College Football Recruiting 2012: Where the Remaining Top 10 O-Linemen Will Land

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Just as the foundation of every great football team starts with a solid offensive line, every great recruiting class also begins with great linemen.

The 2012 recruiting class features some of the best offensive line prospects in recent history, and where they choose to go to college will have an impact on the power balance in college football.

According to Rivals.com, the top two offensive linemen have already committed, but there are still 4 and even 5-star lineman undecided.

With signing day still a ways off, here's a look at where I think the Top 10 uncommitted offensive line recruits—according to Rivals—will end up.

No. 202: Brandon Fanaika, Pleasant Grove

Being the fifth-best offensive guard in the 2012 recruiting class, one would think Brandon Fanaika would want to take his time making a decision on where to continue his football career.

However, the 4-star recruit from Pleasant Grove, Utah has already narrowed his choices down to a few schools: Utah, UCLA, BYU, Washington and Stanford.

Still, Fanaika wants to keep his options open and use all five of his official visits before he makes a decision.

As of now, his decision will likely depend on whether he decides to stay in-state or branch out. Should Fanaika choose to stay in Utah, the Utes will have an advantage being in a BCS Conference, but if a school out of state draws him away, it will probably be UCLA.

In the end though, my hunch is that he stays close to home and becomes a Utah Ute.

 

Top College Choices: Utah, UCLA, Stanford, BYU, Washington

Prediction: Utah 

No.199: Patrick Miller, Dwyer

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Though Patrick Miller has received 14 scholarship offers from some of the top college football programs in the country, two schools in particular have separated themselves from the pack: LSU and Auburn.

Miller, who hasn't been shy about making his preferences known, will be graduating after his first semester to get an early start with his new team—meaning his decision will need to be final by December.

Official visits have been planned for both schools, but Miller has already taken several unofficial visits to Baton Rouge, which may be an indication of where he is leaning.

With some of Miller's family from Louisiana and the big-city appeal of New Orleans right by school, LSU might win the recruiting battle for Patrick Miller when it's all said and done.

 

Top College Choices: LSU, Auburn

Prediction: LSU

No. 177: Adam Bisnowaty, Fox Chapel Area

The recruitment of Adam Bisnowaty seems to have come down to a two-horse race.

Officially, Bisnowaty has yet to narrow down his choices to a top five, but the way he has continued to talk about both Pittsburgh and Florida seems to indicate they are the leaders.

Bisnowaty has stated he will likely use his official visits to see both Pittsburgh and Florida, as well as Michigan, Michigan State and Purdue, but it might be Bisnowaty's most recent unofficial visit that gives the best clue as to where he will end up.

Just a couple of weeks ago, Bisnowaty took another visit to Pittsburgh not to watch a practice or talk to a position coach, but instead to meet with academic counselors.

Academics and the prestige of the physical therapy program will weigh heavily on Bisnowaty's decision, and luckily for Pittsburgh, their program ranks among the top in the nation.

 

Top College Choices: Michigan State, Michigan, Purdue, Pittsburgh, Florida

Prediction: Pittsburgh

No. 149: Ronnie Stanley, Bishop Gorman

Ronnie Stanley is one of the offensive line recruits who is hardest to read.

The giant 4-star offensive tackle narrowed his choices down to 12 recently, but doesn't seem to be any closer to making a final decision than he was a few months ago.

Stanley has confirmed he will be taking an official visit to Notre Dame on Oct. 22 to watch the Fighting Irish battle it out with long-time rival USC.

But although USC, Notre Dame and Arizona (among others) are all very much still in the mix, the appeal of playing in the SEC for the defending champion Auburn Tigers could be enough of a selling point to land Stanley. 

 

Top College Choices: Auburn, Arizona, Notre Dame, USC, etc.

Prediction: Auburn

No. 45: Jordan Simmons, Crespi

There have been all sorts of rumors surrounding the recruitment of the nation's top offensive guard prospect, Jordan Simmons, but none have been bigger than the latest suggesting he had narrowed his college choices to three schools.

