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National Signing Day 2022: Announcement Schedule, Predictions and More
January 29, 2022National Signing Day 2022: Announcement Schedule, Predictions and More
In December, there was a ton of college football recruiting news. That's because the three-day early signing period took place during the middle of the month, and many of the top high school players in the country signed with college programs by sending in their national letters of intent.
Over recent weeks, the recruiting buzz has slowed a bit. But that's about to change in a few days.
The traditional national signing day is set for Wednesday, when recruits will again have an opportunity to start sending in their NLIs and making their college decisions official. Although the early signing period has taken a bit of luster away from national signing day, there are still some strong players who remain undecided.
By next week, there will be fewer unsigned players near the top of the recruiting rankings, as quite a few are expected to make their decisions on national signing day. Here's the announcement schedule for top recruits, along with predictions for where several will end up.
Announcement Schedule
4-star DL Caden Story (Lanett High School, Lanett, Ala.): Feb. 2 at 10:30 a.m. ET
4-star S Jacoby Mathews (Ponchatoula High School, Ponchatoula, La.): Feb. 2 at noon ET
3-star RB Andrew Paul (Parish Episcopal School, Dallas, Texas): Feb. 2 at 12:20 p.m. ET
5-star DL Shemar Stewart (Monsignor Edward Pace High School, Miami Gardens, Fla.): Feb. 2 at 1:30 p.m. ET
5-star LB Harold Perkins (Cypress Park High School, Cypress, Texas): Feb. 2 at 2:15 p.m. ET
5-star OL Devon Campbell (Bowie High School, Arlington, Texas): Feb. 2 at 5 p.m. ET
Announcement times via 247Sports
Perkins Will Head to LSU to Play for Kelly
Harold Perkins committed to play at Texas A&M on Jan. 2, but it didn't take long for him to start reconsidering his options. On Monday, the 5-star linebacker decommitted from the Aggies and reopened his recruitment shortly ahead of national signing day.
It's possible that Perkins could still end up at Texas A&M, as he's still considering the school. However, he's also considering two other SEC programs, Florida and LSU.
Although it isn't clear which program is the favorite to land Perkins, LSU could be one to watch. Perkins has some family ties to Louisiana, and he took an official visit to the school this weekend. The Tigers' late push could be enough to sway him away from their SEC rivals when he makes his decision on Wednesday.
Perkins, who is the No. 8 overall recruit in the 2022 class, per 247Sports' composite rankings, could still make a surprise choice. But the prediction here is that he'll sign with LSU to play for new Tigers head coach Brian Kelly, becoming the first 5-star recruit in the program's 2022 class.
Texas A&M Will Still Add Another 5-Star Recruit in Stewart
Texas A&M has already signed six 5-star recruits in the 2022 cycle, which has it ranked No. 1 in 247Sports' composite class rankings. And even if the Aggies miss out on Perkins, they may still add another 5-star player on national signing day.
Defensive lineman Shemar Stewart, who is the No. 10 overall recruit in the 2022 class, per 247Sports' composite rankings, is set to make his college decision on Wednesday. In addition to Texas A&M, he's still considering Georgia and Miami. And he took an official visit to Miami this weekend.
Even though the Hurricanes are making a late push for Stewart, Steve Wiltfong of 247Sports still believes the Aggies are the favorites to land the talented defensive lineman. Wiltfong cited Stewart's "familiarity with Texas A&M's coaching staff" as one of the reasons for that prediction.
Stewart could still pick any of his three finalists. However, expect him to become the latest top recruit to join the Aggies' 2022 class as they continue to build up for future success.
Campbell Will Sign with Texas as Expected
It's been expected for a while now that 5-star offensive lineman Devon Campbell is going to Texas. However, he hasn't yet committed to the Longhorns, and he'll be choosing between them and Oklahoma when he makes his decision on Wednesday.
The Sooners may still be in the running for Campbell, who is the No. 9 overall recruit in the 2022 class, per 247Sports' composite rankings. But it sure seems that he'll be staying in state to play for the Longhorns.
Chad Simmons of On3 Sports recently wrote that "nothing has changed, as the Longhorns are the clear favorite" to land Campbell. And there hasn't been any indication that the Sooners may have closed the gap at any point.
So don't expect any surprises here on national signing day. Campbell will sign with Texas and become the second 5-star recruit in the Longhorns' 2022 class.