College Football Recruiting 2013: Ranking the Top 10 Midwest Prospects

With California, Texas, and Florida getting a ton of the spotlight as far as hot beds, sometimes the Midwest can be overlooked as a region in terms of recruiting. Yet, college coaches and talent evaluators know the region is lush with talent.

For this read, I'm just going to quickly run down and rank the top 10 prospects in the Midwest for 2013. It's a year in Big Ten country and there are some very elite prospects in the land.

Here we go. 

10. DeVeon Smith, RB

Smith is Midwest's version of Keith Ford, as he's 5'11", 210 pounds and has a similar skill set to the Texan rock toter.

Smith doesn't have blazing speed, but he has a good burst to and through holes, and he runs tough. He's rarely knocked off his line, showing solid balance and can break a tackle or two. 

Look for the Michigan commit to lead the Big Ten in yards after contact in a few seasons. 

9. Steven Elmer, OT

A 6'6" OT prospect that weighs nearly 300 pounds, Elmer has starter potential in college. He can play LT or RT, moves his feet well and can bend in his athleticism.

Elmer won't wow you with a mean streak or overwhelming strength, but he can fire out at the snap, position his target and wall him off as a run blocker.

He's committed to Notre Dame. 

8. Kyle Bosch, OL

Bosch is a typical Midwestern OL in the sense that he's a lunch pail type that just works each snap. He'll play snap to whistle, try to maul his target and is physical at the point of attack.

A 6'5', 280 pounder right now, he can play OT or OG. Bosch flashes some foot quickness, works well in a short area and can finish at times.

He's committed to Michigan. 

7. Elijah Daniel, DE

Daniel is a 6'3" DE/OLB prospect that weighs almost 255 pounds. Hailing from Indiana, Daniel can play DE or 3-4 OLB. 

He shows excellent quickness off the ball, can jump on top of a blocker and has the fight and burst to finish on the passer. Daniel also flashes good strength on hold up vs. the run on the edges. 

He's still pretty open on the recruiting front.

6. Ethan Pocic, OL

From Illinois, Pocic is one of the meanest OL prospects in the country. He's 6'6", 285 pounds and plays with good force.

Pocic has strength to maul in the run game, move his target off his spot and steer him to where he wants to go. He'll get after it as a pass blocker shuffling his feet and any mishap by the rusher, Pocic will take advantage of.

Pocic is also very open in his recruitment. 

5. Jalin Marshall, ATH

Marshall may be one of the most exciting offensive prospects in the nation, as the Ohio native can play an array of spots for a team.

At 6'1", 190 pounds, Marshall plays QB right now, but could play RB or WR in college. He shows excellent instincts with the ball, can create, and has speed and quickness to make plays.

Marshall is headed to Ohio State. 

4. Jaylon Smith, OLB

Smith, from Indiana, could be the top cover linebacker in America, as his agility and fluidity in space are excellent.

It's hard for running backs to leave the 6'3", 225 pounder at the junction point vs. the pass, as Smith can cover well.

Not to be a one trick pony, Smith can also crash down off the edges as a rusher and has great strength to take on a blocker, shed and make a stop vs. the run.

Notre Dame, Ohio State, Purdue and Indiana are the core four.

3. Cameron Burrows, DB

You see Burrows on the hoof and you figure he's either a safety or even an outside linebacker. Then you see him line up at cornerback and it takes you back.

A 6'2" corner that weighs almost 200 pounds, Burrows has good hips and cover skills on the flanks. He has great speed and his size and length allow him to combat bigger receivers.

He's committed to Ohio State.

2. Shane Morris, QB

Hailing from Michigan, Morris has been on the radar for quite some time. He's a south paw that stands 6'3" and weighs nearly 190 pounds.

He's pretty athletic, can escape the rush, get outside the pocket and make a good throw on the run. Morris has excellent arm strength and can get the football to a target through cold winds.

He'll need that when he gets to Michigan. 

1. Ty Isaac, RB

Isaac is an Illinois native and is an electric recruit.

He's a 6'2", 220 pound RB withe excellent speed, elusiveness, quickness, and hands. 

Isaac plays in a Wing-T type of offense now, but on tape you can see the burst, the ability to get to the second level, and elude tacklers with breakaway speed.

USC and Michigan are the top two. 

Edwin Weathersby has worked in scouting/player personnel departments for three professional football teams, including the New York Giants, Cleveland Browns and the Las Vegas Gladiators of the Arena League. He spent a year evaluating prep prospects & writing specific recruiting and scouting content articles for Student Sports Football (now ESPN Rise-HS). A syndicated writer, he's also contributed to WeAreSC.com, GatorBait.net and Diamonds in the Rough Inc., a College Football and NFL Draft magazine.