What College Programs Are Winning the Recruits of 2023?

The Class of 2023 National Rankings are out! This is the first for 2023s when it comes to National Rankings from Prep Dig. We have been on the road seeing athletes across the country and have 105 athletes on this list. <h3><a href="https://prepdig.com/national/rankings/2023-rankings/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Prep Dig Class of 2023 National Rankings</a></h3> Are there athletes who should have been in the top 100? Sure. To take the top 100 athletes out of the entire country is no easy task. The list is a resource, its something we will continue to look at and adjust. However, with this list we can take a look at what programs are capitalizing on the top athletes. Here is a quick look at what we can take away from the 2023 rankings and what programs are looking bright for their future. Number of Athletes in Top 100 <table style="width: 19.6748%;"> <tbody> <tr> <td style="width: 80.3738%;"> Texas </td> <td style="width: 19.1589%;"> 5 </td> </tr> <tr> <td style="width: 80.3738%;"> Kentucky </td> <td style="width: 19.1589%;"> 4 </td> </tr> <tr> <td style="width: 80.3738%;"> Nebraska </td> <td style="width: 19.1589%;"> 4 </td> </tr> <tr> <td style="width: 80.3738%;"> Oregon </td> <td style="width: 19.1589%;"> 4 </td> </tr> <tr> <td style="width: 80.3738%;"> Pitt </td> <td style="width: 19.1589%;"> 4 </td> </tr> <tr> <td style="width: 80.3738%;"> Purdue </td> <td style="width: 19.1589%;"> 4 </td> </tr> </tbody> </table> This is a quick way to see who is building some depth from the Class of 2023. Reminder, there are programs that may not have a huge need for the Class of 2023 with other recruiting classes, as well as athletes who are may be taking an extra covid year. Here is a breakdown of the programs who are bringing in at least four athletes out of the Top 100 in the Class of 2023. Texas [caption id="attachment_196906" align="alignright" width="399"]<img class="wp-image-196906" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pd/uploads/2022/05/DSC04628.jpg" alt="" width="399" height="266" /> Swindle[/caption] 5 - [player_tooltip player_id="101566" first="Ella" last="Swindle"] - Setter - Rock Bridge (MO) - KC Power 10 - [player_tooltip player_id="106665" first="Nya" last="Bunton"] - Middle Blocker - DuPont Manual (KY) - KiVA 16 - [player_tooltip player_id="98983" first="Jordyn" last="Byrd"] - Middle Blocker - Cardinal Mooney (FL) - Siesta Key 36 - [player_tooltip player_id="106668" first="Sydney" last="Helmers"] - Outside Hitter - Assumption (KY) - KiVA 49 - Auburn Tomkinson - Right Side - Carlsbad (CA) - Wave Once again, Texas is loading up with a tall, physical lineup where they have someone at every contact to contribute in the Class of 2023. Swindle is the top setter out of the 2023s (which this class is loaded with setting talent) and at 6'2, she can do a little bit of everything where she provides a strong block, can be offensive, and dish to all of her attackers at every tempo. She is a fiery competitor and will fit in greatly with the Longhorn crew. Same goes for the duo from KiVA in [player_tooltip player_id="106665" first="Nya" last="Bunton"] and [player_tooltip player_id="106668" first="Sydney" last="Helmers"]. Bunton is a physical presence in the middle where she is extremely long and can get from pin to pin to close the block. She is accustomed to high level training and has an extremely high ceiling at the collegiate and international level as well. Helmers is a 6'5 pin and has been able to hit over the block, she also brings a ton of physicality to the pin where she can score a lot of points. Byrd will be coming out of Florida and its just a matter of what position she contributes at. She is a walking highlight reel and what is most impressive is her block and how she can really get over the net and hold her position, she has the ability to do this from any position on the court. Tomkinson brings another massive block to the Longhorns where at 6'4 and real athletic, she is a major mismatch for the opposing outside hitter. She is also left handed and will be a point scorer too. [caption id="attachment_196904" align="alignright" width="300"]<img class="wp-image-196904 size-medium" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pd/uploads/2022/05/DSC09909-e1653268066167-300x229.