In mid-February, Austin Jordan released a top 10 with Notre Dame, Texas, Oklahoma State, Georgia, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Penn State, USC, Texas A&M and Auburn making the cut.
But that did not last thing.
Over the last few days, the four-star cornerback from Denton (Texas) Ryan has cut his list to three with the Longhorns, the Sooners and the Buckeyes making the list.
There are reasons to think all three programs still have a real shot at landing Jordan but one school could have a distinct edge in his recruitment moving forward.
In today’s Ranking The Contenders, we look at Jordan’s top three and put them in order of likelihood where he will commit.
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FACT OR FICTION: The top-four TEs in 2022 will end up in the SEC
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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1. OKLAHOMA
There are a lot of reasons to believe Oklahoma is not only the team to beat but could be very difficult to overcome from his top three. Jordan has a great relationship with coach Lincoln Riley, defensive coordinator Alex Grinch and position coach Roy Manning and that’s going to go a long way in Jordan’s decision. Also, Texas and Ohio State already have two defensive backs committed and in the Buckeyes’ case, five-star Jaheim Singletary leads the way. Plus, Jordan played with Oklahoma signee Billy Bowman at Denton Ryan and he’s clearly talking up the Sooners as well.
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2. OHIO STATE
Singletary and four-star cornerback Jyaire Brown are already in Ohio State’s class but the Buckeyes could use another player at that position based on need from players leaving and the secondary’s uneven performance in 2020. Five-stars Domani Jackson and Will Johnson were two major targets that Ohio State missed on as they committed to USC and Michigan, respectively, and so a player like Jordan does make sense. The Buckeyes need corners, Jordan could see an opportunity and he’s talked highly of the program. The issue is communication has been hot and cold between both sides so it would be a little surprising to see the Buckeyes land him at this point.
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3. TEXAS
The Longhorns already have four-star cornerback Jaylon Guilbeau and four-star safety Bryan Allen Jr., committed in the 2022 class after a strong defensive back group was signed in 2021 as well and Texas is also in the sweepstakes for five-star cornerback Denver Harris out of Houston (Texas) North Shore along with Alabama, LSU and Texas A&M. There are other names at defensive back like Bryce Anderson and others. Jordan is a priority in this class and he’s a talented in-state prospect but Texas is probably third on this list and some other names might have to come off the board for the Denton Ryan star to really come into focus.