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.
No. 24 Ole Miss — Grade: B
Lane Kiffin was one of the college football head coaches who showed his displeasure during 2021 Early Signing Day, saying that recruits are now just going where they get the most money.
As if that wasn’t true years ago before NIL was even a thing.
At any rate, Kiffin and Ole Miss put together a solid recruiting class in 2022. There are four signees ranked as four-star prospects and a bunch that rank in the top 600 overall. However, there is no quarterback. That, plus a drop from the last cycle is cause for a B.
No. 23 South Carolina — Grade: A
Shane Beamer is off to a really good start at South Carolina and the biggest addition for the Gamecocks this offseason will be Spencer Rattler, the former five-star quarterback in the transfer portal.
That addition won’t count in these rankings, but South Carolina still put together a solid class and beat out Ole Miss. The Gamecocks landed three four-star prospects and eight ranked in the top 500 out of a class of 21.
Quarterback Braden Davis (No. 323 overall) is one of those four stars and so is Keenan Nelson Jr. a defensive back rated No. 271.
No. 22 Mississippi State — Grade: A
Mike Leach put together a winning season in Starkville for the first time since 2018 and the Bulldogs turned that into a positive result on the recruiting trail with a top-25 class and their best recruiting class in the past four years.
Mississippi State landed highly-touted wideout Marquez Dortch who was an in-state recruit and an important get. Plus Leach landed a top-400 QB out of Texas in Braedyn Locke who threw for over 11,000 yards and 129 touchdown passes in his last three seasons of high school football.
Sounds like a perfect fit for Leach and the Bulldogs who are likely hoping to see Locke and Dortch connecting on plenty of touchdowns down the road.
No. 21 Michigan State — Grade: A-
The Spartans put together a really solid class under Mel Tucker and improved 25 spots from last season after ranking 46th in the 2021 recruiting class.
2021 Early Signing Day was a little disappointing since there was hope the Spartans could get highly-touted offensive lineman Kiyaunta Goodwin, who chose Kentucky.
But Katin Houser, a four-star quarterback, as well as in-state four-star recruits Alex VanSumeren (DT) and Dillon Tatum (DB), the Spartans signed a solid group. Plus, six of the 22 were from the state of Michigan, which is close to one-third of the entire class.
But, the Spartans finished behind Indiana, so we’ll stick them with an A-minus.
No. 20 Indiana — Grade: A
It should be obvious why Indiana got a slightly better grade than Michigan State. The Hoosiers improved their recruiting ranking by 34 spots over last season and landed Dasan McCullough, the No. 59 overall prospect in the entire 2022 class.
The Hoosiers signed four recruits that were ranked as four-star prospects including Gi’Bran Payne, a running back from Ohio with a lot of Big Ten interest. McCullough was also flipped from Ohio State.
It was an especially impressive job recruiting after the Hoosiers suffered a losing season.
No. 19 Arkansas — Grade: A
Arkansas, like Indiana, actually has one of the lower recruiting rankings in its division, but the Hogs and Sam Pittman should be proud of a job well done.
Arkansas signed seven of the top 10 recruits in the state and four of their top five signees (all four-star recruits) are from the Razorbacks home state including wideout Isaiah Sategna who is 185th overall. Myles Rowser, who hasn’t signed yet is 205th overall and is a DB with big upside.
Pittman was able to build on a solid year on the field, which should lead to more quality recruiting classes in the future.
No. 18 LSU — Grade: B
It’s still a little weird that Brian Kelly is the LSU head coach, although not as weird as his dance with five-star quarterback Walker Howard, but they man, you do what ya gotta do.
It’s recruiting.
And despite just being hired and the Tigers struggling on the field the past two seasons, Kelly put together a solid recruiting class — one that ranks 18th after 2021 Early Signing Day.
Will Campbell gives the Tigers a top-five offensive tackle to go along with Howard (34th overall) who is the fifth-ranked QB. LSU also has just 13 commitments which should give it room to operate in the transfer portal or the late recruiting cycle.
No. 17 Clemson — Grade: B-
A lot of people are being really hard on Clemson and to be fair, the Tigers have suffered some hits on the recruiting trail this cycle. But of the 12 recruits Clemson signed, eight of them are ranked as four stars or higher and each is ranked in the top 211 overall.
Cade Klubnik is a five-star quarterback and is the No. 17 overall recruit in 2022, which is a big win right there for the Tigers and Dabo Swinney.
Many programs would gladly trade for Clemson’s haul but it doesn’t have the depth required to have a top-5 group as the Tigers had in 2021.
No. 16 Auburn — Grade: B+
For a program that didn’t have a great year on the field, Auburn put together a solid recruiting class and one that was buoyed by flipping Robert Woodyard the 11th-ranked linebacker in the 2022 class from in-state rival Alabama.
The Tigers also have 18 total commitments and one of their best additions is Holden Geriner a four-star quarterback as well as Austin Ausberry who committed late and is a top-200 kid.
