Ohio State, Notre Dame jockey for No. 1 in 2023 college football recruiting class

Notre Dame football and Ohio State keep battling it out for the top spot in the 2023 college football recruiting class and here’s the latest. 

For much of the 2023 college football recruiting cycle, Notre Dame football has held the top spot in the 247 sports team composite rankings.

However, Ohio State football has made a strong push in recent weeks and months and with a recent rankings update, as well as some key commitments, the Buckeyes have now pulled ahead of the Irish just slightly in the 2023 team rankings.

The Buckeyes have 19 verbal pledges in the 2023 class and six rank in the top 100 overall. Jelani Thurman, a four-star tight end ranked 115th overall in the 247 composite rankings for the 2023 class, put Ohio State football back in the top spot with his recent commitment.

16 of Ohio State’s 19 commitments are blue-chip recruits (4 or 5-stars), while Notre Dame football is sitting at 17 out of 20.

The good news for the Irish is that they look like a sure-fire bet to grab more commitments soon. Top-100 linebacker Jaiden Ausberry is expected to commit to Notre Dame football in early August and that should push Notre Dame back into the No. 1 spot.

Notre Dame is also trending for some lower-ranked, three-star prospects. It will need to add more to get over the 300-point threshold and the battle for No. 1 is one that could come down to the wire.

Texas is currently sitting in third place in the team rankings after landing the commitment of top-50 cornerback Malik Muhammad on Wednesday night. The Horns have 19 commitments though and trail Notre Dame and Ohio State by over 20 points.

Breaking down biggest threats to Notre Dame, Ohio State

Texas also has 12 blue-chippers out of 19 which is a really solid number but not strong enough to take the top spot unless the Horns take a few more recruits than others, which is possible.

Clemson is also in the top five but the teams I’d watch out for in the race for No. 1 in the 2023 college football recruiting team rankings are Alabama and Georgia.

Alabama ranks higher than any other team with 13 commitments at this point and is 11th overall but on the rise. Georgia is sixth right now but has 15 commitments and no team with that number ranks higher than the Dawgs either.

Texas A&M isn’t even in the top 50 this year (as of right now) and there are a number of elite prospects that will be deciding with both Georgia and Bama firmly in the mix. The same could be said for Texas, which is still in it for some big-time targets.

Despite its momentum, Notre Dame’s hold on No. 1 could be tenuous, especially if Peyton Bowen, a top-100 commitment winds up flipping to A&M or Oklahoma.

Either way, the battle for No. 1 in the 2023 college football recruiting class should be much more exciting than last recruiting cycle, when A&M ran away with it and there are a few teams with a legitimate chance of making it happen.