Five-Star Check-Up: Class of 2022, Nos. 15-21
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 CHECK-UP: Class of 2022, Nos. 1-7 | 8-14
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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. 15 - TRAVIS SHAW, North Carolina
The massive Shaw, who is listed at nearly 6-foot-6 and 355 pounds, has played in six games this season with five tackles and one pass breakup. There are some veterans along the defensive line for the Tar Heels, although the defense is still giving up far too many points as the UNC offense has had to outgun some opponents.
Rated as the third-best defensive tackle in the 2022 class behind Texas A&M’s Walter Nolen and Georgia’s Keithian Alexander, Shaw picked North Carolina over Clemson and others in a huge win for the Tar Heels as the five-star totaled 260 tackles and 17 sacks in his high school career.
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No. 16 - QUENCY WIGGINS, LSU
One of the best-looking prospects in the entire 2022 class, Wiggins decided to stay home after starring at Baton Rouge (La.) Madison Prep Academy and play at LSU, where he’s waiting behind Ali Gaye and BJ Ojulari. His turn could be next.
In four games played this season, Wiggins has one tackle against New Mexico. He shined at the All-American Bowl and backed up his five-star ranking, but was also involved in a scary hit-and-run accident while on a motorized scooter in San Antonio. He came out of that incident largely unscathed, shockingly. Penn State’s Dani Dennis-Sutton and Georgia’s Mykel Williams were the strong-side defensive ends ranked ahead of him.
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No. 17 - DOMANI JACKSON, USC
The five-star cornerback from nearby Santa Ana (Calif.) Mater Dei has played in three games this season with two tackles and a pass deflection. Jackson has dealt with the injury bug, missing significant portions of his senior season, the all-star events and then he was hobbled during camp and the early part of USC’s campaign. When Jackson is on the field he has been a solid contributor, and the hope from USC is that he can get sustained time out there to help at the cornerback spot.
After being committed to USC early in his recruitment, Jackson backed off that pledge during the Clay Helton upheaval, but then Lincoln Riley was hired and his decision came down to re-committing to the Trojans or picking Alabama. Michigan was also under serious consideration for a while.
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No. 18 - CJ HICKS, Ohio State
On a team loaded at the linebacker position and led by Tommy Eichenberg and Steele Chambers, Hicks is waiting his turn. When his time comes he could be one of the better linebackers in the Big 10, if not the country. So far in four games, the five-star from Kettering (Ohio) Archbishop Alter has two tackles.
A three-way contributor in high school, Hicks finished with 84 tackles (18 for loss) and two interceptions. He also rushed for more than 1,000 yards. The top-rated outside linebacker in the 2022 class, Hicks was second in the Ohio state rankings behind Alex “Sonny” Styles, who also plays for the Buckeyes.
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No. 19 - XAVIER NWANKPA, Iowa
A veteran defense is back, including in the secondary, so while Nwanka has the physical makeup and the athletic ability to be a difference-maker down the road his time has not come yet. It will.
The five-star safety from Pleasant Hill (Iowa) Southeast Polk looked like he was headed elsewhere for long stretches of his recruitment, but the Hawkeyes continued to recruit him hard and it came down to Iowa, Ohio State and Notre Dame. The top-rated safety in the 2022 class - a hard-hitter with plenty of athleticism - chose to stay home.
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No. 20 - WALKER HOWARD, LSU
Rated as the second-best pro-style quarterback in the 2022 class behind only Clemson’s Cade Klubnik, Howard threw for 5,824 yards and 67 touchdowns in his final two years of high school, where he helped lead Lafayette (La.) St. Thomas More to two state titles during his prep career.
An early enrollee, Howard - who is a legacy and whose father, Jamie, had a solid career in Baton Rouge - competed for the starting job, but Arizona State transfer Jayden Daniels won it, so the five-star quarterback is waiting his turn in a deep LSU quarterback room.
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No. 21 - DENVER HARRIS, Texas A&M
In five games this season, Harris has totaled 14 tackles and three pass breakups in a Texas A&M secondary that’s absolutely loaded with talent and considered one of the best in the country.
A fringe five-star throughout his recruitment, especially after a knee injury, Harris finished as the fourth-best player at the cornerback position behind Michigan’s Will Johnson, Georgia’s Jaheim Singletary and USC’s Domani Jackson. Harris picked the Aggies over Alabama, LSU, Texas and others.