Recruiting U: The Top 10 College Football Wide Receiver Recruiters

We'll get straight to the point.

Who are the best schools are recruiting for each position?

It's a debate that many college football fans have amongst each other all the time, and for the most part, everyone has their own two cents to throw into the discussion. Well, we at B/R will be offering our two cents into the arena of debate in a new series called Recruiting U.

Over the next few weeks, we'll look back at the recruiting classes of the last five years and pick out the top 10 schools that have brought in the most talent from 2007 to 2011. To simplify things a bit, only 4-star and 5-star talents will be considered.

For wide receivers, due to the high quantity of prospects that meet these requirements we'll only be looking at the top 25 backs from each class. Rivals and Scout databases will be used as reference, with a back being awarded their highest ranking for either. 

Here's Recruiting U: The Top Wide Receiver Recruiters.

10. Ohio State

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COLUMBUS, OH - NOVEMBER 14: Wide receiver DeVier Posey #8 of the Ohio State Buckeyes runs with the ball against the Iowa Hawkeyes at Ohio Stadium on November 14, 2009 in Columbus, Ohio. (Photo by Jamie Sabau/Getty Images)

2007: None

2008: DeVier Posey (3)

2009: Duron Carter (10)

2010: Corey Brown (25)

2011: Evan Spencer (19)

A bit of a controversial placement on the list, depending on where you think Corey Brown belongs. Scout ranks him as the No. 25 wide receiver from the 2010 class, but Rivals calls him the No. 3 cornerback.

We'll have to wait for this to play out before we can figure out who's right, but for now Brown makes the list as Ohio State's fourth top 25 wide out in the last five years. 

Headlined by DeVier Posey in 2008 and Duron Carter in 2009, the Buckeyes narrowly beat out a slew of schools that have recruited three top 25 receivers. 

9. Georgia

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ATHENS, GA - OCTOBER 03: A.J. Green #8 of the Georgia Bulldogs against the Louisiana State University Tigers at Sanford Stadium on October 3, 2009 in Athens, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

2007: Israel Troupe (15)

2008: A.J. Green (2), Tavarres King (15)

2009: Marlon Brown (2), Rantavious Wooten (20)

2010: None

2011: None

Georgia might not have recruited any top 25 receivers in the last couple years, but from 2007 to 2008 the Bulldogs brought in some of the highest-rated prospects in the country. 

Of course the group is headlined by star receiver A.J. Green, the No. 2 receiver from the 2008 class.

But Georgia also has another No. 2 ranked receiver in Marlon Brown, and a couple of top 15 receivers in Israel Troupe and Tavarres King. 

8. Notre Dame

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SOUTH BEND, IN - NOVEMBER 21: Michael Floyd #3 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish catches a pass in overtime as Robert McClain #42 of the Univeristy of Connecticut Huskies defends at Notre Dame Stadium on November 21, 2009 in South Bend, Indiana. Connecticu

2007: Duval Kamara (6)

2008: Michael Floyd (5), Deion Walker (11), John Goodman (21)

2009: Shaquelle Evans (12)

2010: Tai-ler Jones (19)

2011: None

Notre Dame could have been higher on the list if they'd managed to grab Kasen Williams, one of the top receivers from the 2011 class who committed to Washington last week. 

Still, with Michael Floyd headlining a group of six top 25 wide receivers, the Irish have proven to be one of the best and most consistent recruiters at the position. 

There's a good argument to have Notre Dame above Florida on the list, but with one 5-star prospect to five, the Gators get the edge. 

7. Florida

2007: Deonte Thompson (3), Joe Haden (22)

2008: Carl Moore (JUCO), Omarius Hines (20)

2009: Andre Debose (2)

2010: Chris Dunkley (8)

2011: None

Another controversial placement on the list belongs to Florida and we're sure some fans of SEC rivals will take issue with it. 

Joe Haden, as well all know turned out to be one of the nation's top cornerbacks, but coming out of high school he was rated as an athlete on Rivals and a wide receiver on Scout. 

Carl Moore was a JUCO transfer, but you'll notice that all 5-star JUCOs have been included in the rankings. He joins Deonte Thompson, Andre Debose and Chris Dunkley to give the Gators a 5-star receiver every year from 2007 to 2010. 

6. Tennessee

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LEXINGTON, KY - NOVEMBER 24: Brent Vinson #13 of the Tennessee Volunteers celebrates a fumble recovery during the SEC game against the Kentucky Wildcats at Commonwealth Stadium November 24, 2007 in Lexington, Kentucky. Tennessee won 52-50 in four overtime

2007: Brent Vinson (5), Ahmad Paige (9), Gerald Jones (11)

2008: None

2009: Nu'keese Richardson (6)

2010: Da' Rick Rogers (2), Justin Hunter (8), Matt Milton (17)

2011: None

It's a very close call between Tennessee and Oklahoma for the No. 5 spot, with each school having brought in seven top 25 wide receivers in the last five years, with five ranking in the top 10 at the position. 

