The Five: #TN2023 Rankings Superlatives
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Wrapping our deep dive into our final senior rankings for the #TN2023 class, here we look at some of the biggest stories inside the rankings, including which schools had the most players ranked and which position group was represented the…
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Continue ReadingWrapping our deep dive into our final senior rankings for the #TN2023 class, here we look at some of the biggest stories inside the rankings, including which schools had the most players ranked and which position group was represented the best.
1. Most Ranked Players by Position – Offensive Line (50)
– The position that ended with the most players ranked by #PRZTN was the Offensive Line, who saw 50 prospects land inside the Top 300 with most of those 50 signed to play college ball, starting in the Fall. This was the deepest, most talented crop of offensive linemen that we have ever had in this state as 21 trench monsters ended up signing with D1 programs and many others went to lower level programs. This position is a big reason why many college coaches came to this state to recruit and it shows in our final rankings.
Some notable names sitting inside our #PRZTN Top 100 include Brycen Sanders Brycen Sanders 6'6" | 285 lbs | OL Baylor School | 2023 State TN (1st ranked OL/Signed w/ Ole Miss), Luke Brown Luke Brown 6'6" | 305 lbs | OL Henry Co. | 2023 State TN (10 overall/Signed w/ Arkansas), Brandon Solis Brandon Solis 6'8" | 275 lbs | OL Lipscomb Acad. | 2023 State TN (22nd overall/Signed w/ Missouri), Cal Grubbs Cal Grubbs 6'4" | 290 lbs | OL Maryville | 2023 State TN (29th overall/Signed w/ Liberty), Barrett Maddox Barrett Maddox 6'6" | 285 lbs | OL Clinton | 2023 State TN (31st overall/Signed w/ Vanderbilt), Eli Freeman Eli Freeman 6'5" | 285 lbs | OL Lebanon | 2023 State TN (41st overall/Signed w/ Ball St.), Luke Needham Luke Needham 6'5" | 300 lbs | OL Houston | 2023 State TN (44th overall/Signed w/ Rice), Elijah Prather Elijah Prather 6'4" | 285 lbs | OL LaVergne | 2023 State TN (51st overall/Signed w/ Troy), Ty Williams Ty Williams 6'4" | 285 lbs | OL Greeneville | 2023 State TN (77th overall/Signed w/ Austin Peay), Ethan Hatton Ethan Hatton 6'3" | 295 lbs | OL Lausanne | 2023 State TN (93rd overall/Signed w/ SEMO) and Misan Sisk Misan Sisk 6'6" | 290 lbs | OL MASE | 2023 State TN (94th overall/Signed w/ Murray St.)
A few sleepers inside our Top 300 to know about moving forward are Derrick Keith Derrick Keith 6'5" | 285 lbs | OL Riverdale | 2023 State TN (Signed w/ Troy (PWO)/107th overall), Devin Lively Devin Lively 6'3" | 275 lbs | OL Friendship Chrst. | 2023 State TN (Signed w/ Air Force/127th overall), Zach Turk Zach Turk 6'3" | 285 lbs | OL Oakland | 2023 State TN (Signed w/ Carson-Newman/Ranked 191st), Dayton Jernigan Dayton Jernigan 6'5" | 275 lbs | OL Warren Co. | 2023 State TN (Signed w/ Carson-Newman/210th overall), Hayden Edge Hayden Edge 6'3" | 285 lbs | OL Bartlett | 2023 State TN (Signed w/ Stetson/Ranked 219th), Myles Houston Myles Houston 6'3" | 285 lbs | OL Howard | 2023 State TN (Signed w/ Cumberland/258th overall) and Jamison Johnson Jamison Johnson 6'2" | 285 lbs | OL Chatt. Central | 2023 State TN from Chatt. Central (Ranked 283rd), who signed with The Cumberlands.
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2. Most Ranked Players by School
– It was a close battle to see which school would land the most players inside our #PRZTN Top 300 but in the end, it was Lipscomb Academy who had the most ranked players at ten. The Mustangs had a banner year where they took home their 2nd straight state title while seeing several players sign with college programs both in December and in early February. Lipscomb placed six players within the Top 100 (Sherrill, Solis, Longwell, Vandiver, Brown, Spillman) and five of the six signed with Power Five programs.
