Introducing top-10 receivers in Class of 2023

With Signing Day in the rearview mirror for the Class of 2022, the attention now turns to the junior class. It’s a class that features three Five-Star Plus+ prospects. It also includes four receivers in the top 25 in the country. On3 looks at the top-10 junior receivers and where things stand in their recruitment.

No. 1 receiver Zachariah Branch

Las Vegas Bishop Gorman
On3 Consensus: No. 14
On3 NIL Valuation: $29K
Status: Committed to USC
The Skinny: When Lincoln Riley took over USC, Ohio State had all the momentum with the Branch brothers. How quickly that changed. After an in-home meeting with Riley and Alex Grinch, the Trojans took the lead for Zion Branch. The older Branch signed with USC on Dec. 15. The younger brother, Zachariah Branch, was feeling it, too, and committed to the Trojans soon after.

No. 2 WR Shelton Sampson Jr.

Baton Rouge (La.) Catholic
On3 Consensus: No. 15
On3 NIL Valuation: $8.8K
Status: Uncommitted
On3 RPM: LSU 62.3%, Alabama 19.1%, Auburn 6.7%, Texas A&M 6.7%
The Skinny: Shelton Sampson Jr. is one of the most impactful receivers to come out of Louisiana in the past few cycles. He played a key role in helping his team win a state championship as a junior and sophomore while finishing runner up during his freshman season. With that type of play, it’s no surprise that LSU and Alabama – the two schools that always battle over the best players from The Boot – are listed on top of the On3 RPM.

No. 3 receiver Carnell Tate

Chicago IMG Academy
On3 Consensus: No. 16
On3 NIL Valuation: $27K
Status: Uncommitted
On3 RPM: Ohio State 95.1%, Notre Dame 3.5%
The Skinny: Tate was on the verge of committing early in November, and was down to Notre Dame and Ohio State. But he opted not to and has now opened things back up a bit. Ohio State, Notre Dame and Tennessee are still very much in the mix, but he is looking at LSU, Alabama, Texas A&M, Miami and others.

No. 4 WR Brandon Inniss

Plantation (Fla.) American Heritage
On3 Consensus: No. 25
On3 NIL Valuation: $42K
Status: Uncommitted
On3 RPM: Miami 37.1%, USC 32.7%, Florida 8.1%, Alabama 6.6%, Oklahoma 4.1%, Georgia Tech 1.4, Georgia 1.4%, FIU 1.4%, Texas 1.4%, Florida State 1.4%, USF 1.4%, Rice 1.4%
The Skinny:  Brandon Inniss was once committed to Riley and was one of the many prospects to decommit when he moved out to the West Coast. He told On3’s Jeremy Johnson that he committed to Oklahoma because it felt “perfect,” and he won’t commit again until he finds a school that can replicate that feeling. He doesn’t plan on rushing his commitment and it will likely go into the fall. Miami has jumped out to the early lead in his recruitment, according to RPM, and Inniss did tell Johnson that he liked the hiring of Mario Cristobal. He will also take a spring visit to Ohio State, he reported on Tuesday.

No. 5 receiver Jalen Brown

Miami Gulliver Prep
On3 Consensus: No. 33
On3 NIL Valuation: $18.9K
Status: Uncommitted
On3 RPM: Miami 52.8%, Florida State 25.4%, Florida 7.8%, Michigan 7.8%, Notre Dame 2.7%
The Skinny: Hometown Miami is the team to watch with Brown’s recruitment, especially after Cristobal arrived in South Florida. He’s made it a priority to keep the top talent at home, and Brown is getting a full-court press from the Miami coaches. But others are heavily involved, too. Florida, LSU, Florida State, Michigan and Texas A&M also stand out to him. Plans could change but Brown is looking to make his official visits during the 2022 season to get a feel for the full atmosphere at each school. As it stands, he said he doesn’t have a timeline for a decision.

No. 6 WR Jaquaize Pettaway

Houston Langham Creek
On3 Consensus: No. 34
On3 NIL Valuation: $14.3K
Status: Uncommitted
On3 RPM: Michigan 5%, Auburn 5%, Baylor 5%, Houston 5%, LSU 5%, Notre Dame 5%, Oklahoma 5%, Oklahoma State 5%, Penn State 5%, TCU 5%, Texas 5%, Texas A&M 5%, USC 5%, Florida 5%, Ohio State 5%, Arkansas 5%, Ole Miss 5%
The Skinny: Pettway is the definition of wide open at this point. He’s mentioned Cincinnati, LSU, Texas, Texas A&M, Ohio State and Arkansas as schools that have interested him. But he’s not narrowed his list down – yet. Pettaway told On3’s Gerry Hamilton two weeks ago that a top-five or a top-seven list could be coming to help him trim the list to a workable number.

No. 7 WR Makai Lemon

Los Alamitos (Calif.) High
On3 Consensus: No. 39
On3 NIL Valuation: $24K
Status: Committed to USC
On3 RPM: Committed to USC
The Skinny: He grew up dreaming of playing for the Trojans. But he had questions about the USC program. However, when Riley took over, he felt those questions were answered, so he flipped his commitment from Oklahoma to USC. “From the time I came out of the womb, I loved USC,” he said. “My parents and a lot of my family are big USC fans, so I have been watching them play since I can remember.”

No. 8 WR Jalen Hale

Waco (Texas) Connally
On3 Consensus: No. 47
On3 NIL Valuation: $27K
Status: Uncommitted
On3 RPM: Texas 29.7%, Texas A&M 29.7%, LSU 10.4%, TCU 10.4%, Oklahoma 10.4%
The Skinny: On the surface, this appears to be a classic Texas vs. Texas A&M battle. Both schools have done an excellent job of making Hale feel like a priority. However, he did opt to visit A&M for the Aggies’ junior day over UT. LSU and Oklahoma are also factors. Spring visits to out-of-region programs like Alabama and USC could also play a role in his decision.

No. 9 WR DeAndre Moore Jr.

Los Alamitos (Calif.) High
On3 Consensus: No. 48
On3 NIL Valuation: $9.5K
Status: Uncommitted
On3 RPM: USC 98.6%
The Skinny: Moore made headlines eight days ago when he backed away from his commitment to Oklahoma. The writing appears to be on the wall. Other schools will pursue, but it would be a major recruiting upset if Moore ended up anywhere other than at USC with teammates On3 Consensus Five-Star Plus+ quarterback Malachi Nelson and Lemon.

No. 10 WR Noah Rogers

Rolesville (N.C.) High
On3 Consensus: No. 51
On3 NIL Valuation: $19.6K
Status: Uncommitted
On3 RPM: NC State 69.1%, North Carolina 15.1%, Penn State 2.7%, Tennessee 2.7%, Wake Forest 2.7%, Clemson 2.7%, South Carolina 2.7%
The Skinny: Hometown team NC State has had him on campus a number of times, and he has several close ties with the program. That makes the Wolfpack the team to beat at this point. But the competition will be stiff. His brother is a walk-on at UNC. National programs like Penn State, Clemson, Ohio State and others are going to pursue.