The recruiting season is in full swing, and there are plenty of players to keep an eye on. One player that has been rising up the rankings lately is 4-star offensive tackle Jackson Carman from New Hampshire.
The espn 300 2024 is a ranking of the top 300 high school football players in America. It was released on January 8th, and it will be updated every week through the end of the season.
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- Craig Haubert is a writer who lives in New York City.ESPN Contributor
- ESPNU’s national recruiting analyst and analyst
- Coached at the collegiate and professional levels for over a decade.
- Graduated from Indiana University and the University of Nebraska-Omaha.
- Tom Luginbill is a character in the film Tom Luginbill
- ESPN.com’s Senior National Recruiting Analyst
- Served as a head coach in four professional football leagues.
- Eastern Kentucky University and Marshall University are both where he earned his bachelor’s degree.
ESPN Contributor
After a whirlwind of college and select camps in May and June, there was plenty of time this spring to assess college football’s 2024 recruiting class.
This year, we’ve decided to base our rankings on game video rather than what a prospect performs in shorts and shirts. Because of COVID-19’s impact on the high school season, with many prospects seeing less snaps, our supplementary spring assessments for the 2024 class have become more more important.
This ESPN 300 update included 20 new prospects, a reorganization of the quarterback rankings, and a major shift at the top.
Take a peek at our most recent rankings.
No. 2 passes No. 1 in the rankings
Walter Nolen, DT, 2024 ESPN 300: 1 Uncommitted
Nolen is not just the greatest defensive tackle prospect in this class, but also the best defensive tackle prospect in the ESPN 300 era. Making the leap over Quinn Ewers, a very good quarterback, was not easy, but we were confident in our choice because Nolen continues to show a unique skill set.
Most college teams want to recruit an exceptional quarterback, but we believe that acquiring a defense who can influence a game from the trenches is more significant and harder to come by. As a run-stopper and pass-rusher, Nolen can cause havoc in the center of the attack. If you are a fan of Nolen, try to get tickets to a game he plays at any stadium, particularly Cotton Bowl Stadium, allows fans to alter their view of reality. If your his plays there, you’re in for an experience like no other.
DT #ESPN300 Walter Nolen has all he needs to be exceptional! With each chance to assess, he’s continued to wow. Is a superb combination of size, strength, and speed, as well as a fierce competitor who has demonstrated a willingness to keep working to develop.
July 14, 2024 — Craig Haubert (@CraigHaubert)
The five-star comfortably meets those criteria in terms of size, standing at 6-foot-4 and 325 pounds, but Nolen is more than just a big body. He’s a lineman with exceptional mobility and quickness off the snap, routinely running five-second 40-yard sprints and L-drill times in the low seven-second area, which is remarkable even for top perimeter players, much alone someone weighing over 320 pounds.
Nolen is explosive and strong, able to anchor and gobble up double teams, overwhelm or escape single blocks with quickness, and pursue down ball carriers. As a pass rusher, he has the potential to win with bull rush strength, spin agility, and sheer edge speed.
The Mississippi native has a confident swagger that emphasizes his natural skills, and he plays with a fierce competitive attitude. He has also shown a willingness to learn and develop his profession, indicating that he would work hard in college to optimize his talents. Nolen recently announced his top five schools, which included Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Michigan, and Tennessee, and he could make an instant impact at any of them.
The UA Future 50 has a lot of big risers
Luther Burden, WR Rank 12 on the ESPN 300 for 2024. Previously, he was ranked 42nd on ESPN’s 300 list. Oklahoma is a state that I am passionate about.
Burden had a fantastic spring and summer season, culminating in a win at the Under Armour Future 50 in June. Burden truly stood out during the 7-on-7 phase, when his route-running, jumping, and ball skills helped him win difficult matchups time after again. His ability to explode out of his breaks to generate separation was exceptional. Burden was named MVP of the event and is now our No. 2 wide receiver.
