Midwest Spotlight: Biggest class of 2022 winter commitments
The vast majority of prospects in the 2021 class that will sign with Power Five programs did so in the early period last month. Likely less than 10% remain for the Late Signing Period, which has paved the way for the class of 2022 to garner more of the spotlight.
Several top prospects in the Midwest have decided to make their commitments since the Early Signing Period ended. These are the five biggest commitments from the region in that time.
1. Tyson Ford to Notre Dame
The only Midwest Rivals100 prospect to announce his commitment, St. Louis defensive lineman Tyson Ford pledged to Notre Dame on Jan. 18. This went against earlier expectations, with Oklahoma being the popular prediction for Ford’s destination until just a few days before he announced. Notre Dame named Marcus Freeman as its new defensive coordinator 10 days before Ford’s commitment, and Freeman immediately went to work trying to lock the four-star up for the Irish after defensive line coach Mike Elston had laid the groundwork. Other finalists for Ford were Georgia and Missouri. The tall, athletic defensive end became the fifth commitment in a Notre Dame class that currently ranks sixth overall in 2022.
2. Jeremiah Caldwell to Kentucky
This commitment last weekend did not get near the attention it deserves. Kentucky extended Caldwell his first scholarship offer last April. Only Iowa State, Central Michigan and Toledo followed suit, but Caldwell was undoubtedly on the verge of a spring offer wave before he pledged to the Wildcats on Jan. 23.
I saw Caldwell at the Best of the Midwest Camp last February and he looked sharp as a wide receiver prospect. However, Caldwell used the quarantine period to learn defensive back and when I saw him again in July he outperformed every other defensive back at the DGA Mini-Camp in Nashville, including fellow four-star 2022 Myles Pollard and 2021 high three-star John Howse. This is the most underappreciated pick-up in the entire Midwest for 2022 so far.
3. Jacob Imming to Iowa State
Another commitment this month that did not get the attention it deserved outside of the state of Iowa was high three-star linebacker Jacob Imming choosing to stay home and play for Iowa State.
I loved what I saw from Imming when I first turned on his junior season film. He looks bigger than his listed 200 pounds and certainly plays bigger, but it was his natural feel for the position that really impressed me. Despite being a bigger-body, he nimbly picks his way through traffic, avoiding blocks and arriving at the ball carrier with bad intentions.
The size, the athleticism and the natural instincts are all there for Imming to develop into the consummate middle linebacker and Iowa State was fortunate it only had to battle three other offers for his commitment, as his offer list would have grown significantly in the coming months.
4. Eian Pugh to Cincinnati
Cincinnati has one of the most impressive classes going nationally early in this 2022 class, and showed it can recruit outside the state of Ohio by going into the Chicagoland area on Christmas Day to land high three-star receiver Eian Pugh. The tall, explosive Pugh, who doubles as a standout on the basketball court for Oak Park Fenwick High, did not get to play a fall football season because the state of Illinois canceled.
He was able to put out a few clips from the limited practice days Illinois allowed in October, but Pugh’s recruitment was definitely stunted from not playing for 15 months and counting. Cincinnati made Pugh a priority immediately upon offering in September, though, and with the help of some current commits were able to lock up an early commitment.
5. Mehki Miller to Missouri
Since taking over the Missouri program in December of 2019, Eli Drinkwitz has professed his intention for prioritizing recruits in the state of Missouri and keeping local talent at home. This 2022 class, so far, is testimony to those statements. The Tigers have already landed three of the top 20 prospects in the state for 2022, then went just across the border in Kansas City to land high three-star wide receiver Mekhi Miller on Jan. 20.
Competition in the form of offers had come from as far away as California and Tennessee for Miller, but the Kansas City receiver wanted to be a part of what Drinkwitz was building in Columbia. Able to line up either on the outside or in the slot, Miller hauled in an impressive 93 passes for over 1,000 yards and 18 touchdowns in just 10 games last fall.