Eventful spring leads to 2024 On300 update

On3 has updated its On300 football prospect rankings for the 2024 cycle. This marks the first update since the initial On300 release in March.

We’ve spent the last several weeks building out the On3 rankings for the 2024 cycle. This includes adding first-time ratings for hundreds of prospects. More than 800 2024 prospects now have ratings from On3.

We’ve spent the past month combing through hundreds of rising juniors in order to formulate these early rankings. Furthermore, more than 40 of those prospects debut in the updated On300.

The last month and a half has also allowed for more information to be gathered on prospects who were previously ranked in the initial On300. For many, it’s as simple as official heights and weights, testing results and track times. The flow of available actionable information can be uneven and incomplete at this early stage. That’s why we’re constantly looking to update and tweak the rankings as we learn more about the prospects.

We’re a little less than 20 months away from the final rankings for the 2024 cycle. There’s a ton of football left to be played. Ages of top prospects in the 2024 cycle range from 15 to 17 years old. Some prospects are new to football. Some prospects will physically look much different over the course of the next year. Hundreds of FBS prospects have yet to emerge. It’s likely there are future top-100 prospects who have yet to see varsity action or even started playing football at this time.

Updated 2024 On300

This ranking is a long-term projection. We’re ranking prospects off of their sophomore seasons and are looking to forecast several years down the line. It’s more about how we view these prospects turning out after two more years of high school football than who may be the best player as a 10th grader. With that said, we also heavily weigh varsity contribution, with the understanding that some may get opportunities later than others. As we move forward, how these prospects play as juniors and seniors (most importantly) will take precedence over these early rankings.

Let’s take a look at some storylines within this update.

Movement within the top 20

While most of the top prospects held their initial rating, there was some movement within the top 20. Ohio State quarterback commit Dylan Raiola remains the No. 1 overall prospect. We view Raiola as a top talent at the position for this stage in the process. He is the clear front-runner as the top prospect in the cycle at this time.

The other two initial five-stars, cornerback Desmond Ricks and defensive lineman Justin Scott, remain at No. 2 and No. 3, respectively.

EDGE Dylan Stewart moves up one spot to No. 4 overall. The 6-foot-5, 235-pounder out of Washington (D.C.) Friendship Collegiate Academy has impressed on the camp circuit, backing up what we saw on his junior video. Stewart is a big, explosive pass rusher with the ability to dip and bend around the edge.

Ricks’ new teammate at IMG Academy, Ellis Robinson IV now ranks as the No. 2 cornerback and No. 6 overall prospect. After getting a closer look at some other top corners this spring, we felt that Robinson’s ball skills, length and athleticism merited the slight bump up.

EDGE prospects Elijah Rushing (No. 7) and Jonathan Echols (No. 8) move up within the top 10. Both have validated the lofty early ranking in the camp setting this spring.

Miami Central’s Joshisa Trader (No. 10) jumps Micah Hudson (No. 11) as the current top receiver in the On300. Trader has shown more reliable ball skills to this point, while Hudson is developed as a route-runner.

The biggest move into the top 20 comes by way of defensive lineman Williams Nwaneri (No. 17). The Lee’s Summit (Mo.) North product looks like the most physically gifted defensive lineman in the cycle at this stage. Nwaneri owns an elite frame. He measured over 6-foot-6 with a 7-foot wingspan and 11-inch hands at the Under Armour’s camp stop in Kansas City. Nwaneri also tested as a top athlete, notably running an electronically-timed 40-yard dash in under 5.0 seconds. His recruitment has begun to blow up over the last week, adding offers from the likes of USC, Georgia and Alabama.

Quarterbacks Jake Merklinger (No. 15) and DJ Lagway (No. 18) also move into the top 20. Merklinger impressed as a sophomore at Savannah (Ga.) Calvary Day with his accuracy, feel and movement skills. Lagway is one of the more physically talented quarterbacks in the class. He is 6-foot-3 and 225 pounds with a quick, big arm.

Top 100 debuts

Of the 43 prospects who made their debut in the On300, a handful made big splashes into the top 100.

