Tuesdays with Gorney: Ten prospects that could finish as five-stars
There are currently 20 five-star prospects in the 2023 class with two rankings cycles to go – one after the high school season and the final one following the all-star events. In today’s Tuesdays with Gorney, Rivals national recruiting director Adam Gorney looks at 10 players who have the potential of being a five-star by the end of this recruiting cycle:
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The Oklahoma commit from Denton (Texas) Guyer is playing as well as any quarterback in the country and I absolutely loved him at the Elite 11 this summer. The ball pops off his hand, he has great arm ability and he was consistently terrific through that event and now into his senior season.
There are already four five-star quarterbacks in the class so we don’t want overkill but if Arnold is deserving then he should be in the conversation.
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Owens has been completely dominant for his El Campo, Texas, team this year with more than 1,000 rushing yards and 14 touchdowns about midway through the season. He’s unstoppable at this level with his speed and elusiveness and this isn’t even considering how Owens could be used in the passing game as well as the Louisville commit is dynamic everywhere. The one thing holding Owens’ ranking back is the trend of running backs not being drafted in the first round.
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Downs might be too good to leave off the list. The Alabama commit is a defensive playmaker all over the field, always around the ball, has the knack to know where a play is going and then using his elite athleticism and physical makeup to do something positive for his team. The Hoschton (Ga.) Mill Creek standout is the No. 1 safety in the country and will be in the five-star talk.
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Vernon has all the physical tools to be really special at Notre Dame and looks and plays like Joey Bosa a little bit so he’s going to be closely monitored for any rankings updates. The Mentor, Ohio, standout does stay off the grid a little bit so there haven’t been any national-event evaluations on him in a while but from his size, to his film, he’s a special player.
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When I saw Haynes in person for an interview at his gym this offseason, he looked like a potential five-star – big, ripped, physical and grown up from the previous summer when he performed well at the Rivals Underclassmen Challenge.
The Alabama commit is also putting together a great season at Buford, Ga., and comes from an NFL pedigree as his father, Verron, played in the league. But the question remains: How far out do we want to go with five-star running backs considering NFL trends?
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Of all the No. 1 tight ends in Rivals history, Robinson is as impressive-looking as any of them save for O.J. Howard at the same stage. Plus, he’s a fluid athlete with pass-catching ability. It’s why USC, Texas, Georgia and Alabama are in a dogfight over him. He’s so gifted and is a two-sport star as he also plays baseball.
Do we want a five-star tight end? Kyle Pitts, T.J. Hockenson, Noah Fant and Hayden Hurst were all first-rounders so there is some history behind it.
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Friday night’s performance in a losing effort for his Bellflower (Calif.) St. John Bosco team against Santa Ana (Calif.) Mater Dei convinced me that Uiagalelei should be in the five-star discussion. He was unstoppable off the edge, made numerous tackles in the backfield and was also impressive seeing a screen pass developing and then getting out and defending it.
He can run, he’s versatile and his physical size is really something special as Ohio State, Oregon, USC and others are involved.
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The Notre Dame commit, who’s being pursued by Texas A&M and Oklahoma as well, is maybe the best playmaking safety in the country whether it’s getting a pick six or making a play in coverage. He’s just so smart and all over the field.
Rated No. 46 nationally, Bowen made a big move in our offseason rankings but seeing him this year at Denton (Texas) Guyer, it might not have been enough because he’s really talented.
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The entire defensive end group is absolutely loaded so it feels inevitable that some are going to get bumped to five-star status. Wilson will have to jump some others in the position rankings but that is certainly possible.
The Venice, Fla., prospect who has Alabama and Georgia atop his recruitment has length, athleticism and plays with a great motor all over the field. Wilson is also still pretty lean so when he packs on more weight and keeps that speed off the edge, watch out.
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There are already four elite, five-star receivers in this class in Carnell Tate, Brandon Inniss, Zachariah Branch and Hykeem Williams but maybe Williams should be included in that group as well. Again, just like with the quarterbacks, we don’t want overkill at one position but the Ole Miss commit had a great summer after we didn’t see much of him before that.
He is now dominating his senior year with 48 catches for 946 yards and 12 touchdowns. He’s big, he’s fast and going to play in coach Lane Kiffin’s offense. We all know he’s going to get the ball.