Breaking down the top quarterbacks in the updated On300 rankings

The 2023 cycle is unique in that there are several top quarterbacks who were identified as national, five-star level talents early on in their high school careers. Three signal callers rank within the top five overall prospects in the updated On300, which was released on Monday. Two more quarterbacks check in as top 50 prospects with several more spread throughout the On300.

Updated 2023 On300

Here’s a rundown of what we see in the On300 quarterback prospects after evaluating their junior seasons for this On300 update.

Arch Manning

On300 Ranking: No. 1

Arch Manning continues to hold down the No. 1 overall spot, also making him the top-ranked quarterback in the cycle. We first saw Manning in person last summer alongside most of the other top 2023 quarterbacks on the college camp circuit. He was the most developed and well-rounded of the group. At 6-foot-4, 215-pounds, Manning has one of the quicker releases we’ve seen from a high school quarterback in recent cycles. His ability to to make translatable, high-level plays from within the pocket and outside of structure. He’s an accurate passer to all levels. Manning also has shown the ability to create some big gains with his legs, rushing for around 400 yards and seven touchdowns as a junior at New Orleans Isidore Newman.

Alabama, Texas, Georgia and Ole Miss are among those in contention for Manning’s commitment.

Malachi Nelson, USC

On300 Ranking: No. 2

Malachi Nelson remains as the No. 2 overall prospect and second quarterback after Manning. The 6-foot-3, 175-pounder plays with a relaxed confidence and shows some advanced nuance as a passer. Nelson’s ability to layer his passes and throw with touch is among the best in the cycle. He completed 61.8 percent of his passes for 26,90 yards and 39 touchdowns against eight interceptions as a junior at Los Alamitos (Calif.) High.

Nico Iamaleava (No. 5)

On300 Ranking: No. 5

Nico Iamaleava moves up to No. 5 overall, closing the gap on Manning and Nelson. The 6-foot-6, 200-pounder has a strong case as the top pure arm talent in the cycle. Iamaleava has palpable arm strength that particularly jumps out in in-person evaluations. He has a tight throwing motion for a taller prospect with longer arms and the ball jumps out of his hand. Iamaleava also moves well and shows the ability to pick up some yards when the play breaks down. His games at Downey (Calif.) Warren can be a bit hard to parse as his offense relies heavily on short passes, but the natural talent is still quite evident. Iamaleava completed around 60 percent of his passes as a junior for 2,244 yards and 33 touchdowns against just one interception.

Oregon, Alabama, Georgia and Tennessee are among the programs in the mix for the five-star.

Christopher Vizzina (No. 20)

On300 Ranking: No. 20

In evaluating the quarterback group for this ranking a few weeks ago, we came to view Christopher Vizzina as the clear No. 4 quarterback in the cycle coming out of the junior season. The 6-foot-3, 195-pounder has a well-rounded skill set with a strong arm and impressive play against some strong competition. Vizzina separates himself from some other top quarterback prospects in large part due to his translatable movement skills. The Birmingham (Ala.) Briarwood Christian signal-caller may have the best pocket movement we’ve seen among quarterbacks in the 2023 cycle. Vizzina is a twitchy, quick-footed mover in the pocket and has the speed to rip off long touchdown runs once he’s loose at the second level. He’s an ascending prospect who has only played quarterback for around three years, in addition to being younger than many of his peers. Vizzina was efficient as a junior at Briarwood Christian, hitting 68.4 percent of his passes for 2,065 yards (over 10.5 yards per attempt) 16 touchdowns and four interceptions, while rushing for 600 yards and 15 more scores.

Vizzina has seen his recruitment blow up recently, and with good cause. He’s added offers from Georgia, Florida, Miami, Ole Miss, LSU and Tennessee over the last five weeks. Clemson and Notre Dame are two programs who have been heavily in the mix prior to his recent influx of new offers.

