Tennessee, Stanford risers in On3 Consensus Team Recruiting Ranking

With schools able to host prospects on unofficial visits and junior day events, the third weekend in March delivered plenty of recruiting drama. A new round of commitments sparked some movement in the On3 Team Recruiting Ranking. The top three schools — USC, Notre Dame and Georgia — held on to the top spots in the rankings. But elsewhere, a handful of teams, like Tennessee, Stanford and Duke, have made moves after recent commitments.

It’s still early in the 2023 cycle, with around 10 months to the Early Signing Period. But here’s how the race for the top class has taken shape:

No. 1 USC

Top-ranked commit: Five-Star Plus+ QB Malachi Nelson
Score: 95.057
Average rating: 96.38
Blue chips: 100%
Number of commits: 3 (+0)
Ranking last week: 1 (+0)
Average NIL: $58K
The Skinny: The Trojans have early commitments from the nation’s No. 2 quarterback, No. 1 receiver (Zachariah Branch) and No. 6 receiver (Makai Lemon). It’s a great foundation for what is expected to be a banner crop for new coach Lincoln Riley.

No. 2 Notre Dame

Top-ranked commit: Five-star EDGE Keon Keeley
Score: 93.504
Average rating: 92.09
Blue chips: 89%
Number of commits: 9 (+0)
Ranking last week: 2 (+0)
Average NIL: $20K
The Skinny: The Fighting Irish already have nine commits on board for the 2023 class, including Keeley, four-star linebacker Drayk Bowen, four-star safety Peyton Bowen, four-star corner Justyn Rhett and others. It’s the type of early start on the recruiting trail that should give Marcus Freeman momentum to close build a potential top-five class. Notre Dame is going to still have to work hard to hold on to Keeley, especially with Florida and now Ohio State pushing to flip him. He’s set to visit Ohio State on Tuesday.

No. 3 Georgia

Top-ranked commit: Four-star CB Marcus Washington
Score: 92.040
Average rating: 91.30
Blue chips: 71%
Number of commits: 7 (+0)
Ranking last week: 3 (+0)
Average NIL: $20K
The Skinny: UGA knows most of the elite players on its board will probably go through much of the recruiting process. But the early start with Washington, four-star OT Bo Hughley, four-star TE Pearce Spurlin, four-star WR Raymond Cottrell and others is enough to put the Dawgs in contention for the nation’s No. 1 class later on down the road. Plus, UGA apparently did a good job of hosting Five-Star Plus+ quarterback Arch Manning this weekend in Athens.

No. 4 Ohio State

Top-ranked commit: Four-star IOL Luke Montgomery
Score: 91.256
Average rating: 91.39
Blue chips: 80%
Number of commits: 5 (+0)
Ranking last week: 4 (+0)
Average NIL: $19.3K
The Skinny: After the No. 4 class in 2022, Ohio State is primed for another chase toward the top of the recruiting rankings. Like Georgia, we’ll probably have to wait a little while for some of the blue-chippers on the Buckeyes’ list. But getting Montgomery, four-star IOL Josh Padilla, four-star TE Ty Lockwood and four-star safety Cedrick Hawkins is a great start.

No. 5 Penn State

Top-ranked commit: Four-star IOL Alex Birchmeier
Score: 90.925
Average rating: 90.01
Blue chips: 50%
Number of commits: 8 (+0)
Ranking last week: 5 (+0)
Average NIL: $19K
The Skinny: Like Notre Dame, Penn State is doing a good job laying the foundation for another elite recruiting class. The Nittany Lions already have eight commits for 2023, including talented stars like Jven Williams — who is ranked as a five-star by On3 — tight end Neeo Avery and others.

