Five programs that should be pleased with 2023 rankings update
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The updated 2023 Rivals250 dropped on Tuesday and there was some shift with top prospects across the country. As a result, there were some changes in the 2023 team rankings. Coming out of the release, here are five Power Five teams that should be pleased with the rankings headed into the waning stages of the recruiting cycle.
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RIVALS RANKINGS WEEK
Sunday: Who should be No. 1?
Monday: Five-Star Countdown | Meet the new five-stars | Latest recruiting news on five-stars
Tuesday: Rivals250 released | Biggest Risers | Gorney's thoughts | Teams that should be pleased
Wednesday: Offensive position rankings released
Thursday: Defensive position rankings released
Friday: State rankings released
Saturday: Roundtable
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OKLAHOMA
Oklahoma fans. You spoke (loudly). We agreed, eventually.
Denton (Texas) Guyer quarterback Jackson Arnold is now a five-star prospect and also ranks as the No. 13 prospect in the country. The Sooners have a bonafide playmaker coming in the form of Arnold, and he might be one of the safest bets in the entire class, regardless of position.
North Kansas City (Mo.) defensive end Adepoju Adebawore saw a healthy rise from No. 53 to No. 35 as he will compete down the stretch for a fifth star himself.
Additionally, Oklahoma remains thick in the race to flip Denton (Texas) Guyer safety Peyton Bowen, who saw a huge rise into the top 10 on his way to picking up five-star status.
Despite a 6-6 season, the potential of the 2023 class in Norman remains sky-high.
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GEORGIA
While Georgia's 2023 class still has some holes to fill, it still has a path to steal away the crown in the team rankings in February.
Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy defensive end Samuel M'Pemba remained in the top 10 while the Bulldogs are in the mix for multiple other five-star prospects including Austin (Texas) Westlake offensive guard TJ Shanahan Jr. and Washington (D.C.) Archbishop Carroll athlete Nyckoles Harbor.
Top-to-bottom, Georgia has a heavy presence in the Rivals250, as the success that Kirby Smart has found on the field has translated onto the recruiting trail tenfold.
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USC
While there wasn't a ton of movement at the top with USC's 2023 commit class, there are a pair of newly-minted five-stars that are trending to the Trojans ahead of National Signing Day.
Los Alamitos (Calif.) quarterback Malachi Nelson remained at No. 6 and Las Vegas (Nev.) Bishop Gorman wide receiver Zachariah Branch maintained positioning within the top 20, but among the new entries to the five-star ranks include Phoenix (Ariz.) Pinnacle tight end Duce Robinson and Bellflower (Calif.) St. John Bosco defensive end Matayo Uiagalelei.
Can Lincoln Riley finish off his first full cycle in Los Angeles with four five-star commitments?
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TEXAS
When you have the No. 1 player in the class committed, it's almost a given to end up on this list.
In this instance, it benefits Texas by having New Orleans (La.) Isidore Newman quarterback Arch Manning spearheading the Longhorns' 2023 class that also features DeSoto (Texas) four-star wide receiver Johntay Cook (No. 30), Edgewater (Fla.) four-star running back Cedric Baxter (No. 32), South Oak Cliff (Texas) four-star cornerback Malik Muhammad (No. 34) and Austin (Texas) Westlake four-star defensive end Colton Vasek (No. 40), all in the top 40.
Texas continues to trend for Denton (Texas) Ryan five-star linebacker Anthony Hill down the stretch as the Longhorns look to make one final splash to the recruiting cycle.
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ALABAMA
Despite some late drama in the recruitment for Hoschton (Ga.) Mill Creek five-star safety Caleb Downs, Alabama still has the top safety in the country committed sitting at No. 7 overall in the country.
Whether Nick Saban can secure Downs' signature on National Signing Day or not, the Crimson Tide are five-star hunting down the stretch with a Christmas gift in the form of Tampa (Fla.) Berkeley Prep defensive end Keon Keeley (No. 21) at the top of their wish list.
Looking deeper into the top 50, Buford (Ga.) four-star running back Justice Haynes (No. 29), Longview (Texas) four-star wide receiver Jalen Hale (No. 36) and Eufaula (Ala.) four-star defensive end Yhonzae Pierre (No. 50) are the rest of the Alabama commits featured. The Crimson Tide remain in the mix for a handful of additional top 50 prospects including Montgomery (Ala.) Carver four-star defensive end Jaquavious Russaw.