College Football Recruiting Rankings: Top 2022 Schools Post-National Signing Day

Texas A&M defeated Alabama during the 2021 season, ending the Crimson Tide's 19-game winning streak. A few months later, the Aggies can lay claim to having beat the Tide in another way: on the recruiting trail.

National signing day took place Wednesday, with the top recruits who didn't sign with colleges during December's early signing period again having the opportunity to send their national letters of intent to programs. And by the time the day was over, Texas A&M had the No. 1 2022 recruiting class in the nation, per the 247Sports Composite team rankings.

Not only did Texas A&M edge Alabama (which ended up second), but it also had 330.61 points, which broke 247Sports' previous record of 327.91, set by the Crimson Tide's 2021 class. Will this lead to a shift in power in the SEC West in the near future? We'll have to wait to find out.

As for now, here's a closer look at the colleges that fared the best during the 2022 recruiting cycle.

Top 10 2022 Classes in Country

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1. Texas A&M (330.61 points)

2. Alabama (322.29)

3. Georgia (316.91)

4. Ohio State (300.46)

5. Texas (288.75)

6. Penn State (277.81)

7. Notre Dame (272.97)

8. Oklahoma (266.11)

9. Michigan (260.42)

10. North Carolina (257.61)

Rankings per 247Sports Composite rankings.

1. Texas A&M

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Texas A&M landed seven 5-star recruits in its 2022 class, including three of the top 11 in the 247Sports Composite rankings. The Aggies signed defensive lineman Walter Nolen (No. 2) and wide receiver Evan Stewart (No. 11) in December and then added defensive lineman Shemar Stewart (No. 10) on Wednesday.

Of Texas A&M's 29 signees in its 2022 class, it also landed 19 4-star players and three 3-stars. It's an impressive group of talent that could help push the Aggies closer to the first College Football Playoff appearance in program history.

"Some guys develop really quickly. Some guys may take a little time. That's just part of it," Texas A&M head coach Jimbo Fisher said during a press conference Wednesday. "Wait and see the production and the things they do. They are the guys that we went after, the guys we wanted, a lot of people in this country wanted."

But they are the guys the Aggies acquired. And it could lead to big things for the program, which has produced better results both on the field and on the recruiting trail since Fisher arrived in 2018.

2. Alabama

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For the fourth consecutive year, Alabama has one of the top two recruiting classes in the country, per the 247Sports Composite team rankings. So it sure doesn't seem like the Crimson Tide are going to be slowing down anytime soon.

However, national signing day was quiet for Alabama. It had already signed 23 players in December, a group that included four 5-star recruits and 18 4-stars. The only news for the Crimson Tide on Wednesday was the signing of 3-star tight end Danny Lewis, who became the third tight end in the class.

"I think we satisfied some needs in this class," head coach Nick Saban said, per AL.com's Mike Rodak. "I think the key thing for players is to stay focused on what they have to do to develop so when they get an opportunity to play, they can take advantage of it. That’s always our goal."

Even though Alabama couldn't land the No. 1 class for the second straight year, it still fared well in yet another recruiting cycle. And the Crimson Tide have had no trouble developing recruits into top college players once they arrive on campus.

3. Georgia

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Georgia won the national championship to end the 2021 season, and with the talent in its 2022 recruiting class, it should be set up for more success. The Bulldogs ended up with the No. 3 class behind a pair of SEC rivals, which likely will help them continue to fare well in the conference in the near future.

Between the early signing period and national signing day, Georgia added 29 players to its program—five 5-stars, 15 4-stars and nine 3-stars. The Bulldogs' biggest signing Wednesday came when they added 4-star defensive lineman Christen Miller, who had still been considering a handful of schools.

"I'm excited about what he can do," Smart said, per Kipp Adams of 247Sports.

That's likely the case for a lot of the players brought in by Georgia during this latest recruiting cycle. Could it lead to the Bulldogs becoming back-to-back national champions? They clearly have the talent to remain among the top contenders.