Three storylines to watch in the 2023 cycle in the southeast

The southeast is full of stories now that things have cooled on the class of 2022. National Signing Day has come and gone.

The things that took place in recent months have set an appetizing stage for the class of 2023.

The southeastern portion of the country is percolating with storylines.

Let’s examine a few of them.

How quickly will new coaches take hold in south?

Florida’s new coach Billy Napier has already been a name tossed around in high regard on the recruiting trail.

The Gators made a surge late in the going prior to National Signing Day to close with the No. 25 overall ranking in the 2022 On3 Consensus Football Team Recruiting Rankings.

The Gators landed late commitments and signatures for four-star wide receiver Caleb Douglas and three-star edge Jack Pyburn.

They were on the tables of five-star linebacker Harold Perkins, four-star safety Jacoby Matthews and TreVonte’ Citizen.

Napier set a solid foundation of momentum for the class of 2023.

LSU’s Brian Kelly is in a similar situation. The Tigers closed the deal on in-state five-star Perkins, which helped them land the 12th overall class in 2022.

Coincidently, recruits in the class of 2023 are also intrigued by the type of culture that Kelly and staff could be about to build.

“He seems like a genuine coach, he built a culture at Notre Dame that was cemented there,” four-star safety Michael Daugherty told On3 in a recent interview. “I feel like he knows what he’s doing. I feel like he’s a really good-minded coach in terms of how he wants to run a program. It’s interesting to see how they’ll take care of that at LSU.”

Where will the elite DBs land?

The south feeds a lot of the major programs in the Southeastern Conference, ACC, Big Ten, Big 12 and so on and so forth.

Football is a sport now played through the passing lanes. How do you stop the Bryce Youngs and Caleb Williams‘ of the world?

You build a strong secondary and pass rush. There are a few key players in the southeast that are key pieces to any class they join.

Here are the names to watch.

Lakeland (Fla) Lake Gibson cornerback Cormani McClain sits atop the list of defensive backs in the southeast.

McClain’s Recruiting Prediction Machine Prediction has Florida and Miami high on his radar. McClain was recently in Athens visiting Georgia. The Bulldogs appear to have made an impression according to On3 Director of Recruiting Chad Simmons.

Simmons’ recently praised McClain’s potential.

 “Cormani McClain looks like that perfect cornerback. He is every bit of 6-1, he has very long arms, he is twitchy, and he plays with confidence,” Simmons wrote.

Hoschton (Ga.) Mill Creek Caleb Downs is the eighth overall prospect in the class of 2023.

As a result, he too has a long list of offers from the heavy hitters of college football like Georgia, Clemson, North Carolina, Ohio State, Alabama and others.

Downs’ RPM leans toward Georgia with Alabama close behind at the moment. Those two programs played against one another in the College Football Playoff National Championship game a few weeks ago.

What impact will the recruitments of the three five-star quarterbacks have on the southeast?

The On3 Consensus No. 1 player in the class of 2023 is New Orleans (La.) Isadore Newman quarterback Arch Manning.

Manning is one of the most sought-after prospects in recent memory. He already has a NIL-Valuation of $1.6 million.

Manning’s recruitment is centered on a ton of programs in the south. Whichever program he lands at immediately becomes an attractive program to the elite skill players around the south.

Coincidently, Manning’s RPM favors Georgia with Alabama close behind at the moment.

The next five-star signal-caller Malachi Nelson ranks right behind Manning in the rankings. Coincidently, his recruitment appears wrapped up as he’s committed to USC after previously being committed to Oklahoma to play for Lincoln Riley.

Another five-star that has shown interest in coming south is five-star Nico Iamaleava. Coincidently, Iamaleva is also a California signal-caller.

Iamaleava’s RPM has Alabama, Georgia and Tennessee trending near the top.

Quarterback play has been a key for recent national champions. Both Clemson, LSU and Alabama were piloted by former five or four-stars during the championship runs of 2018, 2019 and 2020.