College Football Recruiting 2012: The Top 15 Early Commitments

There's a long way to go till most of the college football world even pays their first piece of attention to the 2012 recruiting class, but the scouts and coaches at schools around the country are already hard at work sending out feelers and offers to some of the nation's most promising prospects.

The 2011 recruiting season is in full gear and most of the nation's top prospects have already committed, but in the shadows lurk a couple strong early 2012 recruiting classes from the usual suspects. 

USC, Alabama, Ohio State, Florida and Florida State. 

Here the top 15 2012 commitments. 

15. Skyler Mornhinweg, QB, Stanford

Skyler Mornhinweg is Stanford's first commitment of the 2012 class and the quarterback looks like he'll be right at home with the Cardinal. 

In his freshman year, Mornhinweg played at free safety, but started at quarterback as well his sophomore year, throwing for 1,543 yards with 18 touchdowns. He also showed off his mobility with 362 rushing yards and five touchdowns on the ground.

14. Josh Perry, LB, Ohio State

Ohio State doesn't generally extend offers to high school players who have yet to play a down of football their junior seasons, but in the case of linebacker Josh Perry an exception had to be made. 

He got his offer in July after an impressive two-day camp performance at Ohio State where where he wowed the coaching staff with off the charts athleticism. 

He seems like coach Jim Tressel's type of guy.

13. P.J. Williams, DB, Florida State

Ocala-Vanguard safety P.J. Williams was offered after FSU's summer camp, where he was the clear top performer on the defensive side of the ball. 

He's got elite skills as a ball-hawk and while he's 6'1" and 170 lbs, he hits a lot harder than his size would suggest. Williams registered 83 tackles—eight for a loss—and an interception in 2009, good enough for Third Team All-State for 3A classification. 

12. Michael Rose, LB, Nebraska

Rose should be one of the top Midlands prospects from the 2012 class. He was the top prospect at NU's summer camp and comes off a solid sophomore season.

He recorded 95 tackles, two sacks, an interception, and recovered two fumbles. Those numbers, combined with his performance this summer, were the main reasons Nebraska made such a quick offer to Rose.

11. Kyle Kalis, OT, Ohio State

A big offensive tackle at 6'5" and 305 lbs, Kalis committed to Ohio State on Sept. 18 and should be in line for a bright career with the Buckeyes. 

The Ohio native jumped on Ohio State's offer, committing two days after receiving the verbal offer from the team.

10. Dakota Ball, DT, Alabama

Dakota Ball is one of the top defensive tackles from the 2012 class and the the coveted prospect has already gotten off to a great start in 2010. 

He's a better than advertised pass-rusher and is very good in pursuit. He doesn't give up on a play and will cause a bunch of problems in the middle of the line. 

9. Brionte Dunn, RB, Ohio State

At 6'1" ad 211 lbs, Dunn is a power back who will put the hammer down on defenses throughout the game. He runs a deceptively fast 4.6-second 40-yard dash, but it's his vision that helps him the most. 

Dunn is patient, will wait for the play to develop, find his hole, and hit it hard. He's got the size to make a living between the tackles, but he can take it outside as well and will break tackles with the best of them.

8. Latroy Pittman, WR, Florida

At 6'1" and 191 lbs, Florida's Latroy Pittman is a very versatile athlete who has the potential to be a physical wide receiver or a hard-hitting strong safety at the next level. 

He wants to be a receiver and has the size and speed to be a success, but he needs to work on his hands and concentration if he's going to have a future at the position. 

7. Warren Ball, RB, Ohio State

Ball doesn't just succeed on the football field, he's a scholar in the classroom and a student first who reports a 3.7 overall GPA.

At 6'2" and 200 lbs, he's a disciplined rusher with a solid combination of size, speed and power. Last year he rushed for over 700 yards and seven touchdowns before an injury cost him the last four games of the season

6. Jordan Payton, WR, USC

The 6'2" and 190-pound junior set a school record for touchdowns and yards in 2009 with 1,088 yards and 18 touchdowns last season. 

The California native had offers from LSU, Washington, and Arizona State, but couldn't pass up the chance to play for his favorite team. Payton has big-play potential and has the chance to become a dominant receiver at the next level. He's a huge target with long arms and the strength to ward off smaller defenders.

5. Arik Armstead, OT, USC

Arik Armstead is one of the top offensive tackles of the 2012 recruiting class and will be joining his older brother Armond with the Trojans.

Arik is a two-sport athlete who plans on playing both basketball and football in college. The 6'7" and 265-pound prospect attended a football camp at UCLA in June and then headed to USC the next day for the Trojans' basketball camp before quickly committing. 

4. Eddie Williams, S, Alabama

Eddie Williams is one of the most versatile football players in the country, playing cornerback, safety, wide receiver, running back, and some quarterback and linebacker. 

It looks like his future is brightest on the defensive side of the ball, where the 6'4", 200-lb prospect has elite size and speed for the free safety position.

3. Omari Phillips, OT, Florida

You wouldn't think so by looking at him, but Omari Phillips is 6'7" and 270 lbs. He's a lean and athletic big man with a great frame to build off of. 

The Venice, Fla., native is super athletic for his size and plays both left tackle and defensive tackle in high school. It wouldn't be surprising to see him make the switch to defensive end, though his skill-set on the offensive line is very intriguing.

2. Avery Johnson, WR, LSU

Perhaps the next great wide receiver at LSU, Avery Johnson is only a junior in high school, but some are already pointing toward him as the future of the Tigers' offense. 

At 6'2" and 185 lbs, he's a big target that knows how to get behind the defense, but he will go down the middle and make the tough catches as well.

1. Dante Fowler, DE, Florida State

At 6'3" and 220 lbs, Dante Fowler is one of the premiere defensive ends of the 2012 class collected over 20 offers before making his commitment to the Seminoles

He started getting a ton of interest from the beginning of his sophomore season and based on the way he's able to get to the quarterback in a hurry or penetrate on run plays, it's no wonder why.