No. 6 Arkansas

Top-ranked commit: Four-star TE Luke Hasz 
Score: 90.204
Average rating: 88.97
Blue chips: 50%
Number of commits: 10 (+0)
Ranking last week: 6 (+0)
Average NIL: $15.1K
The Skinny: The Hogs locked up in-state coveted recruit Shamar Easter in August of last year and haven’t stopped with their momentum since. Hasz was previously committed to Oklahoma and is now ranked as a top-six player at his position. Four-star CB Dallas Young was a good early get from Alabama. Now the Hogs are hunting for their quarterback of the class and have their sights set on four-star Avery Johnson and Malachi Singleton.

No. 7 Michigan

Top-ranked commit: Four-star LB Raylen Wilson
Score: 89.768
Average rating: 89.77
Blue chips: 50%
Number of commits: 6 (+1)
Ranking last week: 8 (+1)
Average NIL: $21K
The Skinny: The biggest question with the Wolverines will be whether or not Jim Harbaugh flirting with the Minnesota Vikings will come back to bite him in the butt on the recruiting trail. Initially, it hasn’t, and the Wolverines have five early 2023 commits. In fact, Michigan added another quality commit this past week in three-star defensive lineman Brooks Bahr out of Illinois.

No. 8 Oklahoma

Top-ranked commit: Four-star QB Jackson Arnold
Score: 89.543
Average rating: 90.09
Blue chips: 50%
Number of commits: 4 (+0)
Ranking last week: 9 (+1)
Average NIL: $31K
The Skinny: The Sooners are coming off back-t0-back visit weekends with some top targets in town. The Sooners have a great foundation in place with Arnold, four-star WR Ashton Cozart, three-star OL Joshua Bates already on board. Plus, insiders are raving about in-state three-star ATH Erik McCarty. There’s little question the Sooners have the building blocks of a top-10 or even top-five class.

No. 9 Texas Tech

Top-ranked commit: Four-star EDGE Isaiah Crawford
Score: 89.433
Average rating: 88.12
Blue chips: 31%
Number of commits: 13 (+0)
Ranking last week: 10 (+1)
Average NIL: $10.7K
The Skinny: Joey McGuire immediately went to work on 2023 prospects after he got hired. It’s paid off. The Red Raiders have 13 commits for the 2023 class, including Crawford, four-star WR Tyrone West, four-star S Brenden Jordan, four-star CB Calvin Simpson-Hunt and coveted quarterback Jake Strong.

No. 10 Florida State

Top-ranked commit: Four-star EDGE Lamont Green Jr.
Score: 89.429
Average rating: 89.56
Blue chips: 60%
Number of commits: 5 (+0)
Ranking last week: 11 (+1)
Average NIL: $23K
The Skinny: The Seminoles made a big move in the rankings three weeks ago after landing four-star defensive lineman Keith Sampson Jr. of New Bern, N.C. Sampson is the No. 167 player in the On3 Consensus. He joins Green to give FSU an outstanding foundation along the defensive line in the 2023 class. Four-star QB Chris Parson is also a good early get.

No. 11 Tennessee

Top-ranked commit: Five-star QB Nico Iamaleava
Score: 88.979
Average rating: 89.11
Blue chips: 40%
Number of commits: 5 (+1)
Ranking last week: 11 (+1)
Average NIL: $33K
The Skinny: Josh Heupel and the Volunteers are the newsmakers of the week with the addition on Monday of coveted five-star quarterback Nico Iamaleava. Not only is Iamaleava a five-star quarterback, but he’s also a prospect that will attract other top recruits to Knoxville. Iamaleava joins four-star TE Ethan Davis on the commit list as a good foundation for the Vols to surpass their quality No. 16 class in 2022.

No. 12 Michigan State

Top-ranked commit: Four-star EDGE Andrew Depaepe
Score: 88.789
Average rating: 88.92
Blue chips: 40%
Number of commits: 5 (+0)
Ranking last week: 13 (+1)
Average NIL: $17.1K
The Skinny: The Spartans went into Iowa to land Andrew Depaepe, which is a big head-to-head win over B1G recruiting rivals. Sparty has also landed its quarterback in the 2023 class — three-star Bo Edmundson, who some insiders believe will be ranked in the four-star range soon.

