Top 25 recruiting classes after the early signing period

On3 imageby:Jamie Shaw11/17/22

JamieShaw5

The early signing period ended on Wednesday. A seven-day period, from November 9 to November 16, where senior basketball recruits are permitted to sign their letters of intent (LOI) to their colleges of choice. Over ninety percent of players in the 2023 On3 Consensus top 100 signed their LOIs during the past seven days. Sure there will be some players emerging and taking steps for the late signing period, and the transfer portal is an entity of its own, but this gives us a snapshot into what each program’s final class will look like for the 2023 recruiting cycle.

On3s team rankings value quality over quantity. The list is based on the average rating of each player in the class. It does not take into account the size of the class, strictly the rating given by the On3 Consensus, the average of the four major recruiting services.

Here are how the schools stack up in the 2023 On3 Team Rankings after the early signing period.

1. Kentucky (SEC)

Five-star C Aaron Bradshaw (No. 3)
Five-star SF Justin Edwards (No. 5)
Five-star CG DJ Wagner (No. 6)
Five-star SG Robert Dillingham (No. 8)
Four-star CG Reed Sheppard (No. 31)

Kentucky’s Team Rankings

The notes: Kentucky signed four players in the top eight of the 2023 On3 Consensus. Aaron Bradshaw is the No. 1 player overall in the 2023 On3 150. The 7-foot-1 center can shoot and protect the rim. DJ Wagner is the son of former lottery pick, DaJuan Wagner. Wagner is uber-competitive. Justin Edwards is a premier perimeter defender. Robert Dillingham can put up big scoring numbers, and Reed Sheppard is the son of Stacey Reed Sheppard and Jeff Sheppard, both people Big Blue Nation are very familiar.

2. Duke (ACC)

Five-star F Mackenzie Mgbako (No. 2)
Five-star C Sean Stewart (No. 9)
Five-star PG Caleb Foster (No. 14)
Five-star CG Jared McCain (No. 18)
Four-star SF TJ Power (No. 23)

Duke’s Team Rankings

The notes: Mackenzie Mgbako is Duke’s top-ranked player in the class. At 6-foot-8, he is a sharp-shooting forward. Sean Stewart is a tough guy in the paint and around the basket, one of the nation’s top rebounders. Foster has size at the point guard position, with shoot touch. Jared McCain is one of the best winners in the class. TJ Power is a connective piece that can really pass at 6-foot-8.

3. Oregon (Pac-12)

Five-star PF Kwame Evans, Jr. (No. 11)
Five-star SF Mookie Cook (No. 19)
Four-star PG Jackson Shelstad (No. 55)

Oregon’s team rankings

The notes: Kwame Evans has great length at 6-foot-10 and can handle, shoot, and has defensive upside. Cook is a local player with good size and can knock down a corner three. Jackson Shelstad is a paint-touch point guard with deep range.

4. Arkansas (SEC)

Five-star C Baye Fall (No. 12)
Four-star PG Layden Blocker (No. 28)

Arkansas’s team rankings

The notes: Baye Fall is a highly active post player with long arms, toughness, and explosion. Layden Blocker is a downhill lead guard who plays fast and very aggressively.

5. Michigan State (Big Ten)

Five-star C Xavier Booker (No. 7)
Four-star PG Jeremy Fears (No. 38)
Four-star SF Coen Carr (No. 52)
Four-star SF Gehrig Normand (No. 63)

Michigan State’s team rankings

The notes: Xavier Booker is the highest-ranked recruit Tom Izzo has gotten in a while. A 6-foot-10 lefty with fluidity and ball skills. Fears is a natural born leader out of the point guard spot. Coen Carr will step on campus as one of the most explosive players in the Big Ten. He has defensive upside and toughness. Gehrig Norman is a smooth shooting wing with positional size and sneaky athleticism.

6. Baylor (Big 12)

Five-star SG Ja’kobe Walter (No. 15)
Five-star CG Miro Little (No. 29)

Baylor’s team rankings

The notes: Ja’kobe Walter is a confident shot-maker with range and positional size. Miro Little is from Helsinki, Finland. He is a big guard who is comfortable on or off the ball.

7. Stanford (Pac-12)

Four-star SG Andrej Stojakovic (No. 22)
Four-star SG Kanaan Carlyle (No. 25)

Stanford team rankings

The notes: Stanford beefed up on shot-makers. Andrej Stojakovic is the son of former NBA All-Star Peja Stojakovic. At 6-foot-6, he can handle, shoot, and pass from multiple levels on the floor. Kanaan Carlyle is an electric scorer. He plays with a lot of pop and is an aggressive on-ball defender.

8. Southern California (Pac-12)

Five-star PG Isaiah Collier (No. 1)
Four-star PF Arrinten Page (No. 60)
Four-star PG Silas Demary, Jr. (No. 69)

USC team rankings

The notes: Isaiah Collier is the No. 1 point guard in the class. He is an excellent passer and leader. Arrinten Page has been a high school and travel ball teammate with Collier. The two have great familiarity with one another, especially in the pick and roll. Silas Demary is a premier defender and someone who makes everything around him run smoother.

9. North Carolina (ACC)

Five-star CG Simeon Wilcher (No. 17)
Four-star PF Zayden High (No. 47)

UNC team rankings

The notes: Simeon Wilcher is an aggressive, score-first guard who is comfortable with the ball in his hands. Zayden High is a late-blooming post prospect who moves extremely well and has touch on his shot.

10. Ohio State (Big Ten)

Four-star SF Scotty Middleton (No. 39)
Four-star G Taison Chatman (No. 40)
Four-star F Devin Royal (No. 42)
Three-star C Austin Parks (No. 192)

Ohio State team rankings

The notes: Devin Royal is a smooth scoring and highly productive forward from just up the road in Pickerington. Taison Chatman is a 6-foot-4 guard who is comfortable on or off the ball and has defensive instincts. Scotty Middleton comes from a power high school program and is active on defense. Austin Parks has the size you just cannot teach.

The rest of the top 25

11. Kansas (Big 12)

12. Iowa State (Big 12)

13. UConn (Big East)

14. Memphis (American)

15. Texas (Big 12)

16. Tennessee (SEC)

17. UCLA (Pac 12)

18. Cincinnati (American)

19. Maryland (Big Ten)

20. Xavier (Big East)

21. Houston (American)

22. Virginia (ACC)

23. Louisville (ACC)

24. Alabama (SEC)

25. Oklahoma (Big 12)