Signing Day 2026: 7 Programs That Got It RIGHT

Class of 2026 Recruiting: Teams that got it right

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1. Vanderbilt Commodores: The newest team in the SEC needs to continue adding SEC athletes. They did just that in beating out several Top 50 competitors for both their commits. Vandy doesn’t add quantity, but they add definite quality in what should be two starters and potential All-SEC performers, Madison Victoriano, the “future” at Setter, and Jordin Southall, and an undervalued freakish athlete at Outside Hitter.

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2. Indiana Hoosiers: Steve Aird and staff just keep stacking bricks in Hoosierville. This was a class of momentum at key positions. They hit an HR in the court of Public Opinion and locker room fit when they signed Mallory Matheny, who will be given every shot to be the future at Setter. Taking her straight out of Columbus, OH, at a time when Ohio State needed a setter and, more so, needed any kind of a recruiting class was a dagger. It sent a huge message and was big-time recruiting W for IU to start the 2026 class.

Matheny is a cheerleader by nature, and she did just that, soon rallying and helping land her longtime teammate and solid OH commit Sara Snowbarger to the class. The Mintonette OH is another perfect culture fit and brings another winning mentality to the IU locker room. The class is closed out with Ellie Hepler, who is a tough Midwest libero who has that mindset and training work ethic that is expected at IU. She should fit in well under Coach Aird and should push for early PT. This class will center around the success of Matheny, but if she is a success, this is a goldmine, and the 2027 crew will be just as good.

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3. Georgia Bulldogs: The Bulldogs didn’t mess around. Come June 15th (kind of like a Bulldog with a brand new bone), they made an immediate statement to the SEC when they locked up Tribe do-everything outside hitter Gigi Artilles. They have to be thinking immediate impact from the Florida pin, who was the go-to option #1, #2, and does it passing-wise. She is an SEC athlete and will upgrade the roster on Day 1. Next up, the ‘Dawgs stayed in Florida and shored up defense with Rylan Miller OTVA and an Elite Orange prospect who goes unnoticed on the national scale, but is a very good volleyball player. If she can adjust early to the speed of college serving and help as a DS for Georgia, or be a big surprise and push for the bro spot, even better, but she will definitely work into the rotation early on, and she upgrades the roster defensively, so that is another W recruiting-wise. The final piece of the 2026 puzzle is Taylor Bruce out of the talent-rich state of North Carolina. Let us know if you have heard of any of these schools(Pitt, Louisville, and Kentucky), where she was invited and camped at, and let us know these are athletic #’s you can work with for an incoming freshman oppo: Block Touch of 10’ and Approach Touch of 10’4. She moved into the Elite Red Prospect Category this Fall and needs to continue with skill development, so she may be a year or two away, but once again ***SHE IS A SEC ATHLETE and Georgia needs to add as many of those as they can to fill the roster to continue to bridge the gap to continue with the tops in the conference. Love this class for the ‘Dawgs!!!

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4. Oregon Ducks: Trent Karstens and staff did NOT walk into an ideal situation in Eugene when they took over this past Winter. Saying things are a bit messy would be an understatement. That being said, the way they finished this class, you should give this class MVP Awards because Duck Nation made out like real heroes down the stretch.  

Marlena Garcia was an earlier commit from the East Coast and is a Green Level prospect.  

Lizzie Robinson is the Lbero of the future for Duck Nation and plays with powerful Mater Dei High School, and is an Elite Orange Level Prospect who also camped at Louisville. She has been a cheerleader and a huge advocate for the new staff, helping with the new recruits. She should have every opportunity to earn early court action as a Freshman.

Laura Eichert is the last of the commits and should be one of the starting outsides for the Ducks next Fall. A Gold Level prospect, she ranked in our Top 10 for OHs and was recruited by several of the Top 10 programs in the country. This is a huge twist of luck for Oregon and a great fit for Eichert, who gets to stay close to home, which in the end is probably the best situation. She is explosive and athletic, but simply not known on the national stage because she played for a smaller club in the NW. Everyone will see her in the UA NEXT All-American Match in January.

Alaina Pollard is the final commit and might be the most impactful for the Ducks. A decommit from Indiana, she ends up choosing Oregon and will absolutely add to the interior group of the Ducks. She is a club All-American playing at 1st Alliance, and looking at her, you immediately see the physicality and athleticism. She should be another who pushes early for court time in Eugene. This class worked out amazingly for the new Ducks Coaching Staff and is full of three bodies that fit the Big Ten mold perfectly. Planned or not, this class grades an A for certain.

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5. Alabama Crimson Tide: This staff is everywhere on the recruiting circuit, and it’s showing up in their classes. It did with this class (and we can’t say it yet, but wait until 2027).

