4/26/2022 football Edit

Where things stand with top five uncommitted DTs in 2023 class

Adam Gorney • Rivals.com

National Recruiting Director

Top prospects are coming off the board all the time but it’s only April, which means a lot of elite recruits are still uncommitted. In this two-week series, we break down the top five uncommitted players at each position, moving today to defensive tackles.

THIS SERIES: Top five uncommitted QBs in 2023 | RBs | WRs | TEs | OL | DEs

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What’s difficult in predicting where the nation’s top defensive tackle will end up is that Moore is completely taking his time in the recruiting process and really not rushing a thing.

That means things could play out much longer before a decision is made but Ohio State, Notre Dame, Penn State and Maryland will be four programs that have made a lasting impression on Moore and Michigan should be in the mix as well.

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In late March, the four-star defensive tackle from Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy released a top seven of LSU, Florida State, Texas A&M, Penn State, Florida, Michigan and Auburn but in a few short weeks there have been some significant changes to that list that should impact his recruitment.

The biggest one is that Clemson and Miami have moved way up his list and both are now under serious consideration. Along with the Tigers and the Hurricanes coming on strong, Norman said Florida, Texas A&M and LSU are the three stalwarts from that top group in March that are still high on his list.

The top group could be changing for Norman with some new additions along with some others that have been there the longest. A commitment is expected before his senior season and possibly shortly after spring ball.

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Florida could be the team to beat for the four-star from Kissimmee (Fla.) Osceola as he’s gotten to know the staff much better. The Gators have definitely made him a top priority and while Walker might not be putting out a top list, he might not need one, since Florida would probably top it.

UCF is another contender and Miami has left a big impression especially after an extensive visit in recent weeks. There is some chatter that Walker could also end up at the same school as high school teammate Derrick LeBlanc, who has the Gators very high on his list.

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The four-star from New Orleans (La.) St. Augustine still has a handful of schools involved but it’s almost guaranteed Bourda stays somewhere in the South. LSU would clearly make sense since he’s a local prospect and in-state prospects usually end up playing for the Tigers.

But Georgia is a major contender especially after a recent visit and then Florida, Florida State and Texas have also piqued his interest. Ole Miss should also be watched now after Bourda and some teammates visited Oxford over the weekend and things went really well. The four-star plans to return to Ole Miss for another visit soon.

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There have been rumors that Oklahoma is the leader for the four-star defensive tackle from Suwanee (Ga.) North Gwinnett but there are many others still within striking distance. Ohio State has been a program that is communicating a lot with McDonald along with Louisville, NC State, Wisconsin, some Florida schools and others.

Auburn could be an interesting school to watch as well since he’s now taken six trips there, three on his own and three with his brother, Jayden, who originally went to Iowa but now plays at Troy.