It's early—way early. And with the way kids these days have no idea what the word "commitment" means, you've got to take pledges who can't sign until December with a Pacific Ocean-full of salt.

But there are several of the top players in the country who've already decided (for now) on a program of the future.

While there's plenty of time to change their minds, and nothing's official until scholarship papers are signed 11 months from now, it's not a small thing to have some decisions made in an era where 90 percent of high school players sign early and NIL can help programs secure players.

As of now, this article will show you three huge reasons why Oregon coach Dan Lanning is the early leader with the top-ranked 2026 recruiting class. There are a couple of premier signal-callers already with a decision made.

Surprisingly, there are a couple of non-traditional, far-from-powerhouse programs with a marquee player in the fold at this early juncture, as well.

Programs across the country are going to still make a run at these guys, but that doesn't keep some positive publicity from coming the programs' way. Let's take a look at some of the top playmakers from the '26 cycle who've already chosen their school.

Tradarian Ball, Oregon Running Back

Let's start with an Oregon commitment, shall we? After all, future Ducks make up 30 percent of the slides you'll be reading.

Coach Dan Lanning is building a juggernaut in Eugene. As if the Nike money and the past 20 years of success weren't enough, he's made it a "cool school," building off the brilliant recruiting of former coach Mario Cristobal and taking it to another level in the high school ranks and transfer portal.

With Jordan James off to the NFL, there will be plenty of carries vacated, and Tradarian Ball leads off the representatives from the top-ranked class. He looks like a great fit to move in and get in the mix early in his career.

The Texarkana, Texas, runner is the nation's second-ranked player at his position and the No. 32-rated player overall, but his explosive ability makes him a good bet to find a way onto the field. You simply find ways to get kids like Ball the ball in space and watch him run.

At 5'10", 175 pounds, Ball isn't the biggest or strongest offensive weapon, and he will need some time in the weight room before he can be a tackle-breaking player, but that's not his game.

He's the change-of-pace runner every team looks for, and Lanning and offensive coordinator Will Stein will find ways to wedge him in and give him a chance to shine. This is a huge early pull for the Ducks.

Dia Bell, Texas Quarterback

While all the talk in Texas is centering around Arch Manning and everybody is excited about watching him lead the way for the Longhorns, coach Steve Sarkisian just continues stacking quarterbacks for when he leaves.

The latest addition looks like a future star in 6'2", 200-pound Fort Lauderdale, Florida, signal-caller Dia Bell.

The No. 10-ranked overall player and third-rated quarterback has been offered by pretty much everybody, and it's a huge deal for the 'Horns to have him in the boat at this time, even though others are going to shoot their shot.

In the past week alone, the Georgia Bulldogs (who once had a pledge from top-ranked quarterback Jared Curtis) offered Bell and will work to try to flip him. And, why not?

Bell is the type of player you swing for no matter what. Playing for powerhouse American Heritage High School, Bell completed 161-of-228 passes for 2,597 yards, 29 touchdowns and six interceptions along with 67 carries for 561 yards and five more scores as a junior.

He's a pure athlete with fluid motions, a great release and a strong arm. He makes difficult things look effortless and extends plays long enough that the defense gets tired, allowing him to showcase his skills.

While Bell is far from a finished product, he won't have to worry about starting as a true freshman in Austin and will be able to develop. Eventually, he's a multiyear starter and star in the SEC.

Faizon Brandon, Tennessee Quarterback

With 2025 expected to be Nico Iamaleava's final year in Knoxville, there could be a flashing vacancy sign at the quarterback position with a chance to run a prolific offense on Rocky Top.

Truth be told, the Vols need the light to come on brighter for Iamaleava next year, because this season was a very uneven campaign for the side of the ball for which Josh Heupel has become a guru.

Even with Jake Merklinger and George MacIntyre both expected to be on campus when he arrives, 2026 elite 5-star gunslinger Faizon Brandon will have a say-so in who is the successor to Iamaleava.

The 6'3.5", 197-pound Greensboro, North Carolina, native is the No. 5-ranked overall player and second-rated signal-caller in the 247Sports composite rankings but the top-rated overall player on 247. There are a lot of analysts who think he's the best player in the class.

Brandon has the type of bouncy athleticism and live arm you can't teach. He is an explosive athlete and while he may not be the most fluid dual-threat quarterback (think Jayden Daniels), he is a good runner who can make defenders miss for a guy his size.

Where Brandon stands out is his long-armed, accurate delivery and arm strength. He just looks like a future All-American already and wowed everybody at high school all-star games and especially when he takes the field on Friday nights.

