Oregon, Georgia trending early for 2026 top-five recruit Immanuel Iheanacho

Five-star offensive tackle Immanuel Iheanacho has been one of the hottest names in the 2026 recruiting class

Five-star offensive tackle Immanuel Iheanacho has been one of the hottest names in the 2026 recruiting class, being rated as the No. 2 recruit overall on the 247Sports Composite.

Iheanacho, a 6’6”, 345-pound offensive lineman, has 30 scholarship offers overall and is the top recruit in the state of Maryland for the 2026 cycle. Checking in at the Under Armour All-AmericanGame, Iheanacho provided the latest on his recruitment as he begins to cut down his overall list, which currently sits around 18 teams.

Looking ahead to January, the five-star offensive lineman plans to attend Texas A&M’s Junior Day on January 11th, while also hoping to schedule visits with the Tennessee Volunteers, Oklahoma Sooners, and USC Trojans in the near future.

The Aggies have been one of the more recent teams to seriously enter the picture for Iheanacho, as they’ve started to really recruit the five-star harder.

“The 26 class is looking pretty good so far and if I’d be able to possibly add to that, I think, they could go farther,” Iheanacho said. “This year, made it to the SEC championship. They were like No. 10 in the country at one point. I like the O-line coaches there [with offensive line] coach [Adam] Cushing. They always reach out and keep a good connection. So, I’ve always been interested in just going out there. They offered me some time ago so I think it’s about due time to go out there.”

Early on, what are schools that the five-star feels surely familiar with at the moment, and what other schools could emerge as suitors with a stronger relationship?

“Oregon for sure, for sure. Penn State, Maryland, Ohio State, Alabama for sure [are schools I’m very familiar with],” Iheanacho said. “I would like to get more familiar with schools like Miami, USC, Tennessee. I’m familiar with Auburn and yeah, pretty long group there.”

As his recruitment starts to really pick up, which coaches does the five-star have the best relationship with at the moment?

“Coach [Phil] Trautwein at Penn State hits me up. I [probably have] the best relationship with him. Coach [A’lique] Terry at Oregon, great coach. I appreciate Coach Terry a lot. I keep a great connection, I think it’s about equal connection-wise [with Coach Trautwein]. I appreciate talking to those guys as much as I can. And Coach [Glen] Elarbee at Tennessee for sure. I would say those are probably the three schools that I talk to the most and I have great connections with so far.”

What excites Iheanacho about those three schools specifically?

On Penn State: “Penn State, they’re very close to getting over the hump and they’re really close to home. My parents will be able to come watch me play. Obviously, staying home, staying close isn’t necessarily a demand or something I’m not looking for, but it’s definitely something that I’ve thought of. [Head] Coach [James] Franklin, I like Coach Franklin a lot. I like their playstyle. The OC is great. I just like their O-line production of how they’ve been able to put O linemen in the league.”

On Oregon: “Oregon, it’s all the way on the other side of the country, so it’s kind of contrasting there. Like Coach [A’lique] Terry. Coach [Dan] Lanning, really young coach. They’re winning games and they have products [in the NFL]. Penei Sewell, and they got some other guys coming up in this draft. Like I said, they’re across the country, so my family, it’d be a little tough for them to come watch me.

“Obviously, you have the TV, but I just love the whole dynamic, the whole campus of Oregon, like how everything, like the practice field to the weight room, [is] set up. I love the strength and conditioning coach. Love [it] down there. It was straight love when I got down there. And the gear is amazing. That’s not the most important part, but gear to me is amazing.”

On Tennessee: “Obviously, they have some nice SEC ball there. They also [have] gotten over the hump. You know, the Tennessee, Alabama rivalry. They beat them two times in the last three or something like that. They win games. It’s really about getting to certain schools over the hump. Certain schools have gone over the hump.

“I would say, like Oregon’s gone over the hump. There’s other certain schools like Tennessee, I’ll say Tennessee, Penn State, that I can get over the hump. And I said, I like Coach [Glen] Elarbee, Coach [Josh] Heupel, I talk to the OC a lot down there as well. Just great guys overall. Just great guys. And it’s a nice location as well.”

While it’s early in the process, Iheanacho expects to take official visits to Oregon, Penn State, Georgia, and Tennessee for sure at the moment, with the Bulldogs still firmly in the mix after being the favorites early on.

On Georgia: “Before I visited Oregon, Georgia was like my No. 1 by far. I love how they’re very raw, like, you know, they’re gritty. They’re everything like that you like to see in like some nice old-fashioned smashmouth football. They have [head] coach [Kirby] Smart. I talked to him. [Offensive] Coach [Stacy] Searels is great. You know, he produces guys [in the NFL]. Amarius Mims, Andrew Thomas, guys like that. They just won the SEC championship so you know they win and I like the campus down there and overall, I just appreciate the brand of football.

“Oregon is my No. 1 [now], but Georgia is right there. Number two, not too far off.”

After taking junior day visits, Iheanacho plans to cut his list to around 10-12 schools in February after getting an idea of all of his top suitors. He then intends to take his official visits with the goal of committing before his senior year around August.

As for official visits, Iheanacho plans to take at least four before his commitment, with Oregon, Penn State, Georgia, and Tennessee getting ones for sure at the moment.

However, there could be other schools at emerge into the mix, with the Florida Gators being one of those teams.

On Florida: “I’ve started getting a better connection with them. I was talking to one of their O-line coaches, coach [Jonathan] Decoster. I just started talking to him. I’ve started to grow a liking into Florida. Earlier in the process, I didn’t know if I was really gonna keep talking to him. It was like on and on and off.

“They kind of like [flipped] the switch and they’ve been able to flip a lot of guys like from Florida State, which I found pretty nice. And you know, [Head] Coach [Billy] Napier, I’ve always had faith in Coach Napier. He was a great guy. When I talked to him, he was just really open [and] great just to be able to talk to [about] football and just as a coach. So I like talking to Coach Napier and [offensive coordinator Rob] Sale.”

Should the Tennessee junior day visit fall through, Iheanacho would consider Florida as a school to visit this January.

In addition, the Miami Hurricanes are a team that has entered the mix recently, with the reltaionships with head coach Mario Cristobal and offensive line coach Alex Mirabal standing out.

On Miami: “They just had a great season. Unfortunately, they came up short in their bowl game. But, I know that Coach [Mirabal] also develops great guys and I believe that they could take me to greater heights. Like I think they’re pretty good technically wise with Coach Cristobal being an O-line guy, you know, that definitely helps when you’re in practice like this. A little bit more attention to detail stuff.”

Certain coaches like they’re more defensive guys. They’re like D-line or they’re not really D-line guys, but like other position, like quarterback guys. But having the O-line guy [as a] head coach really stands out to me a lot.”

While the top four schools have been consistent with their pursuit of Iheanacho, others such as Oklahoma, Maryland, and LSU have hit the five-star up a lot, with the Terrapins looking to add a second five-star in their 2026 class after landing top-five recruit Zion Elee.

On Maryland: “ For me, after Zion committed, being 100% honest, I’ve always had [Maryland] in my top schools. “And, you know, I can never take away like the home feeling, like staying home, the ability to be able to bring a championship to home. It’s always been in my mind, regardless of like the Georgia, the Oregons. I have to be honest: Maryland’s always been in my heart.”

As the new year comes, Iheanacho’s recruitment is as active and buzzing as ever, with a number of top suitors pursuing, while other schools are firmly in the mix as well. As a decision is expected in August, there’s still a long way to go before the five-star comes to any conclusion on his next school.