IU football national signing day: Meet the Hoosiers' 2022 recruiting class

Today is the opening of the early signing period and high school football players across the country are putting pen to paper, choosing their college destinations.

Here is a closer look at Indiana's 2022 recruiting class. We'll update as the signings are officially announced by the school.

In his own words: Here's what Tom Allen had to say about each member of IU's top-20 class

Insider: Despite brutal 2021, Tom Allen won on signing day, and is winning in transfer portal

Osterman: Signing day latest example Big Ten's East-West divisions are too lopsided, need a rethink

(Hit refresh for updates.)

WR Cameron Camper

Hometown (School): Lancaster, Texas (Trinity Valley Community College)

Height/Weight: 6-2/190

Rating: 3 stars; (JUCO ranks) No. 25 in nation, No. 2 in state, No. 2 at position

Note: Camper picked the Hoosiers over offers from Central Florida, Hawaii, Liberty, New Mexico and Toledo, among others. "As a player he wants to play at the highest level possible, and obviously, you can't get much better than the Big Ten," Trinity Valley coach Sherard Poteet told Peegs.com's Matt Weaver. "I think the opportunity he has at Indiana is very intriguing to him... His best football is ahead of him. He was kind of a late bloomer coming out of high school, and that’s the biggest reason why he's here."

WR Omar Cooper

Lawrence North Wildcats wide receiver Omar Cooper (11) rushes the ball up the field Friday, Nov. 12, 2021 at Lawrence North High School, in Indianapolis. Center Grove defeated Lawrence North Wildcats, 29-19, for the IHSAA Class 6A Regional championship.
Lawrence North Wildcats wide receiver Omar Cooper (11) rushes the ball up the field Friday, Nov. 12, 2021 at Lawrence North High School, in Indianapolis. Center Grove defeated Lawrence North Wildcats, 29-19, for the IHSAA Class 6A Regional championship.

Hometown (High School): Indianapolis (Lawrence North)

Height/Weight: 6-1/185

Rating: 4 stars; No. 310 in nation, No. 8 in state, No. 47 at position

Note: Cooper caught 43 passes for 702 yards and seven touchdowns as a senior to lead the Wildcats to their first sectional championship in 31 years. Cooper finished his career with 132 receptions for 2,856 yards and 24 TDs.

S Phillip Dunnam

Hometown (High School): Miami, Fla. (North Miami Beach)

Height/Weight: 6-1/180

Rating: 3 stars; No. 617 in nation, No. 85 in state, No. 53 at position

Note: 247Sports' Allen Trieu listed Dunnam among his "Five unsung Big Ten commits" last week. "Dunnam is a three-star on the 247Sports Composite, but 247Sports' in-house rankings recently rose him into the four-star range. Despite that, he still may not be well-known among Big Ten fans, but our staff is confident he has the length and athleticism will make him a difference maker for the Hoosiers." Dunnam played both ways as a junior, catching 42 passes for 710 yards and 10 touchdowns on offense and three interceptions on defense.

TE Brody Foley

Anderson linebacker Brody Foley (17) lines up during their scrimmage against Hughes, Friday, Aug. 6, 2021.
Anderson linebacker Brody Foley (17) lines up during their scrimmage against Hughes, Friday, Aug. 6, 2021.

Hometown (High School): Cincinnati, Ohio (Anderson)

Height/Weight: 6-6/235

Rating: 3 stars; No. 494, No. 16 in state, No. 26 at position

Note: Foley was recently named Division II All-Ohio First Team. The 6-6-inch, 235-pounder was a force on defense with two sacks and an interception and had 13 catches for 129 yards for five touchdowns. Foley had been committed to Tennessee since spring. "He believes Indiana is a great fit with the new offensive staff," Anderson coach Evan Dreyer told the Cincinnati Enquirer.

