It’s finally the time of year we begin to look towards the 2026 season! There’s no better way to kick things off than with our summer Impact Recruits series, where we at the pond highlight some of the incoming freshmen we think might make some noise next season.
As I write every year, the odds are always stacked against newcomers when they join the DIII landscape. In the grand scheme of things, most of the athletes in any new class are simply not going to make an impact on the division (at first). While they may have been dominant in High School, the college game is intrinsically different even at the DIII level. The serves are tougher, the blocks are larger, and the rallies are much shorter.
This is not to say “first years” cannot make waves, as talented newcomers always end up making a name for themselves. The 2025 season had a ton of first years showcased across the landscape, and 2026 will be no different.
Like last year, the list below is by no means exhaustive, and is displayed in alphabetical order so no one should be saying they are “ranked” in any meaningful way. For emphasis, FrogJump does not rank incoming recruit classes, this list is more or less a collection of kids who I’ve seen and believe to be talented enough to excel at this level. We’ll be doing several segments throughout the summer, so don’t email me asking “why was my son not listed ☹” (looking at you parents!, YOUR KIDS HATE WHEN YOU DO THIS AND SO DO I. DO NOT DO IT. AT ALL. DON’T!).
Kaden Chen – Setter – Vassar
Vassar will need some setting help this year with Lounesberry graduating, and I think they found it in Kaden Chen. The 6’2 setter from Rush can definitely sling the ball; given the weapons on the Vassar squad their offense might be even better this year than last.
Jack Degraff – Outside Hitter – Southern Virginia
Jack Degraff will be taking his talents to Southern Virginia just as the Knights graduate a large amount of senior production. The 6’7 pin has a large amount of upside, and there’s few programs in the country that develop upside better than Tom Peterson and SVU. With Sheaffer and Brown both graduating, Degraff could see the floor sooner rather than later.
Connor Delaney – Middle Blocker – Messiah
The 6’7 middle blocker out of MVVC is a huge addition for Messiah given the graduation of All-American Ryan Givens. He’ll need to get a little quicker over the course of his first season, but he’s more than physical enough to hang with the biggest players in the MAC. I’d be shocked if I didn’t see him paired alongside Todd Snyder next year for the Falcons.
Ethan Norris – Outside Hitter – Endicott
Norris is the type of prospect that’ll make me watch Endicott matches all year. Explosive outside with good attack progression and a lot of torque, he should be a walking highlight reel in the NEVC. Excellent pick up for the Gulls.
Nathen Toth – Outside Hitter – MIT
MIT is losing a key starter in Grant Oh, and gaining a potential impact freshman in Nathen Toth. Toth checks a lot of boxes for me as a pin prospect with his athleticism, heavy hand, and attack progression. At minimum, he gets meaningful time throughout the year, the ceiling is our All-Freshmen team.
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