College Football Recruiting Commitments of the Month: Winners and Losers

July is in the books and it's time to give out the recruiting winners and losers awards for the month. It's been a big month for several teams and slower for others. If you're a Notre Dame fan, Alabama fan, or pretty much anyone from the state of Mississippi there's a good chance your spirits are high.

But on the flip side of that coin, there are droves of college football fans struggling from a recruiting hangover at the moment after their teams dropped the ball in July.

So let's review the winners and losers of the month and breakdown how the landscape is shaping up in a few corners of the country. 

Winners: Trey DePriest, Brent Calloway, and Ha'Sean Clinton-Dix

The biggest commitment of the month came when Trey DePriest announced he was choosing Alabama over Ohio State when he made his decision last Friday. DePriest becomes the third 5-star prospect on the books for the Crimson Tide and that's good news for all three of these recruits. 

DePriest joins fellow linebacker Brent Calloway and safety Ha'Sean Clinton-Dix to form a dangerous triangle in the center of Alabama's defense that could potentially form the backbone of this program for years. With DePriest's decision to commit, all three of them are winners though.

Why? Because they serve as significant encouragement for No. 1 overall recruit Jadeveon Clowney to join the mix as well; Clowney lists Alabama among his top two choices along with South Carolina. 

Considering Clowney's commitment is a serious possibility, just imagine what the Tides defense will look like with DePriest in the middle, Clowney one side, Calloway on the other, and Clinton-Dix cleaning up in centerfield.

Winners: The Mississippi Rivals

No one was more productive in July than Mississippi and Mississippi State. The two teams racked in a combined 18 commitments in the last month, with several high profile players headed to both sides of the in-state rivalry. If these prospects pan out, it's going to be a good time to watch the Egg Bowl in the coming years. 

Ole Miss started their month off with a bang by getting commitments from Miami Southridge teammates Gerrod Holliman and Andrew Johnson; two 4-star defensive backs that instantly became the most high-profile prospects of the Rebels' 2011 class. 

By the end of the month, Ole Miss had 10 commitments, including four 4-star prospects.

The Bulldogs wouldn't be outdone though. Through the first 22 days of the month, Mississippi State didn't have any July commitments, but they cleaned house over the last week of the month with eight names added to the books headlined by 4-star safety Darion Arrington; ranked in the top five at his position. 

Winners: The Fighting Irish Faithful

Notre Dame's 2011 recruiting class was looking good through June, but they were still sitting on the outside looking in when it came to discussing the top 10 classes of the year. After a slow July that nearly came to an end without anything for the program, the Irish faithful were rewarded for their undying loyalty to their team in the last two days of July. 

On July 30th, it was 4-star running back Justice Hayes, ranked as the No. 3 APB by Rivals, and defensive end Anthony Rabasa, a 3-star high-upside prospect. 

On July 31st, it was 4-star defensive end Aaron Lynch, ranked top 10 at his position, and 3-star cornerback Jalen Brown, the raw speedster from Cape Coral. 

But possibly the best news of the month for Notre Dame was No. 1 receiver Kasen Williams announcement of his final five choices that included the Irish near the top of the pile. That of course came shortly after Hayes' and Lynch's commitments. 

Losers: Braxton Miller

Braxton Miller committed to Ohio State back in June with his childhood friend Trey DePriest at his side for support. The two of them have been good friends for most of their lives and often talked about playing together in college. In fact, many outsiders considered the pair a package deal for the Buckeyes.

DePriest of course did not follow through on his and Miller's dream of becoming teammates for Ohio State. When it came down to choosing between the Crimson Tide and Buckeyes, he couldn't resist the temptation to play for Nick Saban. 

Of course, just as DePriest attended Miller's commitment ceremony, Miller was right there beside his friend to hear the news that they wouldn't be teammates in college after all. 

Miller later said that he was there only to support DePriest and held no ill feelings toward his decision, but regardless of what he's showing on the outside, on the inside, he's got to be disappointed. 

Losers: Frank Beamer

Mike Zarrilli/Getty Images

ATLANTA - DECEMBER 31: Virginia Tech Hokies head coach Frank Beamer watches warmups on the field before the Chick-Fil-A Bowl against the Tennessee Volunteers at the Georgia Dome on December 31, 2009 in Atlanta, Georgia. Virginia Tech beat Tennessee 37-1

Frank Beamer has got to be a little nervous about how his recruiting class is turning out considering he only has nine commitments on the books and only three of them have received 4-star grades; none are rated as 5-star talent. 

Most of their damage came in mid-July, when the Hokies missed out on three major prospects in just one week. It was a rough for VT not just because they lost out on coveted recruits, but were spurned at the last second and left at the proverbial altar for rival conference programs instead.

Their top two targets, quarterback Marquise Williams and offensive guard Landon Turner decided instead to opt for North Carolina; who by the way is looking more and more like a team capable of winning the ACC in the coming years.

The third prospect, quarterback David Watford, will be heading to Virginia.

What did the Hokies have to show for the month of July? Unranked 2-star defensive end Dewayne Alford.

Losers: Stanford

Stanford has done a tremendous job recruiting to this point, but when it comes to their decision over 4-star linebacker Kellen Jones, the Cardinal didn't just drop the ball, they threw a pick-six. This isn't a case of a recruit opting for another program, this is a case of a program retracting their offer to a recruit. 

“I talked to Coach Hart and due to the James Vaughters commitment, he said they’re full at the linebacker position, so they’re not taking linebackers right now, unless someone decommits," said Jones.

The Cardinal do have 4-star middle linebackers Vaughters and Antony Sarao, as well as 3-star outside linebacker Daniel Davis, but when a prospect like Jones is all for committing, you don't just turn them away. 

Jones is a versatile athlete who can rush the passer, drop back into coverage, cover the run, play middle linebacker or outside linebacker and would have been a great fit for this class playing alongside of Vaughters. Just take a look at the film and you'll get the idea. 

Jones committed to Michigan on July 29.