Highest-rated Class of 2026 football recruits from New Jersey
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May 30, 2025
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Highest-rated Class of 2026 football recruits from New Jersey
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 New Jersey using data from 247Sports. Here's the players from New Jersey set to dominate Saturdays (and potentially Sundays) for years to come.
- National rank: #972 (3 stars) - Position rank: #67 - College: Boston College - Offers: Boston College, Army, Bryant, Cornell, Delaware - High school: Westwood (Westwood, NJ)
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#18 (tie). Seth Clarke (Edge)
- National rank: #928 (3 stars) - Position rank: #82 - College: not committed - Offers: USF, Boston College, Bowling Green, Duke, East Carolina - High school: Hun School (Princeton, NJ)
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#18 (tie). Jayden Jones (LB)
- National rank: #928 (3 stars) - Position rank: #71 - College: not committed - Offers: Buffalo, East Carolina, Eastern Michigan, Illinois, Kent State - High school: Millville (Millville, NJ)
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#17. Nyqir Helton (WR)
- National rank: #900 (3 stars) - Position rank: #140 - College: not committed - Offers: Pittsburgh, Boston College, Syracuse, Akron, Buffalo - High school: Winslow Township (Atco, NJ)
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#16. Logan Nagle (DL)
- National rank: #863 (3 stars) - Position rank: #89 - College: not committed - Offers: Michigan State, NC State, Pittsburgh, Boston College, Indiana - High school: DePaul Catholic (Wayne, NJ)
- National rank: #861 (3 stars) - Position rank: #71 - College: Penn State - Offers: Penn State, Syracuse, Boston College, Buffalo, Florida - High school: Timber Creek (Sicklerville, NJ)
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#14. Xavier Jackson (CB)
- National rank: #855 (3 stars) - Position rank: #69 - College: not committed - Offers: Pittsburgh, Minnesota, Michigan State, Purdue, Syracuse - High school: Bergen Catholic (Oradell, NJ)
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#13. Amari Sabb (ATH)
- National rank: #782 (3 stars) - Position rank: #51 - College: not committed - Offers: Rutgers, Akron, Alabama, Appalachian State, Boston College - High school: Glassboro (Glassboro, NJ)
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#11 (tie). CJ Edwards (Edge)
- National rank: #643 (3 stars) - Position rank: #61 - College: Tennessee - Offers: Tennessee, Boston College, Central Michigan, Duke, Kent State - High school: St. Joseph (Metuchen, NJ)
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#11 (tie). Zaiden McDonald (S)
- National rank: #643 (3 stars) - Position rank: #55 - College: Syracuse - Offers: Syracuse, Northwestern, Stanford, Ohio State, Akron - High school: Malcolm X Shabazz (Newark, NJ)
- National rank: #595 (3 stars) - Position rank: #47 - College: not committed - Offers: Boston College, Central Michigan, Duke, James Madison, Kent State - High school: St Joseph Regional (Montvale, NJ)
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#9. Marlen Bright (OT)
- National rank: #558 (3 stars) - Position rank: #45 - College: not committed - Offers: Penn State, Stanford, Illinois, Rutgers, Boston College - High school: DePaul Catholic (Wayne, NJ)
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#7 (tie). Chase Enlow (RB)
- National rank: #489 (3 stars) - Position rank: #32 - College: not committed - Offers: Virginia Tech, Boston College, Charlotte, Cornell, Dartmouth - High school: Hun School (Princeton, NJ)
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#7 (tie). Julian Peterson (CB)
- National rank: #489 (3 stars) - Position rank: #37 - College: Penn State - Offers: Penn State, Akron, Boston College, Duke, East Carolina - High school: Winslow Township (Atco, NJ)
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#6. Derek Zammit (QB)
- National rank: #408 (4 stars) - Position rank: #27 - College: Washington - Offers: Washington, Alabama, Boston College, Cincinnati, Duke - High school: DePaul Catholic (Wayne, NJ)
- National rank: #316 (4 stars) - Position rank: #24 - College: not committed - Offers: Boston College, Rutgers, Illinois, Duke, Kentucky - High school: Donovan Catholic (Toms River, NJ)
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#4. Jermaine Kinsler (DL)
- National rank: #211 (4 stars) - Position rank: #27 - College: Texas A&M - Offers: Texas A&M, Albany State, Arizona, Auburn, Boston College - High school: Bergen Catholic (Oradell, NJ)
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#3. Damari Simeon (DL)
- National rank: #201 (4 stars) - Position rank: #26 - College: not committed - Offers: Ohio State, Texas, Penn State, Michigan, Auburn - High school: St. Augustine Prep (Richland, NJ)
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#2. Jordan Thomas (CB)
- National rank: #177 (4 stars) - Position rank: #16 - College: Ohio State - Offers: Ohio State, Akron, Alabama, Auburn, Boston College - High school: Bergen Catholic (Oradell, NJ)
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#1. Luke Wafle (Edge)
- National rank: #54 (4 stars) - Position rank: #6 - College: not committed - Offers: Texas, USC, Penn State, Ohio State, Florida - High school: Hun School (Princeton, NJ)
