College Football Recruiting 2012: Ranking the Top 10 Recruiting Classes

College football recruiting is in full swing right now as teams prepare for the kickoff of the 2011 season and attempt to pick up verbal commitments from prospects who will be the building blocks of their respective programs for the next four years.

Some teams have already come close to completing their 2012 recruiting classes, while some others are off to a slow start, but realize they have plenty of time to haul in one of the nation's top recruiting classes next February.

The smaller classes may not have a large number of commitments right now, but the verbal pledges they have received are ranked highly and stand head and shoulders above a lot of the players in some of the fuller recruiting classes.

Here is a look at the top 10 recruiting classes for the 2012 season as of July 11. 

Honorable Mentions: Alabama Crimson Tide and Clemson Tigers

The Alabama Crimson Tide are surprisingly off to a slow start in terms of verbal commitments for their 2012 recruiting class.

The Tide had the No. 1 recruiting class in 2011, according to Rivals.com, with 22 commitments, which included 14 4-star and three 5-star prospects, but only five of their 14 class of 2012 commits have a 4-star rating.

Nick Saban and his staff did make a big splash last August when they got a commitment from the No. 20 overall prospect and No. 3 safety Eddie Williams (Panama City, FL). The 4-star Arnold High School standout is by far the best player in this class and will have a chance to play early with senior free safety Mark Barron graduating after this season. 

The Clemson Tigers also barely miss the cut to be one of the top 10 classes of 2012 so far. 

Do not fret, though, Clemson fans; Dabo Swinney is pulling in a class with many talented players. Clemson has 13 verbal commitments, led by 4-star and No. 2 cornerback prospect Travis Blanks (Tallahassee, FL). The Tigers also have a verbal commitment from the No. 6 rated athlete Germone Hopper (Charlotte, NC).

Clemson's current class appears to be focused on reloading their secondary with three defensive back commitments and two athletes who could play on the defensive side of the ball. The Tigers are also focused on building a solid foundation of offensive linemen with three commitments up front. 

No. 10: Oklahoma Sooners

The Oklahoma Sooners have 10 verbal commitments in their 2012 class, and six of them are rated as 4-star prospects. This class is small right now, but is chock full of talent, which justifies its place in the top 10 classes.

4-star wide receiver Durron Neal (St. Louis, MO) is the top rated prospect in the Sooners' class, at No. 32 overall in the Rivals.com Top 100. Oklahoma also has a potential star lineman in John Michael McGee (Texarkana, TX). McGee is ranked by Rivals.com as the No. 2 offensive guard and No. 82 overall prospect.

Overall, Oklahoma's class is very offensive minded with seven commitments on that side of the ball. A couple of these players, including McGee and Neal, will have a chance to play right away. The Sooners currently have three offensive linemen commits, but it is likely only one of them will have a chance to play as a freshman.

No. 9: Southern California Trojans

This selection may be a surprise to a lot of people, but I like the make up of Southern California's class right now. The Trojans have just nine verbal commitments, but seven of them are ranked inside the top 200 of the Rivals.com Top 250 prospects.

USC's top recruit for 2012 is 4-star defensive end and No. 3 strong side defensive end Arik Armstead (Elk Grove, CA) , who is the No. 23 overall prospect. The Trojans also have the No. 46 overall prospect, outside linebacker Jabari Ruffin (Downey, CA), verbally committed to their 2012 class.

Southern Cal's class is strong early on, but will still likely be small in numbers come February due to their scholarship reduction for the next three years stemming from the Reggie Bush scandal. This, however, will be the only thing holding the Trojans back from a top five class when its all said and done, but expect just about everyone in their class highly touted to be able to compete for early playing time.

No. 8: Auburn Tigers

Gene Chizik pulled in a top 10 class in his second year as head coach of the Auburn Tigers in 2011 and is well on his way to repeating that feat in 2012. The Tigers class is much like USC's, small in size (10 prospects), but loaded with talent (8 commits are 4-star prospects).

Top five running back and No. 58 overall prospect T.J. Yeldon (Daphne, AL) may be the most heralded prospect in the Tigers' 2012 class, but 4-star quarterback Zeke Pike is by far the most important.

Pike, who is the No. 3 rated pro-style quarterback and No. 72 overall prospect, is expected to be the quarterback of the future for Auburn and depending on how the team's quarterbacks fare this year he may be asked to produce as a true freshman.

The Tigers have loaded up on offense early with six of their 10 commits, which should help maintain Auburn's electric offense from 2010 when they are able to see the field in 2012 and beyond. 

No. 7: Miami (FL) Hurricanes

Miami (FL)'s new head coach Al Golden may have come from the small and irrelevant Temple University, but he has worked quickly on the recruiting trail to send a warning shot out to the other teams in the ACC Conference. 

Golden and the Hurricanes have 20 players verbally committed to their 2012 class. Seven of them are rated as 4-star prospects by Rivals.com

The Hurricanes need to rebuild at a lot of positions, which is why they have three commits at quarterback, wide receiver and defensive back, along with four linebackers and defensive ends.

Miami hopes to bring back the vintage defenses from the 1980's and early 1990's, and Golden is off to a great start.

Local commits Jelani Hamilton (Fort Lauderdale, FL) and Amos Legget (Homestead, FL) headline the Hurricanes class of 2012. Hamilton a 4-star defensive end and is the No. 79 overall prospect according to Rivals.com, while Legget is the No. 104 overall prospect, No. 11 cornerback and a 4-star player.

