Simmons: 10 in 2023 class that have impressed
Starting in October, Rivals Recruiting Analyst Chad Simmons will add Florida and Tennessee to go along with Alabama and Georgia, giving four states with elite talent to cover. He is looking forward to diving into the new states, but up to this point this season, he has stayed in Alabama and Georgia, seeing 17 high school football games.
Of course numerous juniors and seniors have stood out in games, but quite a few sophomores have made strong impressions as well. He names 10 in the 2023 class that he has watched play this season that you need to know.
Game scouted: Eagles Landing Christian Academy
Haynes is another sophomore that is a two-sport star. He is a baseball player too, but on the football field, he is a top running back. He waited weeks to play game one of his sophomore season, and he came out strong. He is advanced as a runner. He runs with patience, he has great vision and he sees holes developing before they are there. Haynes also has great balance and a blend of strength and quickness. Early offers are in from Arkansas, Georgia Tech, Miami, Penn State, South Carolina and UCF.
Game scouted: Montgomery Catholic
Lang is a big offensive lineman who started generating interest a year ago. At his size, it is hard not to take a long look at him, and now, with his improved footwork and agility, his play as a sophomore is standing out. Georgia recently offered, and he also has offers from Georgia Tech, South Carolina and Tennessee.
Game scouted: Dacula
Lonergan is going to be in the discussion for the top quarterback in the south, possibly the country when that time comes. He has a live arm, he is more athletic than most think, and he is really coming into his own this season. More than anything, as a sophomore he has shown that he can make the big play when the team needs it. He has done that in big games at big moments with both his arm and his leg. Georgia is his most recent offer, and the Bulldogs join schools like Auburn, LSU and Penn State. His father Dan Lonergan played at Penn State. The sophomore is also a stand-out baseball player, and he is looking at the possibility of playing both sports on the next level.
Game scouted: Oxford
Mitchell left the game early due to a minor injury when I saw him in August, but you don’t have to watch much before you know what type of athlete this young man is. He is playing free safety at Thompson, but he could play cornerback on the next level. He is over 6-feet tall, he has long arms and he is one of the top athletes in the state of Alabama at only a sophomore. He was committed at one time to Tennessee, but schools like Alabama, Georgia and LSU are now viewed as some of the favorites.
Game scouted: Pinson Valley
No offers yet for Osborne, but that is likely to change soon. He is a 6-foot-4, 255 pound defensive end that has come on strong this season. He is quicker off the ball, he is stronger at the point of attack, and he has spent a lot of time in the backfield. Since the season started, he has started to hear from schools like Florida, Illinois, Mississippi State, Tennessee and Virginia Tech. His recruitment should take the next step in the near future.
Game scouted: Johns Creek
Overton has had all the hype around him since moving to Georgia from Alabama over the holiday break as 2019 rolled over to 2020. He is only a sophomore, but one coach (jokingly) told me we need to check his birth certificate after seeing him play. He was coming off the ball like he was fired out of a shotgun. He is super-athletic, he is long and he is only going to get better. Overton is wanted by major powers across the country and he showed why in game one. He had a couple of sacks, a couple of tackles for loss, a few quarterback knockdowns and numerous quarterback pressures. He also scored a two-point conversion. It is scary to think about his upside. His father is Milton Overton, a former offensive lineman at Oklahoma.
Game scouted: Buford
Singleton is a 2023 quarterback on the rise. He played some as a freshman, and he was talked about as a young talent to know this time a year ago, but this season, the team is his. He is off to a great start, and against Buford, he finished with around 300 yards total offense and two touchdowns. He is a dual-threat quarterback that rushed for over 100 yards in this game and he runs with authority. He is a tough athlete that likes to run hard, but can also throw a beautiful deep ball. Georgia Tech and Virginia Tech have offered, and expect others to jump in, in the coming months.
Game scouted: Park Crossing
A few weeks before the Park Crossing game, I had watched Smith practice in shorts for about an hour. I knew quickly what type of athlete he was at 6-3, 255 pounds. He is a 2023 prospect that I think will explode with offers. Since I saw him play, Florida State and Georgia have offered. He went into that game with offers from Auburn, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee. So Smith has six offers now. He will have over 20 more sooner than later. He is so athletic and twitchy for a player his size. He is still raw and he needs to add strength and power to his game, but he plays fast, he is explosive off the ball, he can change direction and he is on pace to be a national name. It is hard for a 2023 player to improve his stock because we are not ranking that class yet, but he is one to know.
Game scouted: Johns Creek
Thornton is a two-sport star, and he will have offers in both sports, but in football, he is an athletic cornerback for one of the top teams in Georgia. It was game one when I saw him play, and the conditions were not ideal at the start, but he is a twitchy athlete with great feet and the ability to turn and run. He has added weight over the last year, he looked stronger and he will draw a lot of attention over the next year. Georgia is the lone school to offer him in football to this point. His father Bruce Thornton played football between the hedges.
Game scouted: North Cobb
Wittke did not get a lot of snaps because he has two older, more experienced quarterbacks in front of him, but the sophomore stood out when his number was called. He has good size, he flashed arm strength and he is athletic. He made a great throw on the run outside the pocket in the second half to extend a drive. Wittke will be one we could be talking a lot about next spring when coaches are expected to be back out for in-person evaluations.
Game scouted: Oxford
Woods is a force up front. He is expected to be one of the top interior defensive line recruits in the country. He is an explosive player who gets off the ball quickly and gets up the field. If he isn’t past the offensive lineman, then he is usually pushing him back into the quarterback. Woods has over two dozen offers, and he is going to be pursued by the likes of Alabama, Auburn, Georgia, LSU and many others. He has visited Tuscaloosa numerous times already, and the Crimson Tide is viewed by some as the early favorite.
