The latest Rivals250 is out for the 2026 recruiting class. One thing that sticks out to me is that once again the Midwest is loaded with top tight ends. There are five of them in the Rivals250 and a few more knocking on the door.
Let’s take a look at where things stand with several of those tight ends as we head into spring practices and official visits.
MORE: Six important visits to watch in the Big Ten this spring
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Anderson is a unique prospect with great size and pass catching skills. He’s a fluid route runner and can also hold his own in the run blocking aspect of playing tight end. He’s got his official visits set to Illinois on April 11, North Carolina on June 6, Auburn on June 12 and Notre Dame on June 19. I’m told that Ole Miss is likely to get an official visit as well. Right now, the feel is that Illinois leads but don’t count out Notre Dame in this race either.
The Michigan native surprised many when he gave his verbal pledge to Georgia in November. But when the Bulldogs want a player at tight end it’s hard to say no. Despite being committed to Georgia many programs are checking in with Keyes including the in-state Michigan Wolverines. Keyes is a solid Georgia commit though and it’d be surprising if anyone moved him off that.
The Kansas native was a riser in the latest rankings refresh. He might not be done moving up either. He’s a special athlete standing at 6-foot-5, 225 pounds. Premer moves very well on the field where he’s used to doing a little bit of everything for his school. He’s also a star on the basketball court scoring over 1,000 career points. Miami and Notre Dame unofficial visits are coming for spring practice. The only official visit on the books right now is on June 6 to Kansas. The Jayhawks have done an outstanding job of keeping the top players in-state home. Premer would be the crown jewel of the class if Kansas can land him.
The Illinois native has a very interesting group of schools that he’s set official visits to. He’ll be at Illinois on April 11, Ole Miss on April 25, Ohio State on May 30, Penn State on June 6 and Alabama on June 20. The unique thing about this recruitment is that I can make a case for any of those five to end up landing him. Ole Miss and Alabama seem to have a slight edge heading into his official visits but these visits will be critical in determining where he commits. Sutter will take an unofficial visit March 7 weekend to North Carolina. Tight ends are flocking to see what coach Bill Belichick is building which makes sense given his history with the position.
The Minnesota native has been a riser recently in the rankings as more people get eyes on him. Standing at 6-foot-4, 215 pounds he is a very athletic player at the tight end position. Both in-state Minnesota and Iowa have had his attention through the recruiting process. Being offered by Iowa at tight end is a big deal so that’s something to watch. Voss doesn’t have official visits set up yet but will visit Miami and Alabama for spring practices in March.
Watkins is one of a handful of big-time tight end prospects in Michigan for the 2026 cycle. He’s got close to 30 scholarship offers from around the country. The Port Huron (Mich.) Northern standout made the rounds during the winter to get some clarity on his recruitment. Now he’s got official visits set to NC State on June 6, Indiana on June 16 and Nebraska on June 20. Going into the official visits, the Huskers seem to have his attention the most after a great winter visit to the program.
Whiting elected to give a verbal pledge to Michigan State in February just as he was blowing up on the recruiting trail. He’s got a great relationship with the staff and sees the vision of how they’d like to build the program. However, several of the teams that have offered him are likely to not give up on recruiting him. It also seems likely that he’ll get new offers during his senior season as he continues to show his skills. The Spartans may have to work to keep him in the class but right now Whiting is sold on being a building block in East Lansing.
