Uncommitted 2023 five-star recruits trending to top programs

Throughout the spring and summer, dozens of blue-chip recruits have announced their college commitments. Of those pledges, 14 five-stars recruits on the 2023 On3 Consensus have made commitments.

Yet there are still 11 uncommitted five-stars. As news and predictions about these prospects’ plans are revealed, the On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine has updated odds on the landing spots of each uncommitted five-star recruit.

The RPM was released to the public in December. The On3 engineering group teamed up with Spiny.ai to create the industry’s first algorithm and machine learning-based product to predict where athletes will attend college. 

It factors in machine learning, expert predictions, social sentiment, visits, and historical trends. However, expert predictions are still a big piece of the RPM equation.

(Note: These rankings are updated as of 6:54 p.m. CT on July 8.) 

Uncommitted 5-star recruits

Five-Star Plus+ CB Cormani McClain
School: Lakeland (Fla.) Lake Gibson
On3 Consensus Ranking: No. 2
On3 NIL Valuation: $307K
On3 RPM: Florida 75.0%, Alabama 15.5%, Georgia 5.4%, Miami 2.1%
Summary: In June, McClain’s mother, Tikisha White, told On3’s Chad Simmons that Alabama, Florida and Georgia are speaking to her son the most. McClain recently took official visits to Tuscaloosa and Athens, but the Gators remain in the lead for his services, according to the RPM.

Five-Star DL James Smith 
School: Montgomery (Ala.) Carver
On3 Consensus Ranking: No. 6
On3 NIL Valuation: $237K
On3 RPM: Alabama 47.2%, Georgia 40.3%, Auburn 10.2%
Summary: Smith recently took official visits to Auburn and Georgia. He is high school teammates with fellow five-star defensive lineman Qua Russaw, who he visited the Tigers with. However, don’t count out the defending SEC champion Crimson Tide in the chase for Smith’s pledge.

Five-Star DL David Hicks
School: Katy (Texas) Paetlow
On3 Consensus Ranking: No. 7
On3 NIL Valuation: $244K
On3 RPM: Texas A&M 59.5%, Oklahoma 35.5%, Miami 1.1%
Summary: The Aggies have a lot of momentum in this recruitment since Hicks has visited College Station eight times unofficially. The Sooners have yet to get Hicks to Norman, but the five-star did take an official visit to Miami on June 10th. His other official visits included Michigan State and Oregon.

Five-Star EDGE Nyckoles Harbor
School: Washington (D.C.) Archbishop Carroll
On3 Consensus Ranking: No. 12
On3 NIL Valuation: $320K
On3 RPM: Maryland 28.2%, Michigan 22.3%, LSU 17.2%, USC 8.5%, Miami 6.9%, South Carolina 4.8%, Georgia 3.8%, Penn State 2.2%, Alabama 1.1%, Oklahoma 1.1%
Summary: If the Terrapins land Harbor, it would be a massive boost for a class currently ranked No. 65 nationally and No. 13 in the Big Ten. Mike Locksley will have to work hard to keep Harbor from committing to one of the many nationally ranked programs seeking his talent.

Five-Star S Caleb Downs
School: Hoschton (Ga.) Mill Creek
On3 Consensus Ranking: No. 13
On3 NIL Valuation: $239K
On3 RPM: Georgia 41.3%, Ohio State 35.1%, Alabama 17.2%, Notre Dame 2.2%, Clemson 1.8%
Summary: According to On3’s Chad Simmons, the top contenders for Downs are the Bulldogs, Buckeyes and Crimson Tide. Downs, the top player in Georgia, recently took official visits to the three programs, as well as the Fighting Irish.

Five-Star LB Anthony Hill
School: Denton (Tex.) Ryan
On3 Consensus Ranking: No. 14
On3 NIL Valuation: $230K
On3 RPM: Texas A&M 76.9%, Texas 13.2% Oklahoma 3.4%, Alabama 2.3%, USC 1.7%
Summary: Hill announced a top two of Texas A&M and Texas on June 29. He has an upcoming official visit to College Station on July 29 and has already visited the Aggies four times unofficially. The Longhorns have hosted Hill five times, including an official visit on June 24.

Five-Star OT Samson Okunlola
School: Brockton (Mass.) Thayer Academy
On3 Consensus Ranking: No. 16
On3 NIL Valuation: $217K
On3 RPM: Miami 72.1%, Michigan State 7.8%, Alabama 5.1%, Rutgers 1.5%, Penn State 1.5%, Pittsburgh 1.5%, Virginia 1.5%, Michigan 1.5%, Georgia 1.5%, Oregon 1.5%
Summary: Landing Okunlola, the nation’s No. 3 offensive tackle, would be a massive win for Mario Cristobal on the recruiting trial. Miami already has a top-10 class, and it could rise even higher by pairing Okunlola with fellow five-star offensive tackle Francis Mauigoa.

Five-Star TE Duce Robinson
School: Phoenix (Ariz.) Pinnacle
On3 Consensus Ranking: No. 17
On3 NIL Valuation: $218K
On3 RPM: USC 93.5%, Georgia 2.2%, Clemson 1.9%
Summary: Robinson has been projected by the RPM to land with the Trojans for a long time. However, he told On3’s Chad Simmons that his interest in Texas has increased following the commitment of Five Star Plus+ quarterback Arch Manning.

Five-Star DL Matayo Uiagalelei
School: Bellflower (Calif.) St. John Bosco
On3 Consensus Ranking: No. 19
On3 NIL Valuation: $235K
On3 RPM: USC 48.3%, Ohio State 24.8%, Oregon 15.6%, Alabama 5.8%, Clemson 3.7%
Summary: Even though Uiagalelei is favored by the RPM to land with the Trojans, On3’s Chad Simmons believes Ohio State is the front-runner for the defensive lineman’s commitment. Simmons added that other contenders for Uiagalelei include Ohio State, Oregon and Alabama.

Five-Star EDGE Qua Russaw
School: Montgomery (Ala.) Carver
On3 Consensus Ranking: No. 23
On3 NIL Valuation: $199K
On3 RPM: Georgia 49.8%, Alabama 32.9%, Auburn 14.5%, Texas A&M 1.1%
Summary: Russaw is a high school teammate of fellow five-star defensive lineman James Smith and there is a good chance they could be playing together in college football. According to the RPM, both players are favored to land with either the Bulldogs, Crimson Tide or Tigers.

Five-Star RB Richard Young
School: Lehigh Acres (Fla.) Lehigh Senior
On3 Consensus Ranking: No. 25
On3 NIL Valuation: $232K
On3 RPM: Alabama 93.2%, Georgia 1.4%
Summary: While the Crimson Tide are heavily favored to land Young, another program has topped Georgia as Young’s second choice. According to On3’s Chad Simmons, that program is Oregon. Young took an official visit to Eugene on June 24.