Grading the Top 25 recruiting classes after 2021 Early Signing Day

Now that 2021 Early Signing Day has come and gone, here are grades for each 2022 recruiting class ranked in the top 25.

Now that the dust has settled on 2021 Early Signing Day, which was one of the wildest signing days in recent memory, if not ever, it’s a great time to take a look at the 2022 recruiting class as a whole.

Deion Sanders and Jackson State captured the headlines on 2021 Early Signing Day by flipping No. 1 overall recruit Travis Hunter. It will certainly help Jackson State continues its success, following an 11-1 regular season this year, but it’s not going to have a huge impact on the FBS.

Yes, Hunter probably got a big NIL deal to go to Jackson State, but so what? Texas, Texas A&M, Alabama, and everyone else is doing the same thing. At least the money is out in the open now instead of cash being handed out under the table in McDonald’s bags.

But before we digress too far into all the supposed ills of college football recruiting, let’s examine the top 25 classes after 2021 Early Signing Day with a letter grade for each program.

(Team rankings according to 247 sports team composite rankings)

25. Oklahoma State — Grade: A

Every program has different expectations on the recruiting trail so you can’t really hold Oklahoma State to the same standards as Texas or Oklahoma. It’s just not realistic.

That’s why the grades are there to offer some context and when you add context to Oklahoma State’s recruiting class, it’s a good haul.

The Cowboys are No. 25 in the team rankings right now, which are far from finalized with the early signing period going until Friday and the late period opening up in February, but of the 17 recruits signed, six of them are ranked as four stars, which matches the combined total of four-star recruits signed in 2019, 2020, and 2021.

Talyn Shelton is ranked 95th overall and the wide receiver should be the next in a long line of dynamic Cowboys wideouts. Plus four-star quarterback Garret Rangel is also a boon for the Cowboys who loaded up on offensive skill guys.