On3 data: Louisville, Stanford commits average farthest distance
One of the unique tools in the On3 Recruiting Database and Consensus Team Recruiting Rankings is the ability to see how far teams have to go to land recruits. The average distance is often an indicator of where a program’s recruiting base is at and can be used to identify potential success later in a recruiting cycle.
On3 looks at the top 25 teams in the On3 Consensus Team Recruiting Rankings and what the average distance is for each program.
No. 1 Notre Dame
Average distance: 806 miles
The Skinny: Notre Dame’s recruiting brand has always been a national one, and that’s going to be the case again under Marcus Freeman. The Irish have commits from players in Florida, Texas, Indiana, Ohio, California, New Jersey, North Carolina and Massachusetts.
No. 2 USC
Average distance: 526.3 miles
The Skinny: It should come as no surprise that USC’s class early on is built on local players from Los Angeles. Lincoln Riley has made it a priority to focus on players from the Southland and there’s been early success. However, much like Notre Dame, USC has a national brand. They’ve been able to go into Texas and Nevada to three high-profile commits, and the class is now made up of players averaging 526.3 miles from campus.
No. 3 Georgia
Average distance: 339.7 miles
The Skinny: Kirby Smart’s Georgia classes have always been focused on winning SEC states like Georgia, Florida and Alabama and that’s the case early on with the 2023 class. The Dawgs have commitments from players averaging only 339.7 miles from campus. But four-star CB Justyn Rhett out of Las Vegas kind of skews the average. Nevertheless, it’ll be interesting to see how that number moves throughout the process, especially when the Dawgs land some additional top national targets.
No. 4 Tennessee
Average distance: 358 miles
The Skinny: Tennessee is following the Georgia and Alabama recruiting blueprint by working the SEC states like Tennessee, Georgia and Alabama and then targeting top national recruits. It’s paid off so far. The Vols landed five-star QB Nico Iamaleava out of Los Angeles but also have commits from five Tennessee players, two Georgia players and a recruit in Alabama.
No. 5 Ohio State
Average distance: 450.4 miles
The Skinny: The Ohio State recruiting brand is a national one. Yes, the Buckeyes love to dominate the Midwest — and they often do — but they also venture anywhere and everywhere there’s talent. That’s the case already in 2023 with commits from Ohio, Tennessee and Florida.
No. 6 Texas A&M
Average distance: 136.8 miles
The Skinny: Texas A&M went more national for its best-ever 2022 recruiting class. But the foundation was and will always be Texas talent. We’re seeing that clearly in the 2023 class. The Aggies class has an average distance of 136.8 miles from campus. All six of A&M’s commits are from the Lone Star State.
No. 7 Alabama
Average distance: 266.8 miles
The Skinny: Nick Saban can walk into any living room or high school in the country and win over a prospect. But he always builds his classes on SEC territory talent first and foremost. That’s what we’re seeing with the 2023 class, as Alabama has landed elite players from Alabama and Florida. The Crimson Tide’s class has an average of only 266.8 miles from campus. With so much local talent in the 2023 class, it’ll be fascinating to see where that number is at in December.
No. 8 Penn State
Average distance: 289.2 miles
The Skinny: James Franklin and Penn State love to focus first on local talent in Pennsylvania and surrounding states, and that’s what you see early on with the Nittany Lions’ 11 commits. Expect more of the same with a national name or two sprinkled in throughout the recruiting process.
No. 9 Texas
Average distance: 160.6 miles
The Skinny: Texas’ recruiting game plan, much like A&M, is to win over Lone Star State talent. The Horns have definitely done that so far with a class that averages only 160.6 miles away from the Forty Acres. Many of the state’s top talent is still on the board, so this average will be good to monitor in the future.
No. 10 LSU
Average distance: 422 miles
The Skinny: Brian Kelly knows to win at LSU, you have to win over top Louisiana prospects. But he’s also going to recruit nationally, which is what we’re seeing early on with the Class of 2023. The Tigers have a commitment from in-state four-star WR Omarion Miller and big gets from players in Missouri, Texas and Georgia.
No. 11 Arkansas
Average distance: 395 miles
The Skinny: Arkansas doesn’t have a huge recruiting base to work with locally, so the Razorbacks must focus elsewhere to build their class. That’s what you see early on with 11 commits that average around 400 miles from the campus in Fayetteville. It is a good sign, though, that Arkansas has pledges from the top-two players in-state.