Look for a lot of the members of the Hurricanes' 2012 class to produce early and often in South Beach.

No. 6: LSU Tigers

Les Miles may have been flirting with the Michigan job in the offseason, but it has not affected his recruiting one bit. LSU's 2012 recruiting class has 15 verbal commitments, and seven of them are 4-star prospects. 

LSU's main focus has been on pass catchers, defensive backs and defensive ends. The Tigers have three commits at the defensive back, linebacker and wide receiver positions. LSU also has commitments from two of the country's top 15 tight ends.

Once again, LSU has fenced in their home state and picked a couple of players from out of state, but do not have any recruits committed from outside of the southern states. Thirteen of LSU's 15 commitments are from the state of Louisiana.

Wide receiver Avery Johnson (Pompano Bead, FL) is the No. 43 overall prospect and No. 5 wideout according to Rivals.com and is the most coveted player in the Tigers' class of 2012.

No. 5: Texas A&M Aggies

Texas A&M has the most verbal commitments in the nation at the moment with 22, which should make them the top class right? Well, it would if they had more then seven 4-star prospects. As it stands right now, though, the Aggies have 13 3-star commits and two players rated lower then 3-stars. 

The Aggies are pretty much finished with their 2012 class, so I do not see them climbing much higher in the team rankings by February. Texas A&M has put together a solid and very balanced class with 12 offensive and 10 defensive commitments, but they lack a substantial number of play-makers who can step in and play early.

Running back Trey Williams (Spring, TX) is head and shoulders above everyone in the Aggies recruiting class. The 4-star Dekaney High School standout is ranked by Rivals.com as the No. 2 running back and the No. 24 overall prospect in the country. 

No. 4: Florida Gators

Urban Meyer may have retired and been replaced by former Texas defensive coordinator Will Muschamp, but the Florida Gators are still on their way to pulling in a top five recruiting class in 2012.

The Gators have a modest 13 commitments, but nine of them are 4-star prospects, which leaves little doubt as to why they are ranked so high on this list. 

Florida has focused on going out and getting playmakers on the offensive side of the ball and large yet lean prospects on the defensive side of the ball. There is no doubt Florida's 2012 class will be one of the most athletic and possibly the speediest recruiting class in the country.

Rivals.com No. 49 ranked prospect Jessamen Dunker (Boynton Beach, FL) highlights the Gators' current commitments. Dunker is a 4-star prospect and the No. 11 offensive tackle. Cornerback Brian Poole, who is rated as the No. 75 overall prospect, also stands out in Florida's recruiting class.

A commitment from 5-star defensive end Darius Hamilton (Ramsey, NJ), who is very excited about his upcoming visit to Florida, could push the Gators into the top three classes in the country. 

No. 3: Michigan Wolverines

I do not think anyone expected the Michigan Wolverines to be this successful on the recruiting trail so early under new head coach, and somewhat unknown, Brady Hoke. The Wolverines have 20 commitments in their 2012 class, and 10 prospects have a 4-star rating by Rivals.com.

Michigan's class is headlined by 4-star offensive tackles Kyle Kalis (Lakewood, OH) and Erik Magnuson (Carlsbad, CA). Kalis is the No. 4 offensive tackle and No. 18 overall prospect, while Magnuson is the No. 8 offensive tackle and No. 34 overall prospect.

The Wolverines 2012 class is mainly about rebuilding their offensive and defensive lines, which will suffer a lot of natural attrition due to graduation after the 2011 season. They have done a great job so far by picking up five offensive linemen and four defensive linemen.

No. 2 Florida State Seminoles

Florida State is one of just two schools who have a commitment from a five-star prospect, and they have two of them. The Seminoles also have six 4-star prospects and five prospects rated 3-stars or lower. Florida State's class boasts five prospects from the Rivals Top 100 list.

The Seminoles' defensive front is going to be downright frightening in the near future, with commitments from the top two defensive ends in the country. 

5-star defensive end Mario Edwards (Denton, TX) is the No. 2 overall prospect in the nation, and he will be teaming up with the No. 11 overall prospect and No 2 defensive end Donte Fowler Jr. (St. Petersburg, FL).

The scariest thing about Florida State's class of 2012 right now is how highly ranked they are despite only securing 13 verbal commitments. I expect Florida State to pick up some more big names and in-state talent between now and February and have the No. 1 recruiting class on National Signing Day. 

No. 1: Texas Longhorns

The Texas Longhorns have the most talented and deepest class in the entire country right now for 2012. Head coach Mack Brown is on his way to pulling in his most talented class ever, with 18 verbal commitments, which includes seven players ranked in the Rivals.com Top 100.

The nation's No. 1 running back Johnathan Gray (Aledo, TX) is a 5-star prospect and could win the starting job as a true freshman at Texas. To help quarterback Garrett Gilbert in the future, the Longhorns went out and got a top three wide receiver in Cayleb Jones (Austin, TX) for its 2012 class as well.

The Longhorns' focus thus far has been restocking the defensive line, with five commitments, along with three linebackers, to fill out the rest of the box for the Longhorns.

Meanwhile, their focus on offense has been playmakers to help revive their offense, which sputtered in 2010. Texas has a commitment from Gray at running back, two top six wide receivers and the No. 4 pro-style quarterback Connor Brewer (Scottsdale, AZ).

The Longhorns have a lengthy lead over their competition for the top 2012 recruiting class, but Florida State has a lot of scholarships left to burn and might be the only team with a chance at pulling in a better class then Texas. 

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