Five-Star Checkup: Class of 2022, Nos. 22-27
More than halfway through the college football season, now is a good time to review the performance of the five-stars in the 2022 class. We started with No. 1 and are working our way down the list over a week’s time.
MORE FIVE-STAR CHECKUP: Class of 2022, Nos. 1-7 | 8-14 | 15-21
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CLASS OF 2023 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Team | Position | State
CLASS OF 2024 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Team | Position | State
CLASS OF 2025 RANKINGS: Rivals100
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No. 22 - ELIJAH PRITCHETT, Alabama
In a recruiting class where there was not a clear No. 1 offensive tackle, Pritchett ended up at the top following an impressive performance at the All-American Bowl in San Antonio. He has not yet seen any game action for the Crimson Tide.
In September of his senior year, the former Columbus (Ga.) Carver standout picked Alabama over Florida State, Georgia and others. The Seminoles were considered the frontrunner for some time and then the Bulldogs got really involved. But after four visits to Tuscaloosa, Pritchett was ready to call it early in his senior campaign.
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No. 23 - AARON ANDERSON, Alabama
A nagging knee injury has kept Anderson off the field so far at Alabama, which continues to look for playmaking receivers this season, so his return would be a huge asset to the Crimson Tide offense.
Rated as the third-best receiver in the 2022 class behind Missouri’s Luther Burden and Arizona’s Tetairoa McMillan, the former New Orleans (La.) Edna Karr star was open about the fact he’d probably be playing at LSU if coach Ed Orgeron was retained. He wasn’t and so Alabama was always high on his list as well and the Crimson Tide won out.
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No. 24 - ZACH RICE, North Carolina
Rice has seen action in two games for North Carolina midway through his freshman season and that should only increase because the 6-foot-5, 320-pound prospect is very talented. He was ranked as the second-best offensive tackle in the 2022 class behind only Pritchett.
The Lynchburg (Va.) Liberty Christian Academy standout picked the Tar Heels over Alabama, Ohio State, Notre Dame and Virginia as the Cavaliers were also a serious contender at the end.
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No. 25 - RALEEK BROWN, USC
Brown was the top-ranked all-purpose back in the 2022 class and the lone five-star coming out of the backfield. He has 22 carries for 97 yards and a touchdown so far this season along with four catches for 57 yards. USC has used Oregon transfer Travis Dye mainly at running back so far this season.
Brown, who rushed for more than 1,000 yards in his senior season at Santa Ana (Calif.) Mater Dei, had been committed to Oklahoma for nearly a year but quickly flipped to USC once Lincoln Riley left the Sooners for the Trojans.
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No. 26 - JULIAN HUMPHREY, Georgia
After an early commitment to Florida that lasted months, Humphrey backed off that pledge and ended up selecting Georgia over LSU and Texas A&M, although the Bulldogs looked like the front-runner for some time.
Stepping into a secondary loaded with talent, Humphrey has seen action as a reserve cornerback in Georgia’s wins over Samford and South Carolina so far this season.
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No. 27 - JACOBY MATHEWS, Texas A&M
After a short commitment to LSU in the offseason before his senior year, Mathews reopened his recruitment and it was basically a battle between the Tigers and Texas A&M for his services. The Aggies ended up winning out on signing day, a rare five-star leaving the state of Louisiana for someplace else.
So far this season in a loaded secondary, Mathews has played in every game with two tackles - one against Appalachian State and one against Alabama.