Brandon has the potential to be a special player.

Kevin Brown, Penn State Offensive Tackle

Even though it's been an egregious issue for the first part of coach James Franklin's tenure at Penn State, he's done a much better job of shoring up the offensive line the past couple of seasons.

First-rounders like Olu Fashanu help, and the Nittany Lions are looking for the next great star who will be a powerhouse in Happy Valley before heading to the NFL. There are a couple of guys on campus who have the ability to blossom to that level, but they've got one coming in '26, too.

Kevin Brown is a 6'5", 270-pound offensive tackle from nearby Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, who is living pretty much every kid's dream in that part of the world by heading to State College. He is a big-time prospect, and Franklin has to be thrilled he's in his backyard.

Brown is the No. 27-ranked overall player in the country and the fifth-rated offensive tackle. He's been locked in with Penn State since last July when he made it a family affair and decided to stay close to home.

He told 247Sports' Tyler Calvaruso that offensive line coach Phil Trautwein was a huge reason for him pulling the trigger despite having offers from everywhere.

"I really liked (Trautwein) as a coach," Brown previously told Lions247. "He can put his thoughts into words really well, and he micromanages. That's what I really like in a coach. It's fun being coached by him."

The Lions are happy about it, too.

Zion Elee, Maryland EDGE

Several times since he's been at Maryland, coach Mike Locksley has pulled off a big-time signee toward the end of the recruiting cycles, but he hasn't been able to parlay keeping some of those top-tier players from the D.C. area into wins.

It's not exactly the Terrapins' M-O to have a pledge as huge as Zion Elee this early, but the second-rated edge-rusher is in the fold.

The 6'3.5", 220-pound edge-rusher from powerhouse St. Frances Academy in Baltimore is a quick-twitch athlete who can get after quarterbacks in a hurry. It's scary to think how awesome he could be once he hits a weight room in college.

Elee ranks 13th overall in the 247Sports composite rankings, but 247 thinks much higher of him than that. He's just behind Faizon Brandon as the No. 2 player in the country on that site.

"One of the more complete edge prospects in recent memory at this stage of the evaluation process ahead of his junior season," 247Sports' Hudson Standish wrote on his recruiting profile. "It feels as if he was built in a lab to get after the quarterback, verified hovering around 6-foot-4, 220 pounds with elite length measurements and a combine testing profile that could be mistaken for a field-stretching X receiver."

Keeping Elee will be tough for the Terps. He's already visited Auburn and just last week, he was at Penn State. Everybody will be knocking at his door and pointing to Locksley's win-loss record. There may be twists and turns left in this one.

Kodi Greene, Oregon Offensive Tackle

You can't have a powerhouse offense without a road-grading offensive line, and the Oregon Ducks haven't had a bunch of difference-makers along the front, even as good as they've been.

Things are changing, though, as they've won some big battles for elite linemen the past couple of years, and few have more ability than Kodi Greene.

The 6'6", 285-pound lineman is a 5-star prospect and the nation's No. 26-rated overall player and fourth-ranked player at his position. He's a polished player who has won a ton of games with powerhouse Mater Dei in Santa Ana, California.

Now, he's headed North to be part of the juggernaut coach Dan Lanning is building.

His long arms and powerful ability at the point of attack are what stand out on film as he looks like the type of player who can just embarrass defenders. Greene could still add 25-30 pounds and possesses the frame for it to not affect him a bit.

While plenty of programs from all over the country are offering Greene and he may take some visits, there don't appear to be any indications he's thinking about wavering in the least.

"Nothing's really next for my recruitment; I'm just waiting to sign in December," Greene told Duck Territory's Matt Prehm.

Oregon has come a long way toward being college football's best, but in the Big Ten, getting a little tougher along the lines of scrimmage are necessary. Guys like Greene will help.

Xavier Griffin, USC Linebacker

It's funny how a couple of seasons ago, coach Lincoln Riley was luring all the top-rated offensive players he wanted to USC. But, now, with the Trojans entering Year 2 in the rugged Big Ten, a lot of the focus has shifted to the other side of the ball.

After they closed out the '25 cycle by landing Jahkeem Stewart and getting left at the altar by premiere linebacker Madden Faraimo, USC dipped into the Southeast and filled that major linebacker need in the '26 haul by getting a commitment from Xavier Griffin.

