Texas A&M officially captured the No. 1 recruiting class in college football history after five-star defensive lineman Shemar Stewart committed on 2022 National Signing Day. His verbal pledge and forthcoming signing will push the Aggies past 2021 Alabama into sole position of the top spot with an unmatched 328.59 points in 247Sports Composite.
The class features a nation-leading seven five-star signees, all of whom rank among the top 25 players in the country. Defensive lineman Walter Nolen was the biggest prize of the class, ranking No. 2 in the 247Sports Composite rankings as the top FBS signee in the nation. With Stewart and Nolen joining Gabriel Brownlow-Dindy, Enai White and Anthony Lucas, the Aggies have arguably the greatest defensive line recruiting class in history.
Offensively, quarterback Conner Weigman is the first five-star signee at that position for Texas A&M since Heisman Trophy winner Kyler Murray. He joins wide receivers Chris Marshall and Evan Stewart as five-star offensive signees in the recruiting class. The Aggies boast the nation’s No. 1 defensive lineman (Nolen), no. 1 tight end (Jake Johnson), no. 2 receiver (Stewart), no. 2 quarterback (Weigman), No. 3 interior lineman (Kam Dewberry) and No. 4 cornerback (Denver Harris).
“It’s something special when all those top players want to play with each other,” Stewart said on CBS Sports HQ.
All-time top five recruiting classes
| 1 |
2022 Texas A&M |
328.59 |
DL Walter Nolen (2) |
| 2 |
2021 Alabama |
327.76 |
OT JC Latham (3) |
| 3 |
2010 Florida |
324.62 |
DE Ronald Powell (1) |
| 4 |
2017 Alabama |
323.87 |
RB Najee Harris (2) |
| 5 |
2018 Georgia |
323.31 |
QB Justin Fields (2) |
Texas A & M’s recruiting has steadily increased since coach Jimbo Fisher took over the program in 2018. His first full recruiting class in 2019 ranked No. 4 in the nation and featured consensus All-Americans defensive end DeMarvin Leal and offensive lineman Kenyon Green. Every class since then has ranked in the top 10.
It was heavily reported that LSU pursued Fisher for its head coaching position after firing Ed Orgeron. However, Fisher publicly pointed to the strength of his upcoming recruiting class as one of the reasons why he would not consider the position, which ultimately went to Brian Kelly.
“We may recruit the No. 1 – we’re going to recruit an unbelievable class this year,” Fisher told reporters in November. “So, I’m going to be the dumbest human being on God’s earth who’s going to recruit all these guys to A&M so I can go and play against them? If I did that, you ought to say, ‘That’s the dumbest human being’ , and I do not want him to be my coach. ‘”
Fisher delivered on his promise of spurring LSU for College Station, Texas. There’s little question that the stability at Texas A&M played a major role in the decisions. The three teams vying for the No. 1 spot in the recruiting rankings were Fisher’s Texas A&M, Nick Saban’s Alabama and Kirby Smart’s Georgia.
Fisher is locked up with the Aggies until 2031. Saban was extended through 2029. Smart’s contract only runs through 2024, but there’s little question a massive extension is coming after winning the Bulldogs’ first national championship since 1980.
Achieving stature as the nation’s top overall class in 2022 is a first for both Texas A&M and Fisher, who reeled in the No. 2 class in 2011 at Florida State. Two years later, that class played a critical role in the Seminoles winning a national championship. Texas A&M has not won a national title since 1939 or a conference championship since 1998.
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