College Football Teams Having the Most Success on the 2018 Recruiting Trail

In today's era of college football recruiting, coaches who aren't a year ahead of schedule are already behind.

Despite officially only being two months old, the 2018 cycle already features four programs with double-digit commitments and a handful with multiple 4- and 5-star talents.

The sheer volume of verbal pledges isn't a perfect indicator of success, but it's also a key component of initial progress.

While whether a team is a finalist for a prospect did not affect the order, that's something to remember as programs rise or fall in a given recruiting site's rankings this summer. A couple of pledges or decommitments can greatly affect the perception of a class.

Honorable Mention: Kansas

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Consider Kansas the first team outside of the list. After all, this is a very un-Kansas-like start—you know, good.

Heading into April, the Jayhawks are within striking distance of the top 10. Considering the program's highest recruiting ranking in the history of Scout is No. 37 in 2011, that's a spectacular opening stretch for Kansas.

The Jayhawks currently hold a trio of Scout 4-stars with Devonta Jason, Anthony Williams and Corione Harris. That's never happened as far as the database goes back.

Third-year head coach David Beaty is undoubtedly moving Kansas in the right direction.

10. Florida State

It's not an immediate transition, but Florida State is preparing to replace Dalvin Cook with his brother, James.

The 4-star running back is currently the highest-rated commit of a seven-man haul that has decent depth but otherwise lacks top-tier talent. While that doesn't mean the 'Noles should be concerned, it keeps head coach Jimbo Fisher and Co. a bit lower on the list.

Robert Cooper (No. 58 overall) and Isaiah Bolden (No. 158) round out the top-250 pledges. Christian Meadows is an unranked 4-star.

Florida State is a contender for several elite prospects. When those commitments happen, the team will make an expected rise.

9. Ohio State

Ohio State currently has just four verbal pledges, but only USC, Penn State and Miami have as many highly rated prospects.

Each of them hold 4-star rankings, while both Jaiden Woodbey (No. 36) and Jaelen Gill (No. 69) are rated the second-best talent at safety and athlete, respectively.

Emory Jones (No. 89), a dual-threat signal-caller from Georgia, would bolster an already-excellent quarterback room. Brian Snead (No. 128) is slated to join Jones in the backfield.

The Buckeyes have never ended a recruiting cycle worse than eighth during Urban Meyer's five-year tenure. With this high-caliber base, it's unlikely that trend changes in 2018.

8. Oklahoma

Oklahoma has assembled an early haul with a similar volume to Florida State and the quality of Ohio State.

The Sooners are one of just four programs to have secured a 5-star commitment. Brey Walker, an in-state offensive tackle, is the No. 12 player in the country.

Not far behind is T.J. Pledger, who's rated No. 20 nationally, and California quarterback Cameron Rising (No. 50) is a 4-star. A trio of 3-stars complete Oklahoma's class.

Since the program has grabbed two straight Big 12 championships, it's no surprise recruiting success has followed.

7. Clemson

As if signing Hunter Johnson in 2017 wasn't a major victory for Clemson, Dabo Swinney's team may add another top quarterback.

Not only is Trevor Lawrence a 5-star, he's considered the No. 1 overall recruit. He's thrown for 120 touchdowns and more than 10,000 yards in high school, per MaxPreps.

The Tigers have also gained commitments from 4-stars Derion Kendrick (No. 95), Josh Belk (No. 106), Justin Mascoll (No. 207) and Mike Jones Jr. (No. 267).

Programs typically enjoy a recruiting boon in the year after a national championship rather than the immediate month following a title. Clemson has top-three potential in 2018.

6. LSU

LSU's annual "Boys from the Boot" paid enormous dividends in 2018.

Ed Orgeron and his staff entered the weekend with four commitments. In a matter of three days, the Tigers picked up five more. Since then, three more have pledged.

Of the program's 12 commitments, Caden Sterns (No. 52) is the highest-ranked talent. Kelvin Joseph (No. 88) and Damone Clark (No. 100) are the next best prospects in the haul.

