August's Biggest College Football Recruiting Commitments: Winners and Losers
August was one of the biggest recruiting months of the year, with a ton of high profile prospects making their decisions and drastically changing the landscape of the market.
There was 5-star running back Malcolm Brown to Texas, 5-star athlete James Wilder to FSU, 5-star receiver Kasen Williams and 5-star tight end Austin Seferian-Jenkins to Washington, 4-star cornerbacks Nick Waisome and Valdez Showers to Florida and much, much more.
So as usual, we'll give you the breakdown of the action and tell you who your winners and losers of the month are.
Winners: Jimbo Fisher
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Jimbo Fisher is probably smiling from ear to ear right now. Not only did he snag one of the top overall prospects in the country in James Wilder, he beat out Florida and Georgia to get him.
That should show you something about the way Fisher and his staff are operating. Some observers expected a drop-off in recruiting at the beginning of the Fisher Era, but it's been quite the opposite.
With 5-star talents like Wilder and Karlos Williams already committed, and others like Tony Steward and Nick O'Leary seriously considering, this could be a monster haul for FSU.
And don't forget, with Wilder in place at running back, Fisher gets the bruising back he's been looking for.
Winners: Texas
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It seems like Texas is always a winner when you're talking about 2011 recruiting and that's because the Longhorns hardly ever aren't.
Texas' class is the best in the country by a decent margin and it got a whole lot better with the nation's top running back Malcolm Brown committing in August.
Brown was the missing piece to the puzzle for the Longhorns and should immediately step in as the team's best running back.
Sure, Texas missed on 5-star safety Austin Seferian-Jenkins, but when you get a top five overall prospect at a position of serious need just a couple days later, you can live with that.
Winners: Florida
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Last season Florida's Joe Haden and Janoris Jenkins formed one of the best cornerback duos in the country. Haden left for the Cleveland Browns and Jenkins is entering his junior year, but the Gators will be reloading instead of rebuilding.
With commitments from Nick Waisome and Valdez Showers, two top 10 cornerbacks from the 2010 class, Florida's future secondary looks like a bright spot for the team.
Waisome and Showers are both very athletic, diligent, hard-working players that have the chance to grow into stars in a couple of years.
Florida might have found it's next Haden-Jenkins combo.
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Winners: Aaron Green
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No, Aaron Green didn't commit in August, but with Malcolm Brown's decision to opt for the Longhorns, Green becomes the biggest uncommitted prospect in the state of Texas and one of top prizes still on the market.
His final four options are Nebraska, Texas, Cal, and FSU, but with the additions of Brown at Texas and Wilder at FSU, it looks like this is a two-horse race between the Cornhuskers and Golden Bears.
Expect both teams to woo Green as best they can.
Regardless of he where he ends up, both situations are great for running backs and there's really no way Green loses as long as he doesn't end up playing second fiddle to Brown at Texas.
Winners: Steve Sarkisian
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Steve Sarkisian has got to be loving life right now. He just snagged two of the best offensive weapons in the country and beat out the likes of Texas, Florida, Notre Dame, LSU, and Cal to get them.
Ask yourself if you'd have seen that coming a year ago. If you did, you must be a Huskies homer.
Either way, Washington got commitments from Kasen Williams and Austin Seferian-Jenkins, both top three at their positions.
Add in 4-star running back Brendon Bigelow and the hope that 5-star quarterback Brett Hundley is next and things could be looking stellar for Washington's offense.
Losers: Notre Dame
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Notre Dame might have a lot of talent at wide receiver, but you can never have too much talent and you can never wave off a miss like the one the Irish had with Kasen Williams.
He's got more talent and potential than any receiver on the roster short of Michael Floyd, and it wouldn't be surprising to see Williams turn out to be the better of the two.
Not getting Williams was big blow to Notre Dame because it's options at receiver have dwindled now. The next best receiver the Irish are targeting is DaVaris Daniels, Scout's No. 23 wideout.
Compare that to DeAnthony Arnett for Cal, George Farmer for Florida, and LSU having already had Jarvis Landry.
Losers: Jarvis Landry
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Speaking of Jarvis Landry, it might be a little unfair to label him as a loser this month because he really had nothing to do with anything that went down this month, but here's why we do.
Landry is the perfect receiver for the slot and a deadly weapon in one-on-one coverage. He's one of the best playmakers in the country and paired up with Kasen Williams would have been as dangerous as they come.
You can't blame Williams for staying in-state at Washington or point your finger at Landry for not actively recruiting Williams from across the country, but it's a shame nonetheless.
These two could have been the best duo of receivers in the game, but we'll never know now. So maybe it's fairer to call both Landry and Williams losers.
Losers: UCLA
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Another Kasen Williams connection is quarterback Brett Hundley. As you'll soon see, Williams commitment to Washington will have quite a significant domino effect.
So why exactly does this effect UCLA? Because the Bruins are the second finalist for the best passer still on the market and the feeling here is they lost that race the moment Williams put on his Huskies cap.
Speculation has run rampant about Hundley ever since he issued a statement announcing he would commit on Monday, September 6. That news came shortly after he cancelled a visit to Washington.
While many would see this as a sign Hundley is UCLA-bound, it doesn't come across that way to me. He's been to Washington enough times not to need another visit and there's no way be passes up the chance to throw the ball to Williams and Austin Seferian-Jenkins.
Losers: Georgia
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Georgia has had a bit of a rough month. Most recently, it's been the foolish behavior of starting running back Washaun Ealey, who was arrested for a hit and run and driving with a suspended licence last week.
Coach Mark Richt has suspended Ealey for at least the first game of the season and possibly more. Ok, ok, that has nothing to do with recruiting, but he's a running back and there's a theme to all this.
The Bulldogs seemed like a lock to land athlete James Wilder, who sources reported the day before he committed to FSU that baring a last second change of heart, Wilder was headed to Georgia.
When that didn't work, there was hope for 5-star running back Isaiah Crowell, but with Malcolm Brown's commitment to Texas over Alabama, you can bet the Crimson Tide will hone in on Crowell and beat out the Bulldogs for his services.
Losers: James Wilder
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No, this has nothing to do with FSU or Florida or Georgia. There's no ill-feelings about his decision to commit to the Seminoles.
This is about Wilder himself. The 5-star athlete was considered one of the top two or three defensive prospects in the country and would have been an absolute demon at outside linebacker.
Give him credit for sticking to his guns and insisting on playing running back in college, but that's going to turn out to be a mistake. He has the potential to be a good, maybe even a great running back, but there's no comparison to what he would have been on defense.
There are very, very few prospects with the type of nose for the ball, tackling ability, pursuit skills, and instincts like Wilder. Maybe he turns out to be a star at running back, but that just means he could have been a legend at linebacker.
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