It’s rankings week at Rivals in the 2022 class, and the latest top 250 national rankings were unveiled on Tuesday. As is the case in every rankings update, Notre Dame had some big movers in the rankings and a few slight drops.
Notre Dame does not have a five-star commitment in the 2022 class. The Irish do have two big targets though, and you can read about those players here.
Hilton Head (S.C.) High’s Jaylen Sneed continued his climb closer to five-star status after a very strong summer in which he performed very well at the Under Armour Future 50 Camp and won the Linebacker MVP of the Rivals Five-Star Challenge.
He moved up 14 spots and is now the No. 31 overall prospect nationally. Sneed is the second highest ranked four-star prospect in the rankings. The 6-1, 208-pounder moved up from the No. 5 to No. 3 outside linebacker in America.
When Sneed was named the top linebacker at the Rivals Five-Star Challenge in June, he outperformed the two outside linebacker recruits — CJ Hicks and Gabe Powers — who are ranked higher than him.
“There were few players at the Five-Star Challenge who proved to be as ferocious of a competitor as Sneed,” Rivals.com analyst Josh Helmholdt wrote. “He fought for every football and was not satisfied until he had succeeded. That resulted in multiple, highlight-reel interceptions as well as several pass breakups.”
Notre Dame’s second-highest ranked player of the class is Santa Ana (Calif.) Mater Dei wide receiver CJ Williams. He checks in as the No. 45 player in America, giving the Irish two top-50 commits. He was previously ranked the No. 29 overall recruit.
The Irish’s biggest riser in the Rivals rankings update was Groton (Mass.) Lawrence Academy offensive lineman Ty Chan.
He had a strong showing at the Under Armour Future 50 in June, which played a role in him moving up 75 spots to No. 114 overall. His recruit ranking also improved from a 5.8 (low four-star) to 5.9 (mid four-star).
“Notre Dame four-star tackle Ty Chan had a strong showing against [Alabama commit Jaheim] Oatis, who was otherwise dominant throughout the event,” Rivals.com analyst Sam Spiegelman wrote. “Chan flashed his football IQ, able to anticipate the move and dispel the bull-rush. He’s long and strong enough to pass protect inside, too.”
When Rivals moves some prospects up, that means others will naturally take a slide.
Here are the rest of the Irish commits in the 2022 Rivals250: St. Louis John Burroughs defensive end Tyson Ford (No. 104, down 14 spots), Traverse City (Mich.) Central linebacker Joshua Burnham (No. 156, down 17), Missions Hills (Calif.) Bishop Alemany linebacker Niuafe Tuihalamaka (No. 159, down 16), Vancouver (Wash.) Union wide receiver Tobias Merriweather (No. 161, down seven), Zionsville (Ind.) High offensive lineman Joey Tanona (No. 186, down one) and Denison (Texas) High running back Jadarian Price (No. 240, down five).
Notre Dame has nine committed players in the 2022 Rivals250.
Several notable Notre Dame targets are also listed in the rankings, including Scottsdale (Ariz.) Chaparral defensive end Anthony Lucas, who rose 67 spots to No. 80 overall and Baton Rouge (La.) University Laboratory School cornerback Austin Ausberry, who moved up 105 spots to No. 95 overall.
The other Fighting Irish targets in the Rivals250 are Rancho Santa Margarita (Calif.) Catholic defensive tackle Hero Kanu (No. 87), Las Vegas Bishop Gorman defensive end Cyrus Moss (No. 89), Fond du Lac (Wis.) St. Mary’s Springs offensive guard Billy Schrauth (No. 126) and Huber Heights (Ohio) Wayne offensive tackle Aamil Wagner (No. 203).
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