In all likelihood, some of the six 3-stars and unrated players will flip elsewhere or be quietly directed elsewhere. But right now, LSU is tied for the second-most commits nationally.

5. Washington

Last year's true breakout team, Washington has opened the 2018 cycle in superb fashion. There's a big question, though.

Can the Huskies keep both Jacob Sirmon (No. 44) and Colson Yankoff (No. 151), a pair of 4-star quarterbacks? Adding one QB prospect every year is smart, but it's not often a program targets and signs two in one cycle.

Regardless of what happens, UW is coming away with at least one well-regarded thrower. And he (or they) will eventually target Marquis Spiker (No. 87) and Austin Osborne (No. 105). Athlete Trey Lowe (No. 259) may be a running back in college.

Washington's defense played the biggest role in the team's 2016 success, but head coach Chris Petersen has loaded up offensively in this class.

4. USC

In the potentially likely event Sam Darnold declares for the NFL draft after 2017, USC is prepared to replace the rising star.

Matt Corral is the No. 6 prospect nationally, ranking only behind Lawrence at quarterback. Corral will immediately push Matt Fink and 2017 signee Jack Sears on the depth chart.

However, the gunslinger isn't even the Trojans' best prospect, according to Scout. That honor goes to Palaie Gaoteote, the top-rated outside linebacker and No. 4 overall player.

Bo Calvert (No. 41), Raymond Scott (No. 46) and Marcus Johnson (No. 114) round out an impressive five-man group for the Trojans.

3. Notre Dame

Although Notre Dame lacks the number of top-tier talent USC boasts, only Miami holds as many pledges from 4-stars or better.

Longtime commitment Phil Jurkovec (No. 43) is the headliner of the haul. The drop from the quarterback to Derrik Allen (No. 134) is sizable, but the rankings don't travel far between him and Braden Lenzy (No. 135) and Matthew Bauer (No. 177) and so on.

John Dirksen (No. 190), Markese Stepp (No. 195), Jayson Ademilola (No. 205), Ovie Oghoufo (No. 239) and Kalon Gervin (No. 296) complete the vast collection of top-300 prospects.

The Fighting Irish are trying to put a 4-8 season behind them, and an early recruiting surge is a terrific way to start that process.

2. Penn State

Head coach James Franklin's recruiting skills are probably underrated on the national scale. The initial 2018 returns are a perfect example.

Led by 5-star and No. 2 overall player Micah Parsons, Penn State has reeled in five top-100 talents. Only Miami has secured as many verbals in that category. The other four are Ricky Slade (No. 17), Justin Fields (No. 57), Zack Kuntz (No. 68) and Justin Shorter (No. 93).

Plus, Patrick Freiermuth (No. 182) and Isaiah Humphries (No. 243) are committed along with four 3-stars.

One year after shocking the college football world by stealing the Big Ten East Division and winning the conference title, the program is poised for its best recruiting finish in more than a decade.

1. Miami

At this moment, basically the only thing Miami's 2018 class doesn't have is a 5-star—and that simply depends on the recruiting service. Lorenzo Lingard (No. 22) has that designation on Rivals and the 247Sports composite but not from Scout.

But that's splitting an unnecessary hair. Lingard is a first-tier running back atop a quality-filled unit. Head coach Mark Richt has received verbal pledges from Brian Hightower (No. 37), Joshua Jobe (No. 42), Gilbert Frierson (No. 62) and Artur Sitkowski (No. 75).

The 'Canes have also brought Gurvan Hall (No. 175), Daquris Wiggins (No. 240), Camron Davis (No. 254) and Mark Pope (No. 282) into the fold ahead of six 3-stars.

Additionally, all 15 commitments are in-state prospects and 11 are located in Broward, Dade and Palm Beach counties. Richt has made Miami's backyard—arguably the biggest recruiting hotbed in the country—a priority, and it's paying off in a major way.

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All recruiting information via Scout. Stats from cfbstats.com or B/R research. Quotes obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. Follow Bleacher Report CFB Writer David Kenyon on Twitter @Kenyon19_BR.