It’s been a busy summer. And while a ton of players in the 2023 class have already issued commitments, a large portion of influential prospects are still parsing through their offers. Now is a good time to check in on some of the players most worthy of tracking over the next few months.
This isn’t only about rankings. This is a list of recruits we consider the most “impactful” uncommitted prospects. Impactful can mean a lot of things, from importance to a specific school, a big regional recruit, a trendsetter or simply a prospect who has an interesting recruitment. As players commit and the landscape changes, this list will change, too. Let’s get started.
Advertisement
1. Five-star CB Cormani McClain
High school: Lakeland (Fla.) Lake Gibson
Ranking: No. 3 overall, No. 1 cornerback
Height/weight: 6-2, 165 pounds
Considering: Florida, Miami and Alabama
The buzz: Florida has landed a handful of meaningful commitments recently, most notably from four-star receiver Aidan Mizell of Orlando (Fla.) Boone. Mizell is the No. 72 overall player and the No. 13 receiver in the class — and is currently Billy Napier’s only top-100 player in the 2023 cycle. The Gators are heating up, and there are other big fish high on their board. McClain is the best cornerback in the 2023 cycle. He lives in Florida, and he’s also considering Miami and, you guessed it, Alabama. Though some view Florida as the team with the inside shot, it’s still August and visits are going to happen in the fall. Things are trending in the right direction for Napier right now, but will he be able to beat Saban and in-state rival Mario Cristobal for a truly elite talent? This is recruiting at the big boy level.
2. Five-star edge Matayo Uiagalelei
High school: Bellflower (Calif.) St. John Bosco
Ranking: No. 27 overall, No. 4 edge rusher
Height/weight: 6-5, 265 pounds
Considering: Ohio State, Oregon, USC and Alabama
The buzz: Ohio State isn’t used to having a rough month on the recruiting trail, but it hasn’t been smooth sailing of late for the Buckeyes. First, Ohio State missed out on a pair of priority defensive targets in four-star linebacker Tackett Curtis of Many (La.) High (committed to USC) and five-star cornerback Caleb Downs of Hoschton (Ga.) Mill Creek (committed to Alabama). Then, four-star cornerback Dijon Johnson of Tampa (Fla.) Wharton, the No. 93 overall player in the 2023 class, decommitted over the weekend. Ohio State still has the No. 2 overall class, but the Buckeyes really need some big hitters on defense to close things out. Uiagalelei enjoyed his time in Columbus while on his official visit in June. This is a very important prospect for the Buckeyes.
Advertisement
3. Five-star WR Shelton Sampson Jr.
High school: Baton Rouge (La.) Catholic
Ranking: No. 33 overall, No. 4 wide receiver
Height/weight: 6-4, 181 pounds
Considering: LSU, Florida State, Alabama and Texas A&M
The buzz: LSU’s 2023 class currently has 17 commitments and ranks No. 10 nationally. Of those 17 commitments, two are ranked in the top 100. Neither of those players is from the state of Louisiana. Though Brian Kelly has put together a solid class in his first cycle leading the Tigers, he has really excelled in the national role that he was in at Notre Dame. But if we know one thing about LSU, it’s that it always — always — butters its bread at home. None of the six national top-100 players in the state of Louisiana have chosen LSU, and four are off the board. LSU needs to do what LSU does and close with Sampson. He’s announcing on Aug. 6.
Catholic High Gym🫣 @Hayesfawcett3 pic.twitter.com/8cpRyWUJxM
— Shelton Sampson Jr. (@sampson_shelton) July 31, 2022
4. Four-star QB Austin Novosad*
High school: Dripping Springs (Texas) High
Ranking: No. 155 overall, No. 11 quarterback
Height/weight: 6-3, 185 pounds
Considering: Baylor, Ohio State, Notre Dame and Texas A&M
The buzz: Novasad has the asterisk because he’s technically a committed prospect — he pledged to Baylor in December 2021. But his recruitment has exploded over the last two months. He picked up an offer from Ohio State on June 1 and has since received offers from Texas A&M and Notre Dame, two schools he has recently visited. Novosad was one of the more impressive performers at the Elite 11 Finals, and it’s clear he’s one of the best quarterbacks in this cycle. Baylor is hoping it can hold onto him through all the turbulence, and it was no doubt a good sign for the Bears that Ohio State accepted a commitment over the weekend from four-star quarterback Brock Glenn of Memphis (Tenn.) Lausanne Collegiate School. Texas A&M and Notre Dame are still pushing. Novosad is the No. 11 quarterback in the 2023 cycle, and all of the QBs ranked ahead of him are already committed. He has immense value.
