Five heavy-hitters to track with five-star offensive lineman Immanuel Iheanacho
Rockville (Md.) Georgetown Prep five-star offensive tackle Immanuel Iheanacho is a few months from making a college commitment. Soon enough, the 6-6, 345-pounder, an elite talent from the class of 2026, will make one lucky school very happy.
Rockville (Md.) Georgetown Prep five-star offensive tackle Immanuel Iheanacho is a few months from making a college commitment. Soon enough, the 6-6, 345-pounder, an elite talent from the class of 2026, will make one lucky school very happy.
Iheanacho has offers from all over the country. His ranking reflects exactly that. Per 247Sports, Iheanacho is the No. 5 overall player in the country. He's listed as the No. 2 offensive tackle in the nation and No. 2 recruit in the state of Maryland.
What's the latest on his recruitment? 247Sports caught up with him at Nike's Next Ones in New Orleans.
Iheanacho says he'll take five official visits as of now. He'll start with a trip to Georgia, then head to Alabama, Penn State will come after that, and he'll wrap things up at Oregon. He and his family will squeeze in a trip to Maryland during this run of trips as well. Dates are still being finalized.
"I see myself committing in the summer," said Iheanacho. "I'm going to take official visits, some fall OVs, then enroll early."
There is some hometown pressure to keep Iheanacho in-state. However, despite his love for Maryland, he's clearly open to leaving the state and the area.
"They're home. Distance isn't really a big thing to me, but the thought of being able to stay home and win a Big Ten championship for Maryland, for my city, for my state, it means a lot," said Iheanacho. "I want to do that around the right guys. Zion Elee is committed. Once he did that, that inspired me. They were in my Top 10 regardless, but they moved into my Top 5 after Zion committed."
One school that continues to surge up his leaderboard is Oregon. Some believe the Ducks have the edge as of this point.
"Coach Terry from Oregon," said Iheanacho, when asked for the name of the coach doing the best job of recruiting him and making him a priority. "He's been to the school a lot. Him, coach Lanning and coach Lupoi came by. They came to the dorms. They were talking to me. I was really appreciative of them coming by."
Iheanacho added that he has a terrific relationship with offensive line coach Phil Trautwein over at Penn State. The Nittany Lions are definite threats in this recruitment.
"It's a local. My parents like them," said Iheanacho. "They like Penn State, generally speaking. Coach Trautwein was early on me and taught me technique. I really appreciate that."
Iheanacho, like with his mention of Elee, is paying attention to the recruiting classes. He focuses on where top recruits end up. He's keeping a very close eye on the quarterbacks as well.
"I focus on that a solid amount," said Iheanacho on the national landscape of recruiting. "I'm not the whole team. You win with everyone. Quarterback wise, there are a some really good quarterbacks. I'd say guys like Jared Curtis, Faizon Brandon at Tennessee, Dia Bell, Ryder Lyons, Landen Duckworth, Helaman Casuga, they're all guys I've seen."
247Sports Scouting Report via National Analyst Hudson Standish: A supremely powerful offensive lineman who wears his verified 6-foot-6.5, 350-pound listing extremely well. Owns some of the longest arms in the 2026 cycle and has better-than-expected lower body explosiveness at his size. Primarily works at offensive tackle but will likely be limited to the right side or could even slide inside to IOL depending on how his body develops over the next few years. Presents an incredibly difficult problem for opposing front seven defenders to solve thanks to his massive reach and top-tier power in the hands that can flatten well-put-together defensive linemen. Will need to improve his ankle and hip flexibility, but even with some stiffness in his lower half is still athletic enough to dominate on both Friday nights and the offseason camp circuit. Checks multi-sport boxes with skillful basketball tape. Rare elite football prospect that boards at the renowned Georgetown Preparatory School. Somebody defenders look to avoid in the run game, especially at the second level. Could potentially become an immediate impact player for a college football playoff contender in the run game. Should be viewed as an intriguing option at RT or IOL with plenty of long-term NFL Draft upside that pairs nicely with ready to contribute heft.
