On300: Inside the numbers show ‘insanely deep’ defensive line class

Having been around college football recruiting for nearly three decades, I’ve learned to love numbers. Numbers help you identify small shifts that lead to changing tides and eventual seismic movements in the recruiting world. That’s why it’s important to sift through ranking lists to see what trends are emerging, and that’s what we’re doing here with the updated release of the On300 for the Class of 2023.

74

As we’ve moved deeper into the recruiting calendar, it’s becoming clearer and clearer that it’s a loaded class upfront on the defensive side of the ball. Between the defensive line and EDGE spots, there are 74 players ranked in the On300.

This includes five-star prospects like Notre Dame EDGE commit Keon Keeley, freak athlete Nyckoles Harbor, EDGE Qua Russaw out of Alabama, and defensive linemen David Hicks and James Smith. There are also top-level EDGE talent like Adepoju Adebawore (20), Damon Wilson (21), Bai Jobe (25), Joshua Mickens (34) in the top 35 nationally.

“We’ve had some really good defensive line classes as of late, but I’ll take this 2023 class over all of them in the past five years or so,” an SEC recruiting coordinator said. “This class has a little bit of everything. Great overall defensive ends like Keeley out of Florida and pure freak athletes like Nyckoles. Plus, there are some quality pass-rushers inside, too.

“There’s probably a handful of 30 or 35 guys that anybody in the country would take regardless of what program they were coaching at. It’s that good of a defensive line class. It’s insanely deep.”

68

The recruiting calendar continues to speed up every year, and the Class of 2023 is no different. There are already 68 On300 players committed, and that number will grow to 69 by the end of Monday with four-star quarterback JJ Kohl of Ankeny (Iowa) High set to announce his pledge.

With official visits already taking place all over the country and more top prospects moving toward decisions, experts project the number of committed On300 prospects to reach triple digits by mid-May.

“It’s a sign of the times,” a Big 12 recruiting coordinator said. “I think we’re going to see fewer official visits take place in the spring because schools were burned by decommitments later in the process. But that won’t stop kids from making early commitments. I think we’ll easily see 100 to 125 of the top players already off the board by the time we hit June.”

42

Just like the senior class, the 2023 recruiting class also features quality depth at wide receiver. There are 42 wideouts in the updated On300 and 16 in the top 100. What also makes the group unique is that it’s not just receivers from the typical talent-producing states of California, Florida, Georgia and Texas.

There are plenty of other states represented with quality players, like Shelton Sampson Jr. (15) from Baton Rouge (La.) Catholic, USC commit Zachariah Branch (9) from Las Vegas Bishop Gorman, Noah Rogers from Rolesville (N.C.) High (42), Kentucky commit Shamar Porter (118) out of Nashville (Tenn.) Ensworth and Joshua Manning (163) from Lee’s Summit (Mo.) High.

20 & 15

It’s no surprise to see the SEC lead the way with 20 commitments already from On300 prospects. But the B1G isn’t too far behind with 15 recruits committed to schools in the league.

Overall, more than 50% of the top 300 players already committed are pledged to either SEC or B1G programs, with Georgia and Ohio State leading the way overall with five On300 recruits apiece.

Notre Dame also has five On300 recruits. But the SEC has 10 programs already on the board with On300 pledges and the B1G is right behind with nine. The Big 12 and ACC have five programs with On300 commits and the Pac 12 has four.

This early domination by the SEC and B1G is reflected in the On3 Consensuses Team Recruiting Rankings. Seven of the top 10 spots in the rankings are either SEC or B1G programs. Georgia, Ohio State and Alabama are in the third, fourth and fifth spots behind USC and Notre Dame.

3 & 2

The updated On300 also reveals a few surprising classes – Louisville with three top 300 recruits and UCF with two.

Both the Cardinals and the Golden Knights have made some solid headway over the past few recruiting cycles. But their early success is still somewhat unexpected. It should help both programs potentially make a run at top-25 classes.

That’s especially true for Louisville, which is ranked No. 13 in the country, with four four-star commitments and blue-chip quarterback Pierce Clarkson already on board.

“I’m blown away by the success they’ve had out in California,” a rival ACC recruiting coordinator said. “Landing Clarkson was the key. He’s like a Pied Piper for the Cardinals. He’s so well known that once he committed a lot of other top California guys started looking Louisville’s way.”