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College football recruiting: Where every 2023 5-star prospect signed

ByCody Williams|
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA - SEPTEMBER 02: Arch Manning #16 of Isidore Newman High school throws the ball against Hanhville Highschool on September 02, 2022 in Boutte, Louisiana. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA - SEPTEMBER 02: Arch Manning #16 of Isidore Newman High school throws the ball against Hanhville Highschool on September 02, 2022 in Boutte, Louisiana. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)

Arch Manning has been the toast of the 2023 college football recruiting class but he’s just one of a few dozen 5-star recruits. Where did they all sign?

The NIL era of college football recruiting is fully upon us and we definitely saw that through the Early Signing Period and leading up to National Signing Day on Feb. 1. Sure, we knew that Arch Manning, the toast of the recruiting world for the better part of two years, was going to the Texas Longhorns, but many of the other 5-star prospects had a much wilder recruitment.

Cormani McClain, a 5-star cornerback from Lakeland, FL, comes to mind. He’d been a long-time Miami target and was committed to the Hurricanes. But then his plans changed when Deion Sanders arrived in Boulder and Colorado came calling. That’s where McClain eventually signed. Meanwhile, we also saw others like Dante Moore, Kadyn Proctor, Peyton Bowen, Rueben Owens and several other 5-stars flip from their initial commitments when they signed.

Now, almost all of the dust has settled on the 2023 college football recruiting cycle. In particular, of the 39 players who earned 5-star designation in the 247 Sports Composite rankings, all but one have signed. Where did they all end up? Let’s take a look.

College football recruiting 2023: Every 5-star recruit and their landing spot

  1. Arch Manning, QB – Isidore Newman (New Orleans, LA), Texas Longhorns
  2. Keon Keeley, EDGE – Berkley Prep (Tampa, FL), Alabama Crimson Tide
  3. Nico Iamaleava, QB – Warrner (Downey, CA), Tennessee Volunteers
  4. Zachariah Branch, WR – Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas, NV), USC Trojans
  5. Dante Moore, QB – Martin Luther King (Detroit, MI), UCLA Bruins
  6. Caleb Downs, S – Mill Creek (Hoschton, GA), Alabama Crimson Tide
  7. David Hicks, DL – Paetow (Katy, TX), Texas A&M Aggies
  8. Jackson Arnold, QB – Guyer (Denton, TX), Oklahoma Sooners
  9. Kadyn Proctor, OT – Southeast Polk (Des Moines, IA), Alabama Crimson Tide
  10. Francisc Mauigoa, OT – IMG Academy (Bradenton, FL), Miami Hurricanes
  11. Adepoju Adebawore, EDGE – North Kansas City (Kansas City, MO), Oklahoma Sooners
  12. Malachi Nelson, QB – Los Alamitos (Los Alamitos, CA), USC Trojans
  13. Cormani McClain, CB – Lakeland (Lakeland, FL), Colorado Buffaloes
  14. Suntarine Perkins, LB – Raleigh (Raleigh, MS), Ole Miss Rebels
  15. Zalance Heard, OT – Neville (Monroe, LA), LSU Tigers
  16. Peyton Bowen, S – Guyer (Denton, TX), Oklahoma Sooners
  17. Duce Robinson, TE – Pinnacle (Phoenix, AZ), Uncommitted
  18. Anthony Hill, LB – Ryan (Denton, TX), Texas Longhorns
  19. Nyckoles Harbor, ATH – Archbishop Carroll (Washington, DC), South Carolina Gamecocks
  20. Damon Wilson, EDGE – Venice (Venice, FL), Georgia Bulldogs
  21. Jurrion Dickey, WR – Menlo-Atherton (East Palo Alto, CA), Oregon Ducks
  22. Cedric Baxter Jr., RB – Edgewater (Orlando, FL), Texas Longhorns
  23. Samson Okunlola, OT – Thayer Academy (Brockton, MA), Miami Hurricanes
  24. Justice Haynes, RB – Buford (Buford, GA), Alabama Crimson Tide
  25. Desmond Ricks, CB – IMG Academy (Bradenton, FL), Alabama Crimson Tide
  26. James Smith, DL – Carver (Montgomery, AL), Alabama Crimson Tide
  27. Raylen Wilson, LB – Lincoln (Tallahassee, FL), Georgia Bulldogs
  28. Rueben Owens, RB – El Campo (El Campo, TX), Texas A&M Aggies
  29. Johntay Cook II, WR – DeSoto (DeSoto, TX), Texas Longhorns
  30. Yhonzae Pierre, EDGE – Eufaula (Eufaula, AL), Alabama Crimson Tide
  31. Hykeem Williams, WR – Stranahan (Fort Lauderdale, FL), Florida State Seminoles
  32. Monroe Freeling, OT – Oceanside Collegiate Academy (Mt. Pleasant, SC), Georgia Bulldogs
  33. Peter Woods, DL – Thompson (Alabaster, AL), Clemson Tigers
  34. Qua Russaw, EDGE – Carver (Montgomery, AL), Alabama Crimson Tide
  35. Brandon Inniss, WR – American Heritage (Fort Lauderdale, FL), Ohio State Buckeyes
  36. Dashawn Womack, EDGE – St. Frances Academy (Baltimore, MD), LSU Tiger
  37. Joenel Aguero, S – St. John’s Prep (Lynn, MA), Georgia Bulldogs
  38. Jalen Hale, WR – Longview (Longview, TX), Alabama Crimson Tide
  39. Jordan Hall, DL – Westside (Jacksonville, FL), Georgia Bulldogs

Only one 5-star recruit remains unsigned after the Feb. 1 National Signing Day. Tight end Duce Robinson out of Arizona, who has long been connected to Georgia, announced that he would be delaying his decision past the normal date to sign a letter of intent. What that means for the Bulldogs is quite interesting.

Outside of that, though, you’ll see a lot of Alabama and Georgia, which stands to reason given that they were the top two college football recruiting classes for 2023. However, the SEC as a whole dominated as they signed 21 5-star prospects, per FOX College Football. The next closest conference was the Big 12 with only seven such recruits signed.

Recruiting, however, is always an inexact science. So how these players develop at their new landing spots will be just as important as the programs being able to sign them.

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