As the majority of college football fans' focus zeroes in on an Ohio State-Notre Dame national championship game, eliminated teams have pivoted to recruiting.

Most of the 2025 recruits are long since signed, and while the transfer portal still can be mined for help for next season, a lot of the focus is on hopping off to a great start in the '26 recruiting cycle.

Several coaches have done this already, setting the foundation of a big-time haul.

It's never too early for us at Bleacher Report to familiarize you with some of the playmakers, the early commits and storylines associated with next year's class. You may not know them yet, but we guarantee you coaches around the country do.

Who are the headliners? Which programs are having success getting proverbial big fish in the boat? Which class of position players is deep and strong?

It's time to give you an early sneak peek of the 2026 recruiting class and its top-tier prospects, according to 247Sports' composite rankings.

5-Star Breakdown

So far, there are just nine players who've garnered 247Sports composite 5-star rankings. Here they are and a little more information about them.

Only three of the players who've earned the highest ranking have committed to a school. Jared Curtis (the fourth-rated player and second overall quarterback) was committed to Georgia early in the cycle but has since backed off that pledge and re-opened his recruitment.

1. Jackson Cantwell, 6'7.5", 300-pound offensive tackle from Nixa, Missouri
2. Immanuel Iheanacho, 6'6.5", 345-pound offensive tackle from Rockville, Maryland
3. Faizon Brandon, 6'3.5", 197-pound quarterback from Greensboro, North Carolina - committed to TENNESSEE
4. Jared Curtis, 6'4", 225-pound quarterback from Nashville, Tennessee
5. Zion Elee, 6'3.5", 220-pound edge from Baltimore, Maryland - committed to MARYLAND6. Chris Henry Jr., 6'5", 205-pound wide receiver from Santa Ana, California - committed to OHIO STATE
7. Tristen Keys, 6'2", 175-pound wide receiver from Hattiesburg, Mississippi
8. Lamar Brown, 6'4", 275-pound interior offensive lineman from Baton Rouge, Louisiana
9. Ryder Lyons, 6'2.5", 215-pound quarterback from Folson, California

Oregon Recharging Roster

The Oregon Ducks spent the majority of this season ranked No. 1 in the nation before running into a College Football Playoff buzz saw in a rematch with an Ohio State team on a mission.

That 41-21 setback in the Rose Bowl won't sit well with coach Dan Lanning and his Ducks, who will have to restock the roster—and especially the offensive skill positions—following the departure of quarterback Dillon Gabriel, running back Jordan James and receivers Tez Johnson and Traeshon Holden.

Star defensive tackle Derrick Harmon is gone, too.

But the Ducks are one of the hot teams when it comes to recruiting in the transfer portal or the high school ranks, and Lanning is a force for pretty much every prospect on which he zeroes in.

They are scorching on the trail with 10 commits (five of whom are top-100 prospects), including OT Kodi Greene, TE Kendre Harrison, RB Tradarian Ball, the D-line trio of Bott Mulitalo, Tomuhini Topui and Tony Cumberland, as well as QB Jonas Williams and LB Tristan Phillips.

Illinois signal-caller prospect Williams especially is a toolsy quarterback who chose the Ducks over Alabama, LSU and Ohio State.

Lanning has won a bunch of big battles already, and there are plenty more in which the Ducks are in deep. It's high times in Eugene.

Faizon Brandon Keeps Tennessee Stacking QBs

When Tennessee coach Josh Heupel snagged elite 5-star quarterback Nico Iamaleava during the 2023 recruiting cycle, it announced that the Volunteers were ready to win big recruiting battles for top-tier gunslingers.

Since then, the Vols signed 4-star Jake Merklinger ('24 cycle) and, this year, beat out Alabama for instate star George MacIntyre, who was a 5-star prospect before injuries kept him from camps last summer.

Perhaps the best of the bunch could be 2026 pledge Faizon Brandon, a Greensboro, North Carolina, dual-threat phenomenon who looks like a "can't-miss" star in the making. One of the first calls new North Carolina coach Bill Belichick made when he arrived in Chapel Hill was to gauge Brandon's interest.

Right now, he seems locked in with the Vols, and that's huge news for Heupel and the future on Rocky Top. Just this past week at the Navy All-American combine, he was named "Alpha Dog" by 247Sports, showing explosive athletic ability and making all the throws.

Brandon is the No. 3 overall player in the composite rankings and the top quarterback, but he is No. 1 overall in the 247Sports ratings.

Right now, the Vols are the Crystal Ball favorites to land 5-star wide receiver Tristen Keys, too, which would bolster a class already rated fifth nationally and features Tyreek King, Tyran Evans and tight end Carson Sneed as pass-catchers.

Other Notable Quarterback Commitments

If you follow recruiting religiously, you're aware of Faizon Brandon's firm commitment to Tennessee, and you also know that Georgia did have a pledge from the second-rated signal-caller in the class—Volunteer State quarterback Jared Curtis.

Auburn, Oregon, South Carolina and the Dawgs are in the mix to try to convince Curtis to hop in the '26 class, but that's up in the air.

There are plenty of playmaking field generals who will warrant big-time battles remaining out there, but some already have made their collegiate decisions (even if they could change at any time).

