College football is a fascinating sport, not least of all because of the roster turnover that happens every year. Good teams stay good by recruiting the best players out of high school and some teams do it exceptionally well. Five-star recruits are rare commodities and teams battle for their signature in a no holds barred war. NIL deals are playing an increasing role, but sending two cheerleaders as high school prom dates works too, just ask Zach Wilson. Here, we take a look at the top-five schools that have the most five-star recruits in the class of 2023.
5. USC Trojans | 3 Five-Star Recruits, 8 Four-Star Recruits
USC should be set at offense even after Heisman winning quarterback Caleb Williams leaves which will likely be after next season. They have three-five star recruits incoming on offense. Quarterback Malachi Nelson, and wide receivers Zachariah Branch and Makai Lemon are heading to California to link up with head coach Lincoln Riley.
Nelson will likely sit next year behind Caleb Williams but will be groomed to take over the role of starting QB for the Trojans. With the weapons he will have at his disposal, he should be happy. Two wide receivers with a ton of talent will look to follow in the footsteps of Amon-Ra St. Brown and Drake London.
Five-Star Plus+ QB Malachi Nelson has signed with the USC Trojans✌️https://t.co/URvnGHyRYH pic.twitter.com/qrO6jFaZiB
— On3 Recruits (@On3Recruits) December 21, 2022
4. Texas Longhorns | 3 Five-Star Recruits, 10 Four-Star Recruits
Texas landed the signature of the top recruit in the country when quarterback Arch Manning signed on Wednesday. Manning has NFL pedigree as he is the grandson of Archie Manning. Furthermore, he is the nephew of Peyton and Eli Manning. His father, Cooper was also a standout in high school before a diagnosis in his freshman college year meant he had to quit playing. The kid has some excellent genes.
Officially a Texas Longhorn 🤘@ArchManning pic.twitter.com/WVJck2wLLA
— Texas Football (@TexasFootball) December 21, 2022
Arch Manning will get help in the backfield after the Longhorns secured the signature of five-star running back Cedric Baxter Jr. Baxter is the number one recruit in the country at the position.
Texas also landed the signature of the number one linebacker in the country. Anthony Hill will likely be a star on defense in his time at Texas.
With three number one recruits at their position, Steve Sarkisian has put Texas in a strong position for the future.
3. Miami Hurricanes | 3 Five-Star Recruits, 13 Four-Star Recruits
Miami landed the number one offensive tackle when Francis Mauigoa signed. Mauigoa is ESPN’s fifth ranked prospect in the country and the 6-foot-5 330 lbs monster will pose a problem for defensive linemen in the ACC for years to come.
He will be joined on the line by another five-star recruit. Samson Okunlola is ESPN’s third-ranked tackle in this class. This could be a place where big holes open up for running backs and quarterbacks keep the backs of their jersey clean in the next few years.
They will likely be joined by number one cornerback Cormani McClain who has committed to Miami. McClain’s comparison is Sauce Gardner and if that is anywhere close to correct, the Hurricanes have a good one. However, McClain has yet to sign a letter of intent.
Five-star Miami commit Cormani McClain is no longer signing today. https://t.co/4QAfIJc7bu
— Tom VanHaaren (@TomVH) December 21, 2022
Look out for Miami over the next few years.
2. Oregon Ducks | 3 Five-Star Recruits, 14 Four-Star Recruits
Oregon made waves on National Signing Day when they flipped a couple of big-time recruits. The Ducks flipped four-star quarterback Austin Novosad from Baylor, but their main coup might have been flipping safety Peyton Bowen. Bowen is a five-star recruit that had committed to Notre Dame, but Dan Lanning won his signature in the nick of time.
All Coach Lanning & company did today was:
Commit 5-Star Matayo Uiagalelei
Flip 5-Star S Peyton Bowen from ND
Flip 4-Star QB Austin Novosad from Baylor
Flip 4-Star CB Daylen Austin from LSU
Flip 4-Star RB Jayden Limar from ND
& Secure a Top 7 Class
No big deal 🦆📈
— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) December 21, 2022
Bowen will be joined on defense by Matayo Uiagalelei. If that surname seems familiar, it is because his brother, DJ, was the former Clemson starting quarterback. At 6-foot-5 and 265 lbs, Matayo is one of the top edge rushers in this class.
Puddles the Duck will also be delighted that his team added a five-star wide receiver. 6-foot-3 Jurrion Dickey is the second ranked wide receiver in the class and he will look to pair up with the returning Bo Nix to make an immediate impact.
1. Alabama | 6 Five-Star Recruits. 20 Four-Star Recruits
Alabama head coach Nick Saban has once again done an incredible job on the recruiting trail. The Crimson Tide have secured double the number of five-star recruits than their rivals. Four of their recruits come on defense, meaning the typical Alabama defense should be in good hands for a few years yet.
Alabama is closing in on one of the most dominant recruiting classes in the Nick Saban era, landing 6 five-star recruits⭐️
Details: https://t.co/GNczYLRj3F pic.twitter.com/uwWVyx9oE0
— On3 Recruits (@On3Recruits) December 22, 2022
Safety Caleb Downs is the number one player at the position in the class and is ranked sixth overall in the consensus rankings. He will be joined in Tuscaloosa by On3’s third ranked player in the class, Keon Keeley. Keeley is a 6-foot-6 250 lbs beast who is the best defensive end in this recruiting class according to three of the four major recruiting websites.
ESPN’s number-one ranked linebacker Qua Russaw will help keep this Alabama defense sturdy for the next few years. Russaw has a comparison of first-round draft pick Rashaan Evans.
They will be joined defensive lineman James Smith. The quartet will look to feature prominently as Alabama attempts to get back to the College Football Playoff.
On offense, the Tide add tackle Kadyn Proctor. Proctor comes in at 330 lbs and will look to keep whoever is at quarterback next year on his feet. He will also look to create holes for five-star RB Justice Haynes. Alabama has a strong tradition of producing NFL caliber running backs like Derrick Henry, Mark Ingram, Josh Jacobs, and Damien Harris. Haynes will look to carry on that tradition a few years down the line.
Alabama has the pieces in place to be challenging for several years to come as they look to reestablish themselves as the top college football program in the country.
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