Border Battles: 5 key 2023 recruiting clashes in SEC 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 SEC territory.

Earlier this week, On3 reviewed some key battles in the Big 12, the Pac 12 and the B1G.

QB Arch Manning

New Orleans (La.) Isidore Newman
Star ranking: Five-Star Plus+
On3 Consensus: No. 1
Teams battling: Georgia, Alabama, Texas, Ole Miss, LSU and Florida
The Skinny: Arch Manning is the biggest SEC recruiting battle and the biggest battle in the entire country. The nation’s No. 1 player is a special talent that is coveted by all the big boys of college football.

For the longest time, it seemed like Manning settled on an unofficial top five of Alabama, Clemson, Georgia, Texas and Ole Miss. But there has been some movement after the Silly Season. Clemson is reportedly off his list and Florida is trending thanks to the coaching merry-go-round.

“(Billy) Napier and his staff seem primed to make a strong push for Manning,” On3’s Sam Spiegelman reported. “His offensive-minded coaching style has been well-received by Manning and there are Louisiana ties on staff with Jabbar Juluke and Corey Raymond.”

But it’s hard to bet against Georgia and Alabama in this SEC recruiting battle. We also know Lane Kiffin is going to do everything he can to win over the Manning family. Plus, Texas is reportedly looking to hire David Cutcliffe, who served as Duke’s head coach from 2008-2021, to an off-field role within the organization. Cutcliffe is one of the most important mentors in the lives of Arch Manning’s uncles Peyton and Eli Manning. He coached both players at the college level and the two Super Bowl-winning quarterbacks have a tremendous relationship with him.

CB Cormani McClain

Lakeland (Fla.) Lake Gibson
Star ranking: Five-Star Plus+
On3 Consensus: No. 3
Teams battling: Alabama, BYU, Florida, Miami, Ohio State, Michigan, Oregon and Georgia
The Skinny: Cormani McClain released a top five of Alabama, BYU, Florida, Miami and Ohio State back in November. Since then, McClain has added three more contenders — Michigan, Oregon and Georgia — to the list.

Before the Silly Season, McClain said “Florida is on top.” But then coaching changes at Florida, Miami and other places across the country has complicated this SEC recruiting battle. It got to the point where McClain took to social media to voice his frustration with so much movement in the coaching industry.

With that being said, Florida is still believed to be the team to beat and lead in the On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine. But others are going to do everything they can to shift the momentum in the spring, which makes this an SEC recruiting battle to watch.

DL James Smith

Montgomery (Ala.) Carver
Star ranking: 5 stars
On3 Consensus: No. 7
Teams battling: Georgia, Alabama, Ohio State, Penn State and Michigan
The Skinny: If you’re looking for a classic SEC recruiting battle between Kirby Smart and Nick Saban then James Smith is your guy to follow.

With the Crimson Tide needing more depth along the defensive line and the fact that he’s an in-state target, Smith is a priority target for Alabama. On the flip side, Smith loved his late January unofficial visit to Georgia.

In charge of leading Georgia’s pursuit of Smith is defensive line coach Tray Scott. Scott assisted in assembling a stellar Bulldogs’ 2022 class that featured Bear Alexander, Christen Miller, Marvin Jones Jr., and Mykel Williams. Scott’s history of developing players in the trenches caught Smith’s attention.

While the focus appears to be on UGA and Bama, Ohio State could play a spoiler in this SEC recruiting battle.

S Caleb Downs

Hoschton (Ga.) Mill Creek
Star ranking: 5 stars
On3 Consensus: No. 9
Teams battling: Georgia, Alabama, Notre Dame, Ohio State, North Carolina, NC State, Texas A&M, Texas and Clemson
The Skinny: While Caleb Downs doesn’t appear to be in a rush to make an early decision, this SEC recruiting battle is going to come down to some key summer visits.

He said schools like Georgia, Alabama, Notre Dame, Ohio State, UNC, NC State, Texas, Texas A&M and Clemson have been recruiting him the hardest. But he does for sure know he’ll take official visits to Georgia, Alabama, Ohio State and Notre Dame. While he doesn’t call those teams his top four, it’s pretty clear those are going to be the teams to focus on in this SEC battle.

The On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine is heavily favoring UGA. The Dawgs have an 82.1% chance of landing Downs, per the On3 RPM, followed by Alabama at 8.2%.

WR Shelton Sampson Jr.

Baton Rouge (La.) Catholic
Star ranking: 5 stars
On3 Consensus: No. 18
Teams battling: LSU, Alabama, Auburn and Texas A&M
The Skinny: After LSU lost out on the state’s top wideouts in 2022, Shelton Sampson is an even bigger need to establish local recruiting wins for Brian Kelly. The star in LSU’s backyard is a can’t miss for Kelly and the Tigers.

New LSU receivers coach Cortez Hankton had a solid relationship with Sampson but it’s not a slam dunk for the Tigers.

In fact, Sampson’s father, who played running back at Northwestern State, has a good relationship with A&M head coach Jimbo Fisher dating back to his time as an LSU assistant. Alabama, Georgia, Texas A&M and Auburn are all among the major competitors. So, it looks like this SEC recruiting battle will have plenty of twists and turns.