Four-Star Friday: Unveiling 10 new four-stars in the 2023 class
Spring camps and the 7-on-7 season have given way to the summer months, which feature top-tier camps such as the Rivals Five-Star Challenge and major college camps. In this week’s Four-Star Friday we have rated some of the elite prospects that emerged in recent weeks in the 2023 class, which will be expanded from its current Rivals100 to the Rivals250 this summer.
Here's a look at these 10 new four-stars in the 2023 class.
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CLASS OF 2023 RANKINGS: Rivals100
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"Utah linebacker Siale Esera starts off with a 5.9 Rivals Rating, and will be ranked in the initial Rivals250 for the 2023 class that will be released later this summer. The two-time Rivals Camp MVP has drawn comparisons to current Oregon Duck Noah Sewell, who is his cousin, because of his unique athleticism for a linebacker his size. Physically, Esera looks like a defensive end, but his speed and agility should allow him to stay at linebacker in college.
"Oregon is going to try to keep that Utah linebacker pipeline flowing, but the Ducks have competition from the likes of Cal, Michigan, Stanford, USC and others." - Josh Helmholdt, national recruiting analyst
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"Dylan Gooden has his outstanding gene pool partially to thank for his sudden rise as a heavily recruited prospect. Dwight Gooden's son started his high school career as a receiver, but he's able to showcase his natural athleticism better as a defensive end. At 6-foot-6, Gooden has the length to make it very hard for offensive linemen to get a hand on him. His quickness at the snap is also really impressive.
"Gooden will continue to add solid mass to his frame and that should help him become a well-round defensive end." - Adam Friedman, national recruiting analyst/rankings director
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"Recently the RB MVP of the Underclassmen Five-Star Challenge, Kaleb Jackson is a speedster that can also make a heavy impact in the passing game. The Baton Rouge standout clocked a 10.66 100-meter and a 22.28-second 200-meter in the spring. He has been absolutely brilliant in camp settings from LSU to Ole Miss to Texas A&M, as well as against elite competition at the Five-Star in Atlanta." - Sam Spiegelman, national recruiting analyst
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"Nathaniel Joseph is not the biggest receiver but he's incredibly versatile. He can line up in the slot, he can line up outside, he can be used on special teams and more than anything he makes an impact wherever he is on the field. In the slot, Joseph can take a short pass and make people miss with his speed. On the outside, he can get off the jam and go deep. He also has excellent hands and makes every catch.
"With nearly 30 offers, including Alabama, Clemson and all the in-state schools, Joseph has plenty of options already." - Adam Gorney, national recruiting director
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"Iapani Laloulu, a 2023 offensive lineman out of Hawaii, recently shined at RCS Los Angeles and then captured OL MVP honors at the Underclassmen Five-Star Challenge. Laloulu, who has an early Oregon offer, is physical and thrives off of a physical presence. A relative of former LSU and current Los Angeles Chargers defensive lineman Breiden Fehoko, Laloulu plays with a mean streak.
"He's an immovable force. Laloulu had some extremely impressive reps as he braces for a breakout junior season after COVID-19 forced the interior lineman to play club ball this past year." - Spiegelman
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"We were hoping to get more evaluations of Daeh McCullough beyond just sophomore film before rating the Indiana commit, but it is pretty clear from that film he is a four-star caliber prospect. We will start him at a 5.8 Rivals Rating and evaluate further from here. McCullough has good size for the cornerback position and may end up growing into a safety.
"He is a coach's kid, and he has a great feel for the game already at an early stage. McCullough held 17 scholarship offers before he announced his commitment to Indiana in April." - Helmholdt
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"Madden Sanker has been a well-known prospect on the recruiting trail and he's done a number of camps this offseason, including the Atlanta Rivals Camp and the Underclassmen Challenge this past week. The Peach State prospect isn't the biggest offensive lineman but he is very strong and is one of the more technically sound prospects in his class.
"Sanker has really started to get the attention of college programs all over the country, and rightfully so. Sanker has show the ability to drive defensive linemen off the ball and quickly slide laterally to stay in front of defensive linemen." - Friedman
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"Daylan Smothers has the makings of a big-time back because he has great size for a back with his quickness and speed. It isn't all that surprising to see a player of his size run over a defender but he can make them miss as well. He's shown pretty good vision throughout his career and he won a second straight state championship this spring. He's shown the ability to stay healthy and he could turn out to be one of the more heavily recruited backs in the 2023 class." - Friedman
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"Against IMG Academy last season, Damon Wilson beat some really talented offensive tackles time and again with great burst off the snap. He got to the edge, and even when those players got their hands on him, Wilson had the power to keep moving toward the quarterback and cause lots of pressure. He has speed to the outside, power to go right through offensive linemen and he is always around the ball to make plays. Clemson, Florida and many others are involved." - Gorney
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"Talented Garland (Texas) Lakeview Centennial standout Trey Wilson began his prep career as a highly touted pass-catching tight end, but made the switch to the defensive side of the ball as a sophomore and instantly found his stride. Wilson accounted for five sacks, four tackles for loss and two quarterback hurries in a condensed 2020 season, showing off impressive closing speed, the ability to set the edge in the run game and consistently generating pressure off the edge and making splash plays behind the line. Wilson brings fantastic athleticism to the defensive line, which is why he's coveted by Michigan, Oklahoma State, Arkansas and Arizona State." - Spiegelman