No. 13 Texas A&M

Top-ranked commit: Four-star DL Anthony James 
Score: 88.693
Average rating: 90.01
Blue chips: 67%
Number of commits: 3 (-1)
Ranking last week: 7 (-6)
Average NIL: $13.7K
The Skinny: The Aggies’ pursuit of another top-ranked class took a hit over the last week when four-star QB Eli Holstein backed off his longtime pledge to A&M. The Aggies are now pursuing other quarterback options in the class, but it was definitely a tough blow for a program that has dominated the recruiting trail for the past 12 months. The good news is the Aggies are building the base for another elite class, especially up front with key early commits from James and Johnny Bowens. The Aggies are also trending for some top targets like four-star EDGE Chandavian Bradley.

No. 14 Louisville

Top-ranked commit: Four-star QB Pierce Clarkson
Score: 88.487
Average rating: 88.47
Blue chips: 14%
Number of commits: 7 (+1)
Ranking last week: 14 (+0)
Average NIL: $19.9K
The Skinny: Scott Satterfield got a major early 2023 commitment in late January from Clarkson, one of the top quarterbacks in the country. He’s also from California and is going to help the Cards recruit in the Golden State. A great example of that came last week when Clarkson’s teammate Jahlil McClain, a three-star ATH at Bosco, also committed to the Cardinals.

No. 15 Baylor

Top-ranked commit: Four-star LB Christian Brathwaite
Score: 88.292
Average rating: 87.89
Blue chips: 29%
Number of commits: 7 (+0)
Ranking last week: 15 (+0)
Average NIL: $10K
The Skinny: Dave Aranda is building a quality 2023 class with seven commits already. The key, as we saw with last year’s crop, is keeping the early commits on board to Signing Day next February. Even though the Bears lost a commit from San Antonio (Texas) Brennan safety Tyler Turner two weeks ago, there’s a lot to like about what the Bears have done so far. Keep an eye on QB Austin Novosad. A lot of insiders really like him and think he could compete for four-star status.

No. 16 Iowa

Top-ranked commit: Four-star QB Marco Lainez III
Score: 87.867
Average rating: 87.87
Blue chips: 17%
Number of commits: 6 (+0)
Ranking last week: 16 (+0)
Average NIL: $16.3K
The Skinny: Iowa has six quality 2023 commits on board already. Lainez is one of the top quarterbacks on the East Coast. Three stars Maddux Borcherding-Johnson and Ben Kueter were good in-state gets to start the class off. In-state three-star ATH Alex Mota is also a big-time steal.

No. 17 Stanford

Top-ranked commit: Four-star TE Jaden Platt
Score: 87.293
Average rating: 88.61
Blue chips: 67%
Number of commits: 3 (+1)
Ranking last week: NR
Average NIL: $12.9K
The Skinny: Welcome to the top 25, Stanford. The Cardinal moved into the rankings after four-star receiver Ahmari Borden out of Georgia committed last week. Borden and Platt, the No. 20 TE in the country, give the Stanford offense a good foundation to build the rest of their class on. Also, don’t sleep on three-star WR Tiger Bachmeier.

No. 18 Cincinnati

Top-ranked commit: Four-star LB Trevor Carter
Score: 86.533
Average rating: 87.08
Blue chips: 25%
Number of commits: 4 (+0)
Ranking last week: 18 (+0)
Average NIL: $14.4K
The Skinny: Carter is one of the top-ranked in-state recruits that Luke Fickell has ever landed. Carter is the sixth-best recruit in Ohio’s 2023 class. Three of the Bearcats’ four commits are from in-state players, including three-star OL Evan Tengesdahl.

