ESPN's Top 40 Recruiting Classes 2026

[Graceland Tar Heel]

https://www.espn.com/college-football/r ... ms-schools
#5 part member ND

#11 Miami

#13 FSU

#15 Clemson

#16 UNC

#20 SMU

#23 Syracuse

#29 Louisiville

#30 Stanford

#34 BC

#36 Pitt

#38 Cal

Now let's think about all that. While no full member of ACC fotball makes the Top 10, a whopping 11 ACC members make the Top 40. That is just over 25% of the Top 40. That means even as the ACC is way behind SEC and BT in TV dollars per league member, the ACC clearly is able to recruit well enough to get 2 or 3 teams into every year of playoffs. And that means a new contract on the open market can make the ACC closer to SEC and BT TV dollars.

The basic reasoning for my plan to make the ACC the clear #3 league, so strong (meaning wealthy) it always must be acorded equal status with SEC and BT, is to get LARGE by taking Big 12 schools able to carry big weight in terms of CFB, and then play 10 ACC games per year, which almost totally would reduce the need to schedule SEC and BT OOC in any numbers in order to have teams field Tough schedules every year.

That in mind look at Big 12 schools on this Top 40 recruiting classes of 2026 list.

#19 BYU - ACC would not add BYU even if Utah wanted to join as long as BYU gets in too

#26 Texas Tech. I have argued for TTU before. Cody Campbell is becoming one of the most important and politically powerful boosters in all of CFB, and the ACC needs him. Plus, a large state school in TX is always good for your football.

#27 Baylor Bears. Located a short 90 miles from Big D and with deep and meaningful history with SMU and TTU, and TCU.

#37 KU. Peee-UUUU. No thanks Jayhawks.

#39 Arizona. Large state Flagship and Land Grant that borders CA. AS many UofAZ alums live in CA as in AZ. Hell yes Arizona would be good for the ACC. As would Arizona State.

40. TCU. Located within DFW TV market., which is the most valuable football TV market of all.

[Silk]

I'd be fine with Tech, I guess, and definitely the Arizona schools ... but no thanks to tcu and baylor. They spent years trying to keep us out of the Not-so-Big 12, and the envy now coming out of fort worth, waco (and Norman and Stillwater) is delightful.

[highlander]

Nope. Automatic black ball for Baylor and TCwhoo, two schools who made sure we would never get into the B12 when it mattered.

[peruna81]

I'm not sure that the original premise that BU and TCU will be looking in the near future is valid.
Nor the recruiting class ranking from a media source that has absolutely NO INTEREST in college football's "best interest" other than as a revenue and programming commodity.

Let's just say that if GTH's scenario suddenly becomes a reality, I would LOVE to play both again each season...in about 20 years.

[Big Hoss]

Eff Baylor and TCU. It may be petty but I donΓÇÖt really care.

[BUS]

And we only have 5 or 6 commitments.

Some have 10 to 15.

[birddogger]

CanΓÇÖt say that I favor joining the XII anytime soon, but we canΓÇÖt say ΓÇ£neverΓÇ¥ I suppose, as the landscape will likely change again within the next 5 years. For now, I think we should be content with scheduling BU and TCU on an out-of-conference basis, if they're brave enough to play (calling you out, Sonny).

LetΓÇÖs maintain our trajectory of success in competing for ACC championships and CFP selection. BU and TCU can tread water or drown, as far as I care.

[Charleston Pony]

And we only have 5 or 6 commitments.

Some have 10 to 15.

'26 class we're talking about

https://247sports.com/college/smu/seaso ... l/commits/

[EastStang]

ISU, KU, KSU, TTU, OSU, TCU and Baylor had multiple chances to add us to the Big XII. No Sand Aggies, Cowboys, Frogs or Bears please. CO, AZ, ASU, UU are worth thinking about.

[Graceland Tar Heel]

ISU, KU, KSU, TTU, OSU, TCU and Baylor had multiple chances to add us to the Big XII. No Sand Aggies, Cowboys, Frogs or Bears please. CO, AZ, ASU, UU are worth thinking about.

This is not about Jr High and HS girls all playing Mean Girl to get even. This is about how to maneuver in order to become the permanent #3 in terms of football wealth and power. And in this case that starts with the ACC getting TTU. Large TX state U. TV market with the largest # of TTU alums? DFW - GREAT. And then there is Cody Campbell. That man has the wealth, connections, and experience parlaying connections into great gains, so that he could lead to the Big 12 to replace the ACC. He is not a man to have to fight while you also have to fight off SEC and BT.

Old rivalries with meaning to football history in states that are historically BIG on football (such as TX) matter a good deal - a great deal. SMU vs Baylor, TCU, and TTU would be good TV for ACC football. Much better than anything that BC or Syracuse could ever bring (because the ACC has 0 chance to get Penn St).

A 4 TX team pod would be great for the ACC. And it works best by far if all 4 have major ties to DFW.

The ACC has refused to add WVU since the ACC was founded in 1953. A whole lot of WVU fans would now rather see WVU also go down in flames than to see WVU join the ACC. Suicidal girlishness. WVU"s most valuable rivalry by far is The BackYard Brawl (Pitt). WVU's 2nd most valuable is VT. Both ACC and WVU would gain from WVU being in the ACC.

[birddogger]

Power 3 doesn't work, playoff-wise, so ACC-XII consolidation isn't worth worrying about. If SEC and Big have their way, we'll be looking at a 2-conference super league (and the demise of college athletics, over time).

Hypotheticals about TCU, BU, TT are akin to arguments about the layout of the deck chairs on the Titanic.

Ever optimistically yours,

Birddogger

[Drum Major]

Power 3 doesn't work, playoff-wise, so ACC-XII consolidation isn't worth worrying about. If SEC and Big have their way, we'll be looking at a 2-conference super league (and the demise of college athletics, over time).

Hypotheticals about TCU, BU, TT are akin to arguments about the layout of the deck chairs on the Titanic.

Ever optimistically yours,

Birddogger

Agree 100%. We need to be positioned for pick-up in the Superleague.