CB Jamari Howard (No. 25) has a unique combination of movement skills and dimensions at the position. The Hialeah (Fla.) Westland defensive back is close to 6-foot-2, 171 pounds with a massive 6-foot-8 wingspan. He’s an explosive, fluid athlete at that size and flashes strong ball skills playing both sides of the ball for his high school as well as in the camp setting.

LB Wendell Gregory (No. 35) is another rising defender who has rare dimensions for his position. The Marietta (Ga.) Walton defender is taller than 6-foot-3 with outstanding length. He made the move to defense as a sophomore and impressed with his first action on that side of the ball. Gregory makes plays in downfield coverage and is a physical striker and tackler as a cover-down defender.

It’s rare to see a player from South Dakota ranked as a blue-chip, but IOL Navarro Schunke (No. 36) is not an average high school athlete. Schunke is a two-sport star at Brandon (S.D.) Brandon Valley, where he doubles as one of the top heavyweight wrestlers in the nation. He’s a three-time state champion and won the 16U national championship as a heavyweight in 2021. Schunke’s skills on the mat transfer over to the field. He’s a lean, natural mover who excels as a run blocker at the second level.

IOL Casey Poe (No. 41) is another athletic, strong run blocker. Poe is an explosive, mauling blocker. He also recently won a state title in the shot put with a phenomenal throw of 57-4.75 feet.

QB Prentiss Noland (No. 52) has had a strong offseason on the heels of throwing for over 2,500 yards and 34 touchdowns while leading his Fairburn (Ga.) Langston Hughes team to a state title berth as a sophomore. The 6-foot-2, 190-pound lefty has shown a quick, live arm in the camp setting and in spring ball. Noland has played well on Friday nights and looks to be improving this off-season.

Erie (Pa.) Cathedral Prep OT Jiavani Cooley (No. 74) may be flying under the radar. The 6-foot-5, 265-pounder holds offers from Pittsburgh, Akron and Toledo. We found Cooley’s junior video to stack up very well within the offensive tackle group. He’s an easy natural mover and looks to have the body type and dimensions that project well at the position.

Checking on the quarterbacks

There was some minor movement in the On300 within the quarterback ranks following Dylan Raiola (No. 1), Jake Merklinger (No. 15) and DJ Lagway (No. 18).

CJ Carr (No. 31) moves up to the No. 4 quarterback in the cycle. The Saline (Mich.) High product has had a strong off-season on the camp circuit, backing up a breakout sophomore season. The grandson of former Michigan coach Lloyd Carr is polished and developed. He has a live arm and advanced technical skills at this stage.

IMG Academy’s Jayden Bradford checks in at No. 40, while Carlsbad (Calif.) High’s Julian Sayin is at No. 47. Bradford made a move to IMG from Chapin (S.C.) High where he put up good numbers as a two-year varsity starter. Sayin has starred at Carlsbad for a few years as well, showing some advanced accuracy and feel for the game early on.

The aforementioned Prentiss Noland is at No. 52 and is followed by Mobile (Ala.) Baker’s Josh Flowers (No. 54). Flowers is a productive player with a big arm and ability as a power runner. He’s a little more technically raw than many of these other top quarterbacks but has a high physical upside.

Jadyn Davis (No. 75) is fresh off a transfer across state lines to Charlotte Providence Day where he’ll look to have a big junior season. Jakhari Williams (No. 84) moves up slightly after backing up what we saw on his junior video with a good showing at the Elite 11’s Atlanta regional.

Isaac Wilson (No. 90) is waiting on his chance to start at Utah powerhouse after backing up On3’s No. 1 overall prospect in the 2022 cycle, Ohio State signee Devin Brown. If what he’s shown in limited reps and recent history is any indication, the younger brother of New York Jets quarterback Zach Wilson could be in line for a big junior season.

Elijah Brown (No. 115) took over the reins at Santa Ana (Calif.) Mater Dei and turned in a strong sophomore campaign for one of the nation’s top programs. Brown is significantly older than most of this group, so it remains to be seen how he’ll continue to develop relative to his peers. Still, he looks like one of the better high school quarterbacks in the cycle at this stage.