More: Here's what Indiana can expect from Anderson's Brody Foley

DL Nick James

Hometown (High School): Bradenton, Fla. (IMG Academy)

Height/Weight: 6-2/278

Rating: 4 stars; No. 284 in nation, No. 34 in state, No. 36 at position

Note: A signing day late addition, James had 30 offers, including from the likes of Alabama, Penn State, Oklahoma, Georgia, USC, Auburn, Florida State and Florida. Rivals.com's Ryan Wright wrote of James: "Playing for national powerhouse IMG Academy, James has been tested in games and maybe more so in practice. Not the biggest defensive tackle out there, but James gets the job done. His addition to the roster instantly adds more depth and talent."

LB Isaiah Jones

Hometown (High School): London, Ohio (London)

Height/Weight: 6-2/215

Rating: 3 stars; No. 943 in nation, No. 29 in state, No. 90 at position

Note: A first-team Division III All-Ohio pick as a senior, Jones posted 115 tackles and three sacks this season. He was a second team all-state as a junior, recording 63 tackles, 5.5 sacks, and one fumble recovery.

OT Bray Lynch

Hometown (High School): Austin, Texas (Westlake)

Height/Weight: 6-5/280

Rating: 3 stars; No. 979 in nation, No. 136 in state, No. 88 at position

Note: Lynch has made 28 straight starts at left tackle for Texas power Westlake, which is one win shy of a third straight state title. “He’s a really athletic guy, (and) his toughness has gone off the charts,” Westlake coach Todd Dodge told the Austin American-Statesman. “He’s an absolute veteran and has worked his tail off in the weight room to get stronger. He was really good last year, but he’s that much better this year and is just knocking the production top off week-in and week-out.” For Westlake, Lynch protects the blind side of Clemson QB recruit Cade Klubnik. “Bray is the type of guy who you want at left tackle protecting my back side and is someone that you can trust,” Klubnik told the American-Statesman. “He’s such a great leader when it comes to the starting offensive line and the backups and is someone you can always count on. As a player — he’s just a dog. He’s so tough and is never one to take a play off. He’s always trying to be the team offensive lineman of the week.

ATH Jaylin Lucas

Hometown: New Orleans (Edna Karr)

Height/Weight: 5-7/170

Rating: 3 stars; No. 886 in nation, No. 38 in state, No. 64 at position

Note: Previously committed to Tulane, Lucas was a surprise signing day addition, Lucas picked the Hoosiers over offers from Florida Atlantic, Louisville, among others.

EDGE Dasan McCullough

Bloomington High School South's Dasan McCullough (1) and Daeh McCullough (5) line up for a play during a football game against New Albany Aug. 20 at South. The host Panthers won the season opener, 50-20.
Bloomington High School South's Dasan McCullough (1) and Daeh McCullough (5) line up for a play during a football game against New Albany Aug. 20 at South. The host Panthers won the season opener, 50-20.

Hometown (High School): Bloomington, Ind. (Bloomington South)

Height/Weight: 6-2/220

Rating: 4 stars; No. 58 in nation, No. 2 in state, No. 5 at position

Note: A senior all-state selection and IU's highest-rated recruit in the ratings era, McCullough had 55 tackles, including a team high six for loss, two interceptions and two fumble recoveries. He is the son of Hoosiers' running backs coach Deland McCullough.

Dopirak: IU's top recruit Dasan McCullough is perfect defender for the modern game

TE Ryan Miller

Hometown (High School): Chagrin Falls, Ohio (Kenston)

Height/Weight: 6-6/215

Rating: 3 stars; No. 726 in nation, No. 21 in state, No. 35 at position

Note: Miller sustained fractures to his L1, L2 and L3 vertebrae while recovering an onside kick in Week 3 of his senior season. He was back on the field eight weeks later and scored a touchdown in his return after getting clearance from doctors and the IU coaching staff. “It’s amazing,” Miller told the News-Herald. “You lose a little of your purpose when you think you’re done for the year and you’re sitting in a wheelchair on the sideline. So it feels amazing to be back out there.”