It's going to be a hornet's nest of a frenzy to keep the 6'3", 200-pound second-level defender in the fold for 11 more months with all the SEC teams in his ear, but the Trojans have his attention (and his commitment) early, and that's a big deal.

"Tennessee, Georgia, Alabama, Ohio State, Penn State, Ole Miss, Florida and a lot of other schools are still pushing. It is really the same now as it was before I committed to USC. Nobody is giving up," Griffin told On3's Chad Simmons.

Griffin is from Gainesville, Georgia, which is only a short drive away from Athens where the home-state power program Bulldogs play. They want him, and they are going to fight to keep him close to home.

Griffin is the nation's No. 24-rated overall player and second-ranked linebacker, and he's going to have a host of top teams after him all the way through until December.

Kendre Harrison, Oregon Tight End

For a while, it looked like the nation's top-rated tight end Kendre Harrison was going to join his high school teammate—5-star offensive tackle David Sanders Jr.—as a Tennessee Vol.

But the Oregon Ducks flew in and swept him off his feet, and as of now, Harrison is the top-rated player in the top-ranked class in the country, and he looks dead-set on heading across the country from his North Carolina home to play in Eugene.

He's yet another marquee prospect from that state to leave the borders, which is something new Tar Heels coach Bill Belichick will try to address. No doubt he, Tennessee and others will keep calling Harrison, but he's worth the NIL money he'll get out West.

At 6'7", 243 pounds and with jaw-dropping athleticism, it wouldn't be a stretch to say he has one of the highest ceilings of any player in the draft. To be that size and be able to run as fast as he is, he's just a different-looking player. A talent like his doesn't come around every year.

Harrison is also a basketball star and would be a terror coming off the edge defensively as a pass-rusher, but he has NFL potential as a big-bodied, athletic tight end.

Where Harrison could be most elite is positioning for touchdowns in the red zone. He has the height and athleticism to out-jump defenders as well as the build to out-muscle them.

You'll be hearing his name a lot on Saturdays, probably during his first season.

Keisean Henderson, Houston Athlete

There were glimpses of potential in noted program-building coach Willie Fritz's first season at Houston, but the Cougars are a long way away from being able to consistently compete in the Big 12.

A major recruiting win like securing 5-star athlete Keisean Henderson may go a long way.

The Spring, Texas, native is the nation's second-rated athlete and No. 20-ranked player overall was wanted by virtually everybody in the nation to play receiver or the secondary, but several also gave him a chance to play quarterback.

He's going to carve his own path and head to the Cougars to try to help turn around that program. If you weren't a believer that he could be a college quarterback, there aren't many doubts after his 2025 Navy All-American Bowl performance where he became the first junior to ever win MVP in the game.

He finished with 176 total yards, with 146 of those coming through the air on just 3-of-5 completions.

"I know coach Fritz, he's one of those coaches that when his back is against the wall, all he knows how to do is fight," Henderson told 247Sports' Hudson Standish. "Near the end of the season, he showed me there's a switch that needs to be flipped and I feel like I'm one of the guys that can flip that switch."

That won't keep others from trying to flip him. Auburn, Ole Miss and North Carolina are just a few schools who've offered him to play quarterback since that standout showing.

Chris Henry Jr., Ohio State Wide Receiver

Stop if you've heard this one before: An elite receiver commits to the Ohio State Buckeyes.

I know, right? Shocker.

But the latest super-duper star pass-catcher who seems locked in with coach Ryan Day's program and ready to play for elite recruiter and terrific receivers coach Brian Hartline is the nation's top wide receiver in the 2026 class, Chris Henry Jr.

If the 6'5", 205-pound target's name seems familiar to you, it should. His father was an NFL receiver with the Cincinnati Bengals after a standout collegiate career at West Virginia. But the younger Henry isn't going to be a Mountaineer.

Instead, he's heading to Columbus, where his sister Seini plays women's hoops. Though the Henrys live in Cincinnati, the prospect plays for powerhouse Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana, California.

So, really, Henry is a local star staying close to home, even if it's not close to his high school.

Regardless, he is a terrific-looking athlete who is long, lanky and can stride away from defenders and stretch the field and out-jump defenders to high-point catches. He's the complete package as a wide receiver, and he's the No. 3-rated overall player in the class.

The laundry list of Ohio State legendary receivers and tip-of-the-tongue stars of today include the likes of Jeremiah Smith, Emeka Egbuka, Marvin Harrison Jr., Garrett Wilson, Chris Olave, Jaxon Smith-Njigba. The list goes on and on.

Henry could be in line to join that club.

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.