Dante Moore (No. 49)

On300 Ranking: No. 49

Dante Moore has been considered of the top quarterbacks in the 2023 cycle dating back to his freshman season at Detroit Martin Luther King. The 6-foot-2, 195-pounder is an accurate pocket passer with a quick release. Moore is a highly efficient quarterback at the high school level. We saw the game continue to slow down for him this fall, completing 73 percent of his passes for over 3,000 yards, 40 touchdowns and three interceptions as he led MLK to a state title. There’s no questioning Moore’s output at the high school level. His ranking ceiling will likely be dictated by what he shows from a movement skills and athleticism perspective over the next year.

Notre Dame and Michigan are considered the front-runners for the Detroit standout.

Jackson Arnold, Oklahoma (No. 79)

On300 Ranking: No. 79

Jackson Arnold moves into the top 100 on the heels of a strong first season as a starter at Denton Guyer High. The 6-foot-1, 187-pounder is the top-ranked 2023 quarterback in the state of Texas, by a fair margin. Arnold showed a strong arm and some gritty toughness as a runner while running Guyer’s iso-spread uptempo offense. He completed 66.5 percent of his passes for 3,921 yards, 34 touchdowns and five interceptions in addition to 659 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns on the ground. Arnold led Guyer to the precipice of a state title as a junior. He committed to Oklahoma — which runs a very similar scheme to Guyer — on January 24.

Remaining On300 quarterbacks

+ Dylan Lonergan (No. 122) continued to show improvement as a junior at Brookwood (Ga.) Snellville. Several top skill players transferred out of the program, but Lonergan still put up some impressive production. The 6-foot-1, 220-pounder is a well-rounded quarterback with the ability to make some creative plays out of structure. He accounted for over 4,000 yards and 40 touchdowns from scrimmage and only threw two interceptions. Lonergan is also a top baseball prospect. He’s visited Georgia, Georgia Tech and South Carolina over the past few months and also has offers from the likes of Alabama, Ohio State, North Carolina, Stanford and more.

+ Jaden Rashada has been on the recruiting radar for several years, pre-dating his time as a high school starter. The 6-foot-4, 175-pounder is one of the better arm talents in the cycle with the ability to drive the ball downfield with relative ease. Rashada put together a solid junior season at Pittsburg (Calif.) High after a bit of a bumpy sophomore spring season. We’ll be watching how Rashada progresses in terms of positional nuance and operating efficiency as a senior.

+ JJ Kohl (No. 213) is a new entry into the On300. The Ankeny (Iowa) High product is a big, strong-armed quarterback at 6-foot-6, 230-pounds. Kohl is a good athlete with a multi-sport background and has shown signs of a high physical upside. He continued to elevate his play as the season went on and led his team on a deep playoff run. Iowa, Iowa State and Wisconsin are among the top programs in Kohl’s RPM.

+ Texas A&M commit Eli Holstein (No. 219) has shown a strong arm and solid mobility over the course of the past year. Holstein plays for perennial power Zachary in Louisiana and helped the Broncos to a state title as a junior while throwing for 3,246 yards and 29 touchdowns against six interceptions as a junior.

+ Brady Drogosh (No. 234) could very well be the top athlete among this group of quarterbacks. The 6-foot-5, 200-pounder had a breakout junior season while leading his Warren (Mich.) De La Salle team to a 13-0 record and state title. Drogosh is a big-time threat on the ground, rushing for 1,781 yards and 24 scores in addition to passing for nearly 1,500 yards and 15 touchdowns. Drogosh uses his top-end speed and long stride to easily out-run defenses. He’s also shown some upside as a passer in addition to his athletic ability. Maryland and Indiana have offered in the last few weeks.

+ Ajani Sheppard (No. 250) caught our eye in combing through the quarterback group. The New Rochelle (N.Y.) Iona Prep signal caller is a well-built 6-foot-2, 220 pounds and shows off a live downfield arm while presenting a considerable run threat. Sheppard was among the more efficient and productive quarterbacks we evaluated this go around. He completed 71 percent of his passes for 2,357 yards, 22 touchdowns and four interceptions while rushing for 1,041 yards and 16 more scores. Sheppard is far from just a stat stuffer, though. The physical talent checks out on video.