CB James Monds III

James Monds III, corner back, Vero Beach High School
James Monds III, corner back, Vero Beach High School

Hometown (High School): Vero Beach, Fla. (Vero Beach)

Height/Weight: 5-10/177

Rating: 3 stars; No. 612 in nation, No. 84 in state, No. 56 at position

Note: Monds is ranked No. 2 on the TCPalm Super 11 and was a first-team Class 6A all-state selection at Fort Pierce Westwood in 2020. He has been selected to TCPalm's all-area first-team in both football and soccer each of the past two seasons. A standout cover corner, Monds broke up 19 passes and intercepted six passes in his sophomore and junior seasons. He was targeted just 10 times in 2020. "Without a shadow of a doubt, the kid has major ball skills and he’s just a student of the game," James Monds Jr., told the Daytona News Journal. "Since his freshman year, part of our regimen at home is to study film. Any kid can make a play, but he had those ball skills that he can make big plays and he can make it hurt." He narrowed his choices to Indiana, Nebraska and Wisconsin. "I loved the coaches and the family atmosphere. A couple of the kids who are committed there are guys I’ve played against in 7-on-7 and I’ve known them, so I feel like it all played a hand in me choosing the school," Bonds wrote for the DNJ.

OL DJ Moore

Hometown (High School): Fort Wayne (Snider)

Height/Weight: 6-5/320

Rating: 3 stars; No. 431 in nation, No. 10 in state, No. 20 at position

Note: A first-team all-state selection, Moore visited IU’s campus on June 18, hosted by former Snider teammate Randy Holtz. It’s unknown at this point whether Moore’s pass-protection skills will translate best to tackle or guard in college, but his positional versatility help. “The biggest plus that he brings to us with that size is he’s very athletic, he moves very well, has great feet,” Snider head coach Kurt Tippman said. “He bends like a DB.”

CB Trevell Mullen

Trevell Mullen committed to play for Tom Allen and Indiana football on Sunday.
Trevell Mullen committed to play for Tom Allen and Indiana football on Sunday.

Hometown (High School): Pompano Beach, Fla. (Coconut Creek)

Height/Weight: 5-11/150

Rating: 4 stars; No. 241 in nation, No. 27 in state, No. 29 at position

Note: Mullen isn’t coming to IU solely because of his brother Tiawan, who was an All-American for IU as a sophomore in 2020, but Trevell does like the idea of building off what Tiawan has started. In his first two seasons, Tiawan went to January bowl games in both. This past season ended in disappointment, both for the Hoosiers and Tiawan, who was injured for a big portion of 2021. “I really want to go there and do better things,” Trevell said. “When I was talking to (Tiawan), he was like ‘Don’t come here and do the same thing I’m doing, man. Just be better than me. Do bigger stuff than me.’”

RB Gi'Bran Payne

La Salle running back Gi'Bran Payne runs the ball during the football game against Moeller,  Friday, Sept. 24, 2021.
La Salle running back Gi'Bran Payne runs the ball during the football game against Moeller, Friday, Sept. 24, 2021.

Hometown (High School): Cincinnati, Ohio (LaSalle)

Height/Weight: 5-10/190

Rating: 4 stars; No. 266 in nation, No. 10 in state, No. 22 at position

Note: Payne was a three-year starter for coach Pat McLaughlin and when healthy was effective. Though he was limited the past two seasons, he was a scoring threat whenever he had the ball on the ground or through the air. His sophomore season, he ran for 790 yards, including 129 in the La Salle's Division II championship game.

CB Jamari Sharpe

Hometown (High School): Miami, Fla. (Northwestern)

Height/Weight: 6-1/175

Rating: 3 stars; No. 906 in nation, No. 120 in state, No. 82 at position

Note: Sharpe, also a track standout, had 13 reported offers including Georgia Tech, LSU, Missouri, Mississippi State and Rutgers. 247Sports' Andrew Ivins wrote of Sharpe: “any Power 5 school in need of a high school cornerback in advance of December's Early Signing Period should probably take a good hard look at Sharpe... (He) is very green and far from a complete product, but he has the size and speed everyone wants on the outside as he's close to 6-foot-1 and has gone as low as 10.69 in the 100-meter dash. Sharpe – by our count – was targeted four times in coverage. He didn't surrender a catch and should have been credited with at least one pass break up.”

