The top defensive ends still available in the 2022 class
There are 53 defensive ends rated as four-stars or better and 45 of them signed during the Early Signing Period. Four have not announced their commitments yet and four are verbally committed but decided to wait to sign until February.
Here is a look at where recruiting stands for the best unsigned defensive ends heading into the all-star events and into the February Signing Period.
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CLASS OF 2022 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Position | Team | State | JUCO
CLASS OF 2023 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Position | Team | State
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Texas A&M has to like where it stands with Stewart. He isn't announcing until the February signing day but Georgia is continuing to work hard to get his attention. There is a chance he will take a visit to Athens in January.
Miami made Stewart's top three and new head coach Mario Cristobal is hoping to gain some momentum before Stewart signs on the dotted line.
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A decision from Abor is expected in early January at the All-American Bowl and his recruitment looks like a two-team race. Ohio State has been the favorite for a long time but the Buckeyes are going to have to hold off Texas.
Abor was sporting Longhorns gloves during his state championship game. Steve Sarkisian's squad added some important pieces during the Early Signing Period and via the transfer portal.
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Moss' recruitment has undergone some big changes thanks to the coaching carousel. Oregon was in great position to land the impressive pass rusher but much of his attention shifted away from the Ducks when Mario Cristobal left for Miami.
Now the Canes have been gaining momentum but it looks like USC could be in the best position to get Moss. Lincoln Riley and his coaching staff just picked up commitments from Moss's teammates, Zion and Zachariah Branch, and that could really help in their pursuit of Moss.
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Georgia picked up Smith's commitment in December 2020 and he has been a solid commitment since. He didn't sign during the Early Signing Period because he wants to sign with his teammates in February and he is not an early enrollee. That being said, weird things can happen during crunch time and Smith does have a few teams poking around to gauge his interest.
Florida State is one to keep an eye on but it looks like a long shot that Smith ends up anywhere but Athens.
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Halton remains committed to Oregon but an upcoming visit to Miami in January should be alarming for Ducks fans. The California native making the cross-country trip to see Mario Cristobal's new program could be bad news for Oregon.
Halton has been committed to Oregon since January but teams other than Miami could get more involved. USC, Michigan, Nebraska, Oklahoma and Washington were some of his finalists at the time of his decision.