Rivals Rankings Week: New 2026 Rivals150 ranking released

The rankings for the class of 2026 have expanded and yielded the first full Rivals150 of the cycle. There was plenty of movement on the list with 50 new names added and familiar prospects sliding up and down the ranking to accommodate the newcomers.

Below, Rivals.com national analyst Rob Cassidy explores some of the update’s most important storylines.

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RIVALS RANKINGS WEEK

Tuesday: Five-Star Countdown for 2025

Wednesday: New Rivals150 for 2025 | Biggest storylines

Thursday: New position rankings for 2025

Friday: New Rivals150 for 2026 | Biggest storylines

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MCCOY RETAINS TOP SPOT BUT UNCERTAINTY REMAINS

Matt Moreno/Rivals.com

Incumbent Brandon McCoy Jr. held off the competition to retain the top spot in this update, but unlike the two classes before it, the 2026 class feels wide open at the top. The class of 2024 yielded mega-prospect Cooper Flagg, while the 2025 group will be headlined by either A.J. Dybantsa or Cameron Boozer when all is said and done. Meanwhile, it feels as though there are no fewer than five prospects that could surge to the top of 2026.

For now, however, it’s McCoy’s world – and for good reason. The California-based guard has long been a well-rounded production machine but has added size and the ability to play through contact more comfortably in recent months, as he’s scored from the perimeter with regularity while also impacting the game with paint touches and finishes through bumps and fouls.

His added muscle and high-level motor also allowed him to become an impressive positional rebounder that grabs boards he sometimes seems to have no business getting.

McCoy will attempt to hold off challengers such as the hyper-physical downhill train that is Tyran Stokes and intriguing upside Alijah Arenas, who check in at No. 2 and No. 3 in the Rivals150, respectively.

Prospects such as Ikenna Alozie, Jason Crowe Jr. and Caleb Holt could also conceivably make runs at the No. 1 spot down the road.

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JORDAN SMITH CRASHES THE TOP 10

It feels as…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/rivals-rankings-week-2026-rivals150-151328536.html

Author : NBC Sports

Publish date : 2024-08-14 15:13:28

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