Travis Hunter lived up to the hype.

The No. 1 recruit in the 2022 cycle won the Heisman Trophy and was selected second in last weekend’s NFL Draft.

Dating to 2010, nine of the 13 recruits who were ranked No. 1 in their respective classes went on to become first-round picks. Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence (Class of 2018) and South Carolina edge rusher Jadeveon Clowney (Class of 2011) were the only two drafted higher than Hunter.

Ten of the 34 five-star recruits in the 2022 cycle were drafted (in their first season eligible), including eight in the first round. That’s already one more first-rounder than from the 2021 cycle, which has had seven of its 35 five-stars selected in Round 1 over the last two drafts.

Every recruiting class has its fair share of draft-day disappointments. Few imagined Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers, the No. 1 player in the 2021 cycle, would last until the seventh round of the 2025 draft. But not every projection pans out.

Hunter’s 2022 class, though, is off to a good start. Here’s a closer look at where things stand with the top-100 recruits in the cycle.

Off to the pros

In all, 35 members of the 2022 recruiting cycle were taken among the first 102 picks (first three rounds). That includes the following five-stars, who were all selected among the first 50 picks:

No. 1 Travis Hunter (first round, second pick)
No. 2 Walter Nolen (first round, 16th pick)
No. 3 Luther Burden III (second round, 39th pick)
No. 4 Mykel Williams (first round, 11th pick)
No. 9 Shemar Stewart (first round, 17th pick)
No. 15 Will Johnson (second round, 47th pick)
No. 16 Josh Conerly (first round, 29th pick)
No. 19 Malaki Starks (first round, 27th pick)
No. 21 Jihaad Campbell (first round, 31st pick)
No. 33 Kelvin Banks (first round, ninth pick)

Former LSU offensive tackle Will Campbell, the second-highest-ranked four-star in the class, went fourth to the Patriots. Linebacker Jalon Walker (Georgia), receiver Tetairoa McMillan (Arizona) and guard Tyler Booker (Alabama) were the other first-round picks who were top-100 recruits in the cycle.

Hawaii’s own Tetairoa McMillan is bringing his dynamic playmaking ability to the league ⭐️@TMAC96795 | @ArizonaFBall

📺: 2025 #NFLDraft – April 24-26 on NFLN/ESPN/ABC
📱: Stream on @NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/QuGhqyn93r

— NFL (@NFL) April 21, 2025

Two other top-100 recruits were drafted (making it 16 overall):

Azareye’h Thomas, CB, Florida State, third round
Shemar James, LB, Florida, fifth round

The only top-100 prospect who entered the draft and did not get selected: Texas receiver Isaiah Bond.

College stars

It should probably surprise no one that 60 of the top 100 recruits in the cycle have already transferred at least once in their college careers. What’s noteworthy is that 14 of the 16 top 100 recruits who were drafted did not transfer, with Hunter and Nolen being the two exceptions.

Alabama cornerback Domani Jackson, the top-ranked remaining recruit in the cycle (No. 5) still playing college football, is one of the transfers thriving in his new school and is a projected first-rounder in 2026. Jackson started 13 games for the Crimson Tide last season after transferring from USC.

There is no clear-cut top quarterback in the 2026 draft, but Clemson’s Cade Klubnik and Penn State’s Drew Allar, both five-stars, will make a run at it. Allar has started 29 games in his career, one more than Klubnik, who owns the fourth-best Heisman odds (+1100) according to BetMGM. Allar is tied for the fifth-best odds (+1400) with UCLA’s Nico Iamaleava.

In all, there are 20 top-100 recruits in the cycle returning with at least 15 college starts on their resume. Here are some of the top returning standouts in the class:

LSU linebacker Harold Perkins (five-star, No. 8): The former Freshman All-American suffered a season-ending ACL injury in a win over UCLA in September and is expected to be cleared in June. Coach Brian Kelly said this spring that Perkins will be moving to the star linebacker position.

Texas offensive lineman DJ Campbell (five-star, No. 10): He started all 16 games for the Longhorns at right guard in 2024 and has 30 career starts.

