College football’s 2022 National Signing Day is just around the corner and here’s where the top recruits still not committed will land.
The college football recruiting calendar has dramatically changed in the last few years thanks to Early National Signing Day.
The majority of college football recruits signed during that early period. But not all and with National Signing Day coming up next Wednesday, there are still some big-time recruits out there including five that are still ranked as five-star prospects by one recruiting service or another.
Recruiting is the lifeblood of college football as we learned once again during the College Football Playoff and here are predictions for the top five recruits that still aren’t committed going into National Signing Day.
5-star OT Josh Conerly Jr.
Josh Conerly Jr. is one of the biggest prizes left in the college football recruiting class for 2022. He’s ranked 15th overall in the 247 sports composite rankings and his recruitment is one of the most wide-open as we head down the stretch.
Michigan was the leader at one point and still has the crystal ball advantage as well as the lead with On3.com’s prediction machine. However, the Wolverines still don’t have a head coach committed to next season and aren’t getting a final visit.
Oregon and USC are getting the final visits and both have a 17 percent chance of landing Conerly as well as Washington.
The Huskies have been gaining momentum in this process and Courtney Morgan who joined the Huskies staff after leaving Michigan is one strong connection.
As of right now, I’m going with the Huskies but USC and Michigan are the two programs I would watch very closely. And if Harbaugh actually signs his contract, it could make a difference here.
National Signing Day Prediction: Washington
5-star safety Jacoby Mathews
Another one of the best college football recruits left in the 2022 class is Louisiana’s Jacoby Mathews a 6-foot-2, 193-pound safety that has a final three of LSU, Texas A&M, and Florida.
LSU has been on a roll in the transfer portal lately and is also gaining momentum with some other key targets in the 2022 recruiting class ahead of National Signing Day.
At different times both the Tigers and Aggies have been the crystal ball leader for Mathews. Right now, LSU is trending as far as the On3.com prediction machine is concerned. The On3 predictions are a little bit different but it gives LSU a 65-percent chance of landing Mathews on National Signing Day.
Florida, A&M, and LSU have all led in this recruitment according to what Mathews told 247 sports and here’s what he said about Brian Kelly:
"“Really it was Coach Kelly, when he got there showing up to one of the biggest games for myself when he first got there,” Mathews said. “He called me immediately after the game and let me know he was going to get people over there that can develop me and get me to the next level and that’s what he seems to be doing. They’ve come from behind but they’ve made a big push and I put them up there.”"
Since LSU was his final visit, it feels like Mathews will be joining the Tigers.
National Signing Day Prediction: LSU
5-star OT Devon Campbell
In his first full recruiting cycle as head coach of Texas, Steve Sarkisian is putting together an elite class, and coming out of the early signing period the Longhorns are ranked fifth.
On National Signing Day, the class should get even better as the Longhorns are now expected to win the recruiting battle for five-star tackle Devon Campbell.
Campbell is out of Arlington, Texas and while Oklahoma and Texas are the two teams in the mix, the Longhorns have grabbed hold of this one and lead with all of his crystal ball projections from 247 sports.
The On3 prediction machine also gives Texas a 98-percent chance of signing Campbell on college football’s National Signing Day and the 6-foot-3, 310-pounder that 247 sports projects as a future first-rounder will be a huge addition, both literally and figuratively.
National Signing Day Prediction: Texas
5-star LB Harold Perkins
Brian Kelly is showing that he means business in his first month on the job trying to restore LSU as a college football powerhouse.
Kelly was always a talented recruiter at Notre Dame. But things are different in the SEC and at LSU. The SEC recruits at an entirely different level and Kelly is reaping the benefits of that.
And one big-time target he’s zeroing in one is five-star linebacker Harold Perkins. The 6-foot-2, 210-pound linebacker is one of the top defenders in the 2022 recruiting class and is the No.2 linebacker in the 247 sports composite rankings.
His scouting report compares him to Myles Jack and if Kelly is able to reel in Perkins on National Signing Day as well as Mathews, the Tigers will be well on their way to being among college football’s elite again.
Florida is in the mix following Perkins’ decommitment from Texas A&M and is taking his final visit to LSU so that’s pretty telling.
National Signing Day Prediction: LSU
5-star Defensive lineman Shemar Stewart
While National Signing Day may not be as good for Texas A&M football as it was expected to be, the Aggies still have the best college football recruiting class of all time according to the 247 sports composite rankings.
Plus, there is still a strong chance that Jimbo Fisher and company will be adding a top-10 defender on signing day in 6-foot-6, 270-pound defensive lineman Shemar Stewart.
Stewart can play multiple positions on the defensive line and is expected to be an elite pass rusher and is being compared to Chris Jones of the Chiefs.
Miami has made a strong push and Georgia is also in the mix. Stewart will visit those schools along with Texas A&M football but the Aggies feel like the favorite and control all of his crystal ball projections, so it’d be a surprise if he went somewhere else.
National Signing Day Prediction: Texas A&M Football