No. 12 Clemson
Average distance: 563.4 miles
The Skinny: Dabo Swinney has transformed the Clemson recruiting brand into a national one. Yes, the Southeast and the Carolinas are vital recruiting areas. But Clemson can definitely go into other areas and have some success. The Tigers have commits from players already in Alabama, Florida and Texas.
No. 13 Louisville
Average distance: 1,011.2 miles
The Skinny: That’s not a typo. Louisville has a class where the average distance from campus is 1,011.2 miles. That’s because Scott Satterfield and Co. have found great success in California. Three of the Cardinals’ top four commits, including coveted CB Aaron Williams and QB Pierce Clarkson, are from the Golden State.
No. 14 Oklahoma
Average distance: 245.8 miles
The Skinny: The Sooners will still target national recruits. But more and more it appears Oklahoma will make Texas, Oklahoma and surrounding states its recruiting foundation under Brent Venables. The Sooners currently have a 245.8 average distance from campus in the 2023 class, and that number probably won’t climb too high with the Dallas Fort Worth Metroplex a big priority for OU.
No. 15 Texas Tech
Average distance: 270.6 miles
The Skinny: Joey McGuire is Texas through and through, so it makes complete sense that the Lone Star State is the base for the Texas Tech classes. The Red Raiders have already raided the Metroplex and will continue to do that throughout the rest of the recruiting cycle.
No. 16 Florida State
Average distance: 323.3 miles
The Skinny: Florida is priority No. 1, 2 and 3 for Florida State under Mike Norvell. But the Seminoles do have a national brand that allows them to recruit in other areas of the country and reach up into the Carolinas, which explains why they have an average distance of 323.3 miles so far for the 2023 class.
No. 17 Michigan
Average distance: 270.8 miles
The Skinny: Much like recruiting rival Ohio State, Michigan focuses on the Midwest but also maintains a national recruiting footprint. That’s on display when you see the Michigan class features local players like Cole Cabana and Semaj Morgan but also includes players from Florida, Georgia and Illinois for an average distance of 270.8 miles.
No. 18 Michigan State
Average distance: 607.9 miles
The Skinny: Michigan State has ventured outside of the Midwest more and more under Mel Tucker, and it’s paid off with some nice returns. We’re seeing that clearly in the 2023 class with a class that averages currently 607.9 miles and features players from Iowa, Michigan, Texas and Florida.
No. 19 Baylor
Average distance: 208.7 miles
The Skinny: Baylor loves Texas talent. So, it makes sense that eight of the nine early commits for the Bears are from players in the Lone Star State and the average distance is 208.7 miles from Waco.
No. 20 Iowa
Average distance: 319.2 miles
The Skinny: Yes, Iowa has a Midwest-focused recruiting foundation. But when you don’t have a lot of talent in your backyard, you have to look elsewhere, which explains the Hawkeyes’ 319.2 average and commits from players in New Jersey, Indiana, Iowa, Colorado and Illinois.
No. 21 Miami
Average distance: 664.8 miles
The Skinny: Miami will recruit everywhere under Mario Cristobal, including the West Coast with his ties from Oregon. But Florida – especially South Florida – will be a priority. The Canes currently have a class that averages 664.8 miles from campus, because Frankie Tinilau is from the LA area. But the rest of the class is made up of Miami recruits.
No. 22 Stanford
Average distance: 1,328.7 miles
The Skinny: Stanford is a national recruiting brand because of its high academic standards. The Cardinal must recruit players with great grades and top test scores, so they hunt all over the country for talent. The Cardinal already has commits from Texas, Georgia and California.
No. 23 Minnesota
Average distance: 410.5 miles
The Skinny: Minnesota, like Iowa on this list, doesn’t have a big recruiting foundation in its backyard. So, that means the Golden Gophers have to head elsewhere to find talent – as seen with the 410.5 average class distance. Minnesota has commits from players in Minnesota, Georgia, Michigan and Illinois.
No. 24 West Virginia
Average distance: 268.5 miles
The Skinny: Neal Brown has done a solid job since his arrival at West Virginia of landing recruits all over the place. We’re seeing that clearly in the 2023 class with recruits already committed from South Carolina, Pennsylvania and Ohio.
No. 25 Wake Forest
Average distance: 320.6 miles
The Skinny: The Southeast and the Carolinas is the foundation for Dave Clawson’s Wake Forest program. The Demon Decans have an average class distance of 320.6 miles built off recruits from Georgia, South Carolina and Tennessee.