On3 data: Stanford, Notre Dame commits average farthest distance

One of the unique tools in the On3 Recruiting Database and Consensus Team Recruiting Rankings is the ability to see how far teams have to go to land recruits. The average distance is often an indicator of where a program’s recruiting base is at and can be used to identify potential success later in a recruiting cycle.

On3 looks at the top 25 teams in the On3 Consensus Team Recruiting Rankings and what the average distance each is for each program.

No. 1 USC

Average Distance: 88.3 miles
The Skinny: It should come as no surprise that USC’s class early on is built on local players from Los Angeles. Lincoln Riley has made it a priority to focus on players from the Southland and there’s been early success. That’s on full display with USC’s class made up so far on players averaging only 88.3 miles from campus. USC will still have to compliment the local talent with some top national names, but it’s crystal-clear LA is still the Trojans’ top recruiting territory.

No. 2 Notre Dame

Average Distance: 906.5 miles
The Skinny: Notre Dame’s recruiting brand has always been a national one, and that’s going to be the case again under new coach Marcus Freeman. The Irish have commits from players in Florida, Texas, Indiana, Ohio, Nevada, New Jersey, California and Massachusetts.

No. 3 Georgia

Average Distance: 148.2 miles
The Skinny: Kirby Smart’s Georgia classes have always been focused on winning SEC states like Georgia, Florida and Alabama and that’s the case early on with the 2023 class. The Dawgs have commitments from players averaging only 148.2 miles from campus. It’ll be interesting to see how that number moves throughout the process, especially if the Dawgs land some top national targets.

No. 4 Ohio State

Average Distance: 264.1 miles
The Skinny: The Ohio State recruiting brand is a national one. Yes, the Buckeyes love to dominate the Midwest — and they often do — but they also venture anywhere and everywhere there’s talent. That’s the case already in 2023 with commits from Ohio, Tennessee and Florida.

No. 5 Penn State

Average Distance: 142.8 miles
The Skinny: James Franklin and Penn State love to focus first on local talent in Pennsylvania and surrounding states, and that’s what you see early on with the Nittany Lions’ eight commits. Expect more of the same with a national name or two sprinkled in throughout the recruiting process.

No. 6 Arkansas

Average Distance: 400 miles
The Skinny: Arkansas doesn’t have a huge recruiting base to work with locally, so the Razorbacks must focus elsewhere to build their class. That’s what you see early on with 10 commits that average 400 miles from the campus in Fayetteville. It is a good sign, though, that Arkansas has pledges from the top-two players in-state.

No. 7 Michigan

Average Distance: 263.1 miles
The Skinny: Much like Ohio State, Michigan focuses on the Midwest but also maintains a national recruiting footprint. That’s on display when you see the Michigan class features local players like Cole Cabana and Semaj Morgan but also includes players from Florida, New York and Illinois for an average distance of 263.1 miles.

No. 8 Oklahoma

Average Distance: 245.8 miles
The Skinny: The Sooners will still target national recruits. But more and more it appears Oklahoma will make Texas, Oklahoma and surrounding states its recruiting foundation under Brent Venables. The Sooners currently have a 245.8 average distance from campus in the 2023 class, and that number probably won’t climb too high with the Dallas Fort Worth Metroplex a big priority for OU.

No. 9 Texas Tech

Average Distance: 207.7 miles
The Skinny: Joey McGuire is Texas through and through, so it makes complete sense that the Lone Star State is the base for the Texas Tech classes. The Red Raiders have already raided the Metroplex and will continue to do that throughout the rest of the recruiting cycle.

No. 10 Florida State

Average Distance: 346.9 miles
The Skinny: Florida is priority No. 1, 2 and 3 for Florida State under Mike Norvell. But the Seminoles do have a national brand that allows them to recruit in other areas of the country, which explains why they have an average distance of 346.9 miles so far for the 2023 class.

No. 11 Tennessee

Average Distance: 504.7 miles
The Skinny: Tennessee has an SEC-state focus under Josh Heupel. But the Volunteers ventured out to Los Angeles to land five-star quarterback Nico Iamaleava, which is a big reason for the 504.7 average class distance. The local states will remain the foundation, but when the Vols can cherry-pick talent like Iamaleava they will do it.

