FSU, Tennessee big movers in On3 Consensus Team Recruiting Ranking

With the dead period over and schools able to host prospects on unofficial visits and junior day events, the first weekend in March delivered plenty of recruiting drama. A new round of commitments sparked some movement in the On3 Team Recruiting Ranking. The top three schools — USC, Notre Dame and Georgia — held on to the top spots in the rankings. But elsewhere, a handful of teams, like Florida State, Tennessee and Baylor, made moves after recent commitments and another round of industry updates in player rankings.

It’s still early in the 2023 cycle, with a little less than 10 months to go until the Early Signing Period. But here’s how the early race for the top class has taken shape:

No. 1 USC

Top-ranked commit: Five-Star Plus+ QB Malachi Nelson
Average rating: 96.38
Blue chips: 100%
Number of commits: 4
Ranking last week: 1
Average NIL: $56K
The Skinny: The Trojans have early commitments from the nation’s No. 2 quarterback, No. 1 receiver (Zachariah Branch) and No. 6 receiver (Makai Lemon). It’s a great foundation for what is expected to be a banner crop for new coach Lincoln Riley.

No. 2 Notre Dame

Top-ranked commit: Five-star EDGE Keon Keeley
Average rating: 92.09
Blue chips: 89%
Number of commits: 9
Ranking last week: 2 (+0)
Average NIL: $19.9K
The Skinny: The Fighting Irish already have nine commits on board for the 2023 class, including Keeley, four-star linebacker Drayk Bowen, four-star safety Peyton Bowen, four-star corner Justyn Rhett and others. It’s the type of early start on the recruiting trail that should give Marcus Freeman momentum to close build a potential top-five class. Notre Dame is going to have to work to hold on to Keeley, especially with Florida pushing hard to flip him.

No. 3 Georgia

Top-ranked commit: Four-star CB Marcus Washington
Average rating: 91.30
Blue chips: 71%
Number of commits: 7
Ranking last week: 3 (+0)
Average NIL: $23K
The Skinny: UGA knows most of the elite players on its board will probably go through much of the recruiting process. But the early start with Washington, four-star OT Bo Hughley, four-star TE Pearce Spurlin, four-star WR Raymond Cottrell and others is enough to put the Dawgs in contention for the nation’s No. 1 class later on down the road.

No. 4 Ohio State

Top-ranked commit: Four-star IOL Luke Montgomery
Average rating: 91.39
Blue chips: 80%
Number of commits: 5
Ranking last week: 4 (+0)
Average NIL: $19.2K
The Skinny: After the No. 4 class in 2022, Ohio State is primed for another chase toward the top of the recruiting rankings. Like Georgia, we’ll probably have to wait a little while for some of the blue-chippers on the Buckeyes’ list. But getting Montgomery, four-star IOL Josh Padilla, four-star TE Ty Lockwood and four-star safety Cedrick Hawkins is a great start.

No. 5 Penn State

Top-ranked commit: Four-star IOL Alex Birchmeier
Average rating: 90.01
Blue chips: 50%
Number of commits: 8
Ranking last week: 5 (+0)
Average NIL: $19K
The Skinny: Like Notre Dame, Penn State is doing a good job laying the foundation for another elite recruiting class. The Nittany Lions already have eight commits for 2023, including talented stars like Jven Williams — who is a newly minted five-star — tight end Neeo Avery and others.

No. 6 Arkansas

Top-ranked commit: Four-star TE Luke Hasz 
Average rating: 89.17
Blue chips: 56%
Number of commits: 9
Ranking last week: 9 (+3)
Average NIL: $17.4K
The Skinny: The Hogs locked up in-state coveted recruit Shamar Easter in August of last year and haven’t stopped with their momentum since. Hasz was previously committed to Oklahoma and is now ranked as a top six player at his position. Four-star CB Dallas Young was a good early get from Alabama. Now the Hogs are hunting for their quarterback of the class and have their sights set on four-star Avery Johnson and Malachi Singleton.

No. 7 Texas A&M

Top-ranked commit: Four-star QB Eli Holstein
Average rating: 90.68
Blue chips: 75%
Number of commits: 4
Ranking last week: 8 (+1)
Average NIL: $17.4K
The Skinny: Can the Aggies replicate the success they had in 2023 after signing the best ever class in recruiting history in 2022? It’s going to be tough to match or come close. But there’s no question the Aggies are building the base for another elite class, especially up front with key early commits from four-star defensive linemen Anthony James and Johnny Bowens. A&M looks like it’s going to have to fight to keep Holstein on board with other schools stepping up their pursuit.

No. 8 Michigan

Top-ranked commit: Four-star LB Raylen Wilson
Average rating: 90.21
Blue chips: 60%
Number of commits: 5
Ranking last week: 6 (-2)
Average NIL: $21K
The Skinny: The biggest question with the Wolverines will be whether or not Jim Harbaugh flirting with the Minnesota Vikings will come back to bite him in the butt on the recruiting trail. Initially, it hasn’t, and the Wolverines have five early 2023 commits. Michigan’s visit list in two weekends looks quite impressive with four-star ATH Samuel M’Pemba set to visit Ann Arbor.

No. 9 Texas Tech

Top-ranked commit: Four-star EDGE Isaiah Crawford
Average rating: 88.12
Blue chips: 31%
Number of commits: 13
Ranking last week: 11 (+2)
Average NIL: $10.6K
The Skinny: Joey McGuire immediately went to work on 2023 prospects after he got hired. It’s paid off. The Red Raiders have 13 commits for the 2023 class, including Crawford, four-star WR Tyrone West, four-star CB Calvin Simpson-Hunt and coveted quarterback Jake Strong.

