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The early signing period for the 2026 high school class begins on Wednesday, Nov. 12, and runs through Wednesday, Nov. 19. Historically, the early signing period for college basketball is rather mundane, considering that there are rarely any flips or switches leading up to signing day like in the college football recruiting world.

However, this signing period for the 2026 class will be much more exciting than the norm. This cycle has moved particularly slowly due to the expansion of NIL, the increasing importance of the transfer portal, and less of a reliance on high school recruiting for roster building in college basketball.

Despite over 100 prospects flying off the board over the last eight weeks, 14 of the Top 25-ranked prospects in the 2026 class remain available, with many expected to commit during this window.

As the early signing period kicks off, here's what college basketball fans need to know.

Uncertainty continues to surround No. 1-ranked Tyran Stokes

The top talent in the country (by a country mile) is forward Tyran Stokes, who has been surrounded by uncertainty both on and off the court this fall. 

Stokes is a 6-foot-7 forward with a monstrous 230-pound frame who is among the premier talents to come through the high school ranks in recent years. Talent-wise, Stokes belongs in the same conversation as Cooper Flagg, Darryn Peterson, AJ Dybantsa, Cameron Boozer, Paolo Banchero, Anthony Edwards and more.

He is by far the best talent in this class.

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Ranked No. 1 in the 2026 class, Tyran Stokes is down to a top three of Kansas, Kentucky, and Oregon. 247Sports

As special a talent as the Louisville native is, Stokes' recruitment and circumstances have been riddled with uncertainty.

Entering the fall, Stokes' recruitment involved Louisville, Kentucky, Kansas, Oregon, and USC. However, the Cardinals and the Trojans are both now out of contention, and a final three remain that include the Wildcats, Jayhawks, and Ducks. 

Stokes officially cut his list on Nov. 1 down to his final three, which is usually indicative of a looming commitment.

However, since then, Stokes had to leave Sherman Oaks (Calif.) Notre Dame High School for disciplinary reasons, and is now in the process of finding a new school to attend. This process has delayed the commitment timeline, so what was expected to be an early signing period commitment could now drag on a bit longer into the winter.

One major note in Stokes' recruitment is that he officially signed on as a Nike athlete in recent months. That could play a role in his ultimate destination.

Kentucky has been considered the favorite for the last month, but Kansas has been in strong consideration, and you still can't count out Nike's flagship school in Oregon.

Ultimately, I do still like Kentucky's chances with Stokes.

A new blueblood claims the crown for the top-ranked class

Jon Scheyer and the Duke Blue Devils have dominated high school recruiting since he was named head coach. Since being named Coach K's successor, Duke has had the No. 1-ranked recruiting class in 2022, 2024, and 2025. Duke's 2023 class was ranked No. 2 behind Kentucky.

However, a new blue blood holds the crown as the signing period nears. Bill Self and the Kansas Jayhawks have cleaned house on all of their top recruiting targets for this cycle. Kansas has never held the top-ranked class in the history of 247Sports' team rankings, dating back to 2010, but with four commits already on board, the Jayhawks currently hold a comfortable lead.

Kansas' 2026 recruiting efforts got off to a bang when they went into the state of Kentucky and beat out Louisville for the top point guard in the country - Taylen Kinney.

The Jayhawks continued their momentum by adding a high-level athlete in four-star Trent Perry and then four-star big man Davion Adkins, all within a week.

Self then decided to add a sniper from deep and went out west and got his newest commit in Luke Barnett out of Santa Ana (Calif.) Mater Dei.

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Kansas head coach Bill Self has positioned the Jayhawks with a nice haul so far for this cycle. Getty Images

Additionally, during this commitment onslaught, Kansas landed its first 2027 commitment in four-star Javon Bardwell, who could reclassify and join this talented 2026 bunch.

The Jayhawks aren't done. Kansas is still in heavy pursuit of Tyran Stokes and is very much a threat in that recruitment.

If Kansas can find a way to land Stokes, that would likely secure them the No. 1 overall class in the country.

The Spartans could threaten for the No. 1 spot this week

Despite the Jayhawks' stacked class, their grasp of the crown is being threatened strongly by what Michigan State has done and could do.

The Spartans already have three commitments on board and rank as the No. 4 overall class in the country. But, they could take the No. 1 overall spot before the week is over.

Michigan State has commitments from Jasiah Jervis (No. 38), Carlos Medlock Jr. (No. 66), and Julius Avent (No. 92), and the Spartans could potentially add two more commits before the end of the week.

Two high-priority targets, Ethan Taylor (No. 27) and Maximo Adams (No. 24), are expected to come off the board this week, and the Spartans are expected to get at least one.

If Michigan State does land Taylor or Adams, they'll claim the No. 1 spot in the 247Sports Team Rankings.

The top uncommitted prospects to keep an eye on 

Over 100 players have already committed, but 14 prospects ranked in 247Sports' Top 25 remain undecided. Here is a look at some of the top names expected to come off the board during the early signing period.