Josie Imes is a Midwestern OH who played for Circle City and will be a project-type athlete, but is also fundamentally sound in all areas. She can pass and attack. Could she fill the DS role for the Tide? If so, that would have raised her PPV, which is so hard to tell with some of the prep scores, but she was a serviceable offensive attacker who was an excellent first contact player at the club level.

Erin Clark was one of the bigger “Hey, did you see where she committed?” moments of the ’26 class. The well-known AZ Storm libero surprised many in the recruiting circuit when she chose the Crimson Tide over several P4 offers from the West Coast and the East Coast. She had a very publicized career for the Storm as she rotated libero duties for those nationally ranked teams. Her commitment to Alabama really brought some attention to the class, and she needs to pay it off by making her ranking hold up as she moves to the next level. ‘Bama needs this “ranked recruit” to work out and turn into a star that plays early and is a difference maker for them.

The Tide’s final commit is from the famous A5, and it’s Audrey Simpson. She is a “high ceiling prospect” we valued as an Elite Orange Prospect, but she has so much upside and fits in that new-age Andi Jackson model of middle blocker lean and agile that can run the slide effortlessly and has so much range and reach on her block. The weight room will be huge for her year one, but if she can add strength and explosion to her frame, you are looking at a prospect that can play at a Silver Level for sure, and that is All-SEC caliber, and that is what the Tide Coaching Staff is recruiting her on.

When you look at things that way you have to look at Clark immediate starting potential and difference maker, Imes DS potential (year 1 probably not), and then Simpson could provide some M2 time as a freshman especially on the block, but realistically I would guess she is a projected year 2 starter, but could be a big impact when she hits the lineup. You get two impact starters out of this class; you’ve done a very nice job!

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6. University of South Dakota: Yes, THAT USD the Coyotes had the best “Mid-Major” Class in our rankings, and they also did the same thing two years ago. They only had two athletes sign in this class, so that tells you they must have some talent, and yes, yes, they did.

Chloe Kmiecik is a 6’2” middle out of Shawnee, KS, and played for KC Power. She is a Red Level prospect and a nice fit for the Yotes.

This class is made by those who like to refer to around the office as the “SAC” STEAL OF THE CLASS Gabi Zachariasen, who has fluctuated between an Elite Red and Red Level Prospect throughout her prospect, but is the highest evaluated PPV OH committing to a mid-major. Which was good enough for Gabi to make our NATIONAL America’s 200 list. Comments from a recent college coach ranked in the top 15, “That is one of the best arms I have seen in the class. That is simply lazy recruiting by a lot of schools she will be an immediate impact for Leanne and she will do an excellent job making her an even better weapon, watch out.” When paired vs. top-level competition this October in Las Vegas, she could not be slowed down vs. the best teams on the West Coast, and trust me, she was given as a 2x block every single match.

**Our firs big-time call of the class: Because of the archaic save $ geography rules for the first 2-rounds of the NCAA Tourney…….Mark it down Zachariasen in the lineup for Summit Lg Champ USD (Univ of SOUTH DAKOTA volleyball world) will be the first mid-major to go a Round of 16 next year they will have to get shipped to say Minneapolis or Creighton. Gabi and Kairos love to at least get a tag like the old days!

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#7 West Virginia Mountaineers: Jen Greeny has momentum rolling in Morgantown. A season of signature W’s and a class that will add to increasing the talent level on the roster all lead to positives in the Mountaineer program. This may be the only program where we are in favor of a large recruiting class truly being a big-time positive. Greeny is using this larger class to upgrade talent and replace departures. She made no secret when she arrived that there was a major BUILD that needed to occur, and that starts at EVERY position, upgrading talent. The staff has done that with this class.

Nula Anderson is an Orange Level prospect out of Bozeman, MT, who camped at ASU, Duke, and LBSU before committing to WVU, so she was sought after and already touching 122”. She has potential.

Camden Rahm comes from OTVA in Florida and is another solid Orange Level prospect with open-level playing experience.

Macie Smith is much like Rahm an solid Orange Level prospect who played at the Academy a respected and high level club so she comes with high level experience and high expectations and a lot will be expected of her right away.

Cami Huff is from Alabama and will bring a physical presence to the front row immediately. She is 6’2” and will need to work on verticality to continue to progress to excel at the Big XII level, but she has power and multiple shots in her bag and an effective block.

Reagan Turk comes from Team Indiana and America’s State for D1 Liberos! She is another solid Orange Level prospect and has that work ethic and tenacity that will help her compete at the college level.

This class does exactly as we described; it continues to upgrade talent throughout the gym. When you look at PPVs in the 150-175 range, that honestly means “coin-flip” at the P4 level, but that also means it really is on the athlete. So it’s also on the coaching staff and how they evaluate and recruit, and WHO they evaluate and recruit. In my short time getting to know Coach Greeny and her assistants, I’m betting they are taking the right type of character athletes to build a program. We talked on the Signing Day Show on Wednesday about this. WVU feels like that program that has the right type of momentum right now, and this class adds to it for certain.