Where the top 300 recruits in the On3 Consensus come from

Each recruiting cycle, there is a battle between the states of Florida and Texas for high school football supremacy. Combined, those two make up roughly 15 percent of the country’s population but routinely produce about a third of the top 300 recruits nationally.

The 2023 recruiting cycle is no different, as those two jockey back and forth far out in front of the rest of the pack. But a handful of states — namely Alabama, North Carolina, Massachusetts and Missouri — have bumper crops this year, producing at a higher level than normal. With high school football kicking off in full force this week, and a number of national matchups on the docket, let’s look at who boasts the best recruits this year.

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Texas – 52

Top overall recruit: DL David Hicks
Number of 5-stars: 5
The Skinny: Texas has 17 players ranked in the top 100 nationally, with Hicks, Oklahoma QB commit Jackson Arnold, Texas A&M LB commit Anthony Hill, Notre Dame safety commit Peyton Bowen, and Louisville running back pledge Rueben Owens making up the five-stars in the Lone Star State.

Florida – 51

Top overall recruit: CB Cormani McClain
Number of 5-stars: 4
The Skinny: After a down 2022 cycle, Florida is back with a vengeance this year, taking up nearly 20 percent of the spots in the On3 Consensus top 300. The class is loaded with top-end talent like McClain, but it’s insanely deep as well.

(Note: Prospects who play at Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy are listed in their home states.)

Georgia – 28

Top overall recruit: S Caleb Downs
Number of 5-stars: 1
The Skinny: Georgia has replaced California as part of the Big Three talent-producing states over the past decade, and that trend continues with the Class of 2023. The Peach State doesn’t feature as much elite talent as it has in recent years, but it’s another deep class with 27 of the top 300 hailing from inside the borders.

California – 21

Top overall recruit: QB Malachi Nelson
Number of 5-stars: 5
The Skinny: If you need a quarterback, this was the year to find them in California. Nelson ranks as a Five-Star Plus+ prospect and Nico Iamaleava is on the verge of becoming one, too. There are lot of quality receivers in California and running backs in the class, as well as a stud defensive linemen in five-star Matayo Uiagalelei.

Alabama – 19

Top overall recruit: EDGE Qua Russaw
Number of 5-stars: 6
The Skinny: This will likely go down as best class ever from Alabama, and the numbers show that’s true. Along with Russaw, DB Jahlil Hurley, DL James Smith, DL Peter Woods, QB Christopher Vizzina and S Tony Mitchell have achieved five-star staus. Overall, Alabama has 14 players ranked in the top 150 nationally.

Louisiana – 16

Top overall recruit: QB Arch Manning
Number of 5-stars: 2
The Skinny: Louisiana continues to crank out blue-chip talent and the Class of 2023 is especially loaded. That’s especially true since Manning, a Five-Star Plus+ recruit, is also ranked No. 1 overall. But S Derek Williams is also a five-star and both WR Shelton Sampson Jr. and OT Zalance Heard are on the cusp of getting there themselves. The state has 13 players ranked in the top 200 overall.

North Carolina – 12

Top overall recruit: WR Noah Rogers
Number of 5-stars: 0
The Skinny: North Carolina is another state that often gets overlooked by many observers for the number of recruits it produces. But the Class of 2023 is quality from top to bottom. Rogers will likely compete for five-star status in later ranking updates, and overall, the state has seven prospects ranked in the top 200.

Missouri – 9

Top overall recruit: EDGE Samuel M’Pemba
Number of 5-stars: 2
The Skinny: Savvy recruiters have known for years that there’s always good talent to be found in Missouri. That’s especially true during some cycles in Kansas City and St. Louis. But nothing quite compares to what we’re seeing with the 2023 Class in the Show-Me State. M’Pemba played his first two high school seasons in St. Louis before transferring to IMG. Adepoju Adebawore recently ascended into five-star status, and RB Jeremiyah Love has skyrocketed up the rankings into a top-65 prospect. The state boasts six top-100 players this cycle.