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="229" /> [player_tooltip player_id="66328" first="Ava" last="Sarafa"][/caption] Kentucky 15 - [player_tooltip player_id="66328" first="Ava" last="Sarafa"] - Setter - Marian (MI) - Michigan Elite 40 - [player_tooltip player_id="120008" first="Brooklyn" last="DeLeye"] - OH - Washburn Rural (KS) - Topeka Impact 45 - [player_tooltip player_id="114516" first="Brooke" last="Bultema"] - MB - Ursuline (OH) - Elevation 52 - [player_tooltip player_id="195477" first="Jordyn" last="Dailey"] - MB - NC Academy L&R (NC) - CHAVC There is definitely a common theme among the commits that are heading to Lexington, Kentucky and that is speed and athleticism. Seeing all these athletes live over the past year has been special where they have shown their athleticism and ability to contribute at a high level for their team. [player_tooltip player_id="66328" first="Ava" last="Sarafa"] is out of the Detroit area where she ran the show for one of the top high school programs in the country in Marian Catholic. Her hands are high and she is one of the best at running her middles even when she is pulled off the net, a definitely playmaker. DeLeye plays for one of the top high schools in Kansas and is lightning in a bottle with the way she can violently attack from anyone on the court, a real exciting athlete to watch. Bultema and Dailey will be a great combo with Sarafa where they love to score points off a quick tempo. They are also the type of athletes who can score off one foot and being able to run in front and behind the setter to score will be really key at the next level. Nebraska [caption id="attachment_196908" align="alignright" width="413"]<img class="wp-image-196908" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pd/uploads/2022/05/DSC04739.jpg" alt="" width="413" height="275" /> Jurevicious[/caption] 1 - [player_tooltip player_id="66319" first="Harper" last="Murray"] - OH - Skyline (MI) - Legacy 4 - [player_tooltip player_id="114534" first="Caroline" last="Jurevicius"] - OH - NDCL (OH) - AVC Cleveland 8 - [player_tooltip player_id="195471" first="Bergen" last="Reilly"] - S - O'Gorman (SD) - Kairos 63 - [player_tooltip player_id="195499" first="Andi" last="Jackson"] - MB - Brighton (CO) - The Diff Nebraska struck gold in the summer of 2021 when they picked up their top three recruits in Murray, Jurvicius, and Reilly all within the first month of the live period of college coaches being able to talk to recruits. Murray has been on the radar since she first stepped on the court her 15s year where she is extremely explosive and can do a little bit of everything as a six rotation hitter. She is the one everyone is trying to slow down because she's the type of player you can't stop. Jurevicius is extremely physical and has been playing up on the AVC 18s (Class of 2022) She most recently was playing on the outside, but she has played on the right side as well. Her athleticism is among the best in the Class of 2023. Reilly is the setter from Sioux Falls who is silky smooth. Long, athletic, and a high IQ for the game, she is highly efficient on the court. [player_tooltip player_id="195499" first="Andi" last="Jackson"] from Colorado is a little bit of an unknown to most in the volleyball world, but this fast twitch middle blocker has a hammer of a swing and definitely has flashes of former Husker, Lauren Stivrins running the slide [caption id="attachment_196902" align="alignright" width="350"]<img class="wp-image-196902" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pd/uploads/2022/05/DSC04676.jpg" alt="" width="350" height="233" /> Thibault #4[/caption] Oregon 43 - [player_tooltip player_id="91306" first="Sophie" last="Gregoire-Salagean"] - OH - Newberg (OR) - Oregon Juniors 58 - [player_tooltip player_id="73495" first="Kate" last="Thibault"] - DS/L - Watertown-Mayer (MN) - MN Select 80 - [player_tooltip player_id="91316" first="Isabel" last="Patterson"] - OH - Jesuit (OR) - Athena 104 - [player_tooltip player_id="141140" first="Becca" last="Kelley"] - OH - Rockwall Heath (TX) - Dallas Skyline We head to the PAC-12 with Oregon where they are always sure to have a group of gritty and scrappy athletes. This recruiting class fits the bill with multiple pins and a top tier libero who will be joining the squad. Gregoire-Sagean and Patterson are the instate commits who are able to play on the pin. Gregoire-Salagean is able to swing on the outside and the right side where she has a really heavy swing, can use the block to her advantage, and is a threat defensively as well where she can take up plenty of space with her block. Coming from the Midwest out to Eugene will be [player_tooltip player_id="73495" first="Kate" last="Thibault"], one of the top liberos in the region. She has been a top gymnast in Minnesota and her movement and fluidity from the gymnastics floor to the volleyball court is apparent. She is in total control of every contact with a quiet platform where she can make the difficult plays look routine. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> Love the intensity that [player_tooltip player_id="159523" first="Torrey" last="Stafford"] brings to the court for Sunshine. She is electric!! The six rotation outside from <a href="https://x.com/SunshineVball?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SunshineVball</a> has so many positive intangibles. She is committed to <a href="https://x.com/Pitt_VB?