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2023 5-star Samuel M'Pemba says Oregon is "now in my top schools"

PeterWarrenPhoto2by:Peter Warren•09/29/21•

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(Photo: On3)

St. Louis (Mo.) IMG Academy five-star athlete Samuel M’Pemba released his top 12 schools on Sept. 20.

Less than two weeks later, the No. 7 overall recruit in the On3 2023 Top 100 is already adding a 13th school to the list.

M’Pemba tweeted Wednesday that Oregon has been added to his list of top schools.

Who was on Samuel M’Pemba’s original list?

Samuel M’Pemba’s list of 12 featured these schools: Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Florida State, LSU, Miami, Michigan, Missouri, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Penn State and Texas A&M.

The 6-foot-4, 230-pound athlete said those 12 schools were doing a good job showing their interest.

“These schools have been recruiting me well lately, and after September 1st they came after me well,” M’Pemba told On3’s Hayes Fawcett. “The programs that each school has built over the years are exceeding.”

Samuel M’Pemba was in Gainesville on Sept. 18 to watch Florida play Alabama in a top-10 matchup.

And he will be in South Bend this weekend for another top-10 matchup, this time watching No. 9 Notre Dame take on No. 7 Cincinnati.

He is one of many elite recruits heading to South Bend this weekend, including IMG Academy teammate Carnell Tate and 2023 No. 3 overall recruit Sonny Styles.

Tate is the No. 46 overall recruit in the 2023 class while Styles is the lone athlete ranked ahead of M’Pemba by On3.

M’Pemba is an interesting prospect

Samuel M’Pemba is one of the more interesting prospects in the class of 2023.

On3 Director of Scouting and Rankings Charles Power said M’Pemba has his highest ceiling as a pass rusher but has not been playing on the defensive side of the ball for IMG this season.

When, and if, he makes that transition will be something to watch over the next year.

“He’s a twitchy athlete — 6-foot-4, 230-pounds — who played as a pass rusher and receiver at Ladue Horton Watkins High in Missouri prior to transferring to IMG Academy,” Power said. “He’s lined up as a tight end/h-back at IMG this fall. Ultimately we feel his highest upside is as a pass rusher. The stature, length and quickness are there for him to develop into a top rusher over time. The biggest variable is when or if M’Pemba will start to make that transition. Still, he’s a very physically-gifted prospect in the 2023 cycle.”