The 2025 season is yet to pull up the curtains, but the 2026 class is already making the headlines. Brandon Arrington, a five-star cornerback, announced his commitment on Thursday, June 19. For a while, he seemed set on Oregon, making his commitment to an SEC team a big surprise. But it seems this was just the beginning, as Arrington has been keeping everyone guessing with more cryptic messages online.

Arrington, from Mount Miguel High School in Spring Valley, California, is ranked as the No. 1 cornerback in the country. He’s now officially committed to Mike Elko’s team at Texas A&M. However, he kept all his potential schools on edge until the very last minute. His final list included powerhouse programs like Alabama, USC, Oregon, Texas A&M, and Penn State.

On June 14, Arrington stirred up some chatter by sharing a video on his Instagram story with Alabama’s 18-year-old star, Ryan Williams. In the clip, Arrington could be heard saying, “Yes, Sir. Roll Tide,” while Williams joined him. But it turns out that was just a planned hype session for Ryan Williams, as Arrington ultimately committed to the Aggies. And right after joining his new program, the cornerback sent out another mysterious message.

This time, it was for fellow 2026 recruit Jackson Cantwell, who has committed to the Miami Hurricanes. As Cantwell reached a new milestone, Arrington became one of his biggest cheerleaders. Re-sharing a USATF video featuring Cantwell, Arrington wrote, “Yk where u supposed to be @jcantwell2499 👍🏽🤠.” So, what’s all the hype about Cantwell?

Well, the 5-star offensive tackle had already made a name by winning Class 5 state titles in both the shot put and discus at the 2025 MSHSAA Track and Field Championships and coming just 1 centimeter shy of breaking a national high school outdoor record that has stood since 1979. He was only “likely” to compete at the Nike Outdoor Nationals, but he made it. While he didn’t break a record, his performance was still enough to make fellow athletes, like Brandon Arrington, go gaga.

Cantwell won the U20 national championship in the shot put at the USA Track and Field U20 competition at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon. He became the youngest competitor in the 6-kilogram shot category as he launched his winning throw 69 feet, 8 inches on his fifth attempt to take the title. In this process, he has beaten Ethan Thomas, a North Dakota freshman and former Grand Forks Central standout. Maybe Cantwell hitting this milestone feels like a personal win for Arrington. 

The 2026 class just got faster, thanks to Brandon Arrington

Not many know that Arrington brings more than just football skills with him. As the 247 Sports scouting report reads, “Two-Sport standout and one of the fastest sprinters in the country. Has personal best times of 10.43-100m and 20.76-200m as a sophomore and could easily double sport in college.” In April, Arrington became the hero of the Arcadia Invitational. From Olympic hopefuls to state champions, Arcadia is where legends are born and records are rewritten.

He had himself an absolute monster of a day, winning both the 100- and 200-meter races. The numbers have been heroic. In the 100, he set the 3rd fastest time in meet history with a 10.32, only winning by .01 of a second. Arrington carried his powers to the 200-meter race as well. And the end result? He shattered Olympic gold medalist Noah Lyles’ meet record of 20.49 as he ran a blistering 20.35, standing his ground as the nation’s fastest 200-meter runner.

With this, Brandon Arrington solidified his status as the nation’s fastest 200-meter runner. While he hyped up Jackson Cantwell for his success, he kept himself grounded during his victory speech. On X, he wrote, “Blessed to get a award for winning the 100m and breaking Noah Lyle’s old 200m record at the Arcadia invitational thank you @ArcadiaInvite.” With all this dual-sport firepower, the Class of 2026 is shaping up to be nothing short of elite.