North Carolina lands stellar class for 2023

The PrepSoccer <a href="https://prepsoccer.com/national/rankings/girls/2023-rankings/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">National 2023 Girl Player Rankings were released this month</a>. The initial list includes a ranking of the top 200 players in the country for this class. Read more about the rankings process here. The initial list is a starting point for our ranking coverage at PrepSoccer, and it will be edited and expanded throughout the next club season as we scout and analyze more games and players. Part of the ranking process is also an initial introduction into our Recruiting Rankings, which will be released in the coming months, for the class of 2023. Based on the National Rankings, there is an obvious candidate to be considered the top class for 2023. The North Carolina Tar Heels currently have verbal commitments from three players in the top eight of the rankings and five players in the top 20. [player_tooltip player_id="26810" first="Jaedyn" last="Shaw"] was previously a verbal commitment to UNC but she signed a professional contract with the NWSL. She will be moved out of the rankings in the next update. [player_tooltip player_id="24190" first="Melina" last="Rebimbas"], [player_tooltip player_id="29316" first="Evelyn" last="Shores"], and [player_tooltip player_id="20163" first="Savannah" last="M. King"] (No. 3, 4, and 8 in the PrepSoccer National Rankings respectively) headline the group. Between the three top players in the group, UNC landed a dynamic and diverse group. [player_tooltip player_id="24190" first="Melina" last="Rebimbas"] is a talented forward who showed off her quality on the U.S. U17 Women's National Team. She should thrive in Chapel Hill as she is a hard worker who is determined to be the best on the field whenever she steps on it. Shores and King both project to be outside backs for the ACC powerhouse. King has the versatility to play on either side of the defense. [player_tooltip player_id="23225" first="Olivia" last="Thomas"] and [player_tooltip player_id="24616" first="Abby" last="Gundry"] are the other two players in the top 20 committed to UNC. They are both standouts at the club level and make this group a strong candidate to be the No. 1 recruiting class for 2023. Stanford is the other obvious contender for the top spot in the recruiting rankings. Stanford landed the verbal commitment of [player_tooltip player_id="19052" first="Alyssa" last="Thompson"] early on in the process. The 2020/2021 Gatorade National Player of the Year <a href="https://bleacherreport.com/articles/10036064-alyssa-gisele-thompson-become-1st-hs-athletes-to-sign-nike-nil-contracts" target="_blank" rel="noopener">signed a NIL deal with Nike already</a>. Even though she could probably pick her club at the next level at this point, she is committed to going to college and getting her degree, which is great news for the Stanford program. She is going to step into the starting lineup immediately and be a weapon on the wing. Thompson is one of the fastest players in the country and can run the 100 meters in a time that would probably get her on the Stanford track team if she wanted the challenge. There is quite a bit of skill to go with that pace, plus she has the toughness after battling against boys for most of the last decade. [player_tooltip player_id="48334" first="Mia" last="Bhuta"], the captain of the U.S. U17 WNT, is the other player in the top 10 also committed to Stanford. Bhuta is brilliant on and off the field. She is going to be a leader for this group for years to come, and should be an early contributor in one of the midfield spots. [player_tooltip player_id="19588" first="Joelle" last="Jung"] and [player_tooltip player_id="18953" first="Shae" last="Harvey"] are the other two pieces of the Stanford recruiting class that are ranked in the top 25. Jung might be the best passer in this class. It is going to be hard to earn playing time in Palo Alto considering the depth of the roster and this incoming class, but it will also be hard to keep any of these four off the field. Stanford also has verbal commitments from [player_tooltip player_id="19885" first="Maribel" last="Flores"] (No. 27), [player_tooltip player_id="19394" first="Erica" last="Grilione"] (No. 29) and [player_tooltip player_id="32900" first="Maryn" last="Wolf"] (No. 60). [caption id="attachment_50170" align="alignright" width="225"]<img class="wp-image-50170 size-medium" src="https://prepsoccer.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2022/07/FRE1BH3WYAIf2sh-225x300.jpeg" alt="" width="225" height="300" /> [player_tooltip player_id="25297" first="Victoria" last="Safradin"] and [player_tooltip player_id="48334" first="Mia" last="Bhuta"] Photo: <a href="https://x.com/ISCgirls/status/1518052850747772928" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ISC Girls (Twitter)</a>[/caption] Virginia, another ACC powerhouse that is always strong in recruiting, is unsurprisingly bringing in another strong class for 2023. The two top talents in the group are goalkeeper [player_tooltip player_id="25297" first="Victoria" last="Safradin"] (No. 5 overall, No. 1 in her position) and [player_tooltip player_id="36271" first="Yuna" last="McCormack"] (No. 6 overall, No. 2 in her position). Given the current makeup of the Virginia roster, there is a strong chance that Safradin is competing for the starting spot in goal in the fall of 2023. She has that level of talent for the position and has shown the qualities to suggest she could handle such an important role early on. McCormack is a player that is going to be really hard to keep off the field for the Virginia coaching staff. She is an attacking midfielder, but she has been deployed as a false No. 9 for her club team. She is one of the best players I've seen in the club game at finding holes in the defense with her passing. She has been playing against teams that bunkered for years, and she has still found success even against players putting 11 behind the ball for all 90 minutes. Aniyah Collier and Alexandra Ross are the other two players from the top 100 who are verbal commits to Virginia. Two other ACC schools also make a strong case for being considered for the No. 1 recruiting class. Florida State, despite a shake-up among the coaching staff, still landed a stellar group for 2023. [player_tooltip player_id="19860" first="Maggie" last="Taitano"] (No. 18), Amelia Van Zanten (No. 23), and Peyton Nourse (No. 26) are the headliners of the group. Tatiano is a perfect fit for a center back role in the old style of play for Florida State. She is great on the ball and is comfortable driving the ball into space. She is an intelligent player and knows how to read the game. Van Zanten is a natural athlete who will have no problem with the pace of play at the college level. Jordyn Dudley and [player_tooltip player_id="21967" first="Virginia" last="Odom"] are the other two Florida State commits in the PrepSoccer Player Rankings. [player_tooltip player_id="26499" first="Atlee" last="Olofson"] continues to make a case to be considered the top goalkeeper in this class. The shot-stopper from Texas is the top ranked player heading to Notre Dame from the class of 2023. She has impressed at every level in the past, and there is reason to expect that she will continue to do last in South Bend. Morgan Roy (No. 32), [player_tooltip player_id="26320" first="Charlie" last="Codd"] (No. 40), and [player_tooltip player_id="18655" first="Isabella" last="Leonard"] (No. 113) make up the rest of the Notre Dame class. Roy is another bright talent from the attacking midfield role. She is one of the players with the highest ceiling in this class. Check back on PrepSoccer later this year for a full ranking of the 2023 Recruiting Classes.