This article was originally published on www.si.com/fannation/college/cfb-hq as College football teams with most 5-star recruits in 2026 cycle. Those who think college football recruiting has taken a back seat in an age of NIL and transfer portal movement should think again when looking at the active 2026 cycle.

A pipeline in CFB 26 gives you an added boost on players from certain locations. Generally, you get a higher boost the closer the players are to your school, but that also depends on your coach. Pipelines are ranked in a tier system from 1-5, with a Tier 5 pipeline (represented by a pink icon) giving the biggest added boost.