College coaches contact top 2026 prospects right at midnight
Midnight has arrived which means college coaches can officially call and text 2026 prospects and the messages started flying right when the clock struck 12.
For No. 1 prospect Jahkeem Stewart, the New Orleans (La.) St. Augustine five-star defensive end received his first message from Ohio State position coach Larry Johnson.
“Coach Johnson said he can’t wait to turn me into a generational player,” Stewart said.
Top cornerback Brandon Lockhart, who’s committed to USC, and Santa Ana (Calif.) Mater Dei four-star receiver Kayden Dixon-Wyatt heard first from Miami.
“They told me I need to get back down there and I always have a home there and to have them locked in,” Dixon Wyatt said.
Lockhart said: “It was Miami and they said, ‘It’s all about The U.’”
The Hurricanes were actually pretty busy out West as five-star quarterback Brady Smigiel from Newbury Park, Calif., was in a midnight group chat with a bunch of Miami coaches.
“Miami was a group chat with the staff,” Smigiel said. “They just said they are excited for me to get out to Miami with a custom graphic.”
It was busy all over the place.
Clemmons (N.C.) West Forsyth four-star offensive lineman Pierre Dean heard first from South Carolina position coach Lonnie Teasley telling Dean, ‘You’re next PJ.’
“After that it just kind of flooded with messages,” Dean said.
Five-star offensive lineman Keenyi Pepe’s first message came from Florida State offensive line coach Alex Atkins. Four-star defensive lineman Bryce Perry-Wright landed his first text message from Texas coach Steve Sarkisian working on getting him back to Austin for another visit. Frisco (Texas) Panther Creek four-star WR Jalen Lott heard from the Longhorns first as well.
Recent Georgia de-commit Derrek Cooper received a message from Texas A&M coach Mike Elko saying he wanted to be his coach along with a poster and a video.
Columbia (S.C.) Ridge View four-star receiver Jordon Girdron and four-star safety Jireh Edwards from Baltimore (Md.) St. Frances got messages from Auburn first.
“First text came from coach (Hugh) Freeze from Auburn just saying he needs me at Auburn a lot,” Edwards said. “It’s a need, not a want.”
For Gidron, he received a message from Auburn position coach Marcus Davis - while Davis was putting his daughter to bed.
“Coach Davis was just saying I’m a priority guy for him and he can’t wait to continue building this relationship,” Gidron said.
Las Vegas (Nev.) Bishop Gorman four-star defensive lineman James “Tank” Carrington heard first from Virginia Tech and about how they’re trying to make it into the powerhouse it once was.
Four-star cornerback Samari Matthews heard from Notre Dame position coach Mike Mickens first. Baylor reached out to nearby Waco (Texas) University four-star receiver London Smith.
Oklahoma was the first to hit up four-star defensive lineman Daverin Geralds but North Carolina came right after that and the Tar Heels were first for Tupelo, Miss., four-star DE JaReylan McCoy.
Fresh off an offer from Clemson, four-star receiver Devin Carter heard first from Louisville coach Jeff Brohm in which Carter was told how important he is to the Cardinals. The first calls for Douglasville (Ga.) Douglas County four-star receiver Aaron Gregory came from Auburn and Tennessee.
“It feels like Christmas morning,” Gregory said.
And then there was Elbert Hill, the four-star cornerback from Akron (Ohio) Hoban who received so many messages so quickly at midnight that he simply lost track of which one came in before the others.
“I couldn’t tell,” Hill said. “So many people called at once.”