When Texas A&M coach Jimbo Fisher declined to be interested in the LSU job in November, one of the reasons he gave was strong 2022 hiring numbers.
“We’re recruiting an unbelievable class this year,” Fisher said at the time.
The national early signing phase, which begins Wednesday and runs through Friday, looks like it will support him and then some.
Alabama has long dominated the recruiting rankings under Nick Saban, and Georgia has recently turned into a battle between the two teams for the No. 1 spot in recent years under Kirby Smart. But this year, it looks like it will be a three-way race for the No. 1 spot.
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“(Fisher) told the kids he was signing up for a history class and it might not be lip service,” Rivals Director of Recruitment Adam G Law said. “Texas A&M has a very real chance to finish at number one.”
Texas A&M came in at #3 on the 247 Composite ranking, behind Alabama and Georgia in the days leading up to Wednesday, but there are still a few difference-makers on the board, and G Attorney said. A&M is in very good form with some of them. Five-star rating expert Harold Perkins is likely to sign with Texas A&M. Five-star cornerback Denver Harris seems to be leaning towards Texas A&M over Alabama. The Kam Dewberry four-star assault is deciding between the Aggies and Ohio State. And five-star defensive midfielder Shemar Stewart, who is not scheduled to sign until the time of signing in February, is also tipped to join College Station.
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Three five-star QBs in 2022
Part of the Texas A&M’s high ranking can be attributed to five-star quarterback Conner Weigman, a native of Texas who decided to stay in the state. Cade Klubnik, another Texas QB, will be the latest foreign five-star QB to join Clemson. LSU will bring home the only other five-star QB as the Tigers have kept Walker Howard, who hails from Lafayette, La. Howard should be given the chance to play immediately with the transfers of Max Johnson and Myles Brennan.
What’s happening at USC and Oklahoma
Lincoln Riley threw the first of several curveballs for the coach when he announced shortly after Thanksgiving that he was leaving Oklahoma for USC. With Signing Day just over two weeks away, both shows have seen a series of outages.
Four prospects at USC were shut down for the first two days, and as of Monday, Riley’s first class at USC consisted of just four players. However, one of the five-star players ran back to Raleek Brown, a California native who was committed to OU but followed Riley to Los Angeles. The Trojan is also still in the mix with five-star defensive back Domani Jackson, who is deciding between USC and Alabama. The high four-star WR Zion branch is leaning more toward USC than Ohio State, and USC is trying to overturn four-star pledge Notre Dame WR (and California native) CJ Williams.
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“They will definitely use the remittance portal,” says Gyers. “It looks ugly now, but give it two days and give it until February. There will be some serious quality, if not quantity. ”
Oklahoma is in recovery mode, as it saw five pledges in 2022 following Riley’s announcement. New coach Brent Venables brought one of those five back, leaving four-star LB Kobie McKinzie to re-commit to the Sooners after considering Texas. Former Florida QB committed Nick Evers recently committed to Venables.
“Their class of 2023 was completely destroyed,” Gyers said. “This layer won’t be a fully loaded layer, but will have quality.”
Notre Dame Cathedral, Stanford, South Carolina surprise
Notre Dame seems to be at the top of its best class for nine years despite a late and great coaching change. Notre Dame is rated at number 5 and seems to have retained almost all of its class through the transition from Brian Kelly to Marcus Freeman.
“Brian Kelly’s passing does no harm in this class,” Gyers said. “It’s not a complete shock because people choose Notre Dame for other reasons than just the team. They did a great job everywhere. They got a lot of them committed early and then kept them.”
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Stanford, whose team limped off with the 3-9 season, sits in 12th place as coach David Shaw tries to get his team back among the elite teams in the Pac-12 North. And South Carolina’s freshman coach, Shane Beamer, should finish well in the top 20, and he’s done it by being out of state for 17 of his 20 pledges.
“The last few weeks have been good for them,” says Gyers. “They won the uphill battle in Maryland for WR Jaishawn Barham and they got a commitment from one Mississippi quarterback (Stone Blanton) who has one parent Ole Miss and the other to Mississippi State. It is very large. And we love the receiver from Southlake Carroll (Texas), Landon Samson. He will take a lot of passes. “
