College football recruiting: Top 2027 commits in the ACC
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Recruiting in the ACC looks a little different in 2026. Not all of the usual suspects are building elite classes and “local” recruits can now come from California and Texas.
It’s Miami that’s dominating on the trail so far in the 2027 cycle. The Hurricanes currently have the No. 4 class in the nation, according to the Rivals Industry Team Recruiting Rankings. There are five ACC programs that currently hold a top-25 class, as of July 9.
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Looking at the Rivals Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all major recruiting media companies, nine top-100 prospects are currently committed to an ACC program. That includes a trio of five-stars, all of whom have their sights set on Coral Gables.
Rivals breaks down the top commits in the ACC with football season right around the corner:
5-star CB Donte Wright — Miami
Rivals Industry Ranking: No. 10 NATL. (No. 2 CB)
School: Long Beach Poly (Calif.)
Committed Since: May 9
It was Georgia that nabbed a very early commitment from Wright last year, but it became increasingly evident that the Golden State playmaker wasn’t going to end up in Athens. Oregon and UCLA were among those on the West Coast pushing for a flip, but Miami snatched the momentum.
He visited in the spring and ultimately decided to make the sudden call in May. Wright took his official visit later that month and has since “shut down” his recruitment.
“This all happened today,” Wright’s father, Donte Sr., told Rivals’ Greg Biggins after the flip on May 9. “I mean in last two hours, he came to me and said, ‘dad, I’m doing this now.’
“Miami had been trending already for him. Not a lot of people knew that but Miami was leading and it was more a matter of when not if but I didn’t even know it would be this soon. For Donte, he said the process was getting tiresome and he wanted to shut it down and that’s what he did.”
5-star WR Nick Lennear — Miami
Rivals Industry Ranking: No. 17 NATL. (No. 4 WR)
School: Miami Carol City (Fla.)
Committed Since: March 5
There were no flip heroics needed from Miami in the recruitment of Lennear. The in-state pass-catcher had been trending toward The U for months during his junior season.
He continued to say all the right things about where the program stood in his recruitment, and after taking a couple more visits, he came off the board in March. He’s the No. 2 player in Florida this cycle.
Lennear reminds Rivals’ Scouting and Rankings Team of NFL wideout Jordan Addison. National Scout Cody Bellaire had this to say about the 6-foot, 165-pounder: “Lennear is a tremendous ball tracker with natural hands that possesses savvy body control in order to put himself in the best positions to attack the football. Smoother than twitchy athlete with natural route running ability to create space at every level of the field.”
5-star EDGE Jaiden Bryant — Miami
Rivals Industry Ranking: No. 24 NATL. (No. 5 EDGE)
School: Irmo (S.C.)
Committed Since: June 3
The second five-star to flip to Mario Cristobal and the ‘Canes was Bryant, the top-ranked recruit in South Carolina. LSU was the first to collect his commitment thanks to position coach Sterling Lucas, who left the Gamecocks to join the Tigers’ staff.
He did not shut the door on his process, however, and that opened the door for Miami to get involved and get him down to the 305 for a visit. Bryant flipped while on his official visit.
“It went great,” Bryant said of the OV when speaking with EJ Holland of CaneSport.com. “Some highlights from this weekend were spending time with some of the guys and some of the players already on the team. I just had an all-around great time. I appreciated the way the coaches treated me and my family. I felt love here. I felt wanted.”
The trio of Wright, Lennear and Bryant has Miami positioned well inside the top five of the Rivals team rankings. Every commit in the class has “shut down” their recruitments.
4-star QB Israel Abrams — Miami
Rivals Industry Ranking: No. 39 NATL. (No. 3 QB)
School: Montini Catholic (Ill.)
Committed Since: April 3
Miami was a latecomer in the recruitment of Abrams, but it didn’t take long for it to soar to the top and land his commitment in the spring. Auburn and Purdue looked to be the top contenders for the blue-chip passer, but the Hurricanes became an option and Abrams opted for Coral Gables.
“Miami is a dream school,” Abrams told CaneSport’s EJ Holland. “It’s one of the offers I wanted as a kid. I said I would get the offer, and I did. It was a true blessing. They’ve had two really good quarterbacks back-to-back. It would be cool to come behind Cam Ward and Carson Beck.”
Abrams’ stock has continued to rise ahead of his senior season. He’s now the No. 2 recruit in Illinois.
“Israel Abrams pairs a live arm with quality movement skills. Abrams’ arm allows him to push the football downfield with ease,” Rivals’ Director of Scouting and Rankings Charles Power wrote. “He regularly rips throws with velocity to the boundary on his junior film. The physical ability pairs with a positive production profile. Abrams threw for over 4,000 yards and 40 touchdowns against six interceptions while leading his team to a state title as as junior.”
4-star LB AJ Randle Jr. — Miami
Rivals Industry Ranking: No. 71 NATL. (No. 5 LB)
School: Garner (N.C.)
Committed Since: May 21
Miami has dipped into plenty of states to build its top-five class and it landed Randle, the No. 5 player in North Carolina, right before he took his official visit at the end of May.
