Rankings Roundtable: Toughest decisions in key states

The postseason update to the 2023 rankings is looming on the horizon and there are some tough decisions ahead. Today the national recruiting analysts – Clint Cosgrove, Adam Friedman, Adam Gorney, Nick Harris and Ryan Wright – identify the toughest state rankings decision they'll each have to make in the 2023 rankings update.

*****

MORE: Stock reports on the Power Five coaches

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

CLASS OF 2024 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Team | Position | State

CLASS OF 2025 RANKINGS: Rivals100

TRANSFER PORTAL: Stories/coverage | Message board

*****

The state of Illinois is really strong at the top, and as things stand today the top five almost seem interchangeable. Current No. 1 Charles Jagusah may have the highest ceiling of the entire group, but at the same time he has some developing to do before he reaches his max potential. Miles McVay comes in at No. 2, and he has played incredibly well against some stiff competition this season and may be more college-ready than Jagusah right now. No. 3 prospect Malik Elzy has been nothing short of dominant while leading his Simeon team to an undefeated regular season, and he has also made his case for being the top player in the state. While it is hard to get a read on No. 4 Kaden Feagin he is a physical and athletic specimen who has likely done enough to stay in the top five. Then you have Wisconsin commit Chris Terek at No. 5, and he may be the most polished of the state's top offensive lineman.

The one player outside of the top five who could see a big rankings leap and potentially crack the top group is Illinois linebacker commit Antwon Hayden, who has shown that he can play and dominate against some of the best talent in the nation. There are going to be some tough decisions come the next rankings update, and as things stand today Illinois' No. 1 spot is truly up for grabs.

It's going to be very difficult to decide whether Jamaal Jarrett should stay No. 1 in the state of North Carolina when Daevin Hobbs could be charging up the rankings in the coming update. Jarrett has been committed to Georgia for some time and the mammoth defensive tackle has had a dominant senior season.

He looks like a great fit in that Georgia defense but Hobbs – who is also considering the national champ – brings a lot of traits to the table that could make him a more valuable defensive lineman. His versatility is exceptional, and he's able to impact the game in a variety of ways across the defensive front.

This has been a rankings debate and argument not only among the analyst team but also among many people across Southern California. One contingent loves the upside of Malachi Nelson, especially in Lincoln Riley's offense at USC, and others just see Nico Iamaleava having superstar potential, especially at Tennessee under coach Josh Heupel.

Iamaleava holds the edge right now as the No. 1 player in the state and he's having a phenomenal senior season, but so is Nelson. So, that's going to be a lengthy discussion in the next round of rankings heading into the all-star events.

The race has always been crowded at the top for the No. 1 player in Texas, and that conversation will only get tougher in future rankings discussions. TJ Shanahan Jr. currently holds the top spot, but it’s becoming more apparent that Anthony Hill or David Hicks Jr. could unseat the physical Central Texas offensive lineman.

Additional prospects that will be factored into the conversation are Javien Toviano and Jackson Arnold, who are both having really strong senior campaigns. It could come down to how each perform in the postseason All-American events, but as of now it’s one of the tighter races in the country.

My toughest decision per the state rankings in the 2023 class is which player is No. 1 in Georgia. The current top two players are safety Caleb Downs and running back Justice Haynes, respectively. A case can be made for Haynes after moving up from 5A Georgia classification with Blessed Trinity a year ago to 7A with Buford. Last season, Haynes was everything to the Titans’ offense, outproducing the passing attack 2,375 rush yards vs. 1,291 passing yards. New team, same results for Haynes in 2022 as he has tallied 1,006 yards on the ground in eight games with the Wolves' passing attack producing 615 yards.

Over at Mill Creek, the Hawks are rolling with Downs in control of the defense. Downs is second on the team in tackles (44) and has an impressive four picks with five passes broken up. Both Downs and Haynes will be in the discussion for a fifth star. Both have had very good senior seasons to date, but is Haynes deserving of being the top-rated player in the Peach State?