Five Uncommitted 2026s That Shouldn't Be

When you start questioning why certain players you think should be committed still aren't, you get a variety of answers, and most of them are probably rumors and guesswork. One of the reasons players sit unsigned so long is that they picture themselves at a certain level, and when that level never materializes, and they are stuck facing playing a lower division, they just give up. I've seen this happen personally a few times in multiple sports over the past couple of years. But the way things go in college these days, it's the wrong approach to take. Junior College was always an option for a player to build some more video against higher-level players, and after a year or two, transfer to a bigger school. The way the portal works these days, each year is kind of a stepping stone. A good year at a Junior College can lead directly to a D2 or D1 transfer. They are literally designed for this and happen every year. Nowadays, players will commit to a D3, play well, and then shop themselves to D2 or D1 schools for the following season. It comes with risks. 30% of kids that enter the portal don't find a new school to land at, and that's it for that sport. I've even seen a lot of D1 players sign with a lower conference that promises playing time as a freshman, and then using that year to leverage into a higher, even power 4 conference.   Things are crazy in college sports these days, but where you begin isn't always where you end.    So rankings are very subjective and different place to place, I learned that when doing my own all-county picks, but I will say, being 6 for pins in this area should probably be signed SOMEWHERE by now. Won player of the year in 6B in VA. Went to watch some video and realized I've actually watched her this season, but just assumed she was already committed cause she's legit. She's what a lot of the young OH kids want to be when they grow up. I did some deep video research, and I'll see her in person soon again. I didn't get to see a lot of defensive highlights, so I'm going to guess she only plays at the net, nothing wrong with that, and honestly, I saw a pass or two and a bunch of blocks, so there's some skill there, too. Schools with an open 2026 slot and some need at the net should be on the phone like now; she's not going to last long. <a href="https://www.hudl.com/profile/17248647/Soleil-Rancourt">https://www.hudl.com/profile/17248647/Soleil-Rancourt</a>     So this one popped up on my radar mid-HS season. Full disclosure, it's because we have some family friends in Carroll County playing for Metro North, and I started keeping more tabs on them lately. Elaina is a teammate of theirs, and amused me because, unlike a lot of coaches, I'm a big believer that height isn't the end all be all in volleyball. There are exceptions, positions, and levels of play where it's just not the glass ceiling some make it out to be. At 5'6 this is the kind of OH where you go, oh, they must be desperate. Except this is a 5'6 player that has a vertical that touches 10 foot even. That's funny because that's usually the magic number where people get interested in players, and they are usually 6-foot-ish to be putting up those numbers. The girl has bounce and when you are touching 10 foot it gives you the downward plane you are looking for as a hitter. Every year, there's a new aspect of the game that becomes something new to target and use. For the past couple years, it's been the RS, and playing more dynamic hitters and OH, even to target setters or create multiple options for D to cover. The new trend I've been seeing is the back row attack. It's used a lot more in college, but is becoming more and more popular at the youth level, and when you have a player that can play DS and touch 10 foot vertically, you could have quite a weapon on your hands. This is a 2-time player of the year that can legit play all around 6. She is a very intriguing player if you can put the height out of your head and focus on the skills. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEw_j85-43Obcy5CEQGXMeg">https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEw_j85-43Obcy5CEQGXMeg</a>     Here's one that I had on my all-county team for Howard County. She moved from a loaded Atholton team to Centennial this year, and when I saw her at a High School season tournament I almost dropped my drink. She's a 5'10 RS that touches over 10 foot, AND is a lefty. That's what you call a weapon. Just to make things more interesting, she's a former libero so she's got more defensive chops than many at the pins and can legit play around. I know quite a few teams that could use a player exactly like this to spread out the offensive weapons. She's playing on a deep Metro 18T team this season, so I've got her on the schedule to come watch her sooner than later, but yet another player that someone should be reaching out to add some power and athleticism. <a href="https://sportsrecruits.com/athlete/sydnee_peters2">https://sportsrecruits.com/athlete/sydnee_peters2</a>     Kennedy had a very solid season for Glenelg, ending in a county championship, and this year made the jump from [program_tooltip program_id='476729' first='Paramount' last=''] to Metro 18T, where she's been the 'bro quite a bit early this season over some other spectacular DS. I had to give some love to my shorter DS, at a position where being closer to the floor is an advantage. I will say in the times I've seen Kennedy she plays hard shots well, which is one of the main things you are asking from your DS at this level. Being able to save clean, hard shots puts a point back on the board for your team.     McKenna is one of the OH on the dominant State Title-winning Howard HS team. She's got good height for a pin at 5'11 and can play either OH or RS. She was one of the features of the offense of one of the best HS teams in the history of Maryland. That resume alone should be enough to get her some looks from some schools. I've seen my fair share of D3 rosters where she would be the tallest player on the team, let alone one that can hit as well as she does. As with a lot of these players, I'm not sure if it's not knowing what work to put in in the process, or if teams are just missing out, but every graduating class this seems to happen, and hopefully I can right some wrongs and get them some attention. Video: <a href="https://sportsrecruits.com/athlete/mckenna_brown5">https://sportsrecruits.com/athlete/mckenna_brown5</a>    I know I said I wasn't going to do this again, but my last post got quite a bit of attention, one mistake I made, where one of my targets had committed somewhere and I just didn't know, and in a couple other cases, I did in fact have some people reach out with some more suggestions. Some GOOD ones too, so buckle up, I'm going to break the rules again and give some highlights to some girls in our area that colleges are missing out on. We could go into the how this happens debate... but it's usually a bit of this, bit of that, so I'm just going to focus on a few more that I found that coaches should REALLY reach out to soon because they aren't going to stay uncommitted long. And again...if I miss and one of these HAS committed and I just couldn't find it, let me know!

When you start questioning why certain players you think should be committed still aren't, you get a variety of answers, and most of them are probably rumors and guesswork. One of the reasons players sit unsigned so long is that they picture themselves at a certain level, and when that level never materializes, and they are stuck facing playing a lower division, they just give up. I've seen this happen personally a few times in multiple sports over the past couple of years. But the way things go in college these days, it's the wrong approach to take. Junior College was always an option for a player to build some more video against higher-level players, and after a year or two, transfer to a bigger school. The way the portal works these days, each year is kind of a stepping stone. A good year at a Junior College can lead directly to a D2 or D1 transfer. They are literally designed for this and happen every year. Nowadays, players will commit to a D3, play well, and then shop themselves to D2 or D1 schools for the following season. It comes with risks. 30% of kids that enter the portal don't find a new school to land at, and that's it for that sport. I've even seen a lot of D1 players sign with a lower conference that promises playing time as a freshman, and then using that year to leverage into a higher, even power 4 conference.