge defender that Vanderbilt has secured a commitment from under coach Clark Lea, topping Darren Agu in the 2022 class.”
The Harris brothers made it clear they would be a package deal, announcing a list of 10 finalists earlier in the spring. Aiden Harris comes with the highest ranking – four stars and listed by 247Sports as the No. 6 player in North Carolina. On3 and Rivals rank him at No. 4 in our state.
Aiden Harris, who plays defensive line, earned both conference and Charlotte Observer defensive player of the year honors in 2024. He made 82 tackles and made a habit of chasing quarterbacks (46 QB hurries). He finished with 13.5 sacks.
“Superb track and field profile for his age signals NFL upside when paired with the game tape,” 247Sports director of scouting Andrew Ivins wrote of Aiden in May.
Andrew Harris added 81 tackles for Weddington (13-1 and 4A West Region finalists). He racked up 25 tackles-for-loss and seven sacks. 247Sports ranks him a three-star prospect and the No. 20 player in North Carolina.
Aiden and Andrew Harris were the second 2026 brother combo to announce college commitments in a week’s time. Rolesville’s Zavion and Jayden Griffin-Haynes went public with their joint commitment to Bill Belichick and the North Carolina Tar Heels on June 6.
BREAKING: Four-Star twin brothers Aiden and Andrew Harris have Committed to South Carolina, they tell me for @on3recruits
“Just blessed to play ball at the next level with my twin brother.”https://t.co/LH08fk7yzu pic.twitter.com/9jxCuTZj0A — Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) June 8, 2025
📊Jace McCollum | Vanderbilt Commit 2026
🧩 Position: Edge
📍 Hometown: Harrisburg
🎓 High School: Hickory Ridge Ragin’ Bulls
🧢 High School Coach: Brandon Gentry
📏 Height/Weight: 6-3, 240
🏅 247Sports Ranking: 3 stars, the No. 21 player in North Carolina and the No. 39 edge rusher nationally.
🎯 Offers/Interest: McCollum had more than two dozen Division I offers but announced a list of five finalists in early June: Vandy, Duke, NC State, Georgia Tech and Virginia Tech. An official visit to the Nashville campus over the weekend sealed the deal. He had planned a visit to NC State later this month.
🔢 By the Numbers: 60 tackles, 14 sacks, four forced fumbles during 2024 season.
📊Aiden Harris | South Carolina commit 2026
🧩 Position: Defensive line
📍 Hometown: Matthews
🎓 High School: Weddington Warriors (13-1 in 2024)
🧢 High School Coach: Andy Capone
📏 Height/Weight: 6-3.5, 245
🏅 247Sports Ranking: 4 stars, the No. 6 player in North Carolina and the No. 76 player nationally.
🔢 By the Numbers: 82 tackles, 31 tackles-for-loss, 13.5 sacks, 46 quarterback hurries, two forced fumbles and seven pass breakups in 2024. Named Charlotte Observer defensive player of the year and 4A Southern Carolina Conference defensive player of the year. Earned 4A state championship game defensive MVP in 2023.
📊Andrew Harris | South Carolina commit 2026
🧩 Position: Projects as a linebacker at USC
📍 Hometown: Matthews
🎓 High School: Weddington Warriors (13-1 in 2024)
🧢 High School Coach: Andy Capone
📏 Height/Weight: 6-2, 235
🏅 247Sports Ranking: 3 stars, the No. 20 player in North Carolina and the No. 37 edge rusher nationally.
🔢 By the Numbers: 81 tackles, 25 tackles-for-loss, 7 sacks in 2024.
🏈 Check out where other North Carolina high school prospects have committed to play college football in 2026 — View our NC High School Commit Tracker
