College Football Teams Having the Most Success on the 2023 Recruiting Trail

If you're looking for new powerhouses in college football, spring is way too early to find out who those will be, but one thing is not debatable: Recruiting success is directly tied to on-field appearance.

So, while it's no guarantee the teams with the best recruiting classes will float to the top, it doesn't hurt to load up with quality prospects.

Much like the season, to crown recruiting champions in March is sheer foolery. 

But developing early relationships is never a bad thing, and while there are some expected elite programs near the top of the recruiting rankings for 2023, there are some surprises too.

In some cases, we're seeing new coaches flash their recruiting chops. Another squad is outside of the top 10 of the 247Sports composite team rankings but qualifies for this list because of the quality of its prospects, which is weighed more heavily that quantity.

From a tandem of Big 12 programs you wouldn't expect to dominate recruiting rankings to a couple of coaches who are a few years into proving their programs are on firm footing to some of the top teams in the country, the early '23 rankings are all over the place.

Let's look at the programs doing the best job so far.

Arkansas Razorbacks

Credit: 247Sports

Luke Hasz

If you're looking for a sleeper SEC program, the Arkansas Razorbacks would be a strong gamble. Head coach Sam Pittman has worked wonders in two seasons so far, and prospects are taking notice.

One of the best things for the Hogs has been their ability to retain elite coordinators Barry Odom (defense) and Kendal Briles (offense). Those guys have stuck around in Fayetteville long enough to build relationships.

So far this season, only the Texas Tech Red Raiders (more on them later) have more commitments than Pittman's 10.

The nation's third-ranked class features three 4-star prospects, and amazingly enough, all of them are tight ends. Between Luke Hasz, Shamar Easter and Jaden Hamm, the coaches should be able to mix and match and build around two-tight end sets and play the smashmouth football.

Arkansas' class also features three defensive front-seven stalwarts in edge-rushers Quincy Rhodes Jr. and Carson Dean and defensive lineman Kaleb James.

There may not be a lot of highly ranked individuals, but the Razorbacks' class is deep, with seven players in the top 500. That means they're well on their way to finishing higher than last year's No. 28-ranked class and can zero in their focus on some high-quality targets for the rest of the cycle.   

Baylor Bears

Credit: 247Sports

Christian Brathwaite

When head coach Dave Aranda's Baylor Bears sneaked up on everybody and won the Big 12 championship in 2021 before beating Ole Miss in the Sugar Bowl, it would have seemingly made an impact on recruiting.

But they finished with only the No. 36 class in the 2022 cycle.

Entering year three of Aranda's regime, the Bears are establishing relationships with prospects. So far, the nation's sixth-ranked recruiting class is eight players strong even though Aranda lost elite recruiter Joey McGuire from his staff.

There is just one 4-star prospect in linebacker Christian Brathwaite, but the 6'1", 225-pound Cypress, Texas, native looks like the type of defender who can be a class centerpiece.

As the Bears try to rebuild what was a senior-laden team from a year ago, other reinforcements are on the way on offense, including quarterback Austin Novosad, who looks like a strong developmental prospect who will battle for the job after the college careers of Gerry Bohanon and Blake Shapen are over.

Interior offensive lineman Justin DeLeon, receiver Micah Gifford and tight end Hawkins Polley give the Bears some early bedrocks on that side of the ball.

Given Aranda's knack for developing defensive talent—dating back to his coordinator days at LSU and Wisconsin—the last thing Baylor fans should worry about is that side of the ball. So while this early class isn't going to "wow" anybody with star rankings, it's a great start nonetheless. 

Florida State Seminoles

Credit: 247Sports

Keith Sampson

It's hard to talk about Florida State football recruiting and not mention last year's shocking turn of Travis Hunter spurning the team for Jackson State and top target Kevin Coleman doing the same.

But head coach Mike Norvell has been recruiting to a program that has fallen on hard times. Yes, he needs to turn things around on the field, or he'll begin to get pressure from Jackson State head coach Deion Sanders not only in recruiting, but Norvell's message is resonating with prospects and in the transfer portal.

Despite having just five pledges, Florida State's class is at No. 10.

Legendary associate head coach/defensive tackles coach Odell Haggins has a strong group coming in, with edge-rusher Lamont Green Jr. (who could slot to an OLB) and 6'3", 285-pound defensive tackle Keith Sampson the two elite players in the class so far. Green is the No. 196-ranked prospect, and Sampson is at 201.

