Ranking the States: No. 4 California

Rivals national recruiting director Adam Gorney is ranking the 10 best states when it comes to star power in the 2022 and 2023 classes. Coming in at No. 4 is California:

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RANKING THE STATES: No. 10 Pennsylvania | No. 9 Virginia | No. 8 Ohio | No. 7 Tennessee | No. 6 Louisiana | No. 5 Alabama

CLASS OF 2022 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Position | Team | State

CLASS OF 2023 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Position | Team | State

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Some might balk at California slipping to No. 4 on this list, especially after Bellflower (Calif.) St. John Bosco soundly defeated Miami (Fla.) Central in the season opener and Santa Ana (Calif.) Mater Dei destroyed Duncanville, Texas, this past weekend. But remember that this is a look at the 2022 and 2023 recruiting classes only for this series.

Still, California is well-represented although not as strongly as in years past with two five-stars and 21 four-stars in 2022 and one five-star and 17 early four-stars in the 2023 class. Mater Dei teammates Domani Jackson and Raleek Brown are the five-stars in 2022 and Los Alamitos quarterback and Oklahoma commit Malachi Nelson is the five-star in 2023.

Five-star cornerback Domani Jackson has been committed to USC since January but some attention got perked up when the Santa Ana Mater Dei standout said recently he would still be visiting Alabama and Michigan this season. He’s expected in Ann Arbor for the Washington game on Sept. 11 and that was his dream school growing up. He’s also a close friend of fellow five-star CB Will Johnson. Getting to Alabama has been a priority as well since he loves player development there. But Jackson has always loved USC, those close to him feel like he’ll stick with the Trojans and his relationship with position coach Donte Williams is probably the strongest in his recruitment.

Four-star OL Earnest Greene and 2023 four-star DE Matayo Uiagalelei are jumping on a red-eye flight after their game this weekend to make it to the Clemson-Georgia game in Charlotte. Both are very serious about the Bulldogs and Uiagalelei is also looking at Clemson closely since his brother, DJ, is the starting quarterback there. Ohio State is also a team very high on both their lists.

Four-star defensive lineman Hero Kanu cut his list in July but it’s still extensive with Alabama, Clemson, Georgia, Ohio State, Oklahoma, LSU, Texas, USC and Washington making the cut. The interesting thing about the Rancho Santa Margarita (Calif.) Santa Margarita Catholic standout is that he’s originally from Germany and so location to play his college football should not play a major factor in his recruitment.

In the 2023 class, Malachi Nelson and four-star WR Makai Lemon are already committed to Oklahoma but there are many other top players with moving pieces in their recruitment. Four-star QB Nico Iamaleava was offered by USC and that turned off Nelson, who picked the Sooners. But the Trojans could be making a run at one of the best QBs in the country in the Downey Warren standout. He’s long and rangy and Iamaleava is a phenomenal volleyball player as well. Ohio State, UCLA, USC and others are in the mix there.

Texas, Ohio State, Stanford and Washington have captured the attention of four-star tight end Walker Lyons from Folsom. There was a rumor circulating that Ole Miss could be the team to beat but while Lyons said he does have interest in the Rebels, they are not his favorite and he has debunked that chatter in recent weeks.

... There has been a lot of back-and-forth over many months whether Oregon commit Tetairoa McMillan or Notre Dame pledge CJ Williams was the best receiver in the state and it’s still a tough call. McMillan is the better athlete and he has more length but Williams is the more physically dominant receiver. We’re going to let their senior seasons and all-star events play out but this is an open debate as both are really talented on the outside.

... The quarterback debate in California for the 2023 class is going to be really interesting. I still think Malachi Nelson is the best and fits the Oklahoma offense perfectly but Nico Iamaleava could be special and has a ton of upside as he gets more work on the national level. Pittsburg’s Jaden Rashada was very impressive this offseason and is quietly one of the better quarterbacks nationally and Pierce Clarkson is still splitting reps with Michigan State pledge Katin Houser at Bellflower St. John Bosco. Clarkson was much more productive in the season-opening win over Miami Central and he has improved by leaps and bounds over the last year or so.

... JShawn Frausto-Ramos is currently ranked as the No. 28 cornerback in a loaded 2023 class nationally, but he has the potential to move up dramatically after the season. The St. John Bosco standout locked up Miami Central receiver Lamar Seymore, a 2023 high three-star Miami commit, and in two weeks Frausto-Ramos could face the biggest test of his career. East St. Louis is coming to town and that means he could be tasked with slowing down the No. 1 receiver in the country, Luther Burden. If Frausto-Ramos passes that test, it would be a big statement.