Maryland – 7

Top overall recruit: DL Jason Moore
Number of 5-stars: 0
The Skinny: While Maryland doesn’t have the high-end talent in the 2023 class as it has in the past, there’s a monster defensive line class this year. Moore is a top-60 prospect nationally, while EDGE Desmond Umeozulu, EDGE Dylan Gooden, jumbo ATH Neeo Avery, DL Devan Houston and DL Dashawn Womack rank in the top-275 nationally.

Ohio – 7

Top overall recruit: IOL Luke Montgomery
Number of 5-stars: 0
The Skinny: Ohio always ebbs and flows for top-end talent, but the 2023 class kind of falls in the middle of the pack. Montgomery is in the top 50 nationally, with others like IOL Austin Siereveld, S Malik Hartford, DL Brenan Vernon and Arvell Reese also checking in among the top 300.

Massachusetts – 5

Top overall recruit: OT Samson Okunlola
Number of 5-stars: 1
The Skinny: Even with a large population base, there always isn’t a lot of top-end talent in the Boston area. That’s different in the 2023 with Okunlola, safety Joenel Aguero and DL Boubacar Traore all in the top 150 overall.

Mississippi – 5

Top overall recruit: LB Suntarine Perkins
Number of 5-stars: 0
The Skinny: Per capita, Mississippi annually produces some of the greatest number of top-end recruits. Perkins and four-star wideout Ayden Williams lead the group as two prospects who are rising fast across the industry.

Oklahoma – 5

Top overall recruit: EDGE Bai Jobe
Number of 5-stars: 0
The Skinny: Oklahoma is another state with boom or bust cycles. The number is somewhat in the middle for 2023, but the players at the top of the rankings are special. Jobe was a major riser in the On300 and ATH Jacobe Johnson is ranked in the top 90 nationally.

Pennsylvania – 5

Top overall recruit: Penn State IOL commit Jven Williams
Number of 5-stars: 0
The Skinny: Williams is a top-50 prospect in the class, and the state also features two players ranked in the top-200 nationally in LB Ta’Mere Robinson and WR Rodney Gallagher.

Tennessee – 5

Top overall recruit: EDGE Caleb Herring
Number of 5-stars: 0
The Skinny: Herring leads the pack in a solid but not spectacular year for Tennessee. There are two talented pass-catchers in Alabama TE commit Ty Lockwood and Kentucky WR pledge Shamar Porter.

Illinois – 5

Top overall recruit: WR Carnell Tate
Number of 5-stars: 1
The Skinny: OT Charles Jagusah is right on edge of five-star status and could get there by the end of his senior year. Tate, who is originally from Chicago and now plays at IMG, is one of two five-star wideouts committed to Ohio State.

Virginia – 5

Top overall recruit: Penn State IOL commit Alex Birchmeier
Number of 5-stars: 1
The Skinny: Birchmeier, LB Tony Rojas, and ATH Cameron Seldon are the headliners in Virginia’s 2023 class with each ranking in the top 100 nationally.

Arizona – 4

Top overall recruit: TE Duce Robinson
Number of 5-stars: 1
The Skinny: Over the past decade Arizona has increasingly become one of the top talent-producing states in the West. The same is true in the 2023 class with Robinson, the country’s best tight end, leading the charge.

Michigan – 4

Top overall recruit: QB Dante Moore
Number of 5-stars: 1
The Skinny: Moore was the focus of one of the most intense recruiting battles in the country, with Oregon ultimately winning out over Michigan, LSU, Texas A&m and others.

New Jersey – 4

Top overall recruit: OT Chase Bisontis
Number of 5-stars: 0
The Skinny: New Jersey is somewhat down from an elite talent standpoint this season with only four prospects in the top-300, but Bisontis is considered one of the country’s elite tackles.

Nevada – 4

Top overall recruit: USC WR commit Zachariah Branch
Number of 5-stars: 1
The Skinny: Las Vegas continues to grow from a population standpoint and more and more blue-chippers are coming out of the area. Branch is the headliner, but CB Justyn Rhett, S Kodi Decambra DL Kelze Howard also ranks in the top 45 nationally.

