College Football Recruiting

Wednesday was national signing day for the 2022 recruiting class, but some of the nation's top programs may not be done pursuing this year's top talent.

That is because defensive lineman Lebbeus Overton elected to reclassify from the 2023 class to the 2022 one by skipping his senior year of high school, per The Athletic. The Georgia native named Texas A&M, Ohio State, Georgia, Oregon and Oklahoma as his five finalists.

According to 247Sports' composite rankings, Overton is a 5-star prospect and was the No. 3 overall player and No. 1 defensive lineman in the 2023 class prior to this decision.

As The Athletic noted, Overton is not the only game-changing defensive prospect who elected to reclassify to 2022.

Safety Sonny Styles, a 5-star prospect in 247Sports' composite rankings, did the same and chose Ohio State. Perhaps Overton will join him on the Buckeyes defense considering it's one of his finalists, but the Big Ten powerhouse will have plenty of competition.

Oklahoma could be in ideal position seeing how the one Crystal Ball prediction on 247Sports projected him to choose the Sooners.

Then there is the SEC angle.

Georgia just won the national championship behind a dominant defense and has the advantage of being the powerhouse program in Overton's home state. Elsewhere in the conference, no team has more recruiting momentum than Texas A&M.

In fact, the Aggies landed the No. 1 overall class on 247Sports and broke the website's record for the top-rated class for the rankings system that dates back to 2010.

Overton offers first-round potential and brings the coveted size (6'4½" and 265 pounds) and athleticism that the top programs are always looking for up front.

The two-sport athlete, who also played basketball did in high school, posted a head-turning 19 sacks as a freshman and 21.5 sacks as a sophomore while displaying the ability to stuff the run and get after quarterbacks.

While Overton will be entering college a year sooner than expected, his talent should help him play his way into the defensive line rotation for whichever school he chooses.       

The Texas A&M Aggies will have a hard-hitting safety in their future secondary after Jacoby Mathews committed to their 2022 recruiting class Wednesday, per ESPN's Tom VanHaaren.

The 6'2" and 193-pound Mathews is a 4-star prospect and the No. 38 overall player, No. 2 safety and No. 3 player from the state of Louisiana in the class of 2022, per 247Sports' composite rankings.

It is no surprise a number of SEC schools recruited the Louisiana native given his location and skill set, and Alabama, Georgia, Florida, LSU and Texas A&M were all on his list of interested teams at one point during the recruiting process.

Mathews initially chose the Tigers but decommitted from LSU in July 2021 even though Brody Miller of The Athletic noted at the time he was "a major recruiter" for the team in an effort to get other top players to join him at his home state's flagship program.

That he was so highly sought-after is no surprise, and Mathews' athleticism immediately stands out considering he played both safety and quarterback in high school. He also played basketball and figures to use the athleticism and speed necessary to do that to chase down ball-carriers and make plays against the pass at the collegiate level.

Andrew Ivins of 247Sports projected Mathews as a future second- or third-round pick in the NFL draft and highlighted his ability to change directions, cover even the deepest parts of the field and make plays on the ball when it is in the air.

His physicality should also help him play in the box as a versatile defender who can help stop the run or perhaps even rush the quarterback in certain situations.

His ability to play various roles as a defender could help him see the field right away and develop into one of the most important defensive players for Texas A&M during his career.

That the Aggies were able to convince him to join their program is a major win on the recruiting trail, especially since they were competing against other teams in the SEC West such as LSU and Alabama.

It will be an even more important victory on the recruiting trail if Mathews can help lead them to wins against those schools down the line. 

Devon Campbell is going to provide a big boost to the Texas offensive line in 2022 after committing to the program on Wednesday. 

Campbell announced his decision to play for the Longhorns on CBS Sports HQ.

An elite high-school athlete from Texas, Campbell played both basketball and football at Bowie High School. The Arlington native will turn his attention full-time to the gridiron when he arrives on campus. 

Listed at 6'3" and 310 pounds, Campbell has all the makings of developing into an elite offensive lineman. He's a 5-star prospect who is ranked as the top-ranked interior lineman and No. 9 overall player in the 2022 class, per 247Sports' composite rankings. 

Gabe Brooks, midland regions recruiting analyst for 247Sports, raved about Campbell's athleticism in his scouting report:

Adequate height with enough space to get to the 300-pound plateau. Lack of context in the length department. Terrific functional athleticism that manifests in pulling ability and second-level blocking. Nimble athlete who looks natural at full gallop in space. Heavy-handed and flashes promising punch power. Terrorizes second-level defenders and looks for extra work after eliminating first target. Blocks to the ground when able.

One thing that is essential to succeeding as head coach at the University of Texas is being able to recruit well within the state. 

Head coach Steve Sarkisian, who took over the program from Tom Herman in January 2021, landed 15 of his 23 recruits last year from the state of Texas. 

Heading into his first full recruiting cycle, Sarkisian is proving to be quite adept at keeping players in Texas. Nineteen of his 27 recruits for 2022 hail from the Lone Star State.