Coming in behind the Mustangs was the Baylor Red Raiders. The D2-Class AAA state champs saw eight players ranked inside the Top 300 with six of them coming within the Top 100. Baylor had one of the best teams in the state for the 2022 season and you can see that success inside the rankings and the players who signed to play on the next level.
Lausanne tied the Red Raiders with eight players ranked inside the Top 300, sporting the top ranked quarterback in Brock Glenn Brock Glenn 6'2" | 190 lbs | QB Lausanne | 2023 State TN and several under the radar talented players headed to the FCS and D2 ranks in Langston Rogers Langston Rogers 6'0" | 180 lbs | DB Lausanne | 2023 State TN , Ethan Jones Ethan Jones 6'2" | 275 lbs | DL Lausanne | 2023 State TN , Zamaryion Kendall Zamaryion Kendall 6'0" | 195 lbs | RB Lausanne | 2023 State TN and Drew Scott Drew Scott 6'1" | 215 lbs | LB Lausanne | 2023 State TN
Below are the schools who had the most players ranked inside our final senior rankings
Lipscomb Academy– J. Sherrill, B.Solis, B. Longwell, C.Vandiver, H.Brown, N.Spillman, B.Loving, D.Wroblewski, D.Steele, J.Rubin (10)
Baylor – B.Sanders, A.Boggs, D.Restelli, C.Hampton, M.Collins, E.Haynie, A.Skyles, N.Gravel (8)
Lausanne – B.Glenn, T.Bell, L.Rogers, E.Hatton, E.Jones, Z.Kendall, D.Scott, J.Wyatt (8)
MBA – M.Reed, E.George, J.Moore, G.Fisher, C.Richards, T.Woods, A.Young (7)
Alcoa – L.Williams, T.Jeffries, J.Harris, Z.Lunsford, A.Davis, R.Long (6)
Briarcrest Christian – M.Carroll, N.Bledsoe, J.Sherrod, R.Linder, D.Johnson (5)
Maryville – C.Grubbs, N.Vaughn, C.Graham, J.Manaker, P.Cooper (5)
Nolensville – C.Fitzgerald, T.Wein, C.Walton, D.Burroughs (4)
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3. Best QB Class Ever!
– It was a banner year for the gunslingers here in the state of Tennessee as we saw five quarterbacks sign with Power Five schools and six others ink with Division 1 football programs. We are saw 28 total signal callers ranked by #PRZTN inside the final senior rankings. This was easily the best crop of quarterbacks we have ever had in this state, so the bar has been set high moving forward for the rest of the future classes to live up to the 2023 group.
Lausanne’s senior Brock Glenn Brock Glenn 6'2" | 190 lbs | QB Lausanne | 2023 State TN ended up as the top ranked QB by #PRZTN (6th overall) with Kenny Minchey Kenny Minchey 6'2" | 200 lbs | QB Pope Prep | 2023 State TN (Ranked 7th/Signed w/ Notre Dame), Marcel Reed Marcel Reed 6'2" | 185 lbs | QB MBA | 2023 State TN (Ranked 8th/Signed w/ Texas A&M) and Chris Parson Chris Parson 6'0" | 190 lbs | QB Ravenwood | 2023 State TN rounding out the QB’s in the Top 20 with the Ravenwood passer coming in at 14th overall and the 4th ranked quarterback.
A few sleepers to know about headed into the college game include Braylen Ragland Braylen Ragland 6'2" | 185 lbs | QB Bartlett | 2023 State TN (56th overall/Signed w/ Georgia St.), J.D. Sherrod (61st overall/Signed w/ Troy), Coby Walton Coby Walton 6'2" | 205 lbs | QB Nolensville | 2023 State TN (64th overall/Signed w/ Ga Southern), Jordyn Potts Jordyn Potts 6'0" | 190 lbs | QB Powell | 2023 State TN (85th overall/Signed w/ Tn Tech), Charles Robinson Charles Robinson 6'1" | 165 lbs | QB Webb | 2023 TN , Jr (86th overall/Signed w/ Navy) and Jack Risner Jack Risner 6'5" | 220 lbs | QB Blackman | 2023 State TN , who is headed to Tulane on a Preferred Walk-On.
