Programs Poised to Surprise on 2016 College Football Recruiting Trail
A few days are left until the beginning of May, which means college football coaches should be in full swing with their recruiting big boards for the 2016 class. And while some classes are revved up, others are still in first gear—and some are stuck in neutral.
Florida State is a team that doesn't seem to have any troubles for now. The Seminoles are sitting atop the 2016 team rankings with 14 commits, including two 5-star and nine 4-star players. Miami is ranked No. 2, and the Hurricanes surprised many with their lightning-fast start. Miami is hoping to remain a top-five program once national signing day comes.
There's still plenty of time remaining for teams to turn things around. Keep an eye out for these seven programs—in alphabetical order—that could make surprising splashes in the 2016 recruiting cycle in the remaining time frame.
Florida Gators
1 of 7
Remember the days when the Florida Gators were never considered a surprise when discussing recruiting ability? New head coach Jim McElwain is hoping he and his coaching staff can quickly return the Gators to the glory days of not only winning on the field but also consistently winning recruiting battles.
Florida currently has eight players committed, but only one, cornerback Chauncey Gardner, is a 4-star prospect. The good news is that Florida is in a great position to land a few talented players, including 4-star wide receiver Binjimen Victor, 3-star tight end Christian Roberson and 4-star offensive guard Parker Boudreaux.
The closing weeks of the 2015 class proved to be beneficial for the Gators, as they scored two huge 5-star gets in offensive tackle Martez Ivey and defensive end CeCe Jefferson. McElwain is hoping for similar success with the 2016 recruiting class—but it would be easier on the nerves if he were to get the commitments well before February.
Houston Cougars
2 of 7
Forget the fact that Houston isn't a Power Five school. The name "Tom Herman" means something to recruits. The former offensive coordinator at Ohio State has settled in as the head coach at Houston, and he's expected to achieve success by implementing an offense similar to the one that helped the Buckeyes win a national championship.
The culture at Houston has changed. There's a level of energy and overall tenacity that makes recruits give the school a second look. Currently, Houston is without a 2016 pledge, but that could change quickly.
Two big targets on Houston's radar are 5-star defensive tackle Ed Oliver and 4-star wide receiver Tyrie Cleveland. Both players are from Houston and are seriously considering staying close to home and playing for Herman in an effort to turn things around within the program.
Maryland Terrapins
3 of 7
If all goes as planned for Maryland and the coaching staff, the Terrapins can be sitting really well in time for national signing day. Maryland currently has six commitments, but there are a few prospects available who could be impact players.
Outside linebacker Keandre Jones is the Terrapins' only 4-star pledge so far, but the team is in a good spot to land quarterback Dwayne Haskins, athlete Trevon Diggs, offensive guard Terrance Davis, defensive tackle Ellison Jordan and wide receiver Tino Ellis. These five athletes are 4-star targets who hail from Maryland, and the Terrapins are looking to keep the best in-state talent close to home.
And then there are the out-of-state players who are considering Maryland. Aaron Mathews, a tall (6'5"), 4-star wide receiver from Pennsylvania, is considering Maryland along with Pitt and West Virginia. 3-star outside linebacker Noah Burks is the No. 5 player from Indiana, and he's got Maryland high on his list, as well as Wisconsin.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
Oklahoma Sooners
4 of 7
The Oklahoma Sooners always seem to surprise the recruiting world each year.
Why?
Because they are notorious for starting late but finishing strong. This year shouldn't be any different, even with the off-the-field issues out of their control that contributed to the temporary dent in their recruiting plans in March.
Time heals all for many situations, and in this case, Oklahoma simply needed things to blow over. The Sooners only have three commitments thus far, but they are still a relevant program, and they are considered a potential landing spot for several athletes in Oklahoma, Texas and California.
Oklahoma has its quarterback pledge in 4-star Austin Kendall. The team hopes to surround him with players like 4-star wide receiver Devin Duvernay and 4-star running back Devwah Whaley when signing day approaches.
Defensively, 5-star linebacker Caleb Kelly is one of Oklahoma's biggest targets. Even though he's California's top-ranked player, Kelly has built a solid relationship with the Sooners' coaching staff and could be another West Coast player headed to play for head coach Bob Stoops.
TCU Horned Frogs
5 of 7
Last season wasn't a fluke.
That's the message the TCU Horned Frogs are putting out to the world. Ask anyone on the campus, and he'll tell you that the dominating performance against Ole Miss in the Peach Bowl was merely the tip of the iceberg for what's to come.
The Horned Frogs have eight commitments so far, including 4-star players in wide receiver Courtney Lark, cornerback KeShawn Somerville and athletes D'Eriq King and Sewo Olonilua. TCU, however, hasn't had a new pledge since 3-star offensive tackle Austin Myers committed in February.
Success on the field can be a major wingman when it comes to recruiting. Look for the Horned Frogs to be a legit contender for several stud athletes, including 5-star defensive tackle Ed Oliver, 4-star running back Robert Washington and the Sachse (Texas) High School 4-star duo of wide receiver Devin Duvernay and cornerback Jared Mayden.
Texas A&M Aggies
6 of 7
Texas A&M has had a nice recruiting run since head coach Kevin Sumlin took over the program before the start of the 2012 season. This year has started off a little slower than others, but the Aggies still have four commits, including 5-star offensive tackle Gregory Little and 4-star cornerback Travon Fuller.
The Aggies are in a good position to have their class quickly skyrocket. Sumlin and his staff are eyeing three 5-star players to boost the class in defensive tackle Ed Oliver and safeties Brandon Jones and Eric Monroe.
Currently, the Aggies are No. 37 in the 2016 team rankings. Fortunately for Sumlin and his staff, there are quite a few talented in-state products who could potentially call Texas A&M home. Safety Deontay Anderson, defensive tackle Justin Madubuike and wide receiver Tren'Davian Dickson—all 4-star prospects—are playmakers who could have Texas A&M fans completely forget about the team's slow start to the 2016 recruiting cycle.
UCLA Bruins
7 of 7
Watching UCLA shine with 2016 recruiting is probably more of a surprise locally than it is nationally. Currently, the Bruins have seven commits and are ahead of in-state rival USC in the 2016 team rankings—UCLA is No. 12 and USC is No. 14. And this holds true even after USC's impressive month of April, which includes three 4-star pledges.
UCLA's defensive nucleus for the class appears to be set with 5-star defensive end Breland Brandt and 4-star inside linebackers Lokeni Toailoa and Krys Barnes committed. You can bet that head coach Jim Mora and his staff are looking to build the class, as they pursue in-state talent like 5-star outside linebacker Caleb Kelly and the Serra High School 4-star tandem of safety Brandon Burton and defensive end Oluwole Betiku.
Offensively, the Bruins have two 4-star wide receivers committed in Darian Owens and Michael Pittman, but there's still plenty of room for the class to get better. One player who could help the Bruins' offense is Damian Alloway, a 4-star running back who is 7-on-7 teammates with Toailoa and Barnes, among others.
Damon Sayles is a National Recruiting Analyst with Bleacher Report. All player ratings and team rankings are courtesy of 247Sports' composite ratings. Follow Damon via Twitter: @DamonSayles
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
