Early look at 2023 recruiting class rankings in the Pac-12 conference

The Oregon Ducks are currently riding high after a successful 2022 recruiting period. Turning to 2023, though, they’ve got work to do to catch the USC Trojans.

When it comes to the recruiting world of college football, Oregon Duck fans are feeling pretty high and mighty right about now. After landing 5-star OT Josh Conerly Jr. over USC on Friday night, fans in green and yellow are currently enjoying a victory lap that is taking place a lot sooner than expected. With a change in coaching staff over the offseason and an uphill climb to get back into recruiting relevance, Dan Lanning has done wonders over the past couple of months and landed the No. 1 recruiting class in the conference for the 2022 period, and No. 16 in the nation.

Nothing wrong with celebrating that fact in Eugene, but soon it will be time to look ahead to 2023.

In 2023, the USC Trojans deserve a lot of credit.

While most of their work in the 2022 period was done via the transfer portal under new head coach Lincoln Riley, the Trojans have gotten a jump-start on the 2023 class, where they currently dominate in the Pac-12 rankings after landing a trio of 5-star prospects for next year, including one of the top quarterbacks in the nation, Malachi Nelson.

None of this is to say that USC has built an insurmountable lead in the conference rankings. If we’ve learned anything from Lanning and Co. over the past few months, it’s that they take big swings at highly-rated prospects and have shown a propensity to be able to land them.

At the moment, though, they have a lot of ground to make up. How much? You be the judge, according to these Pac-12 recruiting rankings from 247Sports:

 

Pac-12 College Football Recruiting: Team Rankings, Top Players, Biggest Strengths, What’s Missing

How did all of the Pac-12 teams do this recruiting season? Here are the recruiting rankings for the conference, along with the stars for each team, top players, and biggest strengths. – Contact/Follow @ColFootballNews – Every Team’s Star Recruit – …

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How did all of the Pac-12 teams do this recruiting season? Here are the recruiting rankings for the conference, along with the stars for each team, top players, and biggest strengths.


Contact/Follow @ColFootballNews

Every Team’s Star Recruit
Recruiting Class Strengths
What’s Missing From Each Recruiting Class
2020 All-Pac-12 Recruiting Team
Recruiting Team Rankings


Every Pac-12 Team’s Star Recruit

Arizona

QB Will Plummer, 6-2, 205 – He might not be all that big, but he’s a big-time passer with a live arm and the mobility to be what the Kevin Sumlin offense wants.
Key Schools In The Running: Oklahoma State, Colorado, Oregon State

Arizona State

WR Johnny Wilson, 6-6, 230 – An interesting target with the size to grow into a tight end, and the athleticism to be a matchup nightmare as a wideout. Oregon had him, and the Sun Devils flipped him.
Key Schools In The Running: Oregon, USC, Tennessee

Cal

RB Chris Street, 5-9, 195 – Very, very shifty and fast through the hole, he’s a home-run hitter who can be used as a receiver and have plays designed to get the ball in his hands in a variety of ways.
Key Schools In The Running: Arizona State, Utah, USC

Colorado

RB Ashaad Clayton, 6-0, 200 – Really, really fast with the size to bring a little bit of power, he’s more of a home-run hitter than a workhorse. The New Orleans native isn’t just a track guy playing football, though.
Key Schools In The Running: Florida, LSU, Kansas 

Oregon

LB Justin Flowe, 6-3, 225 – And go ahead and add Noah Sewell as the No. 1A star of the Oregon class. Sewell is the big-hitting run-stuffer on the inside, and Flowe is the all-around playmaker on the outside with the hybrid pass-rushing ability to be terror from the start.
Key Schools In The Running: Alabama, Clemson, Georgia

Oregon State

QB Chance Nolan, 6-3, 200 – The JUCO transfer has great size, excellent mobility, and the experience to step in and start right away. However, he has only three years of eligibility.
Key Schools In The Running: Utah, UCLA, Oklahoma State

Stanford

OT Myles Hinton, 6-7, 310 – The son of former NFL star Chris Hinton is going to John Elway’s school – Chris was taken one pick after Elway in the 1983 NFL Draft. Myles is a big-body athlete with the talent and smarts to go along with the frame.
Key Schools In The Running: Alabama, Georgia, Ohio State

UCLA

QB Parker McQuarrie, 6-7, 208 – Is he it? Is he the quarterback who’s going to make the UCLA offense work under Chip Kelly? He’s not a runner, but he’s got the pro-style size and arm.
Key Schools In The Running: Wisconsin, Miami, Minnesota

USC

WR Gary Bryant, 5-11, 165 – A tall, thin target with great hands and the quickness to be used as a runner from time to time. He could be a kick and punt returner if needed, but he’ll mostly be a deep threat receiver.
Key Schools In The Running: Arizona State, Oklahoma, Oregon

Utah

CB Clark Phillips, 5-10, 187 – With a good frame, great quickness, and the ability to attack the ball with the hands to be used as a receiver if needed – he won’t drop picks. After originally choosing Ohio State, Utah plucked him away.
Key Schools In The Running: Ohio State, UCLA, Notre Dame

Washington

DE Sav’ell Smalls, 6-4, 244 – The Huskies landed the superstar. The Washington native has the NFL size to go along with the unstoppable pass rushing ability to instant step in and produce. He’s going to be the main man for the new era of UW football.
Key Schools In The Running: Florida State, Clemson, Georgia

Washington State

QB Jayden De Laura, 6-1, 190 – He signed on when Mike Leach was still the head man, and now the Hawaii native should grow into Nick Rolovich’s quarterback. He might not be all that big, but he’s deadly accurate and can run.
Key Schools In The Running: Ohio State, USC, Hawaii

Recruiting Class Strengths
What’s Missing From Each Recruiting Class
2020 All-Pac-12 Recruiting Team
Recruiting Team Rankings

NEXT: Pac-12 Recruiting Strengths