There were five five-star quarterbacks in the 2023 class and with the blockbuster matchup of Tennessee at Oklahoma on Saturday featuring two of them, Rivals national recruiting director Adam Gorney looks at how all five are playing so far as he offers memories of each one.
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At the end of the rankings cycle, it was a discussion about whether we should keep Manning tops in the class and there was a lot of discussion about moving Tennessee’s Nico Iamaleava there since he went through the grinder, has such incredible physical tools and really proved it on every stage possible.
Manning clearly has the pedigree. We don’t need to go through that any longer. We also don’t need to rehash the five-star quarterback not doing any major events through his entire recruitment. Not only do I think those are valuable from an evaluation standpoint for us but for Manning to be around his peers, to develop relationships, to just be a kid out there competing is also important as well.
The people around him at New Orleans (La.) Isidore Newman loved him, swore by his work ethic and leadership and his teammates loving him. He had some wow moments throughout his high school career where we were never quite certain but pretty confident he was going to be special.
To be frank, we’ve seen guys 100 times that busted out and so while that’s important, we loved our projection of Manning, even though it wasn’t going to be overnight success and could take years to manifest itself.
In some ways, it is refreshing that Manning didn’t sit in Texas coach Steve Sarkisian’s offense and demand playing time from Day 1. He didn’t throw his last name around. As far as I know, Peyton and Eli didn’t either.
Manning has earned what he’s gotten and what makes this interesting is after his outstanding five-touchdown performance against UTSA, could Manning and Quinn Ewers split time moving forward? He is definitely developing well and is proving now he could have a very bright future in Austin and beyond.
There is no question Manning took an unorthodox approach to everything in recruiting. It seems to be working out.
After waiting behind Joe Milton last year, Iamaleava has predictably taken over as Tennessee’s quarterback and he’s off to a fantastic start leading the Vols to three wins and passing a big test against a tough NC State defense on a neutral field.
Tennessee has scored 69, 51 and 71 points in three wins against the Wolfpack and cupcakes Chattanooga and Kent State with its biggest test by far coming this weekend at Oklahoma.
The five-star from Downey (Calif.) Warren is one of the most likable and easy-to-cheer-for prospects I can remember. He has an easy way about him and then a devastating competitive streak once he gets on the field. Iamaleava is freaky athletic, too, and even missed the Elite 11 (unfortunately) because he had a volleyball tournament in Florida.
NFL teams should love him. He’s a big pocket passer but he can move strikingly well, get away from pressure, throw on the run and the ball comes out so easily and naturally it’s really impressive to watch. Going through the circuit, Iamaleava was such a pure passer and looked so great physically at 6-foot-6 and 215 pounds that it was going to be nearly impossible to keep him off the five-star list.
The question really became do we want Manning or Iamaleava higher. It was a tough call because we saw so much of Iamaleava in person and what he could do against elite competition but we also felt Manning had many of those same qualities, even if he didn’t show them in the offseason.
I remember the first time I ever met his dad, “Big Nic” Iamaleava, he asked me why his son was ranked so low. We’ve developed a phenomenal relationship to this day after that but I still do wonder: Was No. 2 in the 2023 class too low for him? Should he have been No. 1?
Two conversations I had with Moore really stand out and will always be a memory in his story moving forward.
The first took place at OT7 Nationals in Las Vegas. It was only days after Notre Dame surprisingly took a commitment from CJ Carr which came as a complete shock to Moore. The Irish were his favorite and it looked like for a long time he’d eventually end up in South Bend. After Carr took the spot, Moore nixed Notre Dame and went fishing elsewhere.
He landed at Oregon which seemed like such a natural spot. Dan Lanning was getting that thing revved up. Kenny Dillingham was the offensive coordinator and a brilliant offensive mind. So Moore committed the following month and it seemed like a perfect fit. But during the coaching carousel later in the season, Dillingham took the Arizona State job and now Moore was looking for another spot.
The second conversation happened at midfield of the Alamodome at the All-American Bowl where Moore, at this point committed to UCLA, relived his wild and raucous recruitment that took so many twists and turns. In a way, I admired Moore for being positive through it all. In another, I felt bad because it didn’t seem like an enjoyable last few months with so much going on.
He ended up starting as a freshman under coach Chip Kelly but he was basically served to the wolves. He wasn’t ready to be in that spot and then he was replaced, brought back in and it was a mess. Kelly, who begged for his job before leaving to be the offensive coordinator at Ohio State, didn’t handle Moore very well at all.
Moore did the smartest – and most mature thing–- he could have possibly done. He transferred to Oregon (probably where he wanted to be all along) even though Oklahoma’s Dillon Gabriel transferred there as well. The five-star needed an adjustment period, time to really soak in a system and then let his skill take over at the right time. That should be next season.
The best way I could describe Nelson’s game is that when he was on at Los Alamitos, Calif., there was not a smoother delivery and his connection with Makai Lemon, who’s now at USC, was nearly unstoppable. But when pressure came right at him or there were some exotic defensive looks, or things weren’t in rhythm, then Nelson sometimes struggled.
I’m not going to rip the kid because I thought Nelson was very talented – and still do – and I still think Boise State should let him get in there and throw the ball around (or hand it to Ashton Jeanty) because with game reps, Nelson could be really special. But there were always some red flags in his game as things got more complicated.
His recruitment was basically following Lincoln Riley around. The five-star committed to Oklahoma when Riley was there and then shortly after Riley took the USC job, Nelson flipped to the Trojans. He sat behind Caleb Williams understandably and when it looked like Miller Moss was next in line, Nelson headed for the portal.
As for our ranking, it was disappointing to hear that Nelson got beaten out for the starting job by Maddux Madsen because I wanted to see what Nelson could do. However, through two games Madsen is not exactly lighting it up so one wonders if coach Spencer Danielson is ready to give Nelson a shot – and if the former five-star QB is ready.
Perhaps more than any of the five-star quarterbacks, Arnold had some of the best film in the 2023 class since he can deliver from the pocket to different angles and he changed his arm angles so fluidly that it was clear he could put the ball wherever it was needed. He could also escape pressure and find receivers downfield and then he also showed a penchant for getting out and running that gave him dual-threat capabilities.
Last season, Arnold learned under Dillon Gabriel and now he’s taken the reins, leading the Sooners in passing and rushing so far. The offense has not clicked on all cylinders yet as surprisingly close games have been played against Houston and Tulane with the biggest test yet against Iamaleava and Tennessee this weekend.
Arnold is a gamer who plays with confidence and has a little Baker Mayfield in him when it comes to playmaking ability. The five-star probably is a better passer at the same stage; Mayfield a more dynamic runner, but it’s a nice mix.
There was a little pushback about Arnold staying as a five-star following an up-and-down performance at the Under Armour All-America Game but I felt that setting didn’t really showcase his skills. Arnold is not going to show all his stuff during one-on-one sessions or just sitting in the pocket lofting balls downfield.
He’s a gamer. It should be interesting to see how he performs against Iamaleava in a major SEC matchup pitting former five-star QBs from the same class.
