It’s the first Monday of the month and that means another update to the 2026 rankings. With this latest version of the Rivals250 comes a few important storylines to follow, including a new five-star and a new No. 1 at one of the most important positions.
2026 RIVALS250 REFRESH: New schedule explained | Updated Rivals250 revealed | Biggest storylines | Prospects on the five-star radar | Three big jumps
WHICH METRO AREA PRODUCES THE BEST HS FOOTBALL TALENT? YOU DECIDE
CLASS OF 2025 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Team | Position | State
CLASS OF 2026 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Team | Position | State
CLASS OF 2027 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Team | Position | State
TRANSFER PORTAL: Full coverage | Player ranking | Team ranking | Transfer search | Transfer Tracker
A NEW FIVE-STAR DEFENSIVE TACKLE
A month ago, Richard Anderson jumped up the rankings and became the top-ranked defensive tackle in the Rivals250. Now Anderson can call himself a five-star, too. The massive LSU defensive tackle commit has unteachable qualities that could take him a long way in this sport.
At 6-foot-4 and nearly 350 pounds, Anderson has the size to overpower just about any offensive lineman he comes across. The opponents of the New Orleans (La.) Edna Karr star found that out pretty quickly this past season. Anderson has also performed at a high level this offseason, including at last month’s New Orleans Under Armour camp. His nearly 80-inch wingspan made it very difficult for offensive linemen to slow him down. Anderson also displayed impressive quickness and explosiveness for a player his size, which makes sense given his broad jump of more than 8 feet.
Making Anderson a five-star at this point is not without some concerns. Since 2018, only two defensive tackles (Dexter Lawrence and Jordan Davis) have weighed more than 340 pounds and been selected in the first three rounds of the NFL Draft. Anderson’s body composition and physical maturity is worth monitoring throughout the rest of the rankings cycle.
A CHANGE IN THE RECEIVER RANKINGS
With this update to the Rivals250, five-star LSU commit Tristen Keys now ranks as the top receiver in the nation, jumping five-star Cederian Morgan.
Picking between the two elite receivers is like splitting hairs but our confidence in the likelihood that Keys lives up to the hype at the next level is growing. His comfort level when facing elite competition is easy to spot and he has continued to refine his game while participating in multiple events this offseason.
Keys and Morgan have posted virtually the same speed and explosiveness metrics but Keys has shown a more well-rounded and improving skill set over the last few months while Morgan is a bigger and a more physically dominant outside receiver. With Keys showing a more advanced skill set and more of a competitive edge, we feel comfortable saying he has a higher floor than Morgan and still has room to improve from a physical and technical perspective.
YOUTH NEAR THE TOP OF THE RIVALS250
High-end prospects reclassifying during the recruiting process isn’t anything new but this year it feels like there are more elite prospects who have decided to finish high school in three years instead of four.
The 2026 class features three five-stars who were previously members of the 2027 class. Defensive end Richard Wesley, No. 9 in the latest Rivals250, made his move into the 2026 class a month ago and now ranks at the top defensive end in the nation. Fellow five-star and California native Havon Finney Jr. also accelerated his recruitment by reclassifying into the 2026 class. He’s the No. 2 overall cornerback in the nation now. Ethan “Boobie” Feaster is one of four five-star receivers in the 2026 class but he began the rankings process as a member of the 2027 class.
The 2026 class featured a loaded group of tight ends at the outset but it got even better when Mark Bowman decided to adjust his timeline and graduate with the 2026 class. The elite tight end has five-star potential but is currently ranked No. 30 in this update to the Rivals250. Also in the top 50 of the Rivals250, running back Ezavier Crowell wanted to get to the next level faster so he reclassified into the 2026 class from 2027. The Alabama native is the top-ranked running back in the nation at No. 42 overall.
