The final pieces of select college football rosters ahead of the 2022 season will officially come together on Wednesday as the traditional signing period kicks off.
National Signing Day will help determine the No. 1 recruiting class, after Texas A&M claimed the title following its recruiting run in the December Early Signing Period, and help to better understand the type of talent being added to rebuilding rosters from coast to coast. January provided an open contact period for the better part of the month, so senior prospects have been able to take official visits and coaches have been able to hit the road to see top targets in person both at their school as well as in the home.
It means the outlook of many individual recruitments has included considerable change over the last two-plus weeks as the final pitches were made, including coaches traveling by helicopter between stops, midnight visits and of course LSU's Brian Kelly capturing attention for his choices on a moving platform.
Select coaching staffs have all but wrapped up their classes and have turned the page to the transfer portal or even the class of 2023. In Jim Harbaugh's case, perhaps creating one last major carousel move with multiple NFL teams interested and an interview with the Minnesota Vikings scheduled for the day his college competition will add talent.
In addition to dozens of recruits who did not sign in December for various reasons, many citing the droves of changes among head coaching positions and respective staffs, five of the six undecided SI99 recruits will come off the board today including the nation's top-ranked defensive recruit in Opa Locka (Fla.) Monsignor Pace pass rusher Shemar Stewart. The No. 3 overall recruit will make his pick between local Miami and SEC programs Texas A&M and Georgia in the early afternoon.
Sports Illustrated will track the biggest recruiting news all in one place while each signature allows for the class of 2022 takes shape. We will update this live blog throughout Wednesday with recruiting scoop, breaking news, analysis and more en route to crowning a recruiting national champion this evening.
(All times eastern)
--
5:07 pm - The top-ranked offensive lineman in the country, Devon Campbell is staying within state lines. After sitting on his evaluation of Texas and Oklahoma for more than a month, Steve Sarkisian and the Longhorns win out to wrap up a top five recruiting class and the best offensive line haul of any program in the cycle in the process.
5:05 pm - TJ Dudley, a former Oregon commitment, is off the board to Clemson. He said the first phone call he received after decommitting from the Ducks was from Clemson. The Tigers got the last visit, over the weekend, and sealed the deal thereafter.
4:30 pm - Brian Kelly naysayers stand down, at least for now, because Harold Perkins is an LSU Tiger. The first major, heavyweight SEC battle Kelly's staff is in the mix for goes their way. Texas A&M and Florida rounded out his top group.
"I thought he was dull and dry, but he showed me different when I was up there," Perkins said after announcing on CBS Sports HQ.
4:05 pm - Oklahoma is having a nice day, dipping into the state of Florida for some speed in Tallahassee's Jamarrien Burt.
4:00 pm - Ahead of the Harold Perkins decision, Florida's Billy Napier is hinting at the Gators involvement. UF is battling LSU and Texas A&M for the top available linebacker.
4:00 pm - Matthew McCoy is the latest trench addition for Mario Cristobal and The U, picking the Hurricanes in a Sunshine State battle between Miami, Florida and UCF.
3:20 pm - A one-time Florida Gator commitment who backed off of the pledge after the coaching change, Terrance Gibbs found a home with the Georgia Southern Eagles. When healthy, he is a Power 5 back, so this one will be fun to watch.
3:01 pm - Oregon keeps a strong talent home in Portland-area linebacker Emar'rion Winston, who was also considering Florida.
2:56 om - Florida has had an up and down day but picks up another out-of-state talent in wide receiver Caleb Douglas
2:15 pm - Danny Lewis, a breakout tight end recruit from. Louisiana who helped New Iberia (La.) Westgate to a state title in December, has picked Alabama over LSU and Florida. West is a one-time Cincinnati commitment who locks in the Crimson Tide's No. 2 recruiting class.
2:10 pm - Georgia wraps up its 2022 haul with another in-state defender picking the national champs. One-time Florida pledge EJ Lightsey, a linebacker from south Georgia, is on board with Kirby Smart's program.
2:00 pm - A pair of Ft. Lauderdale (Fla.) Cardinal Gibbons teammates on the defensive line, R Mason Thomas and Ahmad Moten, just came off the board. Thomas flipped from Iowa State to Oklahoma and Moten picked Miami after an explosive January on the recruiting trail.
1:30 pm - The highest-ranked recruit to come off the board today, Shemar Stewart, just did. He announced a pledge to Texas A&M to solidify the No. 1 recruiting class in the country.
"The foundation we've built, the coaching staff was in tact," Stewart said on CBS Sports HQ.
1:15 pm - A flip in between ACC programs just went down.
1:00 pm - The breakout running back star of the class is Texas' Andrew Paul, who rushed for 2,500-plus yards in 2021. It resulted in a monster January push from many programs, including Clemson, Georgia and Michigan. Those three hats were on the table but in the end the national champions round out their offensive class with the most productive back on the board nationally.