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Pitt_VB</a> — Chris Fitzgerald (@PrepDigChris) <a href="https://x.com/PrepDigChris/status/1515688240560455685?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 17, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.x.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> Pittsburgh 27 - [player_tooltip player_id="160313" first="Olivia" last="Babcock"] - OH - Sierra Canyon (CA) - Sunshine 32 - [player_tooltip player_id="195492" first="Haiti" last="Tautua'a"] - S/DS/OH - Waianae (HI) - Spike and Serve 38 - [player_tooltip player_id="159523" first="Torrey" last="Stafford"] - OH/RS - Marymount (CA) - Sunshine 59 - [player_tooltip player_id="176663" first="Blaire" last="Bayless"] - OH - Plano West (TX) - Madfrog Pittsburgh is carrying plenty of momentum in recruiting after their final four appearance this past season with four players in the top 60 heading to East in the Class of 2023. This class definitely has a West Coast flavor with [player_tooltip player_id="160313" first="Olivia" last="Babcock"] and [player_tooltip player_id="159523" first="Torrey" last="Stafford"] coming from Southern California where they have teamed up for the Sunshine 17 LA squad. Seeing these two live is special with their athleticism and explosiveness. Babcock can swing on either pin and has a nasty top spin jump serve that can score points. Stafford has some massive hang time where she is a big mismatch for the other side of the net. Tautau'a can do a little bit of everything, she can set, swing, and a really solid defender - the type of athlete every gym needs. Bayless comes from the Dallas area where she is extremely physical from the pin. The explosiveness and athleticism from this class with keep Pitt competing for Final Four appearances and more! <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> Get ready <a href="https://x.com/B1GVolleyball?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@B1GVolleyball</a> - Class of 2023 is ready! [player_tooltip player_id="66319" first="Harper" last="Murray"] - <a href="https://x.com/LegacyLvc?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@LegacyLvc</a> - committed to <a href="https://x.com/Huskervball?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Huskervball</a> [player_tooltip player_id="85895" first="Chloe" last="Chicoine"] - <a href="https://x.com/circlecityvbc?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@circlecityvbc</a> - committed to <a href="https://x.com/PurdueVB?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@PurdueVB</a> Both part of <a href="https://x.com/usavolleyball?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@usavolleyball</a> Highlights from <a href="https://x.com/hashtag/meq?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#meq</a> <a href="https://t.co/VHvQ1zFshu">pic.x.com/VHvQ1zFshu</a> — Chris Fitzgerald (@PrepDigChris) <a href="https://x.com/PrepDigChris/status/1508216364506484737?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 27, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.x.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> [caption id="attachment_196907" align="alignright" width="390"]<img class="wp-image-196907" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pd/uploads/2022/05/TaylorAnderson.jpeg" alt="" width="390" height="260" /> [player_tooltip player_id="87532" first="Taylor" last="Anderson"][/caption] Purdue 2 - [player_tooltip player_id="85895" first="Chloe" last="Chicoine"] - OH - McCutcheon (IN) - Circle City 26 - [player_tooltip player_id="87532" first="Taylor" last="Anderson"] - S - Cornerstone Christian (TX) - Alamo 29 - [player_tooltip player_id="59201" first="Grace" last="Heaney"] - RS - Elkhorn North (NE) - Nebraska Premier 60 - [player_tooltip player_id="138657" first="Kenna" last="Wollard"] - OH - Illinois Valley Central (IL) - Illini Elite Purdue has picked up some key prospects right from Big Ten country. [player_tooltip player_id="85895" first="Chloe" last="Chicoine"] is the number two overall prospect who has international experience from Team USA and is one of the fiercest competitors to be found on the club circuit. She plays for McCutcheon High School which is on the south side of Lafayette, Indiana. Originally a Penn State commit, Chicoine committing to Purdue is a gamechanger for the Boilers. [player_tooltip player_id="59201" first="Grace" last="Heaney"] has been a winner with everything she does with her high school and club squad and even on the track. She is an electric lefty who can really hammer on the right side. [player_tooltip player_id="138657" first="Kenna" last="Wollard"] is a pure six rotation outside who is extremely dynamic and will add depth on the pin. [player_tooltip player_id="87532" first="Taylor" last="Anderson"] brings plenty of physicality to the frontline where she can set and swing. She receives the ball high, and can nail all the tempos, but also take it herself offensively as well as put up a big block.