The 'Noles also extended their recruiting reach northward. Not only is Sampson from North Carolina, but 4-star developmental quarterback Chris Parson also is from Brentwood, Tennessee.

Three-stars Randy Pittman (tight end) and Vandrevius Jacobs (receiver) round out the group of players.

Georgia Bulldogs

Credit: 247Sports

Bo Hughley

Now that the Georgia Bulldogs have won their first title in 41 years, there's no reason why head coach Kirby Smart's program can't battle big, bad Alabama for the top college football program every year.

The Dawgs are already sitting on a gold mine in the Peach State, which produces football talent right there with Texas, Florida and California every season.

You'd be bonkers to bet against the Bulldogs finishing with a top-five class again.

Currently, Smart has the nation's No. 4 class, with five 4-star prospects among the seven hard commitments. Three of those players hail from Georgia, while two are from Florida as the Dawgs capitalize on the Big Three programs in the Sunshine State being down.

Offensive lineman Bo Hughley is the highest-rated prospect at No. 53. Cornerback Marcus Washington, tight end Pearce Spurlin and receiver Raymond Cottrell are also top-100 players. Tight end Lawson Luckie is the other 4-star prospect.

Georgia built its 2021 championship team around an elite defense and a dominant offensive line, and the '23 class hearkens back to that blueprint. 

Michigan State Spartans

Credit: 247Sports

Andrew Depaepe

Michigan State head coach Mel Tucker knows exactly how to build a program, with the Spartans already on the cusp of competing with Michigan and Ohio State in the Big Ten.

Recruits are taking notice of Tucker's commitment to the school too after he signed a 10-year, $95 million contract extension in November. After the Spartans secured the nation's No. 22-ranked class a season ago, the 2023 cycle is off to a resounding start. 

Tucker's five commitments have Michigan State ranked 11th nationally, bolstered by the three 4-star prospects who likely won't be the last in this group. 

Defensive lineman Andrew Depaepe is a 6'5", 245-pound Iowa native who has the frame to hold 40-50 more pounds and is an intriguing prospect who had offers from across the conference.

Texas running back Kedrick Reescano and Michigan tight end Brennan Parachek are the other two 4-star prospects in the group, proving Tucker can not only battle with the Wolverines for top talent at home, but he can also sell the Spartans in other areas.

With yet another strong season shaping up for Michigan State on the field after the squad went 11-2 in 2021, it's going to be fun to watch Sparty blossom into one of the hottest teams on the recruiting trail with Tucker at the helm.     

Notre Dame Fighting Irish

Credit: 247Sports

After he'd built a strong program that had Notre Dame competing for the College Football Playoff every few years, Brian Kelly surprised many when he bolted to coach LSU this offseason.

But it didn't take long for the Fighting Irish to realize the guy they wanted to lead their program was already in town. Marcus Freeman, who was previously the team's defensive coordinator, is young at 36, and he will have to learn some of the game-time ins and outs. But he has no trouble connecting with recruits.

Freeman is known for helping coach Luke Fickell build his program at Cincinnati, and he's extended that to the nation's top-tier talent at Notre Dame. So far in the 2023 cycle, no team has a better haul than the Irish.

Notre Dame doesn't have anyone lower than 4-star in its class. The Irish have a 5-star defender in edge-rusher Keon Keeley, and the other eight pledges are among the nation's top 330 players.

All but two are defenders, and all but two are in the top 200. While Keeley is the biggest star, the group also features terrific linebacker prospect Drayk Bowen of Indiana and defensive backs Peyton Bowen of Texas, Justyn Rhett of Nevada and Adon Shuler of New Jersey.

Eight states are represented among the pledges, with two (RB Sedrick Irvin Jr. and Keeley) coming from the Florida hotbed. With Freeman's recruiting acumen, how high can this class soar? 

Ohio State Buckeyes

Credit: 247Sports

Luke Montgomery

Ohio State is no stranger to the top of the rankings, in recruiting or during the regular season.

Head coach Ryan Day's Buckeyes got off to one of the best starts in the 2022 cycle, and while they didn't win the recruiting title, they finished with a fourth-rated class filled with desperately needed defensive talent.

The 2023 Ohio State recruiting class is doing just fine too. So far, the Buckeyes rank seventh nationally with five commitments. The quality is high with four 4-star players.

Offensive lineman Luke Montgomery is the nation's No. 45-ranked player, and he looks like the type of prospect who can help carry on the tradition of great Buckeyes road-pavers. Like Montgomery, 4-star offensive lineman Joshua Padilla also comes from in-state.

