Who was the top-rated recruit for each team in the SEC on signing day?
The 2023 recruiting class is in the books, and all the teams from the SEC have received their overall ranking, which we will base on the 247Sports Composite, and they include transfers into their formula.
Per usual, the SEC had a strong outing in recruiting. Nine teams finished inside the top 25 recruiting classes including four teams in the top ten and three in the top five.
It’s no surprise that Alabama and Georgia are leading the way. Their dominance over the past few years shows how great those programs are at recruiting and developing top talent. Brian Kelly has thrown LSU’s name into the mix as he brought home a haul to Baton Rouge, and South Carolina shocked the world on National Signing Day as they signed Nyckoles Harbor.
Here’s the top signee for each program in the league.
No. 1 Alabama
S Caleb Downs
Hoschton, Georgia
Mill Creek High School
The Process Begins Here. @caleb_downs2 pic.twitter.com/mLSsW33tQw
— Alabama Football (@AlabamaFTBL) December 21, 2022
247 | 5 | 8 | 1 | 1 |
Rivals | 5 | 9 | 1 | 1 |
ESPN | 5 | 11 | 1 | 1 |
On3 Recruiting | 5 | 8 | 1 | 1 |
247 Composite | 5 | 6 | 1 | 1 |
Alabama is back on top of the recruiting rankings once again after signing 28 players for the class of 2023 including nine five-stars, 18 four-stars and one three-star. Add two transfers, one a linebacker from Georgia and a tight end from Maryland. Nick Saban and the death star continue to roll with NIL.
No. 2 Georgia
Edge: Damon Wilson
Venice, Florida
Venice High School
Damon Wilson | OLB | Venice, FL pic.twitter.com/5Bze2rtC4y
— Georgia Football (@GeorgiaFootball) December 22, 2022
247 | 4 | 45 | 5 | 11 |
Rivals | 5 | 11 | 1 | 4 |
ESPN | 4 | 35 | 4 | 11 |
On3 Recruiting | 5 | 22 | 5 | 5 |
247 Composite | 5 | 20 | 3 | 4 |
Back-to-back national championships for Kirby Smart, and the Dawgs and the rich get richer as they bring home the No. 2 recruiting class in the country. That class was headlined by Damon Wilson, an edge rusher from Venice, Florida. There is no rebuild in Athens, Georgia, only reloading.
No. 6 LSU
OT Zalance Heard
Monroe, Louisiana
Neville High School
The State Of Football
Offensive lineman @lanceheard2 is staying in The Boot.
🔗https://t.co/yTskScFmzS pic.twitter.com/QL00RxMfav
— LSU Football (@LSUfootball) December 21, 2022
247 | 5 | 16 | 3 | 2 |
Rivals | 5 | 27 | 3 | 2 |
ESPN | 4 | 51 | 3 | 3 |
On3 Recruiting | 5 | 11 | 2 | 2 |
247 Composite | 5 | 15 | 3 | 2 |
A 10-win season in the first year under Kelly was not too shabby for a team that had to rebuild heavily on both sides of the ball. [autotag]Harold Perkins[/autotag] was the top recruit from last year’s class as he got a lot of playing time and became a star for the Tigers. Hopefully, there will be a breakout player from this class, as well.
No. 9 Tennessee
QB Nico Iamaleava
Long Beach, California
Warren High School
Home sweet home!
The Cali signal caller is officially a Vol@nico_iamaleava8 | #RockyTop23 🍊 pic.twitter.com/i2cU4AdH1N
— Tennessee Football (@Vol_Football) December 21, 2022
247 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 |
Rivals | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 |
ESPN | 4 | 23 | 4 | 3 |
On3 Recruiting | 5 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
247 Composite | 5 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
What a season it was for Josh Heupel and the Volunteers as they went 11-2 and beat Clemson in the Orange Bowl (literally) 31-14. They finally got the monkey off their back and beat Alabama in Neyland Stadium. If Hendon Hooker never got hurt who knows what would’ve happened. The Vols’ No. 9 recruiting class is led by arguably the best quarterback in the country, Nico Iamaleava.
