Five-Star Check-Up: Class of 2022, Nos. 8-14
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 we're working our way down the list over a week’s time.
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MORE FIVE-STAR CHECK-UP: Class of 2022, Nos. 1-7
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. 8 MYKEL WILLIAMS, Georgia
Williams, who surged higher in the rankings after an impressive All-American Bowl performance, has started in two of seven games this season with nine tackles and his lone sack so far came against Samford. What stat is really impressive is that Williams already has 10 quarterback hurries.
A fringe five-star throughout his recruitment, Williams moved into the top 10 after showing that elite playmaking ability and relentless motor off the edge in the all-star events following his senior season. He ended up as the second-best player in Georgia behind No. 1 overall Travis Hunter.
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No. 9 - KEITHIAN ALEXANDER, Georgia
After committing early to Georgia, Alexander backed off his pledge and essentially had a top two of the Bulldogs and Texas A&M before re-committing to UGA in the middle of his senior season. Alabama and Miami were also in the mix but this ended up as a two-team race.
Better known as Bear, Alexander is making his presence felt early in the season and was especially productive against Auburn with a team-high four quarterback hurries and also a tipped pass. Alexander only has three total tackles so far but he’s contributing early in other ways.
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No. 10 - JAHEIM SINGLETARY, Georgia
Singletary has seen action in two of seven games as a reserve defensive back so he hasn’t made a significant impact yet in the Bulldogs’ secondary that is already loaded with talent. His time will come because the five-star prospect has length, ranginess and is the exact type of cornerback coach Kirby Smart loves.
The Jacksonville (Fla.) Riverside standout finished in the top-10 even though he did not participate in an all-star event. The only cornerback ranked ahead of him in the 2022 class was Michigan’s Will Johnson, who was phenomenal at the Under Armour Game.
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No. 11 - ALEX STYLES, Ohio State
Better known as Sonny, Styles reclassified from the 2023 to the 2022 recruiting class and still ended up No. 11 overall as his versatility, ranginess and athletic playmaking ability all make him a special player. As a safety for the Buckeyes, Styles is in a “wait your turn” scenario since Ohio State is so loaded at every position and is arguably the best team in college football this season.
In three games, Styles has totaled three tackles including one for loss. An Ohio State legacy, the five-star from Pickerington (Ohio) Pickerington Central followed his father’s footsteps to Columbus while his brother, Lorenzo, chose Notre Dame.
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No. 12 - TETAIROA MCMILLAN, Arizona
The five-star receiver from Anaheim (Calif.) Servite is already making a significant impact in Arizona’s offense as McMillan is third on the team in catches with 28 for 470 yards and second-best on the Wildcats with six receiving scores. He’s averaging a team-high 16.79 yards per reception.
Ranked as the second-best receiver behind Missouri’s Luther Burden, McMillan, who was no fan of the recruiting process, was committed to Oregon but backed off that pledge when coach Mario Cristobal left for Miami. He then picked the Wildcats after a great visit to Tucson with some Servite teammates who ended up there as well.
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No. 13 - MARVIN JONES JR., Georgia
Ranked as a five-star defensive end, Jones is listed at 6-foot-5 and 250 pounds and playing outside linebacker for the Bulldogs. Georgia is loaded across its defense so the former Plantation (Fla.) American Heritage standout has played a reserve role and his best work came against South Carolina with a tackle and a quarterback hurry.
A Florida State legacy whose father is famous in Tallahassee, it looked like Jones was going to follow suit and play for the Seminoles. FSU, Alabama, Georgia, Texas A&M and Oklahoma were the five finalists and the Dawgs won out after pushing hard for him through his senior season.
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No. 14 - DEVON CAMPBELL, Texas
Campbell has seen limited action this season as Cole Hutson and Hayden Conner have won the starting offensive guard roles. Hutson was a Rivals250 member but got a jumpstart by being in Austin for spring practice and then overdelivering early in his career and Conner has a year jumpstart at the position.
A powerful, thick and mean offensive lineman, Campbell has had his opportunities to get on the field and win a starting job but that has not happened yet. Still, with his level of intensity and toughness it could only be a matter of time.
In the end of his recruitment, Texas and Oklahoma were the finalists with USC, LSU and Alabama also involved.