Midwest Spotlight: Four commitment predictions

Rivals.com national recruiting analyst Greg Smith makes his predictions for some of the top uncommitted prospects in the Midwest region.

Things have been pretty quiet lately on Babalola’s recruitment. The four-star offensive tackle out of Kansas took summer official visits to Oklahoma, Stanford, Michigan, Auburn and Missouri. Each program has expressed confidence at various parts of the recruitment.

As we come down to the wire on the commitment I still believe Michigan’s combination of academics and high-level football will lead him to its recruiting class relatively soon.

Prediction: Michigan

This recruitment could have a long way to go but I want to call an early shot. Finch has visited Notre Dame multiple times already. He also plans to return for at least one game this season. The defensive lineman continues to get bigger and has position versatility to play all along the defensive front.

Finch’s father is a former top-100 recruit that signed with Florida so we know the bloodlines are there for the defender. I see him staying close to home and committing to the Irish.

Prediction: Notre Dame

Hill is a smooth and athletic cornerback prospect. He’s great in man coverage and could make a tremendous slot corner at the next level. The No. 1 cornerback in the 2026 Rivals250 holds offers from all around the country but when it’s all said and done I believe he stays in-state to play his college football.

Ohio State has a great defensive back class in the 2025 class and I can see it following that up nicely with its 2026 group. Hill would be a welcome addition.

Prediction: Ohio State

As we say in the world of recruiting: follow the visits. Now that Jones is focusing on Nebraska and Oklahoma as his recruitment winds down, it’s very notable that he was at Nebraska’s win over UTEP.

Jones will also be back in Lincoln for the matchup in primetime against Colorado. If the Huskers continue showing improvement on the field they’ll remain in a strong position to land Jones.

Prediction: Nebraska