What is The Oklahoman’s Super 30? Breaking down the yearly recruiting series

It’s time to showcase the next wave of talent across the state.

The Oklahoman’s Super 30 feature series begins Wednesday, starting a nearly monthlong look into the state’s top high school football recruits in the 2023 class. 

So, what is the Super 30?

It started in 2008, created to help showcase the state’s best high school football talent, ranking the athletes based on which college programs were recruiting them. 

The more offers a prospect has, in addition to the schools that are recruiting those prospects, determines where they fall in the rankings. Those with offers from Power-5 programs will be ranked higher than those with only Group of 5 interest. 

Jenks’ Gabe Lynn was No. 1 in the initial Super 30, and five players from that 2009 class eventually played professionally: McGuinness’ Gabe Ikard, Dewar’s Ronnell Lewis, Broken Arrow’s Alvin Bailey, Guthrie’s Donte Foster and Midwest City’s Timothy Flanders. 

Eighteen former Super 30 members have gone on to have success in the professional ranks, with Kingfisher’s Jace Sternberger, Tulsa Booker T. Washington’s Justice Hill and Dax Hill, Tulsa McLain's Josh Jacobs and Muskogee’s Kamren Curl being the most recent in the NFL.

The initial 2023 list was released in February, and there have been plenty of changes since then. Heading into the 2023 Super 30 summer feature series, there are nearly 50 players who have Division-I interest. 

The new rankings will be revealed starting Wednesday, with one story a day — and two on Sundays — until the top prospects are announced July 24. 

The changes in rankings from the initial list will reflect new offers, commitments and more. These rankings were finalized early in June to have time to prepare for the series. 

The 2023 Super 30 will be updated three more times after the summer series: once heading into the season and then after the December and February signing periods. After that, it’s time to focus on the Class of 2024.

For now, it’s time to introduce the top high school football recruits across Oklahoma in the 2023 class.

Cameron Jourdan covers high school sports across the Oklahoma City metro and state. Have a story idea for Cameron? He can be reached at cjourdan@oklahoman.com or on Twitter at @Cam_Jourdan. Support Cameron’s work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at subscribe.oklahoman.com or by using the link at the top of this page.