Top 2022 Uncommitted Recruits After Early Signing Day

College football's early signing period has become the busiest time on the recruiting calendar. Since its institution in 2017, a strong majority of prospects have sent in their national letter of intent during the December window.

But a handful of top-rated players always sneak through, not revealing their commitments right away.

Some of these prospects have quietly submitted an NLI yet are waiting to publicly announce their decision at one of January's All-American games. In other cases, the athletes are waiting until the traditional signing day on the first Wednesday of February.

As the early signing period wraps up for the 2021 class, several top-50 prospects are still uncommitted. We're highlighting each player, key schools to know and a possible announcement timeline.

Note: We are not including 5-star cornerback Denver Harris, who is expected to reveal his choice on Saturday, Dec. 18, after his team's state championship game.  

Two weeks before the early signing period, Kevin Coleman appeared to have a final three of Florida State, Oregon and USC.

Coaching changes have thrown a major twist into his recruitment.

Oregon coach Mario Cristobal left for Miami, which suddenly became a factor for the nation's No. 44 prospect. Coleman immediately took an official visit to Coral Gables, and the 'Canes have since become the trending team on the 247Sports Crystal Ball.

But that's not all! Florida State offensive coordinator Kenny Dillingham took the same position at Oregon. That probably helped Oregon, which had been hurt by Cristobal's departure.

Recruiting!

Allen Trieu of 247Sports noted Coleman was expected to sign Wednesday and reveal his pick at the All-American Bowl on Jan. 9.  

Similar to Coleman, the belief is Earnest Greene signed a letter of intent Thursday but will announce the pledge at the All-American Bowl. Greg Biggins of 247Sports passed along that update.

In the meantime, we'll be hypothesizing how the No. 40 prospect may look at Alabama, Georgia, Ohio State or Texas.

Greene took an official visit to each of his four finalists, and the California lineman made a return trip to the Southeast in early December. According to Biggins, the SEC schools—Alabama and Georgia—have "distanced themselves" from Ohio State and Texas.

No matter where he lands, one of the nation's top-five classes will hoard yet another top-rated talent.  

The race for Omari Abor might be heating up again.

Abor, who is ranked 38th nationally, has been viewed as an Ohio State lean, but it sounds like the Buckeyes will be fighting for him until February's signing day. Mike Roach of 247Sports reported the edge-rusher is "showing renewed interest" in Texas.

Texas A&M should be mentioned, considering Abor unofficially visited College Station twice. However, the battle is most likely between Ohio State and Texas.

Abor will announce his decision at the Under Armour All-America Game, which is slated for Jan. 2. 

LSU tends to dominate Louisiana, so nobody blinked when Jacoby Mathews gave his verbal pledge to the SEC program in April.

However, that commitment didn't last long.

Mathews backed off in July, still considering LSU but opening his options to a list that now includes Texas and Texas A&M. Nebraska also recently extended an offer after hiring Mickey Joseph—who spent the past five seasons at LSU—as the associate head coach.

Shortly before December's window opened, the nation's No. 36 player announced he plans to sign in February.  

Josh Conerly Jr. is taking the sweet time he's earned.

Considered the No. 23 overall prospect in the class, Conerly has an extensive list of suitors to narrow down. Alabama, Michigan, Oklahoma, Oregon, USC and Washington are chasing the 5-star offensive tackle, who is waiting for February's signing day.

For good measure, Conerly also received a late offer from Miami because Oregon offensive line coach Alex Mirabal followed Cristobal to South Florida.

Since only Michigan has received an official visit, the other programs will be fighting for one of four chances to host Conerly.  

Devon Campbell, on the other hand, has spanned the United States and trimmed his list to two options.

Oklahoma and Texas.

Campbell is from Arlington, so the Longhorns have the edge in proximity. Because the Sooners had a coaching change, though, NCAA rules allow him to visit Oklahoma again. It's safe to expect Brent Venables will capitalize on that exception.

The longtime rivals outlasted Alabama, Georgia and USC, each of which Campbell also officially visited in this process. Campbell announced he'll make a final decision on Feb. 3.  

Texas A&M's star-studded class may eventually add Shemar Stewart, the nation's ninth-ranked prospect. But his hometown team is surging back into the conversation.

Soon after accepting the Miami job, Cristobal made the quick trip and visited the 5-star talent. According to Andrew Ivins of 247Sports, one of Stewart's coaches said the defensive lineman will "definitely" visit the school again in January.

Miami has plenty of ground to make up, and Texas A&M coach Jimbo Fisher has clearly done an incredible job this cycle. Georgia rounds out Stewart's group of three finalists.

Fortunately for the 'Canes, though, they have time. Stewart is expected to reveal his destination in February.

Texas A&M has a terrific chance to land Stewart. And it seems the Aggies are in a better spot for Harold Perkins. Seriously, this 2022 class is bordering on legendary.

Perkins, the No. 5 overall prospect, has practically lived in College Station this year. Along with his official visit in June, he's taken a handful of unofficial trips to Texas A&M in 2021—including the final weekend before the early signing period.

However, he's a potentially unique case. Perkins may unveil his decision at the Under Armour All-America Game. But if he hasn't already signed, the contenders—Texas A&M, LSU and Texas—will continue trying to sway him until February.

Perkins, though, would be worth the wait.

All recruiting information via 247Sports. Stats from NCAA.com, cfbstats.com or B/R research. Follow Bleacher Report CFB Writer David Kenyon on Twitter @Kenyon19_BR.