Both 2026 Northwestern basketball signees land in final Top 100
Both of Northwestern’s incoming freshmen, shooting guard Jayden Hodge (No. 70) and center Symon Ghai (No. 97), earned four-star ratings and a spot in the Top 100 of the final 2026 Rivals150 released on Monday.
Hodge and Ghai are the only members of the Wildcats’ Class of 2026, which ranks No. 39 in the nation, the program’s best since the Class of 2019 was ranked No. 36.
Furthermore, this is the first Northwestern class with two Rivals four-stars since the Class of 2018, with Pete Nance and Miller Kopp. Hodge’s ranking at No. 70 is the highest for a Wildcat since Kopp (No. 66) and Nance (No. 67).
It’s a positive recruiting trajectory for the Wildcats despite a disappointing 2025-26 season that saw them finish 15-19 (5-15 Big Ten). Both Hodge and Ghai are ranked higher by Rivals in this cycle than Tre Singleton, a four-star forward who was ranked No. 101 in the 2025 class and transferred to Iowa State in April.
Hodge tore his ACL in late December at Orlando (Fla.) Montverde Academy, but he told WildcatReport that he hopes to return by the start of the 2026-27 campaign.
Ghai, a 7-foot-2, 210-pound South Sudan native who played this season at Orlando (Fla.) Academy of South Florida, is the program’s first Rivals four-star center since Barret Benson in the Class of 2016.