Which quarterbacks from the top of the class are currently committed?

Fort Lauderdale, Florida's Dia Bell—the nation's fourth-rated quarterback—is a Texas commit, and Florida State traveled across the country to snag Brady Smigiel from California to lead their class. He is the fifth-rated quarterback.

Jaden O'Neal (No. 6 QB) is committed to Oklahoma, we've already mentioned seventh-rated Jonas Williams is leaving Illinois to head to Oregon (despite the Ducks' interest in Curtis), and Texas quarterback Jake Fette is pledged to go to Arizona State and play for Kenny Dillingham.

Obviously, kids are interested in what Dillingham is selling after a playoff run.

Other 4-star commits are Helaman Casuga (Texas A&M), Troy Huhn (Penn State), Will Griffin (Florida), Noah Grubbs (Notre Dame), Tait Reynolds (Clemson) and Dereon Coleman (Miami).

Elite Offensive Linemen Lead the Way

Everybody zeroes in on quarterbacks because they are the position that makes everything tick on offense, but they can't stay upright and make things happen without the protectors along the offensive front.

According to the 247Sports composite, the top two prospects in the 2026 class at this early juncture are both elite offensive tackles, and everybody in the nation wants them.

Jackson Cantwell holds the top spot, and the massive, athletic lineman from Nixa, Missouri, outside Springfield, and he has all the makings of being a blind-side protector and an All-American before surging on to the NFL.

Teams such as Texas A&M, Miami, Nebraska, Oregon, Georgia, Alabama, Ohio State, Michigan, Missouri and LSU have been mentioned as potential destinations for the Ozarks prospect, but others are trying to wedge in as he tries to whittle down a list.

The second-rated recruit, Immanuel Iheanacho, is just a massive mauler and a bulldozer at 6'6.5", 345 pounds. The Rockville, Maryland product told 247Sports' Brian Dohn last week that Oregon sets the pace in his recruitment, followed by Georgia.

Texas A&M, Florida, Miami, Penn State and Maryland were mentioned, as well.

Louisiana's Lamar Brown, who hails from LSU's backyard in Baton Rouge, is the eighth-rated overall player and top interior lineman. Right now, he's planning on visiting Florida, Miami, Alabama, Florida State, Oregon, Tennessee and Texas A&M.

Can the Big Ten Keep Charging?

Perhaps the most surprising early commitment so far in the early 2026 recruiting cycle is dynamic 5-star edge-rusher Zion Elee, the nation's No. 5 overall prospect, staying close to home and choosing Mike Locksley's Maryland program.

The Terrapins have won their share of big-time recruiting battles around home from time to time, but that hasn't translated into massive win totals yet in College Park.

If a player of the ilk of the 6'3.5", 220-pound St. Frances Academy of Baltimore prospect sticks, he could be a difference-maker.

On the football field in 2024, we saw the dynamic shift from SEC being the powerhouse conference to the Big Ten. Michigan won the national championship way back last January, and now, the Ohio State Buckeyes are back in the title game against Notre Dame.

Oregon, a first-year Big Ten team, held the mantle as the top-ranked team much of the season.

Will things even out a little in recruiting, too? The SEC routinely dominates when it comes to top classes, and indeed, seven of the top 15 early classes are from that conference. But five are from the Big Ten, including top-ranked Oregon, third-ranked Penn State and fourth-ranked USC.

Yes, the transfer portal is a great equalizer, but you don't normally see as much movement from prospects heading to the Big Ten as the massive overhauls that take place on SEC rosters. If a few Big Ten teams can make high school recruiting noise, more talent may start heading north.

Mike Elko's Big Charge Sets the SEC Pace

Winning big is directly correlated to recruiting big, and the evidence of this is bountiful.

In the SEC, everybody knows what Alabama did under the Nick Saban regime.

Georgia and coach Kirby Smart have been stacking top-tier classes, which won them back-to-back titles in 2021 and '22 and got them to the College Football Playoff again this year. Under coach Steve Sarkisian, national semifinalist Texas has become a powerhouse that is a threat to get every prospect they want in recruiting and transfer they want in the portal.

Texas A&M has plenty of resources in its own rights, and the Aggies were a powerhouse luring prospects under former coach Jimbo Fisher. It was parlaying those recruiting wins into real ones and getting them to stay and develop that were the issues.

First-year coach Mike Elko went 8-5 in a strong first season, though everything fell apart at the end. But he's making waves in recruiting for the 2026 class so far.

The Aggies only trail Oregon in the early rankings, and they have eight 4-stars. The edge-rushing combination of Jordan Carter and Samu Moala are a formidable pair. Elite receiver Aaron Gregory and tight end Xavier Tiller are terrific, too.

Surprisingly, Carter, Gregory and Tiller are all from Georgia, which is unique for A&M, perhaps indicating Elko's reach will be nationwide. The Aggies also have had luck in California (4-stars (Moala and Caleb Tafua), and in Utah with quarterback Helaman Casuga.

All stats courtesy of CFBStats and Sports Reference unless otherwise noted. Recruit rankings courtesy of 247Sports unless otherwise noted.

Follow Brad Shepard on Twitter, @Brad_Shepard.