Washington – 4

Top overall recruit: DL Jayden Wayne
Number of 5-stars: 0
The Skinny: Wayne announced he was transferring to IMG Academy over the summer, but the state still features top-300 prospects like Oregon CB commit Caleb Presley, Oklahoma CB commit Jasiah Wagoner and Notre Dame RB pledge Jayden Limar.

Iowa – 3

Top overall recruit: OT Kadyn Proctor
Number of 5-stars: 1
The Skinny: There’s some sneaky good football played in Iowa, and the Class of 2023 is one of the best classes the state has produced in the last decade. Proctor is the headliner, but Michigan State EDGE commit Andrew Depaepe and Iowa State QB commit JJ Kohl are blue-chippers as well.

Indiana – 3

Top overall recruit: Notre Dame LB commit Drayk Bowen
Number of 5-stars: 0
The Skinny: Bowen is the biggest name of the group, but EDGE Joshua Mickens and S Daeh McCullough have been household names on the recruiting trail for more than a year.

South Carolina – 3

Top overall recruit: OT Monroe Freeling
Number of 5-stars: 0
The Skinny: Freeling, who is No. 64 on the On3 Consensus, is a coveted tackle prospect with a long list of national offers. IOL Markee Anderson and DL Xzavier McLeod are both recent South Carolina commits.

Utah – 3

Top overall recruit: EDGE Tausili Akana
The Skinny: After a monster 2022 class, Utah is a little down in 2023. That being said, OT Spencer Fano and Akana are top-150 recruits who will have their pick of schools.

District of Columbia – 2

Top overall recruit: EDGE Nyckoles Harbor
Number of 5-stars: 1
The Skinny: When you combine DC, Virginia and Maryland, the DMV has some really elite talent in the Class of 2023. But there does seem to be more concentrated talent in DC than in the past. Harbor is an elite two-way prospect, and Clemson EDGE commit David Ojiegbe is another blue-chipper.

Kansas – 2

Top overall recruit: QB Avery Johnson
Number of 5-stars: 0
The Skinny: Not known for producing a ton of high-end talent outside of Kansas City, this cycle features two top-300 prospects from the Wichita area with Johnson and Notre Dame RB commit Dylan Edwards.

Arkansas – 1

Top overall recruit: Arkansas TE commit Shamar Easter
Number of 5-stars: 0
The Skinny: Easter was an early Arkansas commit. Had he remained on the market, he would have been one of the most heavily-recruited tight ends in the country.

Colorado – 1

Top overall recruit: EDGE Blake Purchase
Number of 5-stars: 0
The Skinny: The Centennial State is home to only one top-300 players this cycle, with four-star Arizona QB commit Brayden Dorman sitting just outside the cutoff.

Connecticut – 1

Top overall recruit: OT Olaus Alinen
Number of 5-stars: 0
The Skinny: Alinen saw his recruiting stock shoot through the roof in the winter, and Alabama landed him last month.

Idaho – 1

Top overall recruit: ATH Kenyon Sadiq
Number of 5-stars: 0
The Skinny: The state known for its potatoes isn’t known for high-level prep football, but Sadiq is one of the elite athletes this cycle.

Minnesota – 1

Top overall recruit: EDGE Jaxon Howard
Number of 5-stars: 0
The Skinny: Minnesota isn’t typically home to many elite recruits, but Howard, an LSU commit, carries the torch this year.

Nebraska – 1

Top overall recruit: ATH Malachi Coleman
Number of 5-stars: 0
The Skinny: Coleman is likely going to stay in-state and play for Nebraska, but he definitely has other teams pursuing him.

Oregon – 1

Top overall recruit: TE Riley Williams
Number of 5-stars: 0
The Skinny: The last few months have been tough for Oregon, as Williams spurned the home-state Ducks for Miami and then opted to transfer to IMG Academy. Still, he’s an Oregon kid at heart.