Grading the G5 2023 recruiting classes from the state of Texas

Photo courtesy of Rice Athletics

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Not every recruiting class can be judged the same. The world doesn’t happen in a vacuum and context matters. Texas and Texas A&M always sign the top-ranked recruiting classes in Texas, but that doesn’t always equal a successful cycle. The Aggies fell from the top-ranked class in 2022 to the 15th-best one in 2023. Conversely, Rice signed a recruiting class in 2023 that ranks 20 spots better than its five-year average. 

Instead of ranking the classes by pure talent, we took a stab at grading the G5 classes in the Lone Star State from the 2023 cycle based on relativity. Including Houston, five of the six teams in Texas signed classes in 2023 that rank above expectation based on what it signed starting in 2019. 

UTSA ROADRUNNERS 

2023 rank: 59
Five-year recruiting average rank: 79.8
Grade: A+

Each recruiting class Jeff Traylor signs at UTSA is better than the previous one. The 2021 class checked in at 82. The 2022 cycle finished at 73. The Roadrunners landed a top 60 class for the first time in school history. It was the best G5 recruiting class in the country. It is headlined by a few JUCO transfers, including offensive tackle Daniel Ogundipe, and Texas high school athletes such as running back Brandon High. 

RICE OWLS

2023 rank: 80
Five-year recruiting average rank: 100.4
Grade: A+

The Owls finished with a class that was 20 spots higher than their five-year average. The 2023 class ranked 40 spots above the 2022 cycle. Hires such as Marco Regalado paid off in a big way for head coach Mike Bloomgren. Fifteen of the 22 players that signed national letters of intent played high school fotobal in the state of Texas. The two highest-ranked players in the class are Ashton Ojiaku and Ty Morris, both of which live in the Houston area. 

TEXAS STATE BOBCATS 

2023 rank: 117
Five-year recruiting average rank: 125
Grade: B

G.J. Kinne and his coaching staff vowed to “Take Back Texas” with a renewed investment recruiting high school talent across the Lone Star State. Even with just over a month to put together a staff and salvage the 2023 recruiting class, Kinne made good on that promise. Twelve of the 14 players who signed a national letter of intent with the Bobcats reside in Texas. The class is the highest rated for Texas State since 2020 despite the time constraints and staff turnover. 

SMU MUSTANGS 

2023 rank: 69
Five-year recruiting average rank: 68.2 
Grade: B- 

Add in the transfers and the Mustangs receive an A+. If we’re only looking at prep recruiting, SMU finished at about an average clip. Linebacker Alex Kilgore ad wide receivers Jaxson Lavender and Lonnie Johnson headline the class. Fourteen of the 17 players to sign a national letter of intent to Rhett Lashlee’s program played high school football in Texas. Transfers such as LJ Johnson and Jonathan McGill are instant impact players. 

NORTH TEXAS MEAN GREEN 

2023 rank: 111
Five-year recruiting average rank: 91
Grade: C

New head coach Eric Morris didn’t even have another member on his coaching staff when the early signing period ended in December. His new crew scrambled to sign a few quality pieces that fit into the new culture in Denton. Morris surrounded himself with assistants that have THSCA ties, including three former head coaches. The support staff is also gigantic. The Mean Green might challenge the top G5 programs in the country on the recruiting trail in 2024. Linebacker Jayven Anderson is the fourth-best recruit signed by North Texas since the turn of the century, according to 247Sports. 

UTEP MINERS 

2023 rank: 126
Five-year recruiting average rank: 124.8
Grade: C-

The Miners are an outlier in the state of Texas because of location and Dana Dimel’s preference of raiding the JUCO market rather than concentrating on prep talent. Eighteen of the 27 players who signed a national letter of intent are from the JUCO ranks. Three-star running back Ezell Jolly, a native of Missouri City, is the best player signed from the high school ranks. 

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