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 have worked our way down from there. Today, we close out the series.
MORE FIVE-STAR CHECKUP: Class of 2022, Nos. 1-7 | 8-14 | 15-21 | 22-27
*****
CLASS OF 2023 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Team | Position | State
CLASS OF 2024 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Team | Position | State
CLASS OF 2025 RANKINGS: Rivals100
TRANSFER PORTAL: Stories/coverage | Message board
*****
No. 28 - SHEMAR JAMES, Florida
Ranked as the No. 1 inside linebacker in the 2022 class, James has played in all seven of Florida’s games this season with three starts. His best game came in a loss to Kentucky when the former Mobile (Ala.) Faith Academy standout totaled seven tackles. So far this season, James is seventh on the team with 28 tackles, three quarterback hurries and a fumble recovery.
Florida landed James’ commitment in the summer before his senior season, but he backed off the pledge as coaching uncertainty came to Gainesville at the end of the Dan Mullen era. But he picked the Gators again in December over Alabama and Georgia during the Early Signing Period.
*****
No. 29 - JIHAAD CAMPBELL, Alabama Â
One wonders if Brent Venables had stayed as Clemson’s defensive coordinator instead of leaving to be Oklahoma’s coach, would Campbell have stuck with the Tigers? We may never know, but after Venables left for Norman, Campbell backed off his pledge to Clemson as Alabama, Texas A&M and others got involved. He signed with the Crimson Tide.
So far this season, with a loaded linebacker group Campbell has seen time on special teams for the Crimson Tide. The only outside linebacker ranked higher than Campbell in the 2022 class was Ohio State’s CJ Hicks.
*****
No. 30 - SHEMAR STEWART, Texas A&M
One of many five-stars signed in Texas A&M’s No. 1 recruiting class in 2022, Stewart has been an immediate contributor for the Aggies with 15 tackles, 1.5 sacks, four quarterback hurries and a fumble recovery. His QB hurries are tied for a team and he’s third on the Aggies in sacks.
Texas A&M was the longtime leader for the Opa Locka (Fla.) Monsignor Pace standout for long stretches in his recruitment, but Miami made a very serious late push when coach Mario Cristobal took the job. It wasn’t enough, though, as Stewart picked the Aggies.
*****
No. 31 - JOSH CONERLY JR., Oregon Â
Rated as the third-best offensive tackle in the 2022 class behind Alabama’s Elijah Pritchett and North Carolina’s Zach Rice, Conerly has already played in all of Oregon’s six games to start the season.
Conerly has been fast to get on the field, but he was deliberate in the recruiting process, waiting until April after the second signing day to make his decision. He ended up picking Oregon over USC after a last-minute visit to Eugene as he got more comfortable with that coaching staff in the final stretch. Conerly was the last Rivals250 prospect to make his choice.
No. 32 - LEBBEUS OVERTON, Texas A&M
Overton reclassified from the 2023 class to 2022, but he’s already making an impact on Texas A&M’s defense with 10 tackles (1.5 for loss) with one sack and a quarterback hurry in six games this season.
Playing at Milton, Ga., Overton grew up for some time in the College Station area, so Texas A&M was always top of mind when it came to his recruitment. His three finalists were the Aggies, Georgia and Oregon and Texas A&M won out for his services in an historic recruiting class.
*****
No. 33 - EVAN STEWART, Texas A&M
Rated as the fourth-best receiver in the 2022 class behind Missouri’s Luther Burden, Arizona’s Tetairoa McMillan and Alabama’s Aaron Anderson, Stewart is already leading Texas A&M’s offense with 26 catches for 303 yards and one touchdown.
The Frisco (Texas) Liberty standout was committed to Texas for less than a month in the offseason before his senior year, but then picked the Aggies over the Longhorns, Florida, Alabama and LSU.