All in all, it was an impressive job, even with some misses at the end such as on Darrius Clemons.
No. 15 Stanford — Grade: A
David Shaw and the Cardinal are another team that drastically improved their recruiting ranking from 2021. Stanford was 43rd a year ago and in the 2022 recruiting class the Cardinal landed seven four-star signees out of 18 total and finished first in the Pac-12, at least after 2021 Early National Signing Day.
It was also a typical Stanford class in that all eight of the top recruits were players at positions that would take part in an inside run drill — meaning either defensive players in the front seven, as well as offensive lineman, running backs, and tight ends.
Yet, that’s what Stanford football is when it is at its best, and in terms of recruiting, it doesn’t get much better than this for the Cardinal.
No. 14 Tennessee — Grade: B+
Josh Heupel was put into a tough spot taking over the job at Tennessee but he did a stellar job in his first season. The Volunteers put together a winning season and put together a top-15 recruiting class despite missing on some key targets.
Tayven Jackson is the 12th-ranked quarterback in the 2022 class, and he’s one of seven four-star signees for the Vols out 20.
No. 13 Florida State — Grade: C-
Florida State actually put together a pretty solid recruiting class in 2022. There are seven four-star recruits signed or committed to sign out of 16 total. The Noles did land four in the top 126 including high-ranking four-star QB AJ Duffy.
However, the loss of Travis Hunter to Jackson State on early signing day was a dagger. It overshadowed all of the solid work that Mike Norvell and company did on the trail.
This class is still a solid starting point to try and rebuild this program but with Deion Sanders impressing at Jackson State, Norvell needs to win games and a lot next year to keep the hot seat talk at bay.
No. 12 Missouri — Grade: A
How many expected Missouri to put together a nearly top-10 recruiting class. The Tigers were 27th last year and made a big leap this recruiting cycle thanks in large part to signing the No. 3 overall prospect and top-ranked player Luther Burden.
Quarterback Sam Horn (No. 9 QB, 125th overall) and running back Tavorus Jones who is ranked 163rd overall, were huge additions and Missouri added seven total four-star signees with another top-200 recruit still committed.
The Tigers signed just 15 prospects including DJ Wesolak, who is ranked just outside the top 200, and also top-200 D-lineman Marquis Gracial. But give Eli Drinkwitz credit because he did as good a job as any SEC head coach this cycle. This is the ceiling for Missouri recruiting.
No. 11 Kentucky — Grade: A
Mark Stoops has done a stellar job at the University of Kentucky and posted a 9-3 record this past season, which led to a stellar recruiting class for the Wildcats.
The centerpiece of the class came on 2021 Early Signing Day with the signing of five-star offensive tackle Kiyaunta Goodwin. The Wildcats signed a total of nine four-star recruits including Deone Walker, a 6-foot-6, 340-pound defensive tackle from the state of Michigan, who chose the Wildcats over Michigan.
Keaten Wade is another big addition at linebacker, as well as four-star wideout Dane Key. And when you see this haul, you can see why Mark Stoops stayed in Lexington.
10. Oklahoma — Grade: B+
Oklahoma was one of the schools impacted by the coaching carousel as Lincoln Riley left for USC but while the Sooners lost Derrick Moore, most of the big hits came in 2023.
The Sooners did wind up with a smaller signing class but Oklahoma landed 11 four-star recruits out of the 14 they signed including top-100 running back Gavin Sawchuk, plus Nick Evers, a top-200 quarterback. They also have a very good blue-chip ratio (78.5 percent).
9. Michigan — Grade: A-
Jim Harbaugh and the Wolverines put together a really stellar class. It ranks ninth overall and while there were some misses on in-state prospects, as well as five-stars Domani Jackson and Walter Nolen, Michigan surged into the top 10 on 2021 Early National Signing Day.
The Wolverines landed five new commitments that day from Keon Sabb, Derrick Moore, Amorion Walker, Alex Orji, and Darrius Clemons.
Michigan also signed five-star cornerback Will Johnson, the top player in the state of Michigan, and any time you land your top overall target and a top-10 class, it’s a win.
8. North Carolina — Grade: A+
Based on expectations, few recruiting classes were better than North Carolina’s. You don’t think of the Tar Heels as a college football power but they landed the top recruiting class in the ACC and 10 prospects ranked as four stars or higher, as well as a blue-chip ratio of 58 percent.
Travis Shaw, the defensive lineman, is the No. 2 overall prospect in the class, and Zach Rice the No. 11 overall prospect gives the Heels two five-star signees in the trenches, plus North Carolina landed a pair of top-200 running backs, as well as Conner Harrell, an underrated three-star QB.
Kudos to Mack Brown who is building a program with enough talent to win the ACC.
7. Notre Dame — Grade: A-
While Brian Kelly wasn’t expected to leave for LSU, Notre Dame made a great hire in Marcus Freeman, who is an excellent recruiter and the Irish did a stellar job of closing out the 2022 recruiting class.
