Rivals Rankings Week: Initial 2022 ATH rankings

Rivals continues to roll out its new rankings for the 2022 class and our focus now turns to the athletes that could play multiple positions in college. Of the 40 athletes that are ranked at the position, only four are currently committed so there will be plenty of news to come down the road.

CLASS OF 2022: Athletes

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CLASS OF 2022 RANKINGS WEEK SCHEDULE

MONDAY: Who should be No. 1 in 2022? | Who should be the top QB? | Who should be the top OT?

TUESDAY: Rivals250 revealed | Four prospects earn fifth star | Mike Farrell's thoughts | Who should be the top APB? | Top CB class ever?

WEDNESDAY: QB rankings | RB rankings | WR/TE rankings | OL rankings

THURSDAY: DL rankings | LB rankings | DB rankings | ATH rankings

FRIDAY: State rankings spotlight

The Crimson Tide rarely miss on players they want and miss even less frequently when it’s an in-state player. Nick Saban and his staff knew they wanted Mobile, Ala. athlete Robert Woodyard and they didn’t waste any time making sure they were able to get him in their 2022 class.

Auburn and Tennessee were the two other major contenders for Woodyard , and LSU and Texas A&M were also in the mix. Woodyard missed the bulk of his junior season with a torn ACL, but prior to his injury, he starred at linebacker and running back. Already a touch over 6-foot-2, 215-pounds, Woodyard will likely end up a linebacker at Alabama.

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Georgia has the second highest rated commit at the athlete position in Cedric Washington and it is the favorite to land local prospect Malaki Starks too. Starks has been to the nearby Athens campus on multiple occasions and it seems like only a matter of time before he is a Bulldog. Kirby Smart and his staff are also in hot pursuit of Rivals100 prospects Kendrick Law and Larry Turner.

Turner is a coveted prospect that is seriously considering a lot of schools, including nearby USC. The Trojans have a long list of athletes on their wish list but Turner may be at the top. In-state Rivals250 prospects Kamari Ramsey and Ephiesians Prysock along with Las Vegas (Nev.) Bishop Gorman four-star Fabian Ross are very high on the Trojans too.

LSU is one of the many schools that are really pushing for Turner and Prysock and both have reciprocated the interest. The Tigers are hoping to get both on campus down the road but their top priority at athlete right now is Jacoby Matthews. The top ranked athlete in the Rivals250 goes to school less than an hour from the Baton Rouge campus and seems to be leaning towards the Tigers already. A few schools, though, aren’t making this an easy decision for Matthews.

Alabama is also a major contender for Matthews. The Crimson Tide coaching staff really likes how he’d fit in on their team and love his versatility. With Woodyard already committed, Alabama could end up landing multiple highly rated athletes in this class. Along with Matthews, Alabama is in good position with Turner, Law, and Thompson.

There are a lot of schools pushing for Rivals250 athlete Ken Talley and he is set to announce his commitment on Sept. 8. He just released his top seven over the weekend and included Rutgers, Penn State, West Virginia, Texas A&M, Arizona State, Michigan, and Tennessee.

Taking visits has been tough for Talley because of the pandemic and he wasn’t able to see many schools before everything got shut down. He really doesn’t want to move his commitment date and one school seems to be the favorite. Penn State has done a good job with consistent contact and he really likes how he’d fit into their scheme. Talley also has some strong relationships at Penn State, so keep an eye on him as his decision date gets closer.