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4. Elite Receiver Class Ranks High
– It wasn’t just the offensive line and the quarterbacks who placed well in our final senior rankings but the receivers did as well due to some elite talent at the top and some depth that vastly improved throughout the 2022 season. Everything remained the same at the top with Demitrius Bell Demitrius Bell 6'1" | 170 lbs | WR McGavock | 2023 State TN (4th overall) and Shamar Porter Shamar Porter 6'3" | 200 lbs | WR Ensworth | 2023 State TN (5th overall) leading the way but right behind them were some big risers in Chance Fitzgerald Chance Fitzgerald 6'3" | 185 lbs | WR Nolensville | 2023 State TN (3rd ranked WR/12th overall) and Junior Sherrill Junior Sherrill 6'0" | 175 lbs | WR Lipscomb Academy | 2023 State TN (4th ranked WR/13th overall), who signed with Virginia Tech and Vanderbilt.
Ayden Greene Ayden Greene 6'3" | 185 lbs | WR Powell | 2023 State TN from Powell (Signed w/ Va Tech/17th overall), London Humphreys London Humphreys 6'3" | 185 lbs | WR CPA | 2023 State TN from CPA (Signed w/ Vanderbilt/18th overall) and Justin Brown Justin Brown 6'1" | 185 lbs | WR Blackman | 2023 State TN from Blackman (Signed w/ Miss. State/20th overall) round things out making it seven wideouts ranked inside the Top 20.
Beyond those four are a bunch of talented wideouts who all show potential one way or another that could blossom on the collegiate gridiron. Out of the Top 100 prospects, the receivers saw a total of 15 players ranked with nine of them signing with Power Five programs but it’s much deeper than that as 37 pass catchers ended up being ranked within our final Top 300.
Some notable receivers who are placed inside that Top 300 that could shine on the next level includes Kaleb Carver Kaleb Carver 5'9" | 165 lbs | WR Green Hill | 2023 State TN (Signed w/ Indianapolis/96th overall), Adjatay Dabbs Adjatay Dabbs 6'2" | 175 lbs | WR Greeneville | 2023 State TN (Signed w/ Mercer/97th overall), Marcellus Jackson Marcellus Jackson 5'9" | 155 lbs | WR Fulton | 2023 State TN (Signed w/ Tn Tech/108th overall), Reed Linder Reed Linder 5'10" | 180 lbs | WR Briarcrest Christian | 2023 State TN (Signed w/ Arkansas St (PWO)/132nd overall), Na’Zaiyah Holman Na’Zaiyah Holman 6'0" | 175 lbs | WR Franklin Co. | 2023 State TN (Signed w/ Cumberland/195th overall), Claiborne Richards Claiborne Richards 5'11" | 175 lbs | WR MBA | 2023 State TN (Signed w/ Virginia (PWO)/241st overall) and Ethan Lisman Ethan Lisman 6'2" | 175 lbs | WR Page | 2023 State TN from Page, who signed with Lindsey Wilson (Ranked 244th overall).
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5. FCS Schools Load Up on #PRZTN Top 300 Players
– Many fans and football nuts will always gravitate to the Power Five, D1 prospects and teams but you can’t sleep on the FCS level as you have some strong programs down there that certainly loaded up on some #TN2023 talent. A few teams in particular eyed the state of Tennessee as a recruiting hotbed for them and several squads signed multiple players that are spread throughout our #PRZTN Top 300.
No school recruited the state of Tennessee better from the FCS level other than Austin Peay. The Govs coaching staff did a great job of diagnosing top talent, recruiting them heavily throughout the process and landing them on signing day. Austin Peay ended up with three of the most athletic playmakers from the #TN2023 class in Marquez Taylor Marquez Taylor 5'11" | 170 lbs | RB McKenzie | 2023 State TN (McKenzie/40th overall), Courtland Simmons Courtland Simmons 6'0" | 185 lbs | ATH Davidson Academy | 2023 State TN (Davidson Acad./52nd overall) and the state’s leading rusher at 3,000 yards plus in White County’s star Malaki Dowell Malaki Dowell 5'10" | 185 lbs | RB White Co. | 2023 State TN (Ranked 49th overall).
