Rivals Rankings Week: Storylines to follow with top 2026 athletes

The Rivals250 for the 2026 class has been updated and now it’s time to break down each position. We move to the athletes by looking at four big storylines moving forward.

NEW 2026 POSITION RANKINGS: Pro-Style QB | Dual-Threat QB | RB | All-Purpose RB | WR | TE | OT | OG | C | DT | Weakside DE | Strongside DE | Inside LB | Outside LB | CB | S | Athlete

One of the biggest risers in the class at any position also cracked five-star status in this update. La Mesa (Calif.) Mount Miguel athlete Brandon Arrington rose 40 spots overall and is now sitting among the top-10 prospects in the Rivals250.

Rivals scouted the speedster, who clocks 100-meter dash times under 10.4 seconds as a matter of routine. His prowess as a downfield threat on offense and a cover player on defense – all on a 6-foot-3 frame – makes for one heck of an athletic profile regardless of where the final positional call may be.

Armed with ball skills and physicality in addition to all that speed, the positionless tag is a great problem to have and it may not even have to be solved in the next few years for a star like Arrington.

The junior’s rise is of course matched by national programs courting him from in-state USC to No. 1 Oregon and Texas A&M among others from SEC country.

Arrington’s move up the ranks pegs him at No. 8 overall, but not quite atop the athlete projections just yet. That mantle is still currently held by Hollywood (Fla.) Chaminade Madonna’s Derrek Cooper, fresh off of his own dominant run as a junior in helping the Lions to a state championship at running back, linebacker and even kick returner in 2024.

The No. 7 overall prospect in the updated Rivals250, Cooper has flashed in every setting regardless of alignment and he also put on a show in front of Rivals staff this fall in registering an 80-yard rushing score and pick-six in the same game. Whether as a three-down linebacker with pass-rushing and coverage upside or as a bigger downhill running back, the floor is rising for Cooper’s college prospects.

The race for the top spot at the position may come down to how colleges view each, especially considering each defensive position projection (cornerback for Arrington, hybrid safety for Cooper) may carry a higher ceiling for both athletes. It could extend this race or allow enough time for a third contender to make his move up the rankings to potentially unseat the five-star duo. Time will tell.

Not only is there a debate to be had for No. 1 in the athlete rankings, something we didn’t see much of in the 2025 cycle, but there are several among the highest-ranked prospects anywhere. Three sit in the top 25, four in the top 100, eight in the top 160 and 14 overall in the new Rivals250. There are just three athlete projections in the penultimate class of 2025 ranking update, for reference. The depth of the position is a strength this time around, mostly filled with true two-way recruits like most discussed in this feature.

Most are skill position prospects but some jumbo athletes like Alabama native Jaquez Wilkes, who may be an edge rusher or tight end in college, have been staples in the Rivals250. The newest entry is closer to this category in Peach State native Dre Quinn, checking in at No. 222 overall at a listed 6-foot-4, 220 pounds. He works as a pass rusher as well as tight end on Friday nights, with success at each spot, though it appears most colleges are leaning – like many on this list – toward defense at this stage of the projection.

As is to be expected with about a year left in evaluating the cycle, the athlete position has more volume in the 2026 class at this time. However, it has also come with some key early verbal commitments from those not yet projected to play any one specific position, led by Houston holding the pledge of local standout Keisean Henderson. The highest-ranked athlete to have made a commitment to date, Henderson is a rare three-position player with prospects at wide receiver, in the secondary and at quarterback where he holds his preference.

The others currently committed include Ansu Sunoe (Washington), Efrem White (Florida State), Shavar Young (Clemson) and Dequane Prevo (Arkansas).