Oregon receiver Evan Stewart (five-star, No. 11): After missing the Rose Bowl with an injury, Stewart decided to return for his senior season, and he should be one of the best in the country. He caught 48 passes for 613 yards and five touchdowns last season.

Ohio State linebacker Sonny Styles (five-star, No. 12): Styles had 100 tackles as a junior and has started 28 games in his three-year career.

Georgia cornerback Daylen Everette (five-star, No. 28): A third-team All-SEC selection, Everette started 14 games and led the Bulldogs with three interceptions, including two in the league title game victory over Texas.

Penn State defensive lineman Dani Dennis-Sutton (five-star, No. 29): Expected to pick up right where Abdul Carter left off, Dennis-Sutton recorded 13 tackles for loss and 8.5 sacks in 2024.

Penn State running back Nick Singleton (five-star, No. 31): Singleton ran for over 1,000 yards for the second time in his career and will team with Kaytron Allen (No. 155 in the Class of 2022) to form the nation’s top running-back tandem.

Georgia left tackle Earnest Greene (four-star, No. 45): The former Freshman All-American has 23 career starts but missed time last season as he battled injury. He’s the Bulldogs’ most experienced returning lineman.

Iowa safety Xavier Nwankpa (four-star, No. 53): A two-year starter at strong safety, Nwankpa is moving over to free safety this fall, where he’s expected to put up bigger numbers. He had 41 tackles, one pass breakup and zero interceptions in 2024.

Clemson receiver Antonio Williams (four-star, No. 61): Klubnik’s favorite target finished with 75 catches for 904 yards and 11 touchdowns. He has his eyes set on setting several career receiving records this fall.

Looking for fresh starts

We mentioned that 60 percent of the top 100 recruits in the 2022 cycle have changed schools at least once.

None have moved more than cornerback Denver Harris and wide receiver Kevin Coleman. Harris, a five-star, left Texas A&M for LSU in December 2022 and then bolted Baton Rouge for UTSA a year later. He started three games for the Roadrunners this past season and has made six career starts. Coleman, now at Missouri, signed with Jackson State and has also suited up for Louisville and Mississippi State.

Several top-100 prospects from the Class of 2022 who entered the portal this spring still have yet to find a home, including former Oklahoma running back Gavin Sawchuk, former Ohio State and SMU edge rusher Omari Abor and former Miami and Portland State edge rusher Cyrus Moss.

In all, 21 of the top 100 players in the 2022 cycle have yet to start a game after three seasons in college. Abor and Moss are two of them. Here are some other notable players still looking to make an impact.

Syracuse tackle Zach Rice (five-star, No. 13): He played 44 career snaps and appeared in seven games in three seasons for North Carolina and recently committed to Syracuse.

South Carolina defensive lineman Gabriel Brownlow-Dindy (five-star, No. 17): Brownlow-Dindy appeared in eight games in three years at Texas A&M. He transferred in January and signed with South Carolina.

Clemson edge rusher Jeremiah Alexander (five-star, No. 18): The high school teammate of Tigers starting defensive lineman Peter Woods transferred to Clemson in January from Alabama. He played in eight games and a total of 57 snaps in three years with the Crimson Tide.

Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson (five-star, No. 26): He’s appeared in 16 games for the Crimson Tide off the bench and may finally be in line to start in Tuscaloosa.

Louisiana quarterback Walker Howard (four-star, No. 40): ESPN’s No. 1 dual-threat quarterback in the class began his career at LSU before leaving for Ole Miss. He’s played a total of 43 snaps in three seasons but finally appears destined to be a college starter with the Ragin Cajuns.

Ohio State edge rusher Kenyatta Jackson Jr. (four-star, No. 60): There are only four top-100 recruits who have yet to transfer despite not starting a game in three seasons. Jackson is one of them. Buckeyes defensive line coach Larry Johnson said Jackson, who has three career sacks, will be a leader for the defense in 2025.

(Photo: Ron Chenoy / Imagn Images)