Breaking Down the 2022 Rivals250

The first Rivals250 for the Class of 2022 was released on Tuesday.

This past spring and summer have been unlike any other on the recruiting trail, with camps across the country being cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. That's made it a bit more difficult to scout prospects leading up to the 2020 season, which is why the list was delayed compared to previous years.

So, what stood out following the release? Below are a few things that caught my eye.

After a few down years in Pennsylvania, the Class of 2022 is setting up to be one of the state's best since Rivals.com started in 2001. Tuesday's release of the Rivals250 featured 10 soon-to-be juniors from the Keystone Stone. The last time the class finished with that many Pennsylvania prospects was back in 2008. In fact, the state has only finished with double-digit players within the top 250 twice - the 2006 class had an eye-catching 15 players make the cut.

Now, it's important to note that a few of those players will likely drop out in the coming months. It happens every year, but even when that happens, the state is clearly taking a major step in the right direction. The last three classes combined had just 10 players within the final top 250. There's also a handful of intriguing players that could move up in the rankings over the coming months, including Penn State quarterback commit Beau Pribula.

Over the past 20 years, Pennsylvania has averaged 6.5 players within the final Rivals250. That number is even lower the past 10 years, with an average of 5.4. Personally, I'd be surprised if the final ranking in January 2022 includes 10 players from Pennsylvania, but even if two drop out, it'll still be the deepest class in over a decade.

It's a good thing that Pennsylvania is set for one of its best years because another key state, Maryland, looks to be down. The 2020 and 2021 classes in Maryland combined to have 24 players (12 each) within the Rivals250. The 2022 class has just five prospects in the inaugural list. When you look at the players that made the cut, the Nittany Lions are in a good position with McDonogh DE Dani Dennis-Sutton. They may even be the favorite heading into the season, but aside from him, there's work to be done with the other four players - LB Jaishawn Barham, DE Derrick Moore, DE Aaron Wilson and DT Nasir Pearce. Barham was on campus previously while still a member of DeMatha's program, but he's since transferred to St. Frances. In fact, all four of those players are part of the nationally recognized program in Baltimore. Penn State is 0 for 13 at St. Frances the past few years, and if I had to take a guess, that will continue into 2023.

New Jersey and Virginia are two other important states for the Nittany Lions. Out of the two, Virginia has been better to Penn State in recent years, and it feels like there's a good chance that'll continue in 2022. Not only are there 11 Rivals250 prospects in the state - the second-highest total in the past decade - but Penn State is off to strong starts with a few of those players, notably RB George Pettaway, DL Bryce Carter and RB Tevin White. Carter and White have both been on campus already, as have OL Zach Rice and LB Shawn Murphy. Both Rice and Murphy hold five-star ratings. New Jersey has just four players in the Rivals250, which is slightly down from the state's average of 5.5 over the past decade. For those wondering, Virginia has averaged 7.6 Rivals250 prospects since 2013.

The past six months have seen hundreds of camps across the country cancelled, so keep in mind that yesterday's release is going to change a lot. With that said, there are a few players that Penn State thinks very highly of that missed out on the Rivals250.

By now, you should know my feelings on tight end Holden Staes. From what I've been told, both Staes and Jerry Cross are ranked fairly similar on Penn State's recruiting board, yet Staes only holds a three-star rating currently. On top of that, we also learned this week that another Rivals250 tight end, Benji Gosnell, was seriously considering a commitment to Penn State in the days leading up to Staes' commitment. Sources told me that Penn State elected to take Staes over Gosnell, who's currently ranked No. 240 overall. There's no way to sugarcoat this; Staes is just flat-out underrated currently. From talking to those same sources, the staff looks at Staes as a fringe 5.9 or high 5.8 player, which would place him somewhere between that 100-170 range. As long as he performs this season, he'll move up once Rivals is able to scout him more.

Another notable player absent from the list is offensive lineman Tyler Booker, who grew up in Connecticut and now plays for IMG Academy in Florida. Booker was originally assigned a 5.9 rating by Rivals, meaning he was on pace to be a top 120 player. Not only was he not among that list, he wasn't included in the top 250 at all. He still has a four-star rating, but I feel like the original rating was correct. Penn State has him very high on its board.

A few other players outside the 250 include running back Arlen Harris Jr., defensive lineman KJ Miles, wide receiver Peter Kikwata and defensive back Jaeden Gould. After speaking with sources, both Kikwata and Gould are probably fair. Both are really good players, but need to show more this season before joining that elite list. I do know that Penn State thinks highly of both Miles and Harris Jr. The big question with Miles is whether he'll play defensive end or tackle at the next level. I'm under the impression that Penn State likes his potential best at end, but he's already pushing 275-plus pounds, so it feels like he's destined to end up inside. That impacts his projection and played a role in him being left off the inaugural list.

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