Border Battles: 5 key 2023 recruiting clashes in B1G territory

Even though we are still early in the recruitment process for the Class of 2023, some early storylines and key border battles have already emerged. For example, we’re already seeing some schools, like USC and Notre Dame, climb the On3 Consensus Team Recruiting Rankings with early commitments in the junior class. We’re also seeing some important border skirmishes emerging. On3 examines the five key border battles from within B1G territory.

Earlier this week, On3 reviewed some key battles in the Big 12 and the Pac 12.

OT Kadyn Proctor

Des Moines (Iowa) Southeast Polk
Star ranking: 5 stars
On3 Consensus: No. 6
Teams battling: Iowa, Penn State, Georgia, Notre Dame, Alabama, Oregon and Michigan
The Skinny: Five-star offensive Kadyn Proctor is not just the biggest battle in B1G territory, he’s one of the biggest recruiting wars in the entire country.

So many schools have Proctor at the top of their offensive line boards, including Ohio State, Alabama, USC, Penn State and many, many others. However, Proctor narrowed his focus to seven schools eight days ago.

The finalists were Iowa, Penn State, Georgia, Notre Dame, Alabama, Oregon and Michigan.

The On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine lists Iowa as the team to beat with a 46.8% chance of him picking the Hawkeyes. The Iowa connection makes sense, especially after his teammate Xavier Nwankpa signed with the Hawkeyes in the 2022 class.

EDGE Nyckoles Harbor

Washington (D.C.) Archbishop Carroll
Star ranking: 5 stars
On3 Consensus: No. 11
Teams battling: Penn State, Maryland, Michigan, Oklahoma, South Carolina, North Carolina, Oregon, Texas A&M, LSU and Rutgers
The Skinny: Nyckoles Harbor of Washington D.C. Archbishop Carroll is probably best described as the “unicorn” of the 2023 class. There’s simply nobody else like him in the country.

He’s a freak athlete that at 6-foot-5 and 235 pounds has been timed as fast as 20.79 seconds in the 200-meter dash. It’s that speed, along with his football ability, that will make both track and football a big part of this top B1G region recruiting battle.

That’s especially true since it’s his “dream to run in the Olympics someday.”

With some other top recruiting battles, we can see some of the top teams already developing. But Harbor insists he’s wide open between his double-digit offers.

His sister, Giovanna Harbor, is a Penn State alum. So, the Nittany Lions are definitely expected to be a factor.

But others like Michigan, Oklahoma, Rutgers, South Carolina, Oregon, Texas A&M and LSU are others expected to be under consideration for official visits.

WR Carnell Tate

Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy
Star ranking: 5 stars
On3 Consensus: No. 14
Teams battling: Ohio State, Notre Dame, Michigan, Alabama, Georgia, LSU, Miami and Tennessee
The Skinny: While he’s now at IMG Academy in Florida, Carnell Tate is originally from Chicago. So, that’s why we’re going to put him in the B1G border battles. He also has multiple B1G programs on his list.

Ohio State and Notre Dame are considered to be early leaders, but Tate also wants to check out schools like Alabama, Georgia, LSU, Miami and Tennessee. Michigan is also back in the race to land Tate, according to a recent report from EJ Holland of On3’s The Wolverine.

The On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine lists the Buckeyes with a 96.2% chance of landing Tate. Notre Dame is second at 2.7%. This is definitely a B1G territory battle that will keep fans engaged for quite some time.

QB Dante Moore

Detroit Martin Luther King
Star ranking: 4 stars
On3 Consensus: No. 17
Teams battling: Michigan, Notre Dame, Michigan State, Penn State, Ohio State, Miami, Oregon, Arkansas, LSU, Texas Tech and UCLA
The Skinny:  Dante Moore got out for visits in January to Miami, Michigan State, and Oregon. He talked about all of those visits with On3’s Chad Simmons on Thursday, and the in-state Spartans definitely made an impression.

“What makes Michigan State different is how they build on relationships every day,” Moore told Simmons. “Michigan State always checks in. The coaches ask about my family. They talk about life, and they show they care. They have history and tradition, too.”

No visits are scheduled for March or in the spring yet, but Moore will be back out on the road when his schedule allows it. He is likely to make some of those visits official visits, too.

Moore told Simmons that Arkansas, LSU, Texas Tech, UCLA are national programs he’s also like to check out. But all indications are that Michigan, Michigan State, Notre Dame and Penn State will be teams in the race all the way to the end.

The Wolverines have a 41.9% chance of landing Moore, according to the On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine. Notre Dame is at 25.9%, Michigan State is at 16.4% and Penn State is at 5%.

With so many B1G teams on his list, this is going to be a fantastic recruiting battle to track.

OL Chase Bisontis

Ramsey (N.J.) Don Bosco Prep
Star ranking: 5 stars
On3 Consensus: No. 43
Teams battling: Rutgers, Ohio State, Notre Dame, Maryland, Penn State, LSU, Miami, West Virginia, Michigan State, Kentucky, Alabama, Texas A&M, Michigan, Boston College, Clemson and Texas.
The Skinny: Chase Bisontis recently narrowed his focus to 15 schools and no newcomers are expected to make a move into his top group.

The top-rated recruit out of the state of New Jersey, the On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine gives an early advantage to Rutgers as well as Notre Dame and Ohio State. He’s already made four unofficial trips to Rutgers, and the Scarlet Knights have emerged as the team to beat and are listed at 59.2% in the On3 RPM.