No. 12 Michigan State

Average Distance: 523.7 miles
The Skinny: Michigan State has ventured outside of the Midwest more and more under Mel Tucker, and it’s paid off with some nice returns. We’re seeing that clearly in the 2023 class with a class that averages currently 523.7 miles and features players from Iowa, Michigan and Texas.

No. 13 Texas A&M

Average Distance: 147.3 miles
The Skinny: Texas A&M has remained mostly close to home with its 2023 class — to this point. The Aggies, like the 2022 class, will target national names anywhere and everywhere. But the Lone Star State will always be the No. 1 priority, which we’re seeing early on in this cycle.

No. 14 Louisville

Average Distance: 782.1 miles
The Skinny: Louisville has mainly concentrated on Southeastern states under Scott Satterfield. However, two early commits from top players in California, including coveted four-star quarterback Pierce Clarkson, has the average distance in this class looking quite different than in the past.

No. 15 Baylor

Average Distance: 139.2 miles
The Skinny: Baylor loves Texas talent. So, it makes sense that all seven of the Bears’ early commits are from players in the Lone Star State and the average distance is less than 140 miles from Waco.

No. 16 Iowa

Average Distance: 339.3 miles
The Skinny: Yes, Iowa has a Midwest-focused recruiting base. But when you don’t have a lot of talent in your backyard, you have to look elsewhere, which explains the Hawkeyes’ 339.3 average and commits from players in New Jersey, Indiana, Iowa and Colorado.

No. 17 Stanford

Average Distance: 1,328.7 miles
The Skinny: Stanford is a national recruiting brand because of its high academic standards. The Cardinal must recruit players with great grades and top test scores, so they hunt all over the country for talent. The Cardinal already has commits from Texas, Georgia and California.

No. 18 Cincinnati

Average Distance: 106.7 miles
The Skinny: Under Luke Fickell, Cincinnati has found a niche recruiting top players in the Midwest and complimenting that foundation with players in the Southeastern states. That appears to be the blueprint again in 2023.

No. 19 Nebraska

Average Distance: 561.1 miles
The Skinny: Like Iowa and others on this list, Nebraska can’t recruit its backyard alone to win games. That’s why you see the Cornhuskers focusing first on winning over top local talent like Gunnar Gottula and Benjamin Brahmer, and then going elsewhere in the country. The Huskers are also making some new inroads in the Northeast and Southeast after Scott Frost shook up his coaching staff.

No. 20 Kentucky

Average Distance: 57.4 miles
The Skinny: Kentucky has found a happy medium of local vs. national under Mark Stoops. The Wildcats do everything they can to protect their own backyard and then recruit well in neighboring states like Ohio and Tennessee and complement that with some national targets. Early on in 2023, the concentration has paid off with three commits from Kentucky and another from Tennessee.

No. 21 Boston College

Average Distance: 536.2 miles
The Skinny: With one of the smallest recruiting bases in the country, Boston College has to have a national recruiting base. That base is seen clearly with its early 2023 class that features commits from in the Boston area and others from Texas, Pennsylvania and Michigan.

No. 21 Duke

Average Distance: 506.7 miles
The Skinny: Duke does what it can to win over top local recruits in the Carolinas. But with a higher academic standard, the Blue Devils must also cast a wider net, which is why Mike Elko will have to keep recruiting well in states like Georgia and Texas.

No. 23 West Virginia

Average Distance: 277.6 miles
The Skinny: Neal Brown has done a solid job since his arrival at West Virginia of landing recruits all over the place. We’re seeing that clearly in the 2023 class with recruits already committed from South Carolina, Pennsylvania and Ohio.

No. 24 Oklahoma State

Average Distance: 319.3 miles
The Skinny: Oklahoma State has branched out a little bit early on with its 2023 class, landing commits from Kam Franklin in Louisiana and Jack Endean in Arizona. But make no mistake, Mike Gundy’s class will lean heavily on Oklahoma and Texas talent by the time it’s completed.

No. 25 Northwestern

Average Distance: 414.4 miles
The Skinny: Northwestern, like Stanford and Duke, has to recruit all over the place because of higher academic standards. Yes, the Wildcats will recruit the Midwest, as we’ve seen with four commits from Michigan and Illinois. But Jacob Lewis out of California bumps the average distance up quite a bit. Expect more of the same in the coming months.