5. Five-star DL David Hicks
High school: Katy (Texas) Paetow
Ranking: No. 7 overall, No. 1 defensive lineman
Height/weight: 6-4, 270 pounds
Considering: Texas A&M, Texas, Miami, Michigan State, Oregon, Alabama and Oklahoma
Advertisement
The buzz: A little more than a week ago — when Texas A&M’s class was ranked outside of the top 60 — some were wondering if the Aggies were going to be able to follow up last year’s No. 1 class with another elite crop. But in the past eight days, Texas A&M picked up commitments from three top-100 national prospects — five-star linebacker Anthony Hill of Denton (Texas) Ryan, four-star offensive tackle Chase Bisontis of Ramsey (N.J.) Don Bosco Prep and four-star athlete Dalton Brooks of Shiner (Texas) High. Hicks is one of the three top-10 national prospects who has yet to commit, and he’s a five-star defensive tackle from the Houston area. If recent history is a clue, we know how this one is about to turn out. Texas A&M could use another big boom to legitimize itself in the 2023 cycle — if it hasn’t done so already — but Oklahoma seems to be gaining momentum after a weekend visit.
6. Five-star OL Samson Okunlola
High school: Brockton (Mass.) Thayer Academy
Ranking: No. 14 overall, No. 3 offensive tackle
Height/weight: 6-5, 305 pounds
Considering: Alabama, Michigan State, Miami. Florida, Georgia, Oklahoma, Oregon and others
The buzz: Okunlola — also known as the “Pancake Honcho” — went on a tour of official visits during the spring where he’d pose for pictures while pouring syrup on a plate of flapjacks. His ability to knock defensive linemen on their butts is the reason he has his nickname, and also the reason he’s a five-star prospect. After his big spring visits tour — which included a stop at Miami — it seemed as though the Hurricanes were in great position. Cristobal, of course, has to own South Florida if he wants to bring “The U” back. But he also has a keen understanding that in order to compete for a national title, he has to go national, too — much like he did at Oregon. Miami’s 2023 class has improved dramatically over the last six weeks, adding five top-100 prospects since June 26. Four of those five are from Florida. Imagine if Cristobal adds this big offensive tackle talent from Massachusetts? That’s the reason he was hired.
7. Five-star TE Duce Robinson
High school: Phoenix (Ariz.) Pinnacle
Ranking: No. 20 overall, No. 1 tight end
Height/weight: 6-6, 225 pounds
Considering: Georgia, USC, Alabama and Texas
The buzz: It’s not often you’ll find a tight end on this list, but I was blown away when I saw Robinson at the Elite 11 Finals (he was one of several prospects at the camp running routes and catching passes from the QBs). He is big, long and a freak athlete. Whoever gets him is going to have a unique weapon in the passing attack. Right now, USC seems to be a favorite in this recruitment given that Phoenix is such a convenient drive to Southern California. But he’s also the type of prospect you could see thriving in the SEC. He has official visits scheduled in the fall for Texas, Georgia and Alabama. This is going to be a fun recruitment to watch play out. Can USC hold off the big boys and land him?
8. Four-star CB Javien Toviano
High school: Arlington (Texas) Martin
Ranking: No. 35 overall, No. 4 cornerback
Height/weight: 6-0, 185 pounds
Considering: Michigan, Alabama, Georgia, LSU, Oklahoma, Texas, Oregon and Texas A&M
The buzz: Toviano is the top-rated player in the country who isn’t a five-star prospect. This is the type of player Texas needs to land. Texas A&M’s 2023 class has only eight commitments, but it includes five top-100 players. Texas’ class has 20 commitments but only five top-100 players. That ratio obviously favors the Aggies. The Longhorns need to keep pace here while also fending off other top-tier programs. In addition to Texas and Texas A&M, Toviano has visited LSU, Michigan, Baylor and others. Will this be a heated in-state battle or will he leave the Lone Star State?
Advertisement
9. Four-star OLB/edge Tausili Akana
High school: Lehi (Utah) Skyridge
Ranking: No. 69 overall, No. 9 edge rusher
Height/weight: 6-4, 225 pounds
Considering: Oklahoma and LSU
The buzz: If Oklahoma was worried about losing Lincoln Riley, the early returns on Brent Venables have been off the charts. Since the beginning of July, the Sooners have added four players who rank in the top 101 nationally, and their class now has 18 commitments and checks in at No. 7 overall. The most exciting thing about Oklahoma’s class is that it includes a lot of talent on the defensive side of the ball along with five-star quarterback Jackson Arnold of Denton (Texas) Guyer. Oklahoma potentially adding a stud linebacker from Utah who can wreak havoc off the edge? That’s something to track.
10. Four-star CB Dijon Johnson
High school: Tampa (Fla.) Wharton
Ranking: No. 93 overall, No. 10 cornerback
Height/weight: 6-1, 190 pounds
Considering: Florida and Miami
The buzz: Heading into the weekend, Johnson wouldn’t have been on this list. But after decommitting from Ohio State, here he is. And the best part about it? This is going to be another edition of the Florida-Miami in-state battle. For the most part, Miami has gotten the best of the Gators, but this seems to be a nice opportunity for Napier to land his second top-100 player in the 2023 cycle. Picture a world in which the Gators sign McClain and Johnson. Those are the types of results that will make Florida fans feel like things are really on the right track. But if we’ve learned one thing in this cycle: It’s not wise to count Cristobal out.
(Photo of Cormani McClain: Manny Navarro / The Athletic)
ncG1vNJzZmismJqutbTLnquim16YvK57km1tb3FibnxzfJFrZmlwX2V%2BcLLOqKubmZyherOxwqusoqyZo7Ruwc2cpqalmanBprCO