6 College Football Programs That Could Have a Surprising Recruiting Year

For some of college football's elite programs, having a top 10 class or snatching up several top 100 prospects is the ho-hum. It's no shock. It's no surprise. In fact, it's even expected.

For other programs, things of that nature are not the norm, and when the do occur, great surprise and joy are felt around the program. For this read, I'm going to give you six programs that could indeed enjoy a surprising recruiting year.

Whether they're on the verge of signing a good class, nabbing a top-level prospect or anything in between, these schools could have something out of the ordinary happen in recruiting for 2013.

5-6. Kentucky and Louisville

The state of Kentucky isn't known for consistently putting out elite football players. I'm not saying no good players have come from the state, but it's not nearly as consistent as Texas, California and Florida per se.

This year, per Scout.com, Kentucky has two of the top 37 prospects in the country in DE Jason Hatcher and WR James Quick.

The Wildcats and Cardinals are surely trying to position themselves to snatch up both, as having two elite prospects from the Bluegrass State in the same year isn't a normal thing. 

4. South Florida

USF sits in Tampa, home to 5-star CB prospect Vernon Hargreaves III. A 5-star prospect in Florida usually ends up at Florida, Miami or Florida State before USF.

However, the Bulls employ Hargreaves' father as a DL coach, and the younger Hargreaves is looking hard at USF.

It's not every year that USF is in the true hunt for a 5-star prospect, and to actually be doing so is a surprise. If they do get Hargreaves, then that alone makes this is a surprising recruiting year for USF.

3. Pittsburgh

The Panthers will have their fourth head coach in three years under Paul Chryst this year, so stability isn't really too apparent with Pitt these days.

However, last year they got 5-star RB Rushel Shell, which, with all the staff turnover, was a surprise.

This year they could be in line for another surprising year, as I think 5-star WR and Pittsburgh-area native Robert Foster will give them a hard long look. Also, my gut tells me elite OT prospect Dorian Johnson will also likely look hard at the Panthers. 

2. Miami

Miami is likely to be hit with some heavy sanctions in the coming future, so recruiting is going get tougher for Al Golden.

However, they surprisingly landed QB Kevin Olsen recently, and he gives The U an immediate QB of the future.

Toss in the fact that Olsen could jump start a class that also lands OLB and Miami native Matthew Thomas and TE Josh McNeil, and this class could turn out surprisingly better than expected even with the looming sanctions.

1. Ole Miss

Hugh Freeze has the talent to get it done in Oxford, and he and his staff are hitting the trail hard. What I like about Freeze's approach is his not just conceding big fish to higher profile schools.

I've already predicted Ole Miss to eventually land elite SS prospect Antonio Conner at some point during this cycle. He goes to South Panola, which is just down the road from the Rebels' campus.

Freeze and his staff are gunning big for the nation's top prospect in DE Robert Nkemdiche. Sure, Nkemdiche's brother is at Ole Miss, but Freeze isn't just going to let Alabama, LSU or Florida get someone he wants without a fight.

There's a chance, keyword being chance, that Freeze signs two of the very best prospects to play at Ole Miss this cycle.

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 scout and writer, he's also contributed to WeAreSC.com, GatorBait.net and Diamonds in the Rough Inc., a College Football and NFL Draft magazine.