OT Carter Smith

Olentangy Liberty's Carter Smith (65), Ryan Repasky (56) and the rest of the offensive line look to the sideline for the play before getting set during a game against Dublin Coffman on Sept. 4, 2020, at Olentangy Liberty High School in Powell, Ohio.
Olentangy Liberty's Carter Smith (65), Ryan Repasky (56) and the rest of the offensive line look to the sideline for the play before getting set during a game against Dublin Coffman on Sept. 4, 2020, at Olentangy Liberty High School in Powell, Ohio.

Hometown (High School): Powell, Ohio (Olentangy Liberty)

Height/Weight: 6-5/280

Rating: 3 stars; No. 622 in nation, No. 18 in state, No. 55 at position

Note: A first-team Division I All-Ohio selection, Smith chose the Hoosiers over offers from Tennessee, Northwestern, Ole Miss and Virginia, among others. “I never thought I would make it this far,” Smith wrote on his social media post announcing his commitment. “It was after my sophomore season that I decided I wanted to play football at the next level. With the support of my peers and family, I’m so excited to say I made it.” A long-term target for Tom Allen and his staff, Smith appears an important addition in 2022, both for his long-term potential and also the talent his offer list reflects. Smith’s film shows him playing right tackle primarily at Olentangy Liberty, with good footwork and the sort of positive leverage you’d expect from a player listed at 6-5, 280 pounds. His volleyball background also suggests enviable athleticism for his size, an important tool for college offensive tackles.

DL Venson Sneed

Hometown (High School): Winter Park, Fla. (Winter Park)

Height/Weight: 6-4/240

Rating: 3 stars; No. 502 in nation, No. 66 in state, No. 74 at position

Note: A former Tennessee commit, Sneed made 28 tackles, including 10 tackles for loss and three sacks in eight games this past season. “Best things about my game, I believe, are my strength and then I just make a big factor in the game because, wherever I go, the ball always has to run away from me,” Sneed told the Orlando Sentinel. “Because if not, I’m gonna stop the ball."

DL Richard Thomas

Hometown (High School): Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (American Heritage)

Height/Weight: 6-2/255

Rating: 3 stars; No. 521 in nation, No. 69 in state, No. 76 at positino

Note: In 2020, Thomas had 64 tackles, 10 tackles for loss and seven sacks, playing a key role on the Class 5A state champions. As a sophomore, Thomas had up 77 tackles, 14 tackles for loss and seven sacks. He was a Sun Sentinel second-team All-County pick as a sophomore and as a junior. “The amazing coaching staff... really drew me to Indiana,” Thomas told the Sun-Sentinel. “And they fit me because they told me the way they were going to use me and make me a better player on the field... I am looking forward to (grinding) and (making) my way to play early to reach my goal to be developed as a greater athlete and winning the Big 10 with my Hoosier family.

LB Kaiden Turner

Hometown (High School): Fayetteville, Ark. (Fayetteville)

Height/Weight: 6-2/218

Rating: 3 stars; N/A in nation, No. 16 in state, No. 142 at position

Note: Turner leads Fayetteville with 77 tackles (32 solo, 45 assists), including eight sacks and 20 tackles for loss. He's a leader of a senior-dominated team at Fayetteville that will play for a state championship one year after finishing 4-7. "Indiana is getting a steal with KT," Fayetteville LBs coach Jeff Bowerman told ArkansasOnline.com. "I've coached other elite linebackers but he is special. He is gifted athletically, there's no doubt about that. But what makes him elite is that he is a coach on the field, a true leader. He demands perfection out of himself and that becomes contagious with the rest of our defense, making the entire group play at an exceptional level. Coaching a young man like him occurs once in a lifetime. He has been a tremendous blessing to this team." Turner was an all-conference pick as a junior at inside linebacker posting, 95 tackles with 5.5 sacks. "He's an unbelievable player who's a blue-collar type kid and the ultimate leader," Fayetteville coach Casey Dick told ArkansasOnline.com. "He's the hardest worker on our team who's here first and stays late. Our kids follow him and respond to him and that's awesome to see."

This story will be updated.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: National signing day: 2022 Indiana football recruits list, bios