Both Tennessee and Oklahoma have also missed out on a top 25 recruit in twice since 2007. 

So what separates the two schools? Oklahoma has Trey Metoyer and Tennessee's Da'Rick Rogers. Considering Metoyer has been a model citizen this summer and Rogers has been anything but, that gives the Sooners the slight edge. 

5. Oklahoma

2007: None

2008: Jameel Owens (8),Josh Jarboe (10), DeJuan Miller (13)

2009: None

2010: Kenny Stills (9), Justin McCay (10)

2011: Trey Metoyer (1), Kameel Jackson (24)

Oklahoma has missed out on a top 25 receiver two of the last five years, but when the Sooner hit, they hit the bullseye. 

In 2008 it was Jameel Owens, Johsn Jarboe, and DeJuan Miller. In 2010 it was Kenny Stills and Justin McCay. In 2011 it's Trey Metoyer, Scout's No. 1 receiver, and Kameel Jackson. 

All in all, that's seven top 25 wideouts, five of whom have been ranked in the top 10. 

4. Alabama

Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images

AUBURN, AL - NOVEMBER 27: Julio Jones #8 of the Alabama Crimson Tide against the Auburn Tigers at Jordan-Hare Stadium on November 27, 2009 in Auburn, Alabama. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

2007: Brandon Gibson (13)

2008: Julio Jones (1), Melvin Ray (18)

2009: Michael Bowman (14), Kendall Kelly (25)

2010: DeAndrew White (7)

2011: Marvin Shinn (8), Danny Woodson (22)

Surprise, surprise, Alabama ranks as one of the top wide receiver recruiters. Considering what a great recruiter Nick Saban is, its really no wonder at all. 

Besides Julio Jones, the consensus No. 1 wide receiver of the 2008 recruiting class, Alabama has seven other top 25 wideouts in the last five years. 

With Marvin "Marvellous" Shinn and Danny Woodson coming aboard in 2011, Saban's defensive-minded team might actually prove to be equally dangerous on the offensive side of the ball. 

 

3. USC

2007: Brandon Carswell (15)

2008: D.J. Shoemate (8), Brice Butler (13)

2009: De'Von Flournoy (24)

2010: Robert Woods (1), Kyle Prater (1), Markeith Ambles (3)

2011: Victor Blackwell (10)

When it comes to recruiting wide receivers, USC probably brought in the haul of the century in 2010 with Robert Woods, Kyle Prater, and Markeith Ambles. 

Woods was Scout's No. 1 wideout, Prater was Rivals No. 1 wideout, and Ambles was Rivals No. 3 wideout. They're joined by five other top 25 receivers in the last five years for a total of eight for the Trojans. 

With newest recruit Victor Blackwell joining the mix in 2011, USC's signature passing game should be back where it belongs in no time. 

2. LSU

2007: Terrance Toliver (1), Ron Brooks (6), DeAngelo Benton (7), Demetrius Byrd (JUCO)

2008: Chris Tolliver (11)

2009: Rueben Randle (1)

2010: Kadron Boone (12)

2011: Jarvis Landry (3)

LSU and USC both have very comparable hauls at receiver. The Tigers 2007 class at the position doesn't quite match up with the Trojans, but bringing in four top 10 receivers in one year is still one of the most impressive recruiting feats in recent memory. 

LSU also matches USC with two No. 1 ranked receivers with Terrance Toliver in 2007 and Rueben Randle in 2009. 

Add in the fact that LSU also has Jarvis Landry, Rivals' No. 3 receiver and my personal favorite at the position in 2011, and that's enough for the Tigers to take the No. 2 spot on the list. 

1. Texas

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AUSTIN, TX - OCTOBER 10: Wide receiver John Chiles #7 of the Texas Longhorns makes a catch during warmups against the Colorado Buffaloes on October 10, 2009 at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium in Austin, Texas. Texas won 38-14. (Photo by Brian Ba

2007: John Chiles (4), Malcolm Williams (11), James Kirkendoll (21)

2008: Dan Buckner (9), Desean Hales (10), Derrick Grant (20)

2009: Greg Timmons (4)

2010: Mike Davis (4), Darius White (6), Chris Jones (11)

2011: Jaxon Shipley (7)

When it comes to recruiting wide receivers, Texas is king. The Longhorns have brought in 11 top 25 recruits in the last five years, the most in the country by a decent margin. 

Texas is also the only school that's brought in three top 25 receivers in three separate years. 

Add in seven top 10 receivers, again the most in the country, and it's really no comparison when it comes to wide receiver recruiting.