12:31 pm - Miami is heating up, adding Alabama offensive lineman Anez Cooper on National Signing Day. Miami wins out over Cristobal's old program, Oregon in the end.
12:25 pm - Running back Trevonte Citizen, a one-time LSU commitment from Lake Charles, La, became a Sunshine State battle as Florida and Miami battled down the home stretch. Count this one to Mario Cristobal and company, who won out after hosting Citizen for the final official visit in January.
12:10 pm - It's Georgia for Christen Miller. The first SI99 recruit to come off the board is staying within state lines in a move that will lock in the Bulldogs with a top-three recruiting class. The top 50 overall recruit is the No. 11 SI99 recruit to pick the national champions during the 2022 cycle.
12:10 pm - Running back Jordan James, a longtime Georgia commitment, announced a flip to Oregon on National Signing Day.
12:07 pm - Georgia Tech commitment Janiran Bonner flipped his pledge to Nebraska. The Atlanta-area wide receiver helped Cedar Grove High School to a state championship in 2021.
11:50 am - The noon hour won't be boring.
11:38 am - There was some conversation picking up about Trevor Etienne potentially ending up with another school, but that's to bed now. He has signed with Florida, where he committed in January.
11:20 am - TCU lost a flip to Nebraska with a Louisianan earlier in the day and now it flips a Louisianan from in-state rival Texas in Ronald 'Champ' Lewis. More here.
11:07 am - It won't play as a big deal on paper, being the top in-state recruit signing with Oklahoma, but OU signing SI99 safety Gentry Williams in February after he passes on locking in earlier is a big deal.
10:42 pm - The first official new addition today for Brian Kelly and LSU is cornerback Jaelyn Davis-Robinson out of Texas. He was in Baton Rouge over the weekend and the trip all but sealed the deal with the pledge and signature. The Tiger offer came in just over one week ago.
10:33 am - One of the biggest signing day battles has been won by the Clemson Tigers, as Lanett (Ala.) High School pass rusher Caden Story picks CU over the late push from the Florida Gators. We are told the UF trip really had Story, a former Auburn pledge, torn 24 hours prior to signing day.
10:13 am - Nebraska flips TCU running back Ajay Allen, the Louisiana native announced on Instagram.
10:10 am - Oklahoma State lands former Oregon wide receiver commitment Stephon 'Boogie' Johnson over SMU.
9:40 am - Coveted offensive lineman Jalen Farmer, who has been committed to Florida sine September, will stick with the Gators despite the coaching change and visits to Alabama, Auburn and Kentucky down the home stretch per Chad Simmons. Farmer's new head coach is happy about it, too. The school confirmed the signature about an hour later. More on Farmer's story and game here.
8:30 am - Talked SEC recruiting storylines and made some predictions with 97.7 The Zone in Huntsville, Ala. this morning.
8:00 am - Missed this late Tuesday night, but former Oregon wide receiver pledge Stephon "Boogie" Johnson Jr. will pick between Oklahoma State and SMU today. He is a Dallas-area talent but SMU winning a head-to-head vs. the Power 5 would be a nice pickup for Rhett Lashlee and his new staff.
7:45 am - The more we look into signing day, the less likely it is anyone vaults Texas A&M's No. 1 class. Alabama and Georgia, No. 2 and No. 3 currently, should each add talent today but A&M is in the mix for multiple SI99 recruits and won't likely strike out at the top of their board -- fitting given how they've recruited all cycle. Shemar Stewart, Harold Perkins and Jacoby Mathews are all SI99 recruits in play for Jimbo Fisher today.
7:44 am - A lineman who would have been on flip watch, but already made the move on Tuesday, has made it official. One-time UCF commit Leyton Nelson signs with Vanderbilt, which has had a nice run since December on the trail.
7:30 am - It won't be a major storyline throughout the day but there are some recruits committed to one program who could be in lie to sign with another today. Georgia running back commit Jordan James is the most likely to end up elsewhere, with all eyes on Oregon after he cancelled a trip to Florida. Speaking of the Gators, recent running back commitment Trevor Etienne and offensive line pledge Jalen Farmer continue to hear from other programs late in the game. Longtime Georgia Tech DB commitment Greg Delaine could be on flip watch, maybe within the ACC.
Zach Goodall Photo
7:25 am - There is intrigue around the decision of Louisiana tight end Danny Lewis. A former Cincinnati commitment, the state champion's two-way ability and production as a senior created late SEC interest and visits went down with LSU, Alabama and Florida. Late Tuesday, SI connected with sources optimistic on both the LSU and Alabama side of the coin.
7:00 am -The first big decision we're tracking, from a chronological perspective, is that of Christen Miller. The Peach State defensive lineman was one of the biggest risers in the SI99 rankings release in January, and he'll be picking between Georgia, Miami, Oregon and Florida A&M. Oregon and Miami each made him think twice but we believe the national champs pick up SI99 recruit No. 11 today.
