Meet the college football recruit who overtook Arch Manning for No. 1, plus more rising prospects

In the 17 years ESPN has ranked college football recruits, our update for the Class of 2023 may be the most scrutinized iteration.

There were many opportunities over the spring and summer to evaluate the 2023 recruiting class from college and select camps in May and June. Most recently, we spent two days in July scouting some of the most talented prospects at Under Armour's Future 50 event.

This release features 18 new ESPN 300 entries and three players who ascended to five-star status. But perhaps the most notable change is the reshuffling of the quarterback position: Arch Manning, the nephew of Peyton and Eli who recently committed to Texas, is no longer the No. 1 overall prospect.

Going back to the first ESPN Junior 300 rankings for the 2023 class around a year ago, the focus revolved around a quarterback from Louisiana with the last name Manning — and rightfully so. As always, player evaluation is fluid and subjective. So while prospects like Dante Moore and Malachi Nelson also emerged early, others like J.J. Kohl, Marcel Reed and even Jackson Arnold flew under the radar.

Fast forward to this summer, and this quarterback class has developed into one of the deepest and most talented groups we have seen in years.

As a result of televised high school broadcasts during Manning's underclassman years, it was relatively clear to settle in on him as the No. 1 overall player and quarterback in the cycle. But after two more seasons, it became apparent that while Manning is extremely talented, he is not undoubtedly head and shoulders above the rest of the pack.

We have always been cautious with high quarterback rankings. After all, many don't pan out. In fact, there are several quarterbacks who are legitimate candidates for the