With 213 ESPN 300 recruits committed, quite a few college football recruiting classes are starting to take shape and fill needs.
Some highly ranked and highly sought-after players have come off the board over the past few months, making big impacts on future rosters. We recently highlighted some of the teams that are recruiting the best on offense, and now we’re looking at the teams recruiting the best so far on defense.
Of the five defensive recruits ranked as five-stars, only defensive lineman Peter Woods has made a commitment (Clemson). There are still a lot of big names on the board, but plenty have already made a decision.
Cornerback
The Dawgs have had success at this position under Kirby Smart, signing seven ESPN 300 corners over the past three classes. That includes Kelee Ringo, the No. 1 corner in the 2020 class who sealed last season’s national championship with a pick-six.
Ringo returns this season, and while the staff lost Derion Kendrick, Ameer Speed, Lovasea Carroll and Jalen Kimber, it brings in Nyland Green, a former ESPN 300 prospect in the 2021 class; Jaheim Singletary, a top-25 recruit in the 2022 class; and Marcus Washington, a top-100 recruit who reclassified from 2023 to 2022.
In the 2023 class, Georgia currently has three ESPN 300 cornerbacks: A.J. Harris (No. 4 CB), Justyn Rhett (No. 18) and Daniel Harris (No. 23).
The Buckeyes revamped their defensive staff, hiring defensive coordinator Jim Knowles this offseason. Knowles, whose Oklahoma State team ranked 10th in passing defense last year, is returning corner Denzel Burke and Cameron Brown, while also bringing in Oklahoma State transfer Tanner McCalister.
Marcus Williamson, Sevyn Banks and Lejond Cavazos are among the corners from last year to leave the team, leaving some opportunities to play in the future.
The defensive staff has ESPN 300 corners Dijon Johnson, Calvin Simpson-Hunt and Kayin Lee committed, who are all ranked in the top 200 in the 2023 class. The coaches also have unranked four-star Jermaine Matthews in the fold.
The Crimson Tide have recruited nearly every position well under Nick Saban, and corner is in that category. The coaches have two of the top three corners committed in this class with Tony Mitchell and Jahlil Hurley.
Mitchell is a 6-foot-2, 190-pound corner from Alabaster, Alabama, ranked as the No. 2 corner in the class and the No. 21 recruit overall. Hurley is a 6-2, 170-pound cornerback from Florence, Alabama, ranked as the No. 3 corner and No. 26 overall.
Four of Alabama’s 12 defensive backs listed on its 2022 roster are listed at 6-1 or shorter, so the duo of Mitchell and Hurley will add some height to the Crimson Tide secondary.
The Longhorns added Ohio State cornerback transfer Ryan Watts in the offseason and are returning D’Shawn Jamison, as well as some of the younger players on the roster.
The coaches signed ESPN 300 corners Terrance Brooks, Austin Jordan and Jaylon Guilbeau in the 2022 class.
They followed that up by getting commitments from ESPN 300 corners Malik Muhammad and Jamel Johnson in this class. Muhammad is the No. 44 prospect overall (No. 6 corner), while Johnson is ranked 114th overall (No. 10 corner).
Safety
Of the 18 ESPN 300 safety prospects, 13 have already committed, including the top five safeties following Caleb Downs‘ commitment to Alabama on Wednesday.
The Nittany Lions have ESPN 300 safeties Elliot Washington and King Mack committed, along with four-star DaKaari Nelson and three-star Conrad Hussey.
Washington is the No. 4 safety in the class, ranked No. 46 overall out of Venice, Florida. Mack moved up from being ranked the No. 247 recruit overall and No. 17 safety to No. 127 overall and No. 7 safety following the latest ESPN 300 update.
James Franklin’s staff lost safety Jaquan Brisker from last season, and Ji’Ayir Brown is entering his senior year. They have some youth on the roster, but this class will be a big help in maintaining consistency in the defensive backfield.
The Irish are trying to replace safety Kyle Hamilton, a first-round draft pick, this coming season, and are trying to do it by adding Northwestern transfer Brandon Joseph, a 2020 consensus All-American. Houston Griffith is also returning for 2022, but he is a senior and will be gone after the season is up.
The coaches need a good safety class in 2023 and have commitments from ESPN 300 safeties Peyton Bowen and Adon Shuler. Bowen is a 6-foot, 185-pound safety from Denton, Texas, ranked No. 30 overall. Shuler is a 6-foot, 190-pound prospect from Irvington, New Jersey, ranked No. 170 overall. Both will have an opportunity to contribute early in their career with the current depth chart.
Georgia Bulldogs
Similar to corner, Georgia has had a lot of success recruiting the safety position. The coaches signed five-star athlete Malaki Starks, who could play safety, in the 2022 class and David Daniel, the No. 2 safety in the 2021 class.
In 2023, Georgia has a commitment from Joenel Aguero, the No. 2 safety overall. He’s the No. 20 recruit overall and a 6-foot, 200-pound recruit from Lynn, Massachusetts.
