
National Signing Day 2011: Which Top Recruiting Classes Will Finish Strongest
National Signing Day 2011 is approaching and it's approaching quickly.
Within the next two weeks, the college football recruiting world will know which teams were winners and which teams were losers in the race for the nation's top recruits.
Many of the top-ranked college football programs have backed up their play on the field by putting together recruiting classes that will help push their tradition and success even further.
Many of the same teams you see at the top of the polls during the season have remained at the top of the rankings when looking at recruiting classes.
Among teams like Georgia, Auburn, Florida State and Alabama, there will be some programs that could cap a strong recruiting year by making one strong final push. Here are those teams.
Alabama
1 of 5
The Tide have what Rivals.com considers the top-ranked recruiting class in the nation.
That's a scary thought for the rest of the SEC, considering the Tide are bound to get stronger over the next two weeks.
Alabama remains focused on bringing in top-ranked offensive tackle Cyrus Kouandjio, top running back Isaiah Crowell and Jadeveon Clowney, the top-ranked player in the nation.
The Tide's 2011 recruiting class features seven players ranked among ESPNU's Top 150 prospects and is led by safety Ha'Sean Clinton-Dix, who is likely to be an immediate impact freshman player. Dee Hart, who committed to Alabama after pulling his verbal from Michigan, is the Tide's featured running back in the 2011 class.
LSU
2 of 5
LSU's recruiting class is ranked No. 3 by Rivals.com and is battling hard to maintain the pace set by SEC rival Alabama. With La'El Collins, Anthony Johnson and Jarvis Landry already committed, the Tigers could add a host of top-ranked players to its 2011 class.
LSU remains a finalist for Tim Jernigan, Ray Drew and C.J. Johnson, among others.
The Tigers, much like Georgia, benefit from being local to a hotbed of top-ranked recruits. Many of Louisiana's top players have also committed to LSU, including Collins, Jeremy Hill and Anthony Johnson.
Florida State
3 of 5
The Seminoles began the recruiting season hot and have continued their pace to hang tight with Clemson and North Carolina for the ACC's top-ranked recruiting class.
Florida State continues to recruit some of the top uncommitted talent and hopes to soon land verbals from linebacker Tony Steward, tight end Nick O'Leary, Tim Jernigan and linebacker Arrington Jenkins.
ESPNU ranks Florida State as the top recruiting class in 2011 and are led by top-ranked safety commit Karlos Williams. James Wilder, one of the nation's top athletes, has also committed. While Wilder is heralded as a running back, he may be better suited for the linebacker position, which would also help boost the Seminoles defensive unit in this 2011 recruiting class.
Notre Dame
4 of 5
The Fighting Irish have surged in the past week, gaining commitments from linebacker Ishaq Williams and defensive ends Aaron Lynch and Stephon Tuitt.
With the defensive side of its class off to a spectacular start and ready to compete against the best in the nation, Notre Dame switches its focus in the recruiting season's final two weeks to landing offensive tackle Troy Niklas and running back Savon Huggins.
Niklas and Huggins would add to an already