There are currently 18 five stars at the top of the ESPN 100 players classifications for the Male University Basketball class of 2026. Three are out of the board in early September: the number 12 Jashawn Andrews was the first of this group, announcing its commitment to Arkansas in May. He was followed in July by the number 4 of Jason Crowe, who gave Missouri his first five -star recruit since 2017. More recently, coach Dennis Gates got his second five -star recruit in class 2026 in No. 14 Toni Bryant. And the tigers are still strongly in the mixture for more ESPN 100 players.
We are tracking each five -star commitment ad and we break down how it happened, the adjustment and more, right here. Players are ordered by range below.
Last update: September 8, 2025
See the complete classification of 2026 ESPN 100 players here
Ranking 2026 ESPN 100: 4
Committed to: Missouri Tigers
Commitment date: July 18, 2025
Background: Crowe did not wait until the end of the July period to commit, establishing a date in mid -July in advance. Nor did he announce an official school list. However, during much of their recruitment, Kentucky and USC were considered the main contestants: Crowe's father played with Kentucky Assistant Jason Hart and the two remain friends, and the Trojans made a priority during the entire process. But during the last weeks, Missouri emerged as the favorite and was able to land to the highest scorer.
How fits: Crowe is one of the elite scorers in high school basketball, with an average of more than 23 points per game in the Nike Eybl circuit. He is explosive with the ball in his hands and is an expert at play that can involve others. In Missouri, Crowe will probably become the best offensive player of the early team, although the ship's shipyard Robinson and the transfer of UCLA Sebastian Mack could return to Columbia in 2026-27 and remove the pressure from Crowe. It is also worth noting that Dennis Gates & Co. has advanced with his five -star partner Toni Bryant (No. 13).
What follows for Kentucky and USC? Crowe would have been the ideal beginning of the 2026-27 list for Kentucky or USC, but both programs have talented perspectives at the top of their joints. The Wildcats are looking for the prospect No. 1 Tyran Stokes, No. 5 Caleb Holt and the five -star guards Taylen Kinney (No. 17) and Deron Rippey Jr. (No. 18), among others. USC is looking at Christian Collins (No. 2), Brandon McCoy (No. 6) and Tajh Ariza (No. 20) at the top.
Ranking 2026 ESPN 100: 12
Committed to: Arkansas Razorbacks
Commitment date: May 15, 2025
Background: Although the highly classified perspectives of the state of Arkansas have generally stayed at home for the university, ironically, Malik Monk choosing Kentucky from John Calipari about Arkansas was one of the high profile exceptions, the Razorbs had to do some work to land Andrews. He had LSU and Missouri among his last three, with the Tigers of Dennis Gates seemed to be in a strong position in the section. But Calipari has shown that he still has a juice with five stars.
JJ Andrews is a beast 🔥 24 points and 10 boards for the commitment of Arkansas, since Brad Beal Elite expires to Oakland soldiers 94-78 @Nikeeyb pic.twitter.com/hf6yxctcer
– SportsCenter Next (@Scnext) July 17, 2025
How fits: The number 1 player in the state of Arkansas, Andrews, has been on the radar of the best programs for several years. It has tremendous physical tools and it is aggressive to go to the basket on the offensive side. Although it is not a prolific perimeter shooter, it triggered 40% from the range of 3 points during the regular Eybl season with only one brand per game. It is always clear who will return to a Calipari training list, but Andrews should have an early role when it arrives in the fall of 2026. As expected, the reasoningacks are looking for a series of five other stars in 2026.
Ranking 2026 ESPN 100: 14
Committed to: Missouri Tigers
Commitment date: September 8, 2025
Background: Bryant, a 6 -foot and 9 -inch striker of Zephyrhills Christian Academy in Florida, is striker number 4 in class 2026, averaging 13.3 points and 5.8 rebounds in the Puma Pro16 circuit the spring and last summer.
As we mentioned when Jason Crowe promised, Missouri was considered for a long time as the main contender for Bryant. Dennis Gates and the Tigers were among the first high schools in showing great interest in Bryant, extending an offer of scholarships in May 2024, long before it emerged as one of the best players on the court in class 2026. Several other programs jumped to the mixture in the last 16 months, including Blue Bloods Kansas (March) and North Carolina (at the beginning of this month). But Missouri brought him to the campus last weekend for the Tigres football match against the rival Jayhawks, and Bryant finished his recruitment less than 48 hours later.
How fits: Bryant is the second five -star recruit in Missouri Group 2026, joining Crowe in what is now the only class in the country with multiple five -star perspectives. Bryant's actions have increased considerably during the past year, with their athletics and their bidirectional potential causing an impression. It is active in the transition and in the offensive glass and shows signs of being able to knock down the shots of the perimeter.
He will not have to assume a great offensive burden immediately as a first -year student in Columbia, particularly with the high -use cabinet Crowe directing the show. But wait for Crowe to involve Bryant in the lumps and rapid environments. Bryant should have an impact on the defensive end, given Missouri's aggressive style at that end of the floor.
