Advertisement
Published Dec 14, 2021
National Signing Day: Five programs primed to move up team rankings
circle avatar
Adam Friedman  •  Rivals.com
Rankings Director and National Transfer Portal Analyst
Twitter
@RivalsFriedman
info icon
Embed content not availableManage privacy settings

National Signing Day is Wednesday and nearly all of the top-ranked players will have signed their National Letter of Intent by the end of the day. There are still a lot of players that haven't announced their decisions yet and that leaves plenty of room for movement in the Rivals 2022 Team Rankings.

Here are five teams to watch as the commitments roll in on Wednesday.

*****

MORE: National Signing Day Announcement Guide | Gorney's predictions

CLASS OF 2022 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Position | Team | State | JUCO

CLASS OF 2023 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Position | Team | State

TRANSFER PORTAL: Stories/coverage | Message board

RIVALS CAMP SERIES: Info/coverage on 2021 camp series

*****

GEORGIA

info icon
Embed content not availableManage privacy settings

The Bulldogs sit atop the team rankings right now and they have plenty of major targets on the board still. Five-stars Shemar James and Marvin Jones Jr. are very much in play and Georgia has made both of them priorities. Georgia fans have become very aware of how much the coaching staff wants Rivals100 defensive backs Kamari Wilson and Daylen Everette to sign with them on Wednesday.

Four-star receivers CJ Smith and Camden Brown have been targeted by the Georgia coaching staff as well. Smith is a recent Florida decommit and Brown decommitted from Pittsburgh at the beginning of the month. Rivals100 Defensive end Enai White has Georgia as a finalist, too.

*****

ALABAMA

info icon
Embed content not availableManage privacy settings
info icon
Embed content not availableManage privacy settings

Alabama took home the team rankings title last year and the Tide have a pretty good chance of repeating this year. Five-stars Shemar James, Domani Jackson, Marvin Jones Jr., and Denver Harris are getting a lot of attention from the Alabama coaching staff. Rivals250 Defensive linemen Anthony Lucas, Khurtiss Perry and Enai White have all received visits from the Alabama coaches and Rivals100 linebacker Jihaad Campbell was just on campus for a visit.

In addition to Harris, Rivals100 defensive backs Daylen Everette and Earl Little Jr. have Alabama at or very near the top of their lists heading into signing day.

Big-time Louisiana prospects Shazz Preston and Kendrick Law are also some key prospects Alabama fans should keep an eye on. Along with Jackson, another prospect out of California to watch on Wednesday is Rivals100 offensive lineman Earnest Greene.

info icon
Embed content not availableManage privacy settings

*****

TEXAS A&M

Jimbo Fisher and his staff have had momentum on their side in recent weeks, pushing all the way up to No. 3 in the team rankings, and it looks like more commitments could be on the way. Five-star Denver Harris could be their top target heading into signing day. In recent days the in-state cornerback has been linked to multiple teams and the Aggies are waiting on pins and needles to hear his decision.

Five-star Harold Perkins is right at the top of Texas A&M's priority list as National Signing Day nears. The Aggies have been fighting hard to get him and momentum could be on their side right now.

Two highly-ranked offensive linemen have Texas A&M's attention, Kam Dewberry and Kiyaunta Goodwin. Both Rivals100 prospects, Dewberry has been a top Texas A&M target for a long time but Goodwin is a fairly new name for Aggies fans. A massive offensive tackle from Kentucky, Goodwin took an official visit to College Station about a month ago. He's been committed to the Kentucky Wildcats since April but took all five official visits during the season.

On the defensive line, Texas A&M's focus is on defensive ends Anthony Lucas and Enai White. Both have been priority recruits for the Aggie coaches for a long time and they're hoping their efforts pay off on Wednesday.

Former Clemson commit and Rivals100 linebacker Jihaad Campbell almost picked Texas A&M the first time around. He was back in College Station this weekend and his connections with the Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey coaches and players could sew up his recruitment.

info icon
Embed content not availableManage privacy settings

*****

OKLAHOMA

info icon
Embed content not availableManage privacy settings

New Oklahoma head coach Brent Venables and his staff are working hard with their limited time to put together a strong finish to this 2022 recruiting class. Even though Gentry Williams, one of their top commits, isn't planning on signing this week, Sooners fans have plenty to watch for.

Two prospects from Florida are in the crosshairs for the new Oklahoma staff. The first one is Jayden Gibson, a top-50 prospect and former Florida receiver commit. The second is defensive tackle Alton Tarber, a former Georgia Tech commit and three-star prospect. Both players are very high on Venables and the staff he is putting together.

One other player to keep an eye on is current Clemson commit Jaren Kanak. The four-star committed to the Tigers to play in Venables' defense and he could be looking to follow the coach to Norman. Rivals250 in-state defensive tackle Chris McClellan is another name to keep an eye on come Wednesday.

*****

MICHIGAN

info icon
Embed content not availableManage privacy settings

The Wolverines are in great position to have a strong finish to this recruiting class. Former Clemson safety commit Keon Sabb took a visit to Michigan for the Ohio State game while he was still committed to the Tigers but reaffirmed his commitment to Dabo Swinney right afterwards. The departure of Brent Venables changed everything and he decided to decommit. Now the Wolverines are in great shape to land his commitment on Wednesday.

Derrick Moore, another newly uncommitted prospect, could also be headed to Ann Arbor. The former Oklahoma Rivals250 defensive end commit just visited Michigan over the weekend and it sounds like momentum could be on its side. Four-star defensive tackle Deone Walker isn't sure about signing this week but Michigan is in pretty good shape if he does decide to put pen to paper.

Also keep an eye on current Notre Dame receiver commit Amorion Walker. He has been showing a lot of interest in the Wolverines down the stretch.

Advertisement
Advertisement