The Vols are looking for more talent and more competition at most spots, including the secondary. Jaylen McCollough and Trevon Flowers return for their senior years, and beyond them, the coaches brought in Ohio State transfer Andre Turrentine and only one safety prospect in three-star Jourdan Thomas.
To refill the depth chart, the Vols have ESPN 300 safety Sylvester Smith, the No. 213 recruit overall, committed, and verbals from three-stars John Slaughter and Jack Luttrell, both of whom are 6-1 or taller.
Linebacker
There are 28 ESPN 300 linebackers, and 21 are already committed, including No. 1 inside linebacker Tackett Curtis (USC). The top two outside linebackers, five-stars Anthony Hill and Jaquavious Russaw, are both uncommitted, though.
Georgia Bulldogs
The Dawgs have shown up quite a bit on this defensive list — and for good reason. Coming off their historic championship season, they continue to add to their talented defensive haul.
The coaches have Troy Bowles, Raylen Wilson and C.J. Allen all committed so far. The three of them add to the seven ESPN 300 linebackers Georgia signed in the past two classes, including five-star Smael Mondon Jr.
Bowles, the son of Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles, is the No. 3 outside linebacker and the No. 31 prospect overall. Wilson had been committed to Michigan but decommitted and flipped to Georgia. He is the No. 5 outside linebacker and the No. 64 recruit overall. Allen is the No. 2 inside linebacker, ranked No. 149 overall.
Penn State Nittany Lions
The Nittany Lions lost Brandon Smith and Ellis Brooks after this past season, and Jonathan Sutherland will be a senior this year. While the staff has sophomore Curtis Jacobs and freshmen Ken Talley, Abdul Carter and Keon Wylie, the coaches need to add to their linebacker room soon.
So far, they have landed commitments from ESPN 300 linebackers Tony Rojas and Ta’Mere Robinson. Rojas is a 6-foot-2, 205-pound recruit from Fairfax, Virginia, ranked No. 155 overall. Robinson is a 6-foot-3, 210-pound prospect from Pittsburgh, and is ranked No. 236 overall.
The Knights haven’t landed an ESPN 300 recruit since the 2017 cycle, yet the team has found success with the players they have brought in.
In this class, however, the coaches have two ESPN 300 linebacker commits — and genetics was a bit of a help. Twin ESPN 300 inside linebackers Andrew and Michael Harris both committed on July 6.
Andrew is ranked No. 195 overall, and Michael is ranked No. 276. They are similar in their build, with Andrew being an inch taller at 6-2, and both should get an opportunity to contribute early.
Tennessee Volunteers
Many of the players the Vols return this season are seniors, and given recruiting is about looking ahead beyond the next season, adding talented linebackers in this cycle was important for Josh Heupel and his staff.
ESPN 300 linebacker Caleb Herring, the No. 113 prospect overall, is currently committed to Tennessee. He’s a 6-foot-5, 205-pound prospect out of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. He is joined in the class by four-star Jeremiah Telander and three-stars Jalen Smith and Will Stallings Jr.
Defensive line
Thirty of the 43 defensive ends and six of the 16 defensive tackles in the ESPN 300 are committed. The top-ranked player at each position (DE Keon Keeley, Notre Dame; DT Peter Woods, Clemson) are off the board; however, there is depth behind them.
Clemson Tigers
The Tigers have signed nine ESPN 300 defensive linemen over the past three classes, including five-stars Bryan Bresee and Myles Murphy, now rising juniors, in the 2020 class and fifth-year senior K.J. Henry. They are off to a strong start in 2023 as well.
They have the Nos. 1 and 6 defensive tackles in Woods and Vic Burley, as well as four-star tackle Stephiylan Green. On the edge, they have commitments from four-star defensive ends David Ojiegbe (No. 245 overall) and A.J. Hoffler.
Notre Dame Fighting Irish
The Irish have put together an impressive defensive line class led by the No. 1 defensive end Keeley. He’s a 6-foot-5, 220-pound recruit from Tampa, Florida, and is ranked No. 24 overall.
Keeley is joined in the class by ESPN 300 defensive ends Brenan Vernon and Boubacar Traore, as well as ESPN 300 defensive tackle Devan Houstan.
The Wolverines will be replacing defensive ends Aidan Hutchinson and David Ojabo, as well as tackle Christopher Hinton this season. The coaches added defensive tackle transfer Cam Goode from UCF and signed ESPN 300 defensive end Derrick Moore in the 2022 class.
There are some younger players on the roster, including George Rooks, TJ Guy, Kris Jenkins and Mike Morris, who will help this coming season, but the staff needs more players up front and especially on the edge.
The coaches have commitments from ESPN 300 defensive ends Collins Acheampong (6-7, 235) and Enow Etta (6-5, 260), as well as three-star French defensive end Aymeric Koumba and three-star end Brooks Bahr.
The new Tigers staff has some talented players up front in defensive tackle Maason Smith, Missouri transfer Mehki Wingo, tackle Jacobian Guillory and a handful of others. Brian Kelly is off to a strong start in adding youth to that group.
The coaches have three ESPN 300 defensive ends committed in Da’Shawn Womack, Jaxon Howard and Joshua Mickens, as well as unranked four-star end Darron Reed.