No. 14 Florida
DL Kelby Collins
Gardendale, Alabama
Gardendale High School
Coming from Gardendale, Alabama…
At defensive line… @kelby_collins! #GoGators | #D23AMTEAM pic.twitter.com/LgFY6MqRIt
— Florida Gators Football (@GatorsFB) December 22, 2022
247 | 4 | 53 | 7 | 5 |
Rivals | 4 | 52 | 6 | 7 |
ESPN | 4 | 53 | 5 | 7 |
On3 Recruiting | 4 | 50 | 5 | 4 |
247 Composite | 4 | 42 | 5 | 6 |
Needless to say, this was not the start the Gators had hoped for in the Billy Napier era. It can only go up from here though, right? Turning things around starts with a solid recruiting class and the Gators did pretty well as they brought home the No. 14 recruiting class, headlined by Kelby Collins, a defensive lineman from Gardendale, Alabama.
No. 15 Texas A&M
DL David Hicks
Katy, Texas
Paetow High School
📲 @DJ2g23
🏈 DL
📍 Paetow HS
🏡 Katy, Texas
💻 https://t.co/vHfuyx8JME pic.twitter.com/1vCJ6z7MN6— Texas A&M Football (@AggieFootball) December 23, 2022
247 | 5 | 11 | 1 | 2 |
Rivals | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 |
ESPN | 5 | 8 | 2 | 2 |
On3 Recruiting | 5 | 16 | 3 | 3 |
247 Composite | 5 | 7 | 1 | 1 |
This class was not as good as last year’s class for Jimbo Fisher, but it was still pretty good. The main thing is that Fisher needs to be able to keep most of the kids from this class. He had a mass exodus from the 2022 recruiting class so he has had to replace a lot of players. Their class was headlined by one of the best defensive linemen in the country, David Hicks Jr.
No. 16 South Carolina
ATH Nyckoles Harbor
Washington, D.C.
Archbishop Carroll
WELCOME HOME, @Nyck1k!!!! pic.twitter.com/2SM8loQZUe
— Gamecock Football (@GamecockFB) February 1, 2023
247 | 5 | 15 | 1 | 1 |
Rivals | 5 | 29 | 2 | 1 |
ESPN | 4 | 39 | 1 | 1 |
On3 Recruiting | 5 | 31 | 1 | 1 |
247 Composite | 5 | 19 | 1 | 1 |
Shane Beamer and the South Carolina Gamecocks came through with the biggest signing on National Signing Day as they signed the No. 1 athlete in the country, Nyckoles Harbor. Harbor is a monster from Washington D.C. and his list was down to five schools (South Carolina, Oregon, Maryland, Michigan and Miami) before he ultimately signed with the Gamecocks and sent shockwaves through the country.
No. 17 Auburn
DL Keldric Faulk
Highland Home, Alabama
Highland Home High School
💥💥 𝐏𝐋𝐀𝐘𝐌𝐀𝐊𝐄𝐑 💥💥
Welcome to Auburn, @FaulkKeldric! pic.twitter.com/bAPOp08aNN
— Auburn Football (@AuburnFootball) December 21, 2022
247 | 4 | 62 | 9 | 7 |
Rivals | 5 | 19 | 2 | 2 |
ESPN | 4 | 205 | 28 | 14 |
On3 Recruiting | 4 | 115 | 15 | 10 |
247 Composite | 4 | 74 | 10 | 9 |
Welcome back to the SEC, Hugh Freeze. He is trying to bring some new energy to an Auburn program that is trying to rebuild. I’d say, so far so good. Freeze has signed the No. 18 overall class in 2023, headlined by defensive lineman Keldric Faulk from Highland Home, Alabama. Freeze had some good years when he was coaching in Oxford, can he repeat that success on the plains?
No. 22 Arkansas
CB Jaylon Braxton
Frisco, Texas
Lone Star High School
Lockdown DB
Welcome HOME @JaylonBraxton6 pic.twitter.com/uadWInDrx3
— Arkansas Razorback Football (@RazorbackFB) December 21, 2022
247 | 4 | 142 | 13 | 27 |
Rivals | 4 | 209 | 26 | 35 |
ESPN | 4 | 214 | 27 | 34 |
On3 Recruiting | 4 | 80 | 8 | 16 |
247 Composite | 4 | 140 | 15 | 28 |
The Razorbacks were a victim of the injury bug last year and that hampered their season. Arkansas finished the year 7-6 but lost four games by a field goal. Their 2023 class was headlined by Jaylon Braxton, a cornerback from Frisco, Texas, where he plays for Lone Star High School.