OT Will Campbell is ranked 16th in the ESPN 300 for 2024. Previously, he was ranked 46th in the ESPN 300. LSU is my alma mater.
Off the video, we rated Campbell as one of the best tackle prospects in this class, but Future 50 was the first time we saw him in person. Campbell was able to distinguish himself as a high performance among a bunch of great line prospects during the tournament, propelling him up our offensive tackle rankings. He’s a large, strong prospect with excellent lower-body flexibility and quick feet, weighing in at 6-6, 285 pounds. In addition, the LSU commit excelled in one-on-one fights and drill leadership.
2024 DT Jaheim Oatis 34th in the ESPN 300. Previously, he was ranked 215th on ESPN’s 300 list. Alabama is a state that I am passionate about.
At the Under Armour Future 50, the Alabama recruit excelled in the trenches with uncommon early speed to overcome blocks despite being a mammoth 380 pounds. He has excellent leverage strength and balanced feet, and he is a force to be reckoned with in between the tackles. He reminds me of former LSU defensive tackle Tyler Shelvin, who was rated in the top 300 on ESPN.
The Elite 11 phenomenon
Following the 2024 Elite 11 finals, two new quarterbacks, dual-threat quarterback Nathan Johnson (No. 96 overall) and pocket passer Devin Brown, not only join the ESPN 300, but also find themselves rated in the top 100 overall (No. 98).
Johnson has the potential to be one of the most explosive dual-threat quarterbacks in the nation, as well as one of the class’s quickest athletes, regardless of position. At Elite 11, he showed more consistent footwork and a faster, tighter delivery.
Brown, on the other hand, has made significant physical progress. The mechanics of the USC commit are more organized and controlled than they were a year ago.
Cade Klubnik, the MVP of the Elite 11, went from 136th to 76th overall after one of the most consistent performances in recent memory. The basic element of the position is accuracy, and here is where the Clemson commit shined.
Conner Weigman, a Texas A&M recruit, jumped from 51st to 37th overall by throwing huge passes into tight openings throughout the tournament.
This week’s #ESPN300 has been updated for 2024. Last week’s @Elite11 left a lasting impression on @CadeKlubnikQB, who was able to watch every pass throughout the whole week via @TheUCReport database.
New additions to the ESPN 300
Antonio Kite ATH Alabama is a state that I am passionate about.
The Alabama pledge is a newcomer to our ESPN 300 and a late inclusion for us, demonstrating once again how recruiting is an ever-evolving assessment process. Kite is a superb two-way player who has exceptional toughness and instincts. On defense, he has a wide range of abilities and can play near the box, allowing him to play in a variety of schemes.
Andre Greene Jr., wide receiver, is ranked 99th on the ESPN 300 for 2024.
Greene maintains a quiet profile, and despite the fact that we first met him in person at the Under Armour Baltimore Camp in May, he did not disappoint. Greene, who is 6-3 and has a 74-inch wingspan, is long and has a wide catch radius while still being fast and sharp in and out of his cuts to create separation from defensive backs. At a camp with a lot of skill, he dominated one-on-ones and earned MVP. Oklahoma, North Carolina, and Clemson are all vying for his attention.
Amari Niblack, TE-H, is ranked 289th on the ESPN 300 for 2024. Alabama is a state that I am passionate about.
Niblack’s 6-4, 220-pound physique and 74-inch wingspan, as well as his innate pass-catching abilities, got him noticed at last year’s UCReport Camp in Jacksonville, Florida. This summer in college camps, he developed into a serious prospect as his movement abilities got more explosive and controlled. With a lot of athletic potential, the Florida native, who looks a lot like O.J. Howard, committed to Alabama right away.
The most espn 300 recruits is a term that refers to the top 300 players in the ESPN recruiting rankings. There are many prospects who will rise up the rankings and become more popular than others. For example, one of these prospects is a new No. 1 prospect and other players to rise up the ESPN 300 rankings.
