The nation’s top tight end is another step closer toward the finish line in his recruitment.
Kendre Harrison, the No. 1-ranked TE in the Rivals250 for the 2026 recruiting cycle out of North Carolina, named his top six schools on Tuesday. North Carolina, Tennessee, Miami, Penn State, Oregon and Florida State all made the cut for the four-star prospect from Reidsville (N.C.) Senior High School.
“Every one of these schools in my top six, I can see my mom lighting up with joy at each of these schools. At every school, she was happy to be there,” Harrison told Rivals of his decision to narrow down the contenders.
“Every school in my top six, I’m on the phone with them every other day … literally. Those schools call me constantly,” he added. “All six are in a tie right now.”
OREGON TO HOST HARRISON ON JULY 26
The 6-foot-7, 240-pounder will be in Eugene for the first time on July 26, a visit that’s been locked in for more than a month.
Dan Lanning and the Oregon coaching staff have made a huge splash with the elite tight end from afar.
“Oregon is a standout program and they do a lot of things with the tight end,” Harrison said. “Definitely the relationship I have with the coaches there is unbelievable. I haven’t been down there yet, but it’s one of the schools I talk to the most out of every offer I have.”
UNC HOOPS OFFER MOVES THE NEEDLE
North Carolina got the state’s top 2026 prospect back in Chapel Hill last month.
During the visit, Tar Heels basketball HC Hubert Davis extended the pass-catching tight end a hoops scholarship.
“Just having the opportunity to play basketball and football at an amazing program … doing that in my home state, down the road from Reidsville is a blessing,” the No. 1 TE in the country remarked.
“The way they got me the basketball,” he continued. “Coach Hubert Davis and Coach Mack Brown offering me in basketball is definitely an amazing opportunity. It’s an amazing time in my life and it’s something I’ll never forget — how they did it and that they showed a lot of love. The main thing that I had a smile on my face.”
RELATIONSHIPS LOOM LARGE AT FLORIDA STATE
Harrison was in Tallahassee earlier in the off-season.
The No. 17 overall prospect in the Rivals250 for next year’s cycle circled multiple coaches at Florida State as some of his strongest relationships.
“They’re recruiting me hard,” he started. “The main thing about Florida State is DJ (Daniels). That’s my dog. If I had to talk to anyone recruiting me at any school, DJ is the guy. He’s a cool, laid-back type of guy. He always keeps it real with me. Coach (Mike) Norvell kept it real in his office a couple of months ago. (Chris) Thomsen has kept it real with me since Day 1. Coach (Alex) Atkins and Coach DJ are the main guys, though, and when I FaceTime with them I can’t stop laughing. It’s so fun. Being up there was fun and it’s what I’m looking for in a school — a place to be myself, with people with personalities like me that like to have fun on and off the field.”
TENNESSEE AMONG THE FAVORITES FOR HARRISON
Tennessee has been a mainstay in Harrison’s recruitment. He has strong ties to Josh Heuepel, Joey Halzle and has grown close with Alec Abeln along the way.
Harrison raved about his fit in Rocky Top.
“My relationship with them is amazing. I love Knoxville and being up there,” he said.
“I have a great relationship with Coach Abeln. I was there on his birthday. Coach Heuepel is changing the program around. They’ve got a great couple of quarterbacks there. George MacIntyre is gonna be good, Nico (Iamaleava) is there now, and I’m looking for a school with great quarterbacks when I’m there, great guys that are gonna put me in a good position that I need to be in and good guys to be around.”
HARRISON TALKS CONNECTIONS AT MIAMI, PENN STATE
Harrison was in Happy Valley for the White Out Game last fall, a visit that still resonates with the four-star prospect.
James Franklin, Ty Howle and Rashad Rich remain heavily involved in Harrison’s recruitment.
“There’s a couple of coaches at Penn State and those coaches keep the relationship tight,” he started. “Coach Howle has been to the school a number of times and I’m always on the phone with Penn State, too.”
“I went to the White Out Game. Everyone knows the White Out Game is crazy. I was there. It was an unbelievable experience. The atmosphere was crazy. I met Sexyy Red. That was one of the big things … In my photos, I had one of the biggest smiles on my face and from my mom. If you look at the Penn State pics, my whole camera roll was me having a smile.”
Miami hosted the elite four-star TE in the spring, another visit that resulted in smiles from both Harrison and his mother.
“When I went down to Miami, they put a smile on my face. They treated us like we were family and it’s all about that — showing that love, building my trust and my mom’s trust,” he explained. “That’s really what it’s about — who can put a smile on my mom’s face.”