No. 25 Mississippi State
S Isaac Smith
Fulton, Mississippi
Itawamba Agricultural High School
Welcome to the fa𝗠ily, @isaacdsmith
𝙁𝙪𝙡𝙡 𝘽𝙞𝙤 👉 https://t.co/J6k2liqjCU #NSD23 x #HailState🏴☠️ pic.twitter.com/jK599ZAtVz
— Mississippi State Football (@HailStateFB) December 21, 2022
247 | 4 | 187 | 14 | 3 |
Rivals | 4 | 88 | 6 | 3 |
ESPN | 4 | 107 | 9 | 3 |
On3 Recruiting | 4 | – | 31 | 8 |
247 Composite | 4 | 146 | 10 | 4 |
The Mississippi State Bulldogs are still reeling from the loss of a legendary head coach. The Bulldogs still managed to sign 12 high school kids headlined by [autotag]Isaac Smith[/autotag], a safety from Fulton, Mississippi. They had to fight off LSU and Ole Miss, but they got one of the best players in the state of Mississippi.
No. 27 Ole Miss
LB Suntarine Perkins
Raleigh, Mississippi
Raleigh High School
The Sip’s finest is staying home 🏠 @suntarine | #ComeToTheSip pic.twitter.com/sfN9KkSbo8
— Ole Miss Football (@OleMissFB) December 21, 2022
247 | 5 | 23 | 3 | 1 |
Rivals | 5 | 32 | 1 | 1 |
ESPN | 5 | 18 | 3 | 1 |
On3 Recruiting | 5 | 21 | 2 | 1 |
247 Composite | 5 | 14 | 1 | 1 |
Lane Kiffin’s high school recruiting class wasn’t full of depth, but he made up for that with the transfer portal. Those classes combined to give the Rebels the No. 20 overall class despite ranking just 27th in terms of high school recruiting. The headliner for the class is Suntarine Perkins, arguably the No. 1 linebacker in the country. He chose to stay home in Mississippi instead of going to other top SEC schools.
No. 31 Kentucky
WR Shamar Porter
Nashville, Tennessee
Ensworth High School
Welcome to #BBN, @porter_shamar!#RecruitAndDevelop x #NSD23 😼🏈 pic.twitter.com/zaimI9pFhb
— Kentucky Football (@UKFootball) December 21, 2022
247 | 4 | 212 | 27 | 4 |
Rivals | 4 | – | 40 | 11 |
ESPN | 4 | – | 40 | 9 |
On3 Recruiting | 4 | – | 44 | 5 |
247 Composite | 4 | 301 | 43 | 6 |
Kentucky had a snoozer of a bowl game against Iowa as the Wildcats lost 21-0. The Wildcats signed 19 high schoolers and 7 transfers. Their class was headlined by Shamar Porter, a wide receiver from Nashville, Tennessee, where he played for Ensworth High School.
No. 33 Missouri
TE Brett Norflett
Saint Charles, Missouri
Francis Howell High School
From O'Fallon, Mo., welcome @brettnorfleet5 to #ZOU23!#WELCOME2TH3ZOU #MIZ 🐯🏈 pic.twitter.com/KxIEJRqRB9
— Mizzou Football (@MizzouFootball) December 21, 2022
247 | 4 | – | 19 | 10 |
Rivals | 4 | – | 18 | 11 |
ESPN | 4 | 213 | 5 | 7 |
On3 Recruiting | 4 | 206 | 12 | 7 |
247 Composite | 4 | 234 | 12 | 7 |
The Missouri Tigers were a team of what-ifs last season. There were so many games that could’ve gone either way for them. They finished the season 6-7 with a loss to Wake Forest in the Gasparilla Bowl. The Tigers’ 2023 class finished ranked No. 33 in the country and is headlined by Brett Norflett, a tight end from Saint Charles, Missouri.
No. 52 Vanderbilt
CB Martel Hight
Rome, Georgia
Rome High School
𝘙𝘰𝘮𝘦, 𝘎𝘢. ➡️ 𝗡𝗮𝘀𝗵𝘃𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗲, 𝗧𝗲𝗻𝗻.
Welcome to the 615, @MartelHight#GoldStandard23 | #AnchorDown pic.twitter.com/OvWFkSUIhG
— Vanderbilt Football (@VandyFootball) December 21, 2022
247 | 3 | – | 49 | 46 |
Rivals | 3 | – | 63 | 44 |
ESPN | 4 | 274 | 33 | 25 |
On3 Recruiting | 4 | – | 38 | 36 |
247 Composite | 4 | 397 | 42 | 41 |
Coming in as the lowest-ranked team in the SEC, Vanderbilt finished with the No. 63 overall recruiting class for 2023. Their class is headlined by their lone four-star recruit, Martel Hight, a cornerback from Rome, Georgia.
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