The 2022 class is full of major prospects that will be stars at the college level. The twists and turns of their recruiting process will be front and center in a little over a month so let’s take a look at the recruitment of the top uncommitted prospects at each position. We conclude the series with the athletes.
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MORE IN THE SERIES: Top 5 uncommitted 2022 QB | RB | WR | TE | OL | DT | DE | LB | DB
CLASS OF 2021 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Position | Team | State
CLASS OF 2022 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Position | Team | State
COVERAGE: Rivals Transfer Tracker | Rivals Camp Series
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Top contenders: LSU, Mississippi State, Oklahoma, Alabama, Texas, Georgia, Michigan State
Recruiting outlook: Mathews hasn’t been able to take many visits but released a top seven earlier this month. He’s been staying in touch with a lot of coaches and had visited LSU and Mississippi State prior to the dead period. Don’t be surprised to see Mathews take visits when the dead period is over, even if he is already committed.
Farrell’s take: I’ve had Matthews headed to LSU for some time now, and there’s no reason to change that - at least until he can take some visits.
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Top contenders: Texas, Miami, Florida State, Alabama, Notre Dame, Georgia, Penn State, Purdue, Auburn, Oregon, LSU, USC, Arizona State
Recruiting outlook: Coleman is open to almost any school that comes his way. He did name a top 13 last month, but he has yet to make any major decisions in his recruitment. It seems likely at this point that Coleman will leave the Midwest for college, but nothing is certain just yet. Expect Coleman to take a lot of visits once the dead period is over.
Farrell’s take: Coleman has a long way to go, so it’s hard to project him, but I’m going to take a shot in the dark and say Arizona State right now.
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Top contenders: Clemson, Ohio State, Texas A&M, Florida, Florida State, Rutgers, Penn State, Oregon, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Michigan, Georgia, Auburn, South Carolina, Maryland
Recruiting outlook: Sabb named a top 15 at the end of last month, but the list of real contenders is much shorter than that. He’ll take plenty of visits once the dead period is over but look for Clemson, Ohio State, Penn State and Florida to emerge from the pack. Most teams are recruiting Sabb as a safety.
Farrell’s take: I like Clemson early here, but this will be a battle until the end.
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Top contenders: Notre Dame, Texas, Oklahoma, Alabama, Auburn, Baylor, Florida, Ole Miss, Oregon, Tennessee, Stanford, Texas A&M
Recruiting outlook: Thompson’s recruitment hasn’t taken shape just yet and the dead period hasn’t helped him make any progress toward naming a short list. The speedster out of the Lone Star State is entertaining offers from nearly all of the top programs around the country. Expect him to take his visits once the dead period ends and mainly focus on teams in the SEC, Big 12 and Pac-12.
Farrell’s take: I’m going to say Oklahoma here because of the Sooners' offense and how they could utilize his speed.
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Top contenders: USC, Clemson, Alabama, Arizona State, Florida, Georgia, LSU, Michigan, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Oregon, Texas, Texas A&M, Washington
Recruiting outlook: Turner-Gooden isn’t giving much away about his recruitment right now but it’s safe to say he’ll be exploring all his options. USC has made a strong impression so far and the Notre Dame offer really grabbed his attention, but those aren’t the only two schools he holds in high regard. Keep an eye out for Oregon and Clemson to end up near the top of his list of contenders.
Farrell’s take: I have USC here as long as the season goes OK for the Trojans.