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No. 4-ranked Cameron Williams is down to Arizona, Duke, and Texas. 247Sports
  • No. 8-ranked Christian Collins, a 6-foot-8 power forward out of Bellflower (Calif.), could make a decision any day now. Kentucky and UCLA emerged as the top contenders before smoke swirled around USC. However, the smoke around USC has since subsided, and Kentucky has become the favorite.
  • Baba Oladotun, the former No. 1 player in the 2027 class, now ranks as the No. 10 overall player in 2026 following his reclassification. He will announce his decision on Wednesday, Nov. 19. Oladotun is down to Arkansas, Georgetown, Kentucky and Maryland, but this is coming down to the Razorbacks and the Terrapins. Arkansas is classified as the slight favorite here, but Maryland is a real threat and could flip this recruitment.
  • The top big man in the country is Arafan Diane, a monster 7-footer out of Norwalk (Iowa). He's a more skilled version of former Illinois star Kofi Cockburn. Diane will make his college decision on his birthday, Nov. 19. It's coming down to Indiana and Houston, but Kelvin Sampson and the Cougars have been the long-time and still the current favorite.
  • No. 17-ranked Qayden Samuels has no date set yet, but is fully expected to make a decision in the coming days. The southpaw scorer is down to Georgetown and Alabama. While Georgetown was the favorite at one point, things have shifted back in favor for Nate Oats and Alabama.
  • No. 18-ranked Austin Goosby will announce his college decision on Friday, Nov. 14, between his final four schools in Baylor, BYU, Duke and Texas. In recent weeks, this has been a toss-up between BYU and the Texas Longhorns, but the edge goes to the Longhorns down the final stretch.
  • No. 24-ranked Maximo Adams was one of the breakout stars of the spring and summer. His recruitment blew up with the blue-bloods calling, but he's since narrowed things down to Kentucky, Michigan State, North Carolina and Texas. The Tar Heels have made a late surge, but this one isn't over yet.

Player

Ranking

School

Tyran Stokes

1

Uncommitted

Jordan Smith

2

Uncommitted

Jason Crowe Jr.

3

Cameron Williams

4

Uncommitted

Caleb Holt

5

Uncommitted

Dylan Mingo

6

Uncommitted

Anthony Thompson

7

Christian Collins

8

Uncommitted

Brandon McCoy

9

Uncommitted

Baba Oladotun

10

Uncommitted

JJ Andrews

11

Bryson Howard

12

Taylen Kinney

13

Tajh Ariza

14

Deron Rippey Jr.

15

Uncommitted

Arafan Diane

16

Uncommitted

Qayden Samuels

17

Uncommitted

Austin Goosby

18

Uncommitted

Jaxson Richardson

19

Uncommitted

Colben Landrew

20

Alex Constanza

21

Toni Bryant

22

Caleb Gaskins

23

Maximo Adams

24

Uncommitted

Elijah Williams

25

Top players not expected to sign early

The recruitments for many top players in the 2026 class will continue into the winter and even into the New Year.

  • No. 1-ranked Tyran Stokes remains uncertain.
  • No. 2-ranked Jordan Smith is expected to wait until 2026. Duke is the favorite, but Arkansas is a real threat.
  • No. 5-ranked Caleb Holt is likely to make a commitment prior to the New Year. Kentucky is the favorite, but this one is far from solid. Alabama, Arizona and Houston are all in contention as well.
  • No. 6-ranked Dylan Mingo is expected to drag into December. Lots of teams remain in contention with Penn State, Miami, NC State, North Carolina, and Baylor.
  • No. 9-ranked Brandon McCoy is expected to take his time in his recruitment and remains open in his recruiting process.
  • No. 15-ranked Deron Rippey Jr. is expected to make a decision before the New Year. NC State, Miami, Tennessee, Kentucky and Duke are all in contention.
  • No. 19-ranked Jaxon Richardson, the son of former NBA star Jason Richardson, is expected to continue on in his recruitment. Creighton and Ole Miss are teams to watch.

Other top recruiting classes to know

This has been a unique recruiting class to track, given the well-documented fact that it's a "down class" in comparison to 2024 and 2025. On top of that, the financial expectations for prospects haven't been fully realized in the actual marketplace. Many players have sought the big paydays that we saw last cycle. Because of that, many top-tier programs have opted to punt on many high school targets, which has resulted in a surge of programs landing in the top 10 that historically haven't been there in most cycles.

Missouri Tigers

Under head coach Dennis Gates, the Missouri Tigers have done an excellent job so far in the 2026 cycle. They have the No. 2 overall class that features two five-star commits and one of the best players in the class.

Jason Crowe Jr., the No. 3 overall recruit in the country, is a dynamic scorer and playmaker. Toni Byrant, who checks in at No. 22 overall, is an athletic defender and rebounder. Missouri also secured a long sharpshooter in four-star Aidan Chronister.

Michigan State Spartans

Tom Izzo and Michigan State are big winners in 2026, and currently hold the No. 4 overall class in the country.

The Spartans have reeled in a four-star bucket-getter in Jasiah Jervis, a dynamic four-star point guard in Carlos Medlock Jr., and a versatile and strong forward in Julius Avent. They aren't done yet, either…

UConn Huskies

While the 247Sports Team Rankings don't illustrate it, UConn has a strong two-man class in Colben Landrew and Junior County. Both recruits will be able to contribute right away in Storres with their skillset, feel for the game, and versatility. 

County is a high-IQ guard who can defend, attack downhill, make shots, pass, and rebound, possessing a high floor. Landrew is one of the most versatile forwards in the country, who can dribble, pass, and shoot, and produce a variety of advantages on the court with his size, mobility, strength, and skillset.

USC Trojans

Eric Musselman and the USC Trojans may have landed a pair of prizes in 2026 in former NBA center Theo Ratliff's twin sons, Adonis Ratliff and Darius Ratliff. The twin towers have blossomed late. They already have elite physical tools at 7-feet tall with long arms and tremendous fluidity on the court. The Ratliff boys are looking like they could be potential lottery picks in a year's time if they can stay healthy, get stronger, and continue to develop. They are already dynamic floor-stretching bigs who can move on defense and protect the rim.