The initial Rivals rankings for the class of 2026 were released early this week and will expand to include at least 100 prospects this winter. Today in I've Got Five On It, recruiting director Rob Cassidy puts a bow on the rankings week by discussing five prospects that, for various reasons, narrowly missed the cut.

Related: Roundtable on the rankings | Storylines surrounding the initial rankings for the 2026 class | Top 10 Countdown

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2026 Rankings: Top 65

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Sometimes we don’t have the manpower to get in-person eyes on every rankable prospect before the initial rankings release, which typically takes place well before prospects start their sophomore seasons. This was the case with Mundey, who grabbed attention by scoring in bunches this summer and heads into his sophomore season as a must-see player at Maryland’s Our Lady Good Counsel High School.

On tape, the 6-foot-1 point guard has shown flashes of creative facilitation in addition to his explosive scoring prowess. He’s a near-lock to see his name when the list expands this winter.

RECRUITMENT: Syracuse, Florida State and Towson are among the schools that have extended early offers to Mundey.

RECRUITMENT: The son of former Arizona State star and retired NBA journeyman Eddie House, Kaden House had a few statement games at 16U Peach Jam this summer, but none were more impressive than the 27-point effort he posted against a stacked Nightrydas Elite squad led by the highly-touted Boozer twins.

The 6-foot-3 House is a streaky scorer that is also capable of impacting games on the glass. The Arizona-based guard will look to become a bit more consistent as a shooter this year and will be in the thick of the discussion for a place in the rankings when they expand.

RECRUITMENT: House already holds an offer from his father’s alma mater. Washington State, New Mexico and Michigan join the Sun Devils on House’s early offer list.

Bess is without a doubt a top 100 prospect that could be much more than that as he puts it all together down the road. At 6-foot-4 with long arms, the New York-based point guard has the quickness to get by defenders and shows flashes of high-level court vision.

He’s still developing as an outside shooter and decision maker, but he’s already an impressive on-ball defender. The tools to be an elite prospect are in place. He finishes well at the hoop as things stand, but is looking to become a bigger threat on the perimeter.

How high he rises in future rankings will mostly depend on his development as a facilitator. His potential is sky high.

RECRUITMENT: Texas A&M, Robert Morris and Valparaiso have offered Bess, who will see his offer list grow exponentially in the year ahead.

Another no-doubt top 100 prospect, Barther has plenty of buzz surrounding him. And while his calling card is his high-level athleticism, he’s developing nicely from a skill perspective as well.

A versatile guard that seems comfortable playing on ball or off, he’s more of a scorer than a shot creator at this point, but he has plenty of time to develop most parts of his game. Rivals will get eyes on Bather again next month at the famed Wooten150 Camp, where he could further raise his profile.

RECRUITMENT: TCU became the first school to offer Barther in May, but the guard is very much on the radars of a number of high-major coaches.

Diallo’s young career has included highs and lows, and the hyper-intriguing power forward has struggled to perform consistently early in his high school career. When he’s at his best, he looks like a top 30 prospect, and that’s the standard of play he’ll look to maintain going forward.

Diallo can be an explosive above-the-rim player that impacts games on both ends of the floor, as size, athleticism and fluidity are all there is spades. As his effort increases and his scoring ability diversifies, he could shoot up the rankings. Diallo will play his sophomore season at North Carolina’s Combine Academy and have plenty of eyes on him while doing so.

RECRUITMENT: Rutgers has yet to offer Diallo, but the forward has already called it his “dream school.” Wichita State and Mississippi State have already made things official on the offer front.