Tennessee tight end Ty Lockwood could be an early difference-maker, and the Buckeyes dipped into Florida to land a commitment from safety Cedrick Hawkins.

Hopefully the team can hang on to him. Last year's early DB coup from the Sunshine State, Jaheim Singletary, flipped and signed with Georgia.

This group of prospects signals Day's recruiting acumen hasn't been hampered by a two-loss season or the offseason rumors about flirtations with the NFL. With a huge offensive season expected, more big names will follow.    

Penn State Nittany Lions

Credit: 247Sports

J'ven Williams

Penn State fans aren't exactly long-suffering, but they've got to be a bit antsy after a couple of seasons that didn't make anybody happy in Happy Valley.

Then recruiting season came around, and folks remembered one of the reasons why James Franklin was hired in the first place.

Prospects love him, and his past two recruiting classes with the Nittany Lions have been stellar, especially last year's sixth-rated class that includes players who could be game-changers such as quarterback Drew Allar, running back Nick Singleton and edge Dani Dennis-Sutton.

Franklin's follow-up is looking good so far too, with the fifth-rated class early on.

No position suffered worse last year for the Lions than the offensive line, which was dreadful at times. Five-star interior OL Alex Birchmeier of Virginia and 4-star offensive tackle J'ven Williams of nearby Reading, Pennsylvania, should go a long way in helping fortify that deficiency.

Four-star athlete Mathias "Mega" Barnwell may wind up growing into an offensive tackle as well, though tight end or defensive end seems more logical. He is a terrific prospect regardless, as is edge-rusher Neeo Avery. Four-star cornerback Lamont Payne rounds out the top-tier talent for PSU.

There's way too much talent coming in for Franklin to keep putting out a middling product.  

Texas Tech Red Raiders

Credit: 247Sports

Brenden Jordan

The Texas Tech Red Raiders are the biggest surprise of the 2023 recruiting cycle so far.

That's what happens an in-state FBS program hires a longtime stalwart in Texas high school football to be its next head coach.

Whether Joey McGuire has the chops to excel on the sideline remains to be seen, but this is a program that finished with a winning record last year and isn't far away from more success.

McGuire has pledges from 13 players, the most in the nation, and all of them are from the Lone Star State. 

Among Texas Tech's commitments in its second-ranked class are four 4-star prospects, led by 6'4", 210-pound edge-rusher Isaiah Crawford. The recruit from Post has long arms and a developmental body that can hold much more weight. 

Brenden Jordan of Mansfield is a rangy safety. Anquan Willis of Wichita Falls is listed as an athlete, and while he was recruited as an outside linebacker by the Red Raiders, he can run the ball too. Cornerback Calvin Simpson-Hunt rounds out TTU's 4-stars.

McGuire is convincing prospects to come to Lubbock while building some early headlines. This is an impressive turnaround in recruiting for TTU, which finished the last cycle with the No. 43-ranked class.

USC Trojans

Credit: 247Sports

Makai Lemon

Several other programs ranked higher than the USC Trojans, who have the nation's No. 14-ranked recruiting class.

But it's hard to overlook the fact that all three of new head coach Lincoln Riley's early commitments are 5-star prospects. No other team in the nation has more than one, none of the Trojans' commitments is ranked lower than 26th nationally.

Volume of players isn't always the most important thing.

Riley already has an elite nucleus. The three guys already in the fold are going to be building blocks for a program that looks to be on better footing than at any point since the Pete Carroll days.

It all starts with Malachi Nelson of Los Alamitos, California. Nelson is the nation's second-ranked player and the No. 2 overall quarterback behind Arch Manning, and everybody knows the latter's pedigree. Nelson is a lanky 6'3", 180-pound signal-caller with a live arm who could develop into a star. He is being groomed to take over for Caleb Williams.

There's also 5-star receiver Zachariah Branch of Las Vegas and 5-star athlete Makai Lemon, a teammate of Nelson who should play receiver at the next level.

Riley is going to have quite the spotlight on him in Hollywood, and he's responding so far on the 2023 recruiting trail after hitting the transfer portal hard once he arrived in L.A.

All stats courtesy of CFBStats and Sports Reference. Player and recruiting class rankings courtesy of 247Sports and accurate as of the afternoon of Monday, March 14.

Follow Brad Shepard on Twitter, @Brad_Shepard.