Rivals national recruiting analyst Greg Smith has three predictions on next season's national champion, Illinois' 2026 recruiting class and Ohio State keeping a top in-state target home.
MORE PREDICTIONS: Top TE in 2026, Alabama loses in-state target, Super Bowl
CLASS OF 2025 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Team | Position | State
CLASS OF 2026 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Team | Position | State
CLASS OF 2027 RANKINGS: Top 100
TRANSFER PORTAL: Full coverage | Player ranking | Team ranking | Transfer search | Transfer Tracker
OHIO STATE WON'T REPEAT AS NATIONAL CHAMPIONS
Given all the talent that Ohio State is losing after its national title run, it’s wild to think it will be preseason No. 1. The Buckeyes have to replace Will Howard, Emeka Egbuka, Jack Sawyer, Cody Simon and several other starters.
But coach Ryan Day has of course built a roster powered by former five-stars and four-stars. Quarterback Julian Sayin is waiting in the wings to take over the offense. He’ll be throwing to Jeremiah Smith and Carnell Tate. Plus, the team added tight end Max Klare in the transfer portal and he will be an immediate weapon. There are young players ready to step up on defense as well.
But the big concern (at least right now) is losing defensive coordinator Jim Knowles. He bolted to Penn State for a record-breaking contract and we don’t know yet who will replace him. Plus, it’s very difficult to repeat in today’s college football world. The Buckeyes will be among the favorites next year but I’d take the field at this point.
ILLINOIS WILL FINISH IN THE TOP HALF OF THE BIG TEN RECRUITING RANKINGS
Illinois has been a fascinating program to track in the early stages of the 2026 recruiting class. Following the Illini's 10-win season last year and bowl game win over South Carolina, there is a lot of buzz surrounding the program. But it’s not just the wins that have helped.
Coach Bret Bielema and his staff have been working tirelessly behind the scenes to build relationships. Especially in the state and down in Florida. The Illini have a solid class so far and are in great position with four-stars Nasir Rankin, JC Anderson and Cam Thomas. This could be a historic recruiting year for Illinois.
OHIO STATE KEEPS CINCERE JOHNSON HOME
There are some elite programs after Cincere Johnson. Notre Dame, Ohio State, Alabama, Texas A&M and Oklahoma are all heavily involved with him as we get ready for the official visit season. Johnson was at Oklahoma on Jan. 25 and Alabama will host him to start February. But I’m placing an early FutureCast in favor of the in-state Buckeyes.
Johnson is looking for development and elite linebacker production when thinking about his top programs. The Buckeyes offer that, are close to home and are coming off a national championship. Coach Ryan Day and his staff have recruited Johnson hard and it’s tough to see him turning the program down.