The Govs also signed a strong in-state O-line class as well with Ty Williams Ty Williams 6'4" | 285 lbs | OL Greeneville | 2023 State TN (77th ranked) from Greeneville leading the way, followed by Leo Gonzalez Leo Gonzalez 6'4" | 300 lbs | OL Lenoir City | 2023 State TN (Lenoir City/101st overall) and 6’10 monster Dane Woodard Dane Woodard 6'10" | 355 lbs | OL Smith Co. | 2023 State TN (Smith Co./104th overall) closing things out.
Another team who recruited the in-state #TN2023 class very well was Tennessee Tech. The Golden Eagles, led by head coach DeWayne Alexander, targeted multiple key guys from this year’s senior class and did a good job of sealing the deal and signing one of the best recruiting classes on the FCS level.
According to our #PRZTN rankings, the top Tech signee coming this Fall is Alcoa running back Jordan Harris Jordan Harris 5'11" | 170 lbs | RB Alcoa | 2023 State TN , who is a steal for the Golden Eagles. Tennessee Tech also landed a top tier quarterback in Jordyn Potts Jordyn Potts 6'0" | 190 lbs | QB Powell | 2023 State TN , who could see the field early during his time in Cookeville.
The Golden Eagles signed a stellar defensive class that could see multiple Tennesseans crack the field early as freshmen and become All-Conference contenders before their careers are over.
Beech senior Tyler Nix Tyler Nix 6'4" | 220 lbs | ATH Beech | 2023 State TN comes in ranked 78th overall and is headed to Tech as a tight end but he could easily stay on defense as he works with the Golden Eagles throughout camp. His teammate in linebacker Bronco Hanks Bronco Hanks 6'1" | 215 lbs | LB Beech | 2023 State TN (Ranked 145th) will be joining Nix in Cookeville as well. Another linebacker signed by Tech to keep an eye on is Jamar Carnell Jamar Carnell 6'0" | 205 lbs | LB Clarksville | 2023 State TN from Clarksville, who burst up the final rankings to come in at 126th overall.
Possibly the best defensive signee by Tennessee Tech was Nolensville defensive Derrick Burroughs Derrick Burroughs 5'11" | 165 lbs | DB Nolensville | 2023 State TN , who led the Mid-Tennessee area in interceptions at six. Ranked 82nd overall, Burroughs is a consistent ball player that could carve out a secondary role this Fall for the Golden Eagles.
A few other FCS players of note ranked high in our final #PRZTN senior rankings are Dalton Restelli Dalton Restelli 6'4" | 245 lbs | TE Baylor | 2023 State TN from Baylor (Signed w/ Chattanooga/53rd overall), Jaden McKinney Jaden McKinney 6'4" | 285 lbs | DL Collierville | 2023 State TN from Collierville (Signed w/ Austin Peay/65th overall), Joshua Wade Joshua Wade 6'3" | 300 lbs | OL Knox. Webb | 2023 State TN from Knox. Webb (Signed w/ ETSU/67th overall), Garrett Hawkins Garrett Hawkins 6'2" | 210 lbs | LB Sevier Co. | 2023 State TN from Sevier Co. (Signed w/ Austin Peay/70th overall), Bryson Vowell Bryson Vowell 6'4" | 190 lbs | WR Anderson Co. | 2023 State TN from Anderson Co. (Signed w/ Murray St./72nd overall), Braxton Wilson Braxton Wilson 6'4" | 275 lbs | DL Fayetteville | 2023 State TN from Fayetteville (Signed w/ ETSU/75th overall), Tanner Schuck Tanner Schuck 6'3" | 230 lbs | LB Ravenwood | 2023 State TN from Ravenwood (Signed w/ Furman/79th overall) and Mean Mannan from Franklin, who signed w/ Eastern Ky (80th overall).