The college football programs have given their blood, sweat, and tears to lead the 2026 recruiting trail. As per On3’s 2026 Industry Ranking football Team Recruiting Rankings, the No.1 spot is still held by Lincoln Riley and the USC Trojans. They are running strong with 31 recruits locked in. However, when it comes to the month of June, three programs went on full throttle. 

The lucky three were Mike Elko’s Texas A&M, Kirby Smart’s Georgia Bulldogs, and Kalen DeBoer’s Alabama Crimson Tide. Each of the three coaches has something or the other to prove when it comes to the 2025 season. However, they have already planted their flag deep for the 2026 season. And made it to National Recruiting Insider Adam Gorney’s list.

On the July 5 episode of the Rivals podcast, host Josh Newberg had Gorney as his guest. Newberg dished out the question, “Who would be your top three winners of the month of June?” At the top, Gorney placed Elko’s Texas A&M. “Texas A&M ends the list here, but again, it’s alphabetical. I would actually have them number one.” He then highlighted what makes Elko’s squad the greatest hunter in June, “Mainly because they got a you know, Brandon Arrington, a phenomenal athlete, two-way standout that Oregon was really going after. Then, some unexpected commitments. KJ Edwards looked like he was sort of a lock to Texas for a long time, but absolutely loved his visit to College Station and committed there.”

Turns out that Elko and the Aggies have snatched away the hot targets of the Power Five programs. Brandon Arrington chose Texas A&M over Oregon. On the other hand, KJ Edwards thought of boarding Elko’s train, instead of the Texas Longhorns. The offensive linemen duo of Zaden Krempin and Avery Morcho also punched in the Aggies’ ticket. 

As per On3’s list, Smart’s Georgia is at the No. 2 position while Elko’s Texas A&M is at No. 3. However, here the rankings got interchanged. Elko holds a superior position to Smart, as the analyst shared, “But Georgia is like if there’s a 1B, Georgia would be right there. And all the complaints about Georgia and NIL and not getting every guy that they want. And I’m sure we’ll talk a lot about Jackson Canwell as the year goes on, but Georgia did a phenomenal job on the offensive line with [Ekene] Ogboko and [Zykie] Helton.” Smart came as a pro in the flipping game. They flipped Caden Harris, Shadarius Toodle, who has got Jalon Walker vibes, Khamari Brooks, among others. 

After Elko and Smart, DeBoer’s Alabama made it to the list. They have hunted down hot targets like Xavier Griffin, Ezavier Crowell, Mack Sutter, and Jett Thomalla. Gorney shared his thoughts on Alabama. “Probably not the best class, but certainly something that Kalen DeBoer could build off of. Paul Finebaum said that it looked like a Saban class, and that’s probably the best compliment that you can get.” As per On3’s list, DeBoer is giving Elko and Smart some tough competition, standing at No. 5. Meanwhile, Elko and Smart’s tussle goes far beyond the recruiting trail.

Mike Elko gives Kirby Smart a tough competition in the NIL battle 

Given the current narrative controlling the recruiting trail, NIL has served as the catalyst. Things have been tough for Smart’s Georgia as the head coach is still grappling with the financial ripples. Georgia reportedly lost $5 million in NIL money. The Bulldogs’ cash reserves are low, with Georgia’s adjusted NIL value now at just $189k. In such a scenario, Elko is yet to beat them in the NIL race.

Already, things are tough for Texas A&M as they are dealing with the ever-changing landscape of NIL and NIL Collectives. That’s because in Texas, directly paying athletes is still legally prohibited. It’s a tough task to measure which university is coming off as the frontrunner in locking top athletes through NIL initiatives. However, the latest NCAA rankings came up with their list of top NIL Collective fundraisers during the 2024 season.

As per the list, the Texas Longhorns sit at the top with $22.2 million in NIL money. At No. 4 is Kirby Smart’s Georgia Bulldogs with $18.3 million. Mike Elko’s Texas A&M is just after them at $17.2 million, while Alabama has been pushed further down at No. 7 with $15.9 million. What worked for Smart’s NIL that Elko and DeBoer need to learn? An NIL collective representative from the ACC said, “Georgia is pretty good with how they spend money. It’s rare that they ever overspend.” But given the current scenario when NIL is one of the biggest flex, it’s sometimes tough to draw that line. What say?