The recruiting race for the Class of 2026 is already heating up — not just on the field, but in the increasingly complex ecosystem of modern college football, where NIL (Name, Image, and Likeness) deals are reshaping how programs and players navigate early recruitment. For elite underclassmen, talent alone is no longer the only factor drawing attention; marketability, social media presence, and brand potential are now playing pivotal roles in how offers are extended and decisions are made. The top recruits in the 2026 cycle are not only physically advanced and highly skilled — they're entering high school with endorsement potential and media savviness.
Stacker compiled a list of the highest rated Class of 2026 football recruits from Kansas using data from 247Sports. Players are ranked by the 247Sports Composite ranking. Here's the players from Kansas set to dominate Saturdays (and potentially Sundays) for years to come.
You may also like: Most commonly seen birds in Kansas
Guzel Studio // Shutterstock
1 / 18#18. Trace Rudd (K)
- National rank: #2,585 (3 stars)
- Position rank: #7
- College: Oklahoma
- Offers: Oklahoma, Texas Tech
- High school: Blue Valley Northwest (Overland Park, KS)
Andy Dean Photography // Shutterstock
2 / 18#17. Syre Padilla (RB)
- National rank: #2,411 (3 stars)
- Position rank: #153
- College: Pittsburg State
- Offers: Pittsburg State
- High school: Gardner Edgerton (Gardner, KS)
Pell Studio // Shutterstock
3 / 18#16. Brody Litton (DL)
- National rank: #2,059 (3 stars)
- Position rank: #208
- College: New Mexico
- Offers: New Mexico, South Dakota
- High school: Beloit (Beloit, KS)
MaverickZ85 // Shutterstock
4 / 18#15. Jaylen Mason (QB)
- National rank: #1,276 (3 stars)
- Position rank: #69
- College: Kansas
- Offers: Kansas, Iowa State, Liberty
- High school: Northwest (Wichita, KS)
WoodysPhotos // Shutterstock
5 / 18#14. Drake DeBaun (TE)
- National rank: #1,229 (3 stars)
- Position rank: #70
- College: Iowa State
- Offers: Iowa State, Wake Forest, Army, Illinois State, Lindenwood
- High school: Shawnee Mission South (Overland Park, KS)
You may also like: Most common jobs 150 years ago in Kansas
Ron Alvey // Shutterstock
6 / 18#12 (tie). Lawson McGraw (ATH)
- National rank: #1,121 (3 stars)
- Position rank: #89
- College: Kansas State
- Offers: Kansas State, Rice, Arkansas State, Cornell, Illinois State
- High school: Blue Valley West (Stilwell, KS)
Bobby Stevens Photo // Shutterstock
7 / 18#12 (tie). Lamarcus Barber (IOL)
- National rank: #1,121 (3 stars)
- Position rank: #92
- College: Kansas State
- Offers: Kansas State, Arkansas State, Iowa State
- High school: Mill Valley (Shawnee, KS)
Hannah Leigh Barnes // Shutterstock
8 / 18#11. Tyren Parker (WR)
- National rank: #1,013 (3 stars)
- Position rank: #144
- College: Kansas
- Offers: Kansas, Iowa State, Kansas State, Oklahoma State
- High school: Shawnee Heights (Tecumseh, KS)
Ron Alvey // Shutterstock
9 / 18#9 (tie). Arley Morrell (TE)
- National rank: #848 (3 stars)
- Position rank: #48
- College: Colorado State
- Offers: Colorado State, Oregon State, Arizona, Marshall, New Mexico
- High school: Pratt (Pratt, KS)
SEALANDSKYPHOTO // Shutterstock
10 / 18#9 (tie). Nate Sims (WR)
- National rank: #848 (3 stars)
- Position rank: #116
- College: Kansas
- Offers: Kansas, Kansas State, Oklahoma State
- High school: Ottawa (Ottawa, KS)
You may also like: Coldest Januarys in Kansas since 1895
aspen rock // Shutterstock
11 / 18#8. Josh Galbreath (ATH)
- National rank: #815 (3 stars)
- Position rank: #63
- College: Kansas
- Offers: Kansas, Illinois, Iowa State, Kansas State, Michigan
- High school: Lawrence (Lawrence, KS)
Andrew Angelov // Shutterstock
12 / 18#7. Johnmichael Fountain (LB)
- National rank: #810 (3 stars)
- Position rank: #61
- College: not committed
- Offers: Arkansas, Arkansas State, Iowa State, Kansas, Kansas State
- High school: Northwest (Wichita, KS)
Fabricio Barili // Shutterstock
13 / 18#6. Braden Wilmes (OT)
- National rank: #694 (3 stars)
- Position rank: #59
- College: Clemson
- Offers: Clemson, Arkansas, Duke, Florida State, Iowa
- High school: Lawrence Free State (Lawrence, KS)
Andrew Angelov // Shutterstock
14 / 18#5. Hunter Higgins (Edge)
- National rank: #580 (3 stars)
- Position rank: #57
- College: Kansas
- Offers: Kansas, Arkansas, Iowa State, Kansas State, Marshall
- High school: Maize South (Wichita, KS)
David Lee // Shutterstock
15 / 18#4. Maxwell Robinson (IOL)
- National rank: #382 (4 stars)
- Position rank: #30
- College: not committed
- Offers: Arkansas, Auburn, Iowa State, Kansas, Kansas State
- High school: Derby (Derby, KS)
You may also like: Best colleges in Kansas
David Lee // Shutterstock
16 / 18#3. Kaden Snyder (OT)
- National rank: #310 (4 stars)
- Position rank: #29
- College: Kansas
- Offers: Kansas, Arkansas, Duke, Kansas State, Wisconsin
- High school: Salina Central (Salina, KS)
zoff // Shutterstock
17 / 18#2. JJ Dunnigan (CB)
- National rank: #152 (4 stars)
- Position rank: #18
- College: not committed
- Offers: Miami, Colorado, Kansas, Arizona State, Florida
- High school: Manhattan (Manhattan, KS)
kuzmaphoto // Shutterstock
18 / 18#1. Ian Premer (TE)
- National rank: #35 (5 stars)
- Position rank: #3
- College: Notre Dame
- Offers: Notre Dame, Kansas State, Iowa State, Kansas, Arkansas
- High school: Great Bend (Great Bend, KS)
