Inaugural Class of 2026 National Rankings – Behind The Scenes
The Class of 2026 National Rankings are out. They are here. This class is ready for a huge month where once June 15 comes around, those phone lines are officially open. At Prep Dig we have released the sophomore class rankings at the start of June, just in time for recruiting opening day. How does this list get made?
At Prep Dig, we have over 20 states with rankings broken down by class. We have a large database of athletes that we can draw from. There isn't an exact formula in regards to metrics, but we take into account state rankings, performances at major tournaments (Nationals, Qualifiers, Triple Crown), NTDP, athletes who are involved in the USA Youth National Program, and will take into account feedback from club coaches. We do not ask for feedback from college coaches in order to avoid any rule infractions per the NCAA.
Do we miss kids? Absolutely, I'll be the first to admit that. Going through each player on this list, verifying information, and reviewing video it was very difficult to narrow down to 150,. Whether it is a state ranking or a national ranking, we take into account their performance at the highest level of play. The best of the best are playing on the largest stage in the open division and when they are making an impact among the best in their age group, it will result in a higher ranking.
Why have rankings? We have been able to use rankings in a variety of ways where we can track recruiting patterns, recruiting classes, and we've even gone back after a class's freshman season in college to see how many of them are playing, earning honors, or transferring. Being a metrics nerd, it is always interesting to track certain patterns in these rankings. With conference realignment, the movement of athletes to different parts of the country (or staying home) have been very interesting.
For athletes, they can claim their profile, use it as a tool in their recruiting which allows them to upload video, get tagged on articles, and will allow athletes to update club information as well as their college commitment.
Good luck at nationals! Good luck in the recruiting journey! We will be there to have it covered!
