Rankings Outliers: On3 high on LSU's 2023 class

The LSU football staff has landed 22 verbal commitments for the 2023 recruiting cycle, which has the Tigers sitting on a Top 10 class as high school football seasons roll along across the country.

On Monday, On3 updated the Top 300, and it turned into a good day for LSU’s class. LSU is ranked No. 6 on the updated On3 Consensus rankings, while the On3 team rankings would slot the Tigers as the No. 4 class.

The Tigers still have two five-stars in the rankings, but have now added another current commitment to the list of Top 30 prospects – meaning the Tigers aren’t far away from a class that includes a trio of five-stars on On3.

With three defensive linemen ranked inside the Top 50 nationally, the Tigers and defensive line coach Jamar Cain are sitting in a great spot when it comes to reloading in the trenches.

Following the release of the On3 rankings, here’s a look at On3’s industry comparison, which allows users to view where all four major recruiting services have a prospect ranked – whether it’s stars, national, state or position levels.

LSU’s 5-star commitments

The LSU football staff has commitments in from a pair of 5-star prospects in Catholic High wide receiver Shelton Sampson Jr. and Neville High offensive tackle Zalance Heard.

Here’s a look at the industry comparison for both prospects, with On3 remaining the lone recruiting service to have Sampson and Heard ranked as five-star recruits.

Shelton Sampson Jr.

On3: 5-star, No. 20 overall, No. 4 WR, No. 3 in Louisiana

ESPN: 4-star, No. 36 overall, No. 6 WR, No. 3 in Louisiana

Rivals: 4-star, No. 50 overall, No. 8 WR, No. 3 in Louisiana

247Sports: 4-star, No. 91 overall, No. 13 WR, No. 4 in Louisiana

*****

Zalance Heard

On3: 5-star, No. 14 overall, No. 3 OT, No. 2 in Louisiana

Rivals: 4-star, No. 63 overall, No. 9 OT, No. 3 in Louisiana

ESPN: 4-star, No. 79 overall, No. 7 OT, No. 7 in Louisiana

247Sports: 4-star, No. 107 overall, No. 9 OT, No. 6 in Louisiana

LSU with 5 commitments in the On3 Top 50

It doesn’t get much better than this for defensive line coach Jamar Cain.

After going nation-wide with his search for defensive line prospects, Cain reeled in four commitments this offseason, and now three of them are ranked by On3 as Top 50 prospects nationally.

Maryland’s Dashawn Womack had the biggest rise, jumping from outside the Top 50 up to No. 28 overall, putting him squarely in the mix for a potential fifth star once the rankings expand to 32 total five-star recruits.

Reed and Mickens, who were both ranked inside the Top 50 ahead of the shuffle, remained in that spot in the latest On3 rankings.

Dashawn Womack

On3: 4-star, No. 28 overall, No. 5 EDGE, No. 1 in Maryland

ESPN: 4-star, No. 47 overall, No. 3 EDGE, No. 1 in Maryland

247Sports: 4-star, No. 55 overall, No. 6 EDGE, No. 1 in Maryland

Rivals: 4-star, No. 121 overall, No. 11 EDGE, No. 4 in Maryland

*****

Darron Reed

On3: 4-star, No. 39 overall, No. 6 DL, No. 2 in Georgia

247Sports: 4-star, (no national ranking), No. 40 DT, No. 28 in Georgia

ESPN: 4-star, (no national ranking), No. 53 DT, No. 32 in Georgia

Rivals: 3-star, (no national ranking), No. 46 DT, No. 56 in Georgia

*****

Joshua Mickens

On3: 4-star, No. 49 overall, No. 7 EDGE, No. 1 in Indiana

247Sports: 4-star, No. 127 overall, No. 15 EDGE, No. 1 in Indiana

ESPN: 4-star, No. 201 overall, No. 31 EDGE, No. 2 in Indiana

Rivals: 4-star, (no national ranking), No. 21 EDGE, No. 4 in Indiana

Weeks rises again, On3 remains high on Stamps

On3 entered Monday as the recruiting service the highest on LSU linebacker commitment Whit Weeks, and once again, he earned another bump in the rankings after a solid start to his senior season at Oconee County.

The same goes for Stamps, who is in position for a rise as a senior at Rummel High in Louisiana. On3 remains the highest on Stamps, who is ranked as a Top 35 safety prospect nationally. After earning an offer from LSU’s staff during camp in June, Stamps could see time at multiple positions in the secondary depending on the depth chart.

Whit Weeks

On3: 4-star, No. 215 overall, No. 19 LB, No. 21 in Georgia

247Sports: 4-star, (no national ranking), No. 23 LB, No. 28 in Georgia

ESPN: 3-star, (no national ranking), No. 32 LB, No. 48 in Georgia

Rivals: 3-star, (no national ranking), No. 47 LB, No. 77 in Georgia

*****

Ashton Stamps

On3: 3-star, (no national ranking), No. 34 S, No. 22 in Louisiana

Rivals: 3-star, (no national ranking), No. 54 S, (no state ranking)

247Sports: 3-star, (no national ranking), No. 59 S, No. 22 in Louisiana

ESPN: 3-star, (no national ranking), No. 67 S, No. 23 in Louisiana

The other end of the conversation

While there are six commitments LSU is higher on than the rest of the industry, there are also four current commits where the On3 rankings are on the low end of the industry comparison.

For full clarity, here’s a look at the aforementioned group:

Jaxon Howard: While On3 is the highest on all three of LSU’s other defensive line commitments, the current rankings are the lowest on Howard. While he’s ranked by On3 as a 4-star and Top 250 prospect, he checks in higher on the other services – where he’s currently ranked between No. 94 and No. 117 overall.

Mac Markway: Markway checks in as a 3-star and the No. 33 tight end prospect on On3, while he’s currently ranked between No. 128 and No. 163 overall by the other services. Markway suffered a season-ending injury a year ago and continues to rehab ahead of college.

Rickie Collins: LSU’s quarterback commitment is still ranked by On3 as a 3-star prospect with an 89 rating, putting him at the edge of a 4-star ranking. On the other three major services, Collins is ranked as a 4-star. While it’s been a rough go for the offensive line at Woodlawn, Collins and the team bounced back with a win this past weekend.

Michael Daugherty: The Georgia safety is still ranked by On3 as a 3-star prospect, while he checks in higher elsewhere – including a high-mark of No. 203 nationally on 247Sports to a 4-star ranked outside the Top 300 on both Rivals and ESPN. Daugherty could land at the nickel position once he arrives in Baton Rouge.