South Carolina was the other top contender in his recruitment, while the likes of Ohio State, Florida and Georgia were also heavily involved. It ultimately came down to Randle’s relationships with the Miami staff and the future he sees for himself inside the ACC program.
“Miami involved my mom and dad in the recruiting process from day one,” Randle told Rivals’ Chad Simmons. “They did a great job with my mom, my dad and with me. That showed us a lot.”
“I love to win,” he said. “Knowing I can play for a team that can win championships and compete for championships is really exciting. Miami is a place I feel I can win and reach my goals at.”
4-star WR Jamarin Simmons — Clemson
Rivals Industry Ranking: No. 76 NATL. (No. 13 WR)
School: Amos P. Godby (Fla.)
Committed Since: May 20
Clemson has a great history with developing receivers and it also continues to lean on relationships in the new-age world of recruiting. Both those things helped it come out on top in the recruitment of Simmons, the No. 8 player in the Sunshine State.
Florida State is the program right down the road and a slew of SEC teams were involved, but Simmons felt the love from head coach Dabo Swinney and the Clemson staff. The Tigers honed in on him as their top receiver target and he’s now the top ACC commit not headed to Miami.
“The bond that I had with coach Dabo, coach (Tyler) Grisham, the whole coaching staff,” Simmons told Rivals’ Adam Gorney last month. “It was just that relationship we have. We call, we text each other, they call my parents, my brothers, my siblings to make sure we’re good. We have such a good relationship. That’s why I could see myself playing at Clemson.”
4-star QB Peter Bourque — Virginia Tech
Rivals Industry Ranking: No. 77 NATL. (No. 7 QB)
School: Tabor Academy (Mass.)
Committed Since: May 14
Bourque committed to Michigan as a junior, but he re-opened his process after the firing of head coach Sherrone Moore. That opened the door for Virginia Tech’s James Franklin and Danny O’Brien, both of whom were after the Northeast gunslinger while at Penn State.
It ultimately came down to the Hokies and Georgia for the nation’s No. 7 passer. Bourque’s relationships with the new VT staff won out. He became the program’s biggest recruiting win in the last seven years.
“Virginia Tech was one of the blue bloods of college football. Getting it back to what it was and doing really special things there is exciting. I think it is coming soon too,” Bourque told Rivals’ Chad Simmons last month. “That fan base is all about football, and they are excited about Coach Franklin. Playing in front of that crowd is going to be awesome. Things are going to turn around there.”
Virginia Tech has the No. 19 class in the Rivals Industry Team Recruiting Rankings. Bourque headlines the 26-man haul.
4-star WR Charles Davis — Cal
Rivals Industry Ranking: No. 87 NATL. (No. 15 WR)
School: Westlake (Calif.)
Committed Since: April 10
New Cal head coach Tosh Lupoi has his alma mater recruiting at a high level and Davis is the class jewel. The No. 9 player in California chose the Bears over UCLA and others. He’s one of three top-30 receivers committed to the program this cycle.
“Davis is one of the biggest risers in the 2027 class this offseason. We saw him as more of a tight end following his junior season but he has really fine tuned his game and increased his speed and twitch to the point where he’s 100-percent a receiver now,” Rivals’ Greg Biggins wrote.
“Pushing 6-foot-5, 195 pounds, Davis was the Rivals MVP following the Under Armour Next Camp in Los Angeles. His improvement as a route runner was striking and he was able to create easy separation and then flashed true blow-by ability at the top of his routes.”
4-star CB Ai’King Hall — Miami
Rivals Industry Ranking: No. 91 NATL. (No. 12 CB)
School: Dothan (Ala.)
Committed Since: May 17
The No. 1 recruit in Alabama first had his sights set on Eugene as Oregon picked up an early commitment from Hall. However, it was well-known that proximity to home was a factor for some in his camp and there were other schools that continued to push for a flip in the spring.
With momentum in-hand, the Hurricanes struck once again. Hall took a trip to Coral Gables and proceeded to flip to Miami before leaving campus. He ranks as the No. 39 recruit in the Rivals300.
“They’ve been working hard since they offered,” Hall told Rivals’ Chad Simmons. “They turned it up after I committed to Oregon. Once I committed, and they kept recruiting me, the Miami coaches really made me feel really valued and like I was the guy for them.”
4-star IOL Jatori Williams — Miami
Rivals Industry Ranking: No. 110 NATL. (No. 9 IOL)
School: Central (Ala.)
Committed Since: May 21
Continuing Miami’s huge run of May commits, Williams chose The U after decommitting from Alabama back in the winter. The towering 6-foot-3, 335-pounder also considered the likes of Auburn, Kentucky and Florida State.
Miami OL coach Alex Mirabal is as vaunted as they come and he’s got another massive commit en route to the trenches.
“I chose Miami because the development and how I feel like they can get me to the league. They know how to develop offensive linemen,” Williams told Rivals’ Chad Simmons. “I like Coach Cristobal a lot. Miami has Coach Cristobal and Coach Mirabal — two great offensive line coaches to work with me and develop me. It is a great situation for me.”
Miami’s No. 4 class can be seen here.
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