Notre Dame did lose C.J. Williams, a top-100 wideout that is headed to either USC or UCLA, and also three-star wideout Amorion Walker, who was going to play DB or WR in South Bend.
Walker flipped to Michigan, but still, the Irish have 17 four-star recruits signed, and even though it’s not a top-5 class anymore, it’s a great starting point for Freeman.
6. Penn State — Grade: A+
Not every Penn State fan loves James Franklin and the Nittany Lions had a disappointing 7-5 season but now that he’s got a new contract and a stellar recruiting class, he’s got a good chance to quiet that criticism.
Penn State signed the second-best class in the Big Ten which is all the more impressive after a poor regular season. The Nittany Lions signed the No. 1 quarterback in 2021 in Drew Allar, as well as four top-55 recruits in Drew Singleton (RB), Kaden Sanders (WR), and Dani Dennis-Sutton (DL).
If Penn State is ever going to reach that Big Ten title plateau again as Franklin did in 2016, this is the kind of class the Nittany Lions needed.
5. Texas — Grade: A+
There is a reason that Texas was the only team in the country to sign a top-10 recruiting class with a losing record and actually, the Longhorns are the only team in the top 25 without a winning season.
Steve Sarkisian is trying to build a program capable of winning conference and national titles and this class is a huge first step. The Longhorns flipped Ethan Burke from Michigan and Terrance Brooks from Ohio State on 2021 Early Signing Day, while also flipping Kelvin Banks late in the process.
Texas also landed a four-star quarterback in Maalik Murphy, which doesn’t even include the top 2021 QB in Quinn Ewers who is also coming home to Texas.
The Horns signed 26 total and 18 of those signees are four-star recruits or better which is elite and that’s why Texas gets the highest grade possible.
No. 4 Ohio State — Grade: A-
It’s hard to knock a recruiting class that ranks fourth overall and also one that has a blue-chip ratio of 82 percent. But the Buckeyes lost Terrance Brooks on signing day to Texas and were beaten out by Michigan for Jimmy Rolder and Kenneth Grant.
But still, the Buckeyes landed seven top-100 recruits and two five-stars as well as one of the best quarterbacks in the class in Devin Brown (53rd overall) which will help reduce the sting of losing Quinn Ewers in the transfer portal.
No. 3 Georgia — Grade: A
Georgia signed 11 recruits in the top 100 and even though Kamari Wilson wound up going to Florida, the Bulldogs have as much talent in their 2022 recruiting class as anyone.
Not only did Georgia add a number of elite defenders, but the Bulldogs signed recruits ranked in the top 100 at quarterback, running back, and tight end.
UGA also has a blue-chip ratio of 73 percent and with three verbal commits that didn’t sign, Georgia still has time to add to its overall score in the race for the No. 1 class in 2022.
No. 2 Alabama — Grade: A
When you sign three five-star recruits ranked in the top 30 overall and 14 in the top 100, it’s hard to give out any grade but an A.
Jeremiah Alexander is the No. 1 edge rusher in the country and the No. 8 overall prospect. Bama also beat out Clemson for Ty Simpson (No. 24 overall, No. 3 QB) and the Tide also landed yet another dynamic running back in Emmanuel Henderson.
Alabama added Shazz Preston on 2021 Early Signing Day and that bolstered the class even more with the 43rd overall prospect and No. 3 wide receiver, but really, it’s about the impressive depth from top to bottom.
No recruit is ranked outside the top 400 and 21 of the 22 signed are four-star recruits or better meaning a blue-chip ratio of 95 percent.
That’s all we need to say about that.
No. 1 Texas A&M — Grade: A+
It was only a matter of time before Texas A&M found its way to the top of the recruiting rankings under Jimbo Fisher and the victory over Alabama helped pave the way for a tremendous 2022 class.
Just like Texas, the Aggies’ NIL game is strong and that led to the signing of four five-star recruits led by Walter Nolen, the No. 2 overall prospect and top-ranked defensive lineman. The Aggies also signed Evan Stewart (WR, No. 6 overall), Gabriel Brownlow-Dindy (DL, No. 16 overall), and also quarterback Conner Weigman, who is 19th overall, as well as the No. 2 QB.
So on top of getting the No. 2 QB and No. 2 WR in one class, the Aggies loaded up on defense, and four-stars such as Enai White, Anthony Lucas, and Bryce Anderson should be stars sooner rather than later. Plus adding four-star tight end Jake Johnson, who was an LSU commit, was another big-time addition late, one that also led to the transfer of former LSU QB Max Johnson to A&M.
Texas A&M finished with a blue-chip ratio of 88 percent which is slightly lower than Alabama’s, however, the Aggies added a ridiculous 23 players ranked as four-star recruits or better and that’s why A&M is likely going to win 2022’s recruiting title.