2023 Rankings First Look

Prep Redzone Indiana has compiled the first Prospect Rankings for 2023! The PRZ team of scouts has spent a lot of time identifying and evaluating a number of the top prospects from Indiana’s 2023 class.  This list will continue to grow and change over the next two years.  There are so many variables when evaluating a sophomore class, as many of the top players have yet to step on the variety field. Here are my thoughts on the initial rankings...   Updated 2023 Rankings By The #’s

• 55 players total
• Breakdown by position: 6 DL, 7 OL, 6 RB, 4 QB, 7 WR, 10 ATH, 6 LB, 7 DB, and 2 TE’s
• Highest ranked newcomers: #2 Trevor Lauck Trevor Lauck 6'6" | 280 lbs | OL Indianapolis Roncalli | 2023 State IN , #3 Brennan Wooten Brennan Wooten 6'4" | 240 lbs | TE Indianapolis Cathedral | 2023 State IN , #4 Aycen Stevens Aycen Stevens 6'4" | 215 lbs | QB Decatur Central | 2023 State IN
• 5 players with D1 offers:
  • LB Drayk Bowen Drayk Bowen 6'2" | 215 lbs | LB Andrean | 2023 State IN - Notre Dame, Indiana, Purdue, Arkansas, Cincinnati, Ball State
  • DL Joshua Mickens Joshua Mickens 6'5" | 230 lbs | DL Lawrence Central | 2023 State IN - Iowa State, Indiana, Michigan State, Purdue
  • ATH Aycen Stevens Aycen Stevens 6'4" | 215 lbs | QB Decatur Central | 2023 State IN - Indiana, Purdue, Marshall
  • OL Trevor Lauck Trevor Lauck 6'6" | 280 lbs | OL Indianapolis Roncalli | 2023 State IN - Kentucky, Cincinnatti
  • DL Tyrone Lofton Tyrone Lofton 6'2" | 230 lbs | DL Pike | 2023 State IN - Cincinnatti

  Risers of Note/ Making Their Grand Entrance This is our first rankings for the 2023 class. There aren’t risers, but there are numerous prospects of note making their debut.  Here are two that I predict to blow up in terms of offers, and one that I predict to make a major rise the next rankings update.

• ATH Aycen Stevens Aycen Stevens 6'4" | 215 lbs | QB Decatur Central | 2023 State IN - Decatur Central

The #4 ranked prospect in the state has already seen his recruiting stock take off since these rankings were published.  Since the PRZ rankings debuted, we have seen Aycen go from zero offers, to offers from Indiana, Purdue, and Marshall.  This comes as no surprise to anyone that has flipped on the Sophomore athlete’s film.  Stevens is a great combination of size, athleticism, and skill.  He is an ATH recruit in every sense of the description, as he could end up playing QB, TE, LB, SAF etc...  I am not sure what he will end up playing at the next level, but my evaluation puts him as one of the top 2023 prospects in the midwest, and I believe he has a chance to be a national recruit.  The recruiting world is something that the Stevens family knows all about, as Aycen’s older brother Tommy was a highly recruited prospect that is currently a QB for the Carolina Panthers.

• OL Trevor Lauck Trevor Lauck 6'6" | 280 lbs | OL Indianapolis Roncalli | 2023 State IN - Roncalli

The 6’6" 265 pound Offensive Tackle comes in at the #2 spot behind Drayk Bowen Drayk Bowen 6'2" | 215 lbs | LB Andrean | 2023 State IN in the initial rankings.  While already holding offers from Kentucky and Cincinnati, the sophomore has a chance to become one of the bigger OL names in the 2023 class.  Lauck possesses an incredible frame, and he has the length to match. When you pair the physical skill-set, with a high level of athleticism for his size, you begin to see why he has become a hot commodity on the recruiting circuit at such a young age.  Lauck should be a double digit Power 5 offer prospect when it is all said and done.  I am excited to see his development in the coming year.

• RB/ATH Drew Wheat Drew Wheat 5'10" | 160 lbs | RB Center Grove | 2023 State IN - Center Grove

The all-purpose back out of Center Grove comes in at the #37 spot in the initial rankings, but I expect him to rise come Jr season.  When you are an underclassmen for an extremely talented team like Center Grove, it can be hard to get the touches you need to display your skill-set.  But, Wheat certainly made the most of the touches he received... According to MaxPreps, he managed 269 yards and scored 6 TD’s on only 25 carries.  That is a whopping 10.8 yards every time he took a handoff, and even more impressive a TD 24% of the time he took the ball out of the backfield.  You can only imagine what his stats will be like once he takes over the lead ball carrier role for Center Grove.  At #37 he already has a very respectable ranking, but this is a prospect that I expect to rise when the PRZ Indiana 2023 rankings are updated.