Just over a month after Deion Sanders and Jackson State shocked the college football world in December by landing the country's second-ranked prospect, the 2022 recruiting cycle wraps up with National Signing Day.
It's unlikely it'll rival the Early Signing Period with that type of drama, although Sanders and Jackson State remain in the conversation to land five-star linebacker Harold Perkins.
Outside of "Prime Time" shocking the college football world yet again, here are four questions to be answered Wednesday.
Who's left?
Once again, we saw the vast majority of recruits make their decisions during the Early Signing Period. That leaves just 13 players in the ESPN 300 without a commitment or signing, headlined by five-star prospects Perkins, Shemar Stewart, and Devon Campbell.
| RANK | PLAYER | POSITION RANK |
|---|---|---|
| 4 | Harold Perkins | No. 1 OLB |
| 6 | Shemar Stewart | No. 1 DE |
| 9 | Devon Campbell | No. 1 OG |
| 30 | Josh Conerly Jr. | No. 3 OT |
| 51 | Jacoby Mathews | No. 3 S |
| 139 | Christen Miller | No. 13 DT |
| 144 | TreVonte' Citizen | No. 11 RB |
| 162 | Jahlil Florence | No. 17 CB |
| 163 | Dave Luli | No. 4 OG |
| 174 | Terrance Gibbs | No. 14 RB |
| 257 | Caden Story | No. 23 DE |
| 263 | D.J. Allen | No. 33 WR |
| 279 | Dante Anderson | No. 25 DE |
Can Jimbo close at No. 1?
After scoring the biggest win of his tenure at Texas A&M last year over Alabama, Jimbo Fisher has continued that success with an incredible class that's poised to be the best in the country next season.
Texas A&M hauled in the No. 1 and No. 3 prospects in the class, Walter Nolen and Gabe Brownlow-Dindy, during the Early Signing Period. Although Perkins decommitted from the Aggies, Fisher still has a whopping 21 players from the ESPN 300.
The Aggies are still among the finalists for Perkins, as well as five-star defensive end Shemar Stewart and four-star safety Jacoby Mathews.
Expect Alabama and Georgia to close strong, but it's very likely Fisher finishes the job on Signing Day by taking home the best class in college football.
How will the rankings finish?
It seems like a foregone conclusion that Texas A&M, Alabama, Georgia, and Ohio State will finish in the top four of the class rankings. However, there's some very interesting movement to unfold after that quartet of big-name programs.
| RANK | SCHOOL | ESPN 300 COMMITS |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Texas A&M | 21 |
| 2 | Alabama | 20 |
| 3 | Georgia | 15 |
| 4 | Ohio State | 15 |
| 5 | Texas | 17 |
| 6 | Notre Dame | 14 |
| 7 | Penn State | 12 |
| 8 | Michigan | 7 |
| 9 | North Carolina | 10 |
| 10 | Oklahoma | 10 |
| 11 | Missouri | 8 |
| 12 | Stanford | 6 |
| 13 | Kentucky | 6 |
| 14 | Clemson | 8 |
| 15 | Michigan State | 6 |
Texas won't bring in the local haul that Texas A&M will, but Steve Sarkisian and Co. made great strides in keeping in-state talent close to home. The Longhorns nabbed three of the top-15 players in the state and are considered among the front-runners for highly touted offensive lineman Devon Campbell.
Some unfamiliar names in the top 15 heading into Signing Day are also making headlines, with North Carolina, Missouri, and Kentucky all set for the best classes in their respective schools' history.
Which new coach makes the biggest splash?
LSU fans will be hoping to see plenty more of Brian Kelly's practice of announcing commitments with awkward dancing videos, as the new Tigers coach will be looking for a blockbuster finish to the recruiting cycle Wednesday.
Kelly heads to Signing Day with just seven signed players in the ESPN 300, but he remains in the running for top prospects Perkins, Mathews, and running back TreVonte Citizen. Should he close on those three players, the Tigers will fly up the rankings to hold one of the SEC's top classes.
Lincoln Riley has brought some big names with him to USC from Oklahoma, but the new Trojans coach's heavy lifting is likely done for this recruiting cycle.
The same can't be said for Mario Cristobal at Miami, as the former Oregon frontman has some ground to make up with his alma mater. The Hurricanes currently sit 33rd in the country in ESPN's class rankings, but a strong finish will see the hype return to Coral Gables. Miami is in the running for Citizen, as well as other ESPN 300 talent such as Josh Conerly Jr. and former Oregon commit Dave Iuli.