The next step for the Longhorns will be developing all of this talent, including Campbell, to bring them back to national prominence. They have finished under .500 four times in the past eight seasons after having just one losing season from 1998-2013. 

Texas A&M landed one of the best recruiting classes in the country for the 2022 cycle, and head coach Jimbo Fisher didn't hesitate to rebut rumors suggesting the program paid players a hefty sum via name, image and likeness rules to commit. 

"That had nothing to do with this class. ... This was hard work by our staff," he said during an appearance on CBS Sports' national signing day show. "... It's insulting to the kids who come here that you insinuate that. And people insinuate that off things that were taken off a message board BroBible by a guy named Sliced Bread, whoever the heck that is, who has no clue about what goes on."

As for the rumor Fisher was addressing, BroBible published an article titled "Texas A&M Boosters Spent Unfathomable Amount of Money to Land No. 1 Recruiting Class, per Report."

The article included a rumor from the message board user SlicedBread suggesting the Aggies paid up to $30 million to secure their recruiting class:      

Regardless of such speculation, Texas A&M has impressed on the recruiting trail. In fact, it has the No. 1 overall class, per 247Sports' composite rankings, and finished ahead of traditional powerhouses such as Alabama and Ohio State, as well as the defending national champions in Georgia.

Brian Perroni of 247Sports noted Wednesday's commitment of defensive lineman Shemar Stewart clinched Texas A&M's spot as the highest-rated class ever based on the site's composite ranking system that goes back to 2010.

The Aggies have 328.59 points compared to Alabama's record of 327.76 set last year.

Insinuating rival schools are cheating to land recruits has long been a part of college football fandom, especially when it comes to message boards. The formation of the NIL rules will likely only fuel speculation that programs are paying head-turning amounts of money for players.

Rarely does it reach the level that a head coach addresses it, but Fisher did Wednesday while putting the finishing touches on his class.

Next up for the Aggies' fifth-year coach is parlaying this impressive recruiting class into a double-digit win season, which Texas A&M has done just once since the 1998 campaign.    

The early signing period came and went, and there are still some big-name college football recruits who remain uncommitted.

Since the long-awaited national signing day arrives Wednesday, it's worth wondering where some of the top available players will land.

Here's a look at the 5-star players who are expected to make their announcements Wednesday, along with predictions for where they will end up.

Prediction: Harold Perkins Spurns Texas A&M for LSU

Arguably the top recruit still available, Harold Perkins made headlines in January when he decommitted from Texas A&M. While the Aggies reportedly still remain among the favorites to land the 5-star outside linebacker, look for Perkins to take his services to Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

Perkins, who is ranked as the No. 2 linebacker and No. 8 overall recruit in the nation by 247Sports' composite, visited Florida and LSU in January. But it would not be a surprise if the Tigers had the inside track.

Perkins and his family are from New Orleans but moved to Texas after Hurricane Katrina. It would be poetic for Perkins to return to his home state for his college career.

With a new coaching staff in place led by Brian Kelly, the Tigers need as many talented players as they can get to help ease the transition. Adding Perkins would be a huge get for LSU and a way for Kelly to get his tenure started off on the right foot.

Prediction: Shemar Stewart Stays Home and Chooses Miami

Prognosticators have long considered Texas A&M to be the favorite to land 5-star defensive tackle Shemar Stewart. And it wouldn't be a bad fit for him considering the Aggies already have the No. 1 class in the country in 2022, according to 247Sports' composite team rankings.

But a late push by Stewart's hometown Miami Hurricanes could be enough to convince him to stay home. Pegged as the No. 3 defensive lineman and No. 10 overall player in 247Sports' composite rankings, Stewart would be a game-changer for the Hurricanes, whose 2022 class is ranked 38th in the 247Sports composite.

Once the Hurricanes' new regime was implemented with Mario Cristobal's arrival as their new head coach, they immediately made Stewart their priority. Keegan Pope of On3 reported that the tackle had an official visit to Miami this past weekend that went well.

Along with Miami and Texas A&M, Georgia is also considered a finalist for Stewart. While joining the national champion or an all-time great recruiting class would be attractive, Stewart has the chance to become an immediate star with the Hurricanes and help lead his hometown team back to national prominence.

Prediction: Devon Campbell Chooses Texas Over Oklahoma

This one seems like a no-brainer. According to the 247Sports crystal ball, Texas is a lock to land 5-star interior offensive lineman Devon Campbell, who is ranked as the No. 1 prospect at his position and the No. 9 player overall.

Despite Oklahoma also being a finalist for the Arlington, Texas, native, many believe Campbell will choose to remain in-state.

Campbell is a versatile player who can play multiple positions on the offensive line. The Longhorns already have an impressive crop of offensive linemen coming in, but a commitment from Campbell would put them over the top, as he would be just the second 5-star recruit in the team's class.

It's hard to imagine Campbell turning down Texas in favor of its longtime rival in Oklahoma, especially considering the changes in the Sooners coaching staff after the hiring of Brent Venables. All signs point to Campbell becoming an immediate contributor for the Longhorns.