Here are southwest Missouri's top college football prospects heading into the 2023 season

Southwest Missouri features one of its deepest football recruiting classes in quite a while heading into the 2023 football season. The group has multiple Power 5 commits and a few players who are regarded as some of the best in the country at their positions.

These players are worth the price of admission. With most graduating after the season, be sure to see them before it's too late.

Shaun Campbell, Kickapoo, 2024

Campbell had a great summer when he already appeared to be a big-time breakout candidate heading into his senior year. The 6-foot-1 receiver is a great athlete with an impressive catch radius and ridiculous hands.

After earning some Division II offers throughout the summer, he jumped on the first Division I offer he was given and committed to Lindenwood in late July.

Jackson Cantwell, Nixa, 2026

Cantwell is going to go down as one of the best college football recruits to ever come through southwest Missouri once it's all said and done. The 6-foot-8, 300-pounder has already attracted offers from the biggest schools in the nation and he's going to be a fun one to watch for years to come.

Cantwell recently landed offers from Georgia and Alabama, the two programs that are synonymous with college football. Those add to an impressive list that includes Oklahoma, Michigan State, Tennessee, Oregon, Texas A&M, Mizzou, Nebraska, Arkansas, Florida State, TCU, Kansas State, Ole Miss, Illinois, Miami (Florida) and others.

Talan Chandler, Nevada, 2024

Chandler established himself as the best lineman in the area last year and he's going to be one of the top prospects in the area's 2024 class before he plays for Deion Sanders.

The 6-foot-3, 295-pound interior offensive lineman is headed to Colorado where he will play in the Big 12. He was attracting attention from FBS schools like Arkansas and Illinois until the Colorado offer came along. Prior to that, he added some FCS offers from the likes of Missouri State and Northern Iowa.

Whit Hafer, Joplin, 2024

Hafer is a monster of a person at 6-foot-7, 245 pounds. He's a tight end who is committed to playing for Eliah Drinkwitz at Mizzou.

The size makes Hafer a desirable prospect and he's already regarded as a great blocking tight end. Joplin's offense didn't call for him much in the passing game last season. He caught 14 passes for 228 yards and a pair of scores in 2022.

Dontrell Holt, Joplin, 2024

Holt has been touted as one of the area's top prospects since his sophomore year and he's headed to the Big 12.

The 6-foot-5, 295-pound offensive tackle is listed as a three-star and he's been a commit to Iowa State. The three-star prospect also held offers from Kansas State, Eastern Michigan and Missouri State.

Briggs Hughston, West Plains, 2024

Aside from producing players with mullets, West Plains has been known for producing a few Division I prospects over the years. Hughston is the latest as a 6-foot-6, 225-pound tight end who is committed to Northern Iowa.

Hughston had several NAIA offers and Division I offers from Western Illinois, Murray State and Lindenwood before making his decision. The size is hard to argue against as he plays more of a wide receiver role in the West Plains offense.

Kellen Lindstrom, Glendale, 2024

Lindstrom's recruitment exploded this offseason as Power 5 teams saw an excellent motor on a frame on a 6-foot-5, 235-pounder. It's why he ended up committing to Tennessee.

Lindstrom is a four-star prospect who is an edge rusher. He said his choice, in the end, came down to Tennessee and Oklahoma. He also held offers from Alabama, Arkansas, LSU, Miami (Florida), Auburn, Iowa, Stanford, Texas A&M and many others. The city hasn't had a prospect thought of this highly since Dorial Green-Beckham was the No. 1 overall prospect out of Hillcrest.

Quin Renfro, Joplin, 2024

The latest Joplin running back to commit to South Dakota State is Renfro who will join former Gatorade Player of the Year Isaiah Davis in the defending FCS national champs' backfield — if Davis doesn't go to the NFL after this season.

Refro is a three-star back who jumped on his SDSU offer over the likes of Northern Iowa and Southeast Missouri State. He had some looks from Kansas State but didn't receive the offer. Renfro enters this year as the area's best running back.

James Rexroat, Republic, 2024

At 6-foot-4, 235 pounds, Rexroat jumped on his offer from Memphis and will play his college football in the FBS.

Rexroat was under the radar initially with Missouri State offering him which was quickly followed by Murray State, Lindenwood, Northern Iowa, UT Martin and SEMO. Primarily a receiver in Republic's offense, the probable tight end at the next level grabbed his second FBS offer from Arkansas State in June before his Memphis commitment in mid-July.

Spencer Ward, Nixa, 2024

Ward is trending toward being a Division I player and it's still to be determined where he'll end up.

The younger brother of Missouri State linebacker Steven Ward, the Nixa senior is known for his sideline-to-sideline speed as an all-state defensive back. Offers have ranged from NAIA looks to Division II to his first FCS offer from Lindenwood in early August.

Ward appears to be an FCS-caliber recruit and more attention is destined to come over the next few months. His brother didn't commit or receive his initial offer from Missouri State until December following his senior year.

Wyatt D. Wheeler is a reporter and columnist with the Springfield News-Leader. You can contact him at 417-371-6987, by email at wwheeler@news-leader.com or X at @WyattWheeler_NL. He's also the host of the weekly "Wyatt's World Podcast" on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and other podcasting platforms.

This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Southwest Missouri college football prospects in 2023