Looking ahead to the QB dominoes that still need to fall in the 2026 class

NBC Sports

2 days ago

There was a shocking quarterback flip on Thursday when four-star Peyton Falzone flipped from Penn State to Auburn.
With that consideration, Rivals national recruiting director Adam Gorney looks at the remaining quarterback dominoes and what could be ahead.
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At the Elite 11, Duckworth talked highly about both Auburn and South Carolina but there was definitely a feeling that the Gamecocks have emerged as perhaps the program to beat again in his recruitment.
The four-star quarterback from Jackson, Ala., had already been committed to the Gamecocks and never burned any bridges there as he loves coach Shane Beamer and has grown a relationship with new OC Mike Shula. He's also sat down with LaNorris Sellers to break down how he'd be used in the offense with strengths and weaknesses.
Falzone's flip to Auburn could have only solidified even more Duckworth's lean to South Carolina.
At the Rivals Five-Star, Cherry was asked about other schools coming after him and he mentioned Auburn and LSU as two to watch. There was also a sense that the four-star quarterback from Chattanooga (Tenn.) Baylor School would be open to hearing from more SEC programs.
With Falzone flipping to the Tigers, Auburn might have made its move. But LSU missed on four-star quarterback Bowe Bentley (who chose Oklahoma) and so the Tigers could make it interesting if they made a push on Cherry, soon.
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Fahey has been intentionally deliberate throughout his recruitment and now he can see exactly where things stand with quarterbacks around the country.
Stanford and Indiana had been his top two with the Hoosiers having a slight lead but they just flipped three-star Cash Herrera from Iowa.
Fahey visited Ohio State over the weekend and the Buckeyes offered so that could only be a matter of timing at this point. Stanford is still very much involved but playing in the Big Ten seems like a bigger draw, plus Ohio State has been a dream school.
There seemed to be some dismissal of Ponatoski's recent visit to Kentucky – like he wasn't seriously considering the Wildcats – but that couldn't be further from the truth. In fact, it might even be more true after two of his other favorites received commitments in Jett Thomalla to Alabama and Bryson Beaver to Oregon.
The four-star quarterback from Cincinnati (Ohio) Moeller is also serious weighing his MLB Draft stock so while his intention is to play college football, there is a chance that Ponatoski heads right to play pro baseball so coaches have to factor that into their calculus.
The four-star quarterback from Downey, Calif., is committing on Friday and is not tipping his hand whether it's Arizona or UCLA.
The Wildcats have been involved for much longer. He sees an early opportunity there and he loves the coaching staff, especially position coach Seth Doege. There are also some rumors that those close to him really like Arizona as well.
But UCLA was a dream school growing up. It's right down the road from Downey. And getting an opportunity to play in the Big Ten could be a massive draw. This is a close one heading down the stretch to decision time.