No. 19 Nebraska

Top-ranked commit: Three-star OT Gunnar Gottula
Score: 86.369
Average rating: 86.50
Blue chips: 0%
Number of commits: 5 (+0)
Ranking last week: 19 (+0)
Average NIL: $11.4K
The Skinny: Husker fans have to like what they’re seeing so far from Scott Frost’s revamped staff. The Big Red have five early commitments, have their QB of the class in three-star William Watson III, and have some good momentum after an early March junior day event. There’s still plenty of work to be done. But if the product on the field is better this season, the Big Red can expect better returns on the recruiting trail.

No. 20 Kentucky

Top-ranked commit: Four-star WR Shamar Porter
Score: 85.931
Average rating: 86.48
Blue chips: 25%
Number of commits: 4 (+0)
Ranking last week: 20 (+0)
Average NIL: $11.7K
The Skinny: For the second straight cycle, Kentucky landed a commitment from the top receiver in the state of Tennessee. First, it was Barion Brown in the 2022 class. Then Porter jumped on board, giving the Wildcats their third commitment in the 2023 cycle. Other schools have not stopped recruiting Porter, so this one might be a storyline to follow this spring. The good news is that with or without Porter, Mark Stoops has built a good foundation for another quality class after finishing No. 14 in 2022.

No. 21 Boston College

Top-ranked commit: Three-star RB Datrell Jones
Score: 85.677
Average rating: 85.74
Blue chips: 0%
Number of commits: 5 (+2)
Ranking last week: 24 (+3)
Average NIL: $9.4K
The Skinny: The Eagles move up in the rankings thanks to additions from DL Eryx Daugherty out of Michigan and Jordan Mayer out of Pennsylvania. Local three-star WR Jaed’n Skeete is another solid piece to the class. He’s been committed since the summer of 2020.

No. 22 Duke

Top-ranked commit: Three-star RB Seth Davis
Score: 85.349
Average rating: 86.67
Blue chips: 0%
Number of commits: 3 (+1)
Ranking last week: NR
Average NIL: $12.2K
The Skinny: Mike Elko’s Duke squad jumps into the top 25 after adding Davis out of the Lone Star State. He joins three-star WR Paul Davis and three-star QB Grayson Loftis.

No. 23 West Virginia

Top-ranked commit: Three-star QB Raheim Jeter
Score: 85.234
Average rating: 85.88
Blue chips: 0%
Number of commits: 4 (+0)
Ranking last week: 21 (-2)
Average NIL: $12.3K
The Skinny: Neal Brown already has his quarterback of the class in Jeter, committed to West Virginia on Dec. 20, 2021, after earning offers from Auburn, Georgia, Kentucky and others. Three-star RB Jahiem White out of New York was also a solid early get for WVU.

No. 24 Oklahoma State

Top-ranked commit: Three-star DL Jaedon Foreman
Score: 85.286
Average rating: 85.42
Blue chips: 0%
Number of commits: 4 (+0)
Ranking last week: 23 (-1)
Average NIL: $7.5K
The Skinny: Mike Gundy already has two solid in-state commits on board with Foreman and three-star IOL JaKobe Sanders from right down the street in Stillwater. The Cowboys also have good early gets from three-star ATH Kam Franklin out of Louisiana and Jack Endean in Arizona. But the best is still to come for OSU, as the Cowboys are right in the thick of things for some top Oklahoma, Louisiana and Texas talent.

No. 25 Northwestern

Top-ranked commit: Four-star IOL Dylan Senda
Score: 85.286
Average rating: 85.42
Blue chips: 0%
Number of commits: 5 (+0)
Ranking last week: 25 (-3)
Average NIL: $8.7K
The Skinny: Pat Fitzgerald landed a big one early on with Senda. But there’s also a talented local quarterback in the class with Aidan Gray out of Naperville, Ill. Joliet (Ill.) Catholic Academy. Three-star OL Anthony Birsa is a recent addition to the commitment list, and safety Jacob Lewis out of California committed two weeks ago.

Dropped out of the top 25: Miami and Colorado