2026 Preseason ACC Recruiting Update

Nothing has become more important in college basketball in recent years than the transfer portal. Huge NIL deals have turned high school recruiting into a technicality. The top high school players attend the best schools, but even top 100 players can find themselves in the transfer portal after one season, regardless of their personal or team success. However, like the transfer portal, these high school players can still make a sizeable impact while on campus. So what does ACC recruiting look like for the class of 2026? Can the ACC repeat its success from 2025 in recruiting? What teams are ahead of the pack?

2026 Preseason ACC Recruiting Update

Repeat Success at the Top

2025 recruiting was kind to several programs. Duke lost premier talent when Cooper Flagg and Kon Knueppel declared for the NBA draft. However, they replaced them with Cam Boozer and the top class in the country. North Carolina and SMU both sat in the top six, while Notre Dame, Miami, and Syracuse worked their way into the top 20. Other consistently good programs, Louisville and Virginia, finished 25th and 26th, respectively. All in all, the ACC finished with 12 teams in the top 40, a number that would have made them a dominant force going forward only 10 years ago.

However, the tides have changed. The 2026 ACC recruiting landscape lacks the same quality at the top, but with key caveats. Florida State ranks fifth, and Wake Forest sits directly behind them at six. Stanford and Georgia Tech rank 12th and 13th, respectively, while Pitt, NC State, Notre Dame, and Clemson all rank between 22 and 30. While having eight of the top 30 is impressive, the programs that rank there all missed the NCAA Tournament last season, except for Clemson. The bottom portion of the league is rebounding with strong recruiting efforts early on.

Powerhouse Programs Will Still Rise

Any conference would love to build from the bottom up. However, the ACC will have some schools move into the top of the recruiting ranks soon. The top six schools in ACC recruiting for the class of 2026 do not include Duke, North Carolina, Syracuse, Louisville, Virginia, or Miami. Those schools account for three of the four NCAA Tournament teams from a year ago. They also all finished in the top 26. Jai Lucas has already brought elite recruiting to Miami, Jon Scheyer continues to rake in five-stars, Syracuse and North Carolina have the program prestige to bring in elite recruits, and Louisville and Virginia both have newer coaches who remain steady in bringing top-end talent.

Each of those schools will compete for one or multiple five-star recruits this season. They will finish higher up in the recruiting rankings and give the ACC at least 12 teams in the top 40 for a second consecutive year. After that, as always, it will come down to the transfer portal.

The Importance of 2026 ACC High School Recruiting

The ACC’s struggles have been there for all to see. However, there is reason for hope moving forward. In 2023, the ACC had only three teams in the top 20 and seven in the top 40 of high school recruiting. In 2024, that improved to four teams in the top 20 and 10 in the top 40. This steady improvement shows the ACC’s resolve in earning its respect back. While it didn’t lead to direct results in 2024-25, programs that continue to bring in solid recruits will build a strong base and become a more consistent program.

The SEC started their conference rebuild in high school recruiting to supplement their transfers. Slowly, the SEC has become the premier basketball conference. Could the ACC return to power after another strong showing in 2025? Can the 2026 ACC recruiting classes push the ACC closer to conference contention? Only time will tell, but if the ACC continues to recruit this well in high school, they won’t find themselves so clearly at the bottom of the power conferences.

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