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Recruiting: Top 25 College Football Rankings

SI All-American updates the class of 2022 team recruiting rankings for the month of October

John Garcia, Jr.

The Early Signing Period is right around the corner and college football programs are aligning themselves for top prospects ahead of the mid-December window to make things official. 

With pandemic-laden restrictions relaxed since games began in September, Saturday visits have begun to shape the tail-end of the recruiting cycle considering in-person contact is back to a traditional state in the recruiting game. 

As the calendar turns to October, Penn State continues to pace the nation with the combination of its biggest class, at 25 members, as well as balanced quality on offense and defense throughout the list of pledges. Alabama and Notre Dame continue to jockey back and forth thereafter while programs like Texas, Florida, Michigan, Michigan State and Ole Miss make moves up the list. The Spartans and Rebels hadn't previously made the Top 25 cut. 

The SI All-American rankings focus on quality recruits, including SI99 members, premium position prospects as well as addressing team needs. 

1. Penn State (No. 1 in September)

25 Verbal Commits, 4 SI99 Members

James Franklin and company have the most complete class int he country and rounded out the trench haul with the addition of offensive tackle Andre Roye of late. 

2. Alabama (3)

15 Verbal Commitments, 7 SI99 Members

The Crimson Tide and Irish continue to flip flip in the spot behind Penn State, having added No. 1 offensive tackle prospect Elijah Pritchett. The Columbus (Ga.) Carver star becomes the seventh SI99 prospect to pick the program, trailing only Clemson in reeling in the nation's top prospects in the cycle. 

3. Notre Dame (2)

21 Verbal Commitments, 6 SI99 Members

The Irish class is rock solid across the board and will be hard to picture outside of the top five regardless of what happens down the home stretch. It has a half-dozen SI99 prospects on board and are in play for more. 

4. Oregon (5)

20 Verbal Commitments, 2 SI99 Members

The Ducks have been steady adding talent over the last few months and picked up Ben Roberts on the defensive interior. Nine trench talents are on board for Mario Cristobal to date. 

5. Georgia (6)

17 Verbal Commitments, 4 SI99 Members

Here comes Georgia, back in the top five having added in-state edge Carlton Madden to the fold in September. As per usual, Kirby Smart and his staff have an eye on several big fish as closing time draws near. Expect the Dawgs to have a strong October and beyond on the trail. 

6. Texas (7)

21 Verbal Commitments, 3 SI99 Members

Picking up an SI99 prospect in the versatile Justice Finkley, out of Alabama, is the type of SEC-like grab Steve Sarkisian has to compile on the road to getting the Longhorns back to where they are perceived to be. 

7. Ohio State (4)

14 Verbal Commitments, 5 SI99 Members

The Buckeyes rival Clemson and Alabama for the top pound-for-pound classes despite less volume and of course more elites yet to make the final call have OSU in the mix. 

8. Texas A&M (7)

14 Verbal Commitments, 4 SI99 Members

A&M may not take a massive class in 2022 but the quality is there, including at critical spots like the trenches and at quarterback in one of the nation's best, Connor Weigman. 

9. Clemson (9)

12 Verbal Commitments, 8 SI99 Members

Clemson hasn't added a new commitment since July but the secondary haul is among the nation's best and No. 1 QB Cade Klubnik looks primed to cap his prep career with another state championship. 

10. LSU (10)

15 Verbal Commitments, 3 SI99 Members

The Tigers cling to a top 10 spot with several programs on their heels, but also with a lot of elite targets still on the board locally. A move up the rankings is likely, though headliner QB recruit Walker Howard will be visiting another program this weekend. 

11. Florida State (11)

18 Verbal Commitments, 2 SI99 Members 

The nation's top prospect still plans on being a Seminole despite the 0-4 start for Mike Norvell's 2021 team. But the class has strengths beyond Travis Hunter, including eight additional Florida natives (Hunter is from West Palm Beach but plays in Georgia) on the commitment list. 