Simmons, who has continued to be very candid about his recruiting process, has recently mentioned the possibility of playing alongside four other top linemen recruits at USC—Andrus Peat, Joshua Garnett, Zach Banner and Max Tuerk. 

As provocative of an idea as that may be to USC fans, the more likely destination for Simmons might be Oregon.

The Ducks possess a very important connection for Simmons, who wants to one day become a shoe designer—Nike. That, along with the superior facilities the Ducks have, makes Oregon a very attractive choice for Simmons.

 

Top College Choices: Cal, Washington, Oregon, Notre Dame, Colorado, etc.

Prediction: Oregon

No. 38: Avery Young, Palm Beach Gardens

If anybody has taken their time throughout this recruiting process, it's Avery Young.

The 4-star offensive tackle from Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. has been heavily pursued by about a dozen schools, but seems to unofficially be between Georgia and Florida.

Florida has already pulled out all the stops in the recruitment of this kid, asking committed lineman Jessamen Dunker to supplement the process.

Though Young has made several unofficial visits to Florida, Georgia remains a top contender even though he has yet to see the Bulldogs' campus.

All indications point to Young making a decision a ways down the line, but right now I like Georgia.

 

Top College Choices: Florida State, Florida, Georgia, Oklahoma, Virginia Tech

Prediction: Georgia

No. 31: Zach Banner, Lakes

There isn't a team in the country that wouldn't love to see the giant 4-star offensive line recruit, Zach Banner, play for them—illustrated by his 29 scholarship offers.

However, it's his plethora of choices that makes it very difficult to predict where he will end up.

That being said, there are little clues out there that might indicate where the Washington standout will end up.

One of the more recent "clues" came from USC commit Arik Armstead, who told uscfootball.com he thought Banner would end up with the Trojans.

Armstead and Banner are similar in a lot of ways, both being tall linemen with football and basketball dreams, so when Armstead says he thinks Banner will become a Trojan, I'll take his word for it.

 

Top College Choices: USC, Notre Dame, Michigan, Washington, Oregon

Prediction: USC 

No. 28: Kyle Murphy, San Clemente

Kyle Murphy, although a 4-star recruit, is one of the most underrated players in the 2012 recruiting class.

Any college football scout will tell you he is easily one of the most skilled big men in the country, and the way Murphy has been recruited is indicative of that opinion.

Murphy has yet to reveal where he will take all of his official visits, but after a recent unofficial to USC, the Trojans have been guaranteed one of his five.

Many people had thought Stanford was the leader in his recruitment, but this trip to USC might have been enough to make the Trojans the front-runner.

 

Top College Choices: Stanford, Florida, USC, Oregon, Notre Dame

Prediction: USC 

No. 22: Joshua Garnett, Puyallup

When 5-star offensive tackle Joshua Garnett was offered by the Miami Hurricanes, the timetable for his decision was extended significantly.

Before the Miami offer, most people expected Garnett to end up on the West Coast, but now most aren't so sure.

Garnett has said he plans to take an official visit to Miami to check out the Hurricanes' program. However, despite his newfound interest in Miami, the West Coast programs still seem to have a bit of an advantage.

Being a University of Washington legacy and a local prospect, the Huskies are still the favorite to land the 5-star lineman.

 

Top College Choices: Stanford, California, Notre Dame, Washington, Oregon

Prediction: Washington

No. 15: Andrus Peat, Corona Del Sol

The nation's top uncommitted offensive line recruit, Andrus Peat, has narrowed his potential college destinations to four schools: Florida State, Texas, Notre Dame and Nebraska.

However, despite the fact that he seems to be ahead of the curve in his recruitment timetable, don't expect Peat to be announcing his commitment anytime soon.

As of now, Florida State seems to be a front-runner after the 5-star prospect announced they would be one of his five official visits.

Still, so much can change between now and signing day—including Peat's top four—so any prediction should be taken with a grain of salt.

 

Top College Choices: Florida State, Texas, Notre Dame, Nebraska

Prediction: Florida State