No. 10 Florida State

Top-ranked commit: Four-star EDGE Lamont Green Jr.
Average rating: 89.56
Blue chips: 60%
Number of commits: 5
Ranking last week: 14 (+4)
Average NIL: $22K
The Skinny: The Seminoles are the big movers in this update after landing four-star defensive lineman Keith Sampson Jr. of New Bern, N.C., on Sunday. Sampson is the No. 168 player in the On3 Consensus. He joins Green to give FSU an outstanding foundation along the defensive line in the 2023 class.

No. 11 Oklahoma

Top-ranked commit: Four-star QB Jackson Arnold
Average rating: 89.93
Blue chips: 50%
Number of commits: 4
Ranking last week: 7 (-4)
Average NIL: $30K
The Skinny: A few Sooner commits were dinged in the industry rankings, which caused OU to fall slightly this week in the class rankings. However, OU hosted an impressive list of junior day visitors on campus last weekend. There’s little question the Sooners have the building blocks of a top-10 or even top-five class.

No. 12 Tennessee

Top-ranked commit: Four-star TE Ethan Davis
Average rating: 89.83
Blue chips: 33%
Number of commits: 4
Ranking last week: 16 (+4)
Average NIL: $16.6K
The Skinny: Josh Heupel led the Vols to the No. 16 class in 2022, but he’s got his sights set on an even higher ranking in 2023. Davis is one of the top-10 players in Georgia, so that’s a good start. Plus, in-state OT Ayden Bussell has already committed. The Vols also added in-state WR Nate Spillman on Sunday. Spillman chose the Volunteers over offers from Arkansas State and Marshall, as well as interest from a handful of other programs.

No. 13 Michigan State

Top-ranked commit: Four-star EDGE Andrew Depaepe
Average rating: 88.92
Blue chips: 40%
Number of commits: 5
Ranking last week: 13 (+0)
Average NIL: $17K
The Skinny: The Spartans went into Iowa to land Andrew Depaepe, which is a big head-to-head win over B1G recruiting rivals. Sparty has also landed its quarterback in the 2023 class — three-star Bo Edmundson, who some insiders believe will be ranked in the four-star range soon.

No. 14 Louisville

Top-ranked commit: Four-star QB Pierce Clarkson
Average rating: 88.67
Blue chips: 17%
Number of commits: 6
Ranking last week: 15 (+1)
Average NIL: $25K
The Skinny: Scott Satterfield got a major early 2023 commitment in late January from Clarkson, one of the top quarterbacks in the country. He’s also from California and is going to help the Cards recruit in the Golden State. Louisville also has pledges from three solid recruits from Georgia, including three-star safety Jayden Davis. Florida cornerback Rayquan Adkins committed to the Cards this past weekend.

No. 15 Baylor

Top-ranked commit: Four-star LB Christian Brathwaite
Average rating: 87.79
Blue chips: 13%
Number of commits: 8
Ranking last week: 19 (+4)
Average NIL: $8.7K
The Skinny: Dave Aranda is building a quality 2023 class with eight commits already. The key, as we saw with last year’s crop, is keeping the early commits on board to Signing Day next February. But there’s a lot to like about what the Bears have done so far. Keep an eye on QB Austin Novosad. A lot of insiders really like him and think he could compete for four-star status. Safety commit Javeon Wilcox is another that has recently seen a bump in his rankings from others in the industry.

No. 16 Boston College

Top-ranked commit: Four-star DL Boubacar Traore
Average rating: 88.50
Blue chips: 25%
Number of commits: 4
Ranking last week: 12 (-4)
Average NIL: $5.8K
The Skinny: The Eagles have jumped out early the past few classes and faded down the stretch. Jeff Hafley is hoping to turn that around with the 2023 class. It’s a good start with commits from Traore and three-star running back Datrell Jones – both local priority targets.

No. 17 Iowa

Top-ranked commit: Four-star QB Marco Lainez III
Average rating: 87.87
Blue chips: 17%
Number of commits: 6
Ranking last week: 17 (+0)
Average NIL: $16.3K
The Skinny: Iowa has six quality 2023 commits on board already. Lainez is one of the top quarterbacks on the East Coast. Three stars Maddux Borcherding-Johnson and Ben Kueter were good in-state gets to start the class off. The Hawkeyes also received a lot of positive reviews from their monster junior day that was held this past weekend.

No. 18 Cincinnati

Top-ranked commit: Four-star LB Trevor Carter
Average rating: 87.08
Blue chips: 25%
Number of commits: 4
Ranking last week: 20 (+2)
Average NIL: $14.2K
The Skinny: Carter is one of the top-ranked in-state recruits that Luke Fickell has ever landed. Carter is the sixth-best recruit in Ohio’s 2023 class. Three of the Bearcats’ four commits are from in-state players, including three-star OL Evan Tengesdahl.

No. 19 Northwestern

Top-ranked commit: Four-star IOL Dylan Senda
Average rating: 87.00
Blue chips: 0%
Number of commits: 4
Ranking last week: 18 (-1)
Average NIL: $8.7K
The Skinny: Pat Fitzgerald landed a big one early on with Senda. But there’s also a talented local quarterback in the class with Aidan Gray out of Naperville, Ill. Joliet (Ill.) Catholic Academy three-star OL Anthony Birsa is a new addition to the commitment list from this past weekend.

No. 20 Kentucky

Top-ranked commit: Four-star WR Shamar Porter
Average rating: 86.94
Blue chips: 25%
Number of commits: 4
Ranking last week: 10 (-10)
Average NIL: $14.7K
The Skinny: Kentucky dropped some in the rankings this week, largely based on updated industry rankings on its commitments. The good news is that three-star OT Malachi Wood is new to the commit list. Plus, there’s already a great foundation for Mark Stoops to build another quality class after finishing No. 14 in 2022.