USC Trojans ascend to No. 1 spot in 2023 On3 Consensus Team Rankings

A week ago, the USC Trojans had a single 2023 commitment from Westlake Village (Calif.) Oaks Christian running back Johnny Thompson Jr. Oklahoma, meanwhile, had the nation’s No. 1 recruiting class, with commitments from Five-Star Plus+ quarterback Malachi Nelson as well as the No. 4, No. 7 and No. 9 wide receivers in the 2023 class .

The unimaginable happened on Sunday when Sooners coach Lincoln Riley accepted the head coaching job at USC and completely upended the college football world. Now, following Nelson’s flip to the Trojans earlier this week and wide receiver Makai Lemon joining him today, the Trojans stand atop the 2023 On3 Consensus Team Recruiting Rankings.

The USC Trojans jumped Notre Dame, which has six prospects already committed, the Sooners, which have three pledges, and Georgia, which has eight 2023 players already in the fold. In addition to Nelson and Lemon, four-star wideout Brandon Inniss and four-star running back Treyaun Webb all decommitted from Oklahoma.

Lemon and Nelson’s high school teammate, DeAndre Moore Jr., remains committed to the Sooners but is very much a potential flip candidate. The loss of four — and potentially five — elite skill players is a devastating blow for OU’s 2023 class. But for now, interim coach Bob Stoops and the rest of the Sooners’ staff is focused on holding together the 2022 commits with less than two weeks until the early signing period. Four-star running back Raleek Brown already flipped to the USC Trojans, and three other OU pledges have reopened their recruitments.

Top 5 Recruiting Classes in 2023

1. USC
   Commits: 3
   Average Rating: 96.20
   Top Prospects: Malachi Nelson, Makai Lemon

2. Notre Dame
Commits: 6
Average Rating: 92.46
Top Prospects: EDGE Keon Keeley, LB Drayk Bowen, EDGE Brenan Vernon

3. Oklahoma
Commits: 3
Average Rating: 93.26
Top Prospects: WR DeAndre Moore, TE Luke Hasz

4. Georgia
Commits: 8
Average Rating: 92.15
Top Prospects: CB Marcus Washington, OT Bo Hughley, TE Pearce Spurlin

5. Ohio State
Commits: 3
Average Rating: 92.91
Top Prospects: ATH Sonny Styles, IOL Josh Padilla, TE Ty Lockwood

The full 2023 On3 Consensus Team Recruiting Rankings can be found HERE.