12. Michigan (14)

18 Verbal Commitments, 2 SI99 Members

The Wolverines are playing well on the field and added considerable trench help in September including Midwest defensive tackle Kenneth Grant and Connecticut offensive tackle Alessandro Lorenzetti. Tight end Marlin Klein and Alabama do-it-all defender Deuce Spurlock, who picked UM while on an official visit, is a sneaky strong get. 

13. Oklahoma (12)

14 Verbal Commitments, 1 SI99 Member

The Sooners are still in neutral after the August decommitment of Luther Burden, but continue to boast a strong skill position group including SI99 slot and running back hybrid Raleek Brown. 

14. Boston College (13)

22 Verbal Commitments

BC's big class hasn't had movement in some time, and that's a good thing when paired with the strong on-field start in Chestnut Hill. 

15. Florida (20)

14 Verbal Commitments, 2 SI99 Members

The Gators added interior offensive lineman Jalen Farmer to fill a major position of need that had been viewed as a negative thus far in the cycle. More could be on the way, too, as prospect continue to talk about that atmosphere in Gainesville when Alabama was in town. 

16. North Carolina (17)

14 Verbal Commitments, 1 SI99 Member

UNC has been selective in the 2022 class but there is a bevy of spot talent, including new running back George Pettaway, who is the speed to counter fellow commitment Omarion Hampton's power in Mack Brown's future 1-2 punch. 

17. South Carolina (15)

16 Verbal Commitments

The Gamecocks picked up yet another defender in September in Florida's Bryan Thomas Jr. as Shane Beamer and company load up on defense. USC has a bevy of secondary prospects pledged along with one of the most interesting developmental QB prospects nationally in Braden Davis. 

18. Michigan State (NR)

20 Verbal Commitments

The big class added a marquee in-state prospect in the versatile Dillon Tatum, who is likely a defensive back in the Big Ten. The MSU secondary class is one of the nation's best and the opinion of class headliner Katin Houser continues to grow the more we see the St. John Bosco signal caller at work. 

19. Rutgers (16)

15 Verbal Commitments

The Scarlet Knights did not lose a verbal commitment but slide because of attrition to the class in Gavin Wimsatt. The quarterback elected to forgo his senior year of high school and enroll at RU this fall, making him a retroactive class of 2021 signee. The Knights did add a September pledge in the meantime with in-stater Thomas Amankwaa.

20. Arkansas (21)

18 Verbal Commitments

The Hogs are up a spot sine the September ranking having picked up Tennessee defensive back prospect Anthony Brown in the middle of the month. 

21. Virginia Tech (18)

22 Verbal Commitments

Steady as she goes for Tech's class, tied with Boston College for the biggest in the ACC to date. 

22. Mississippi State (22)

18 Verbal Commitments

The Bulldogs hold at No. 22 in the class rankings with their balanced class of offensive and defensive recruits, including a big haul in the secondary.  

23. Stanford (25)

18 Verbal Commitments

The Cardinal dipped into the Peach State for a September secondary commitment from Terian Williams II, a savvy defender with cover skills and instincts that can land him on the island at corner or potentially as a nickel in the Pac-12.  

24. West Virginia (23)

17 Verbal Commitments

West Virginia is circling the wagons on some of their top uncommitted targets but haven't landed a new commitment since the summer months. 

25. Ole Miss (NR)

15 Verbal Commitments

Ahead of their game against the Crimson Tide, Lane Kiffin and company added a pair of Alabamians to the commitment list in running back Quinshon Judkins and former Auburn commitment Jarell Stinson. The class is notably missing a quarterback, but the Rebels have yet to suffer a decommitment to date.

Dropped out: Baylor (19), Iowa State (24)

Under consideration: Baylor, Missouri, Indiana, Cincinnati, Georgia Tech, Kentucky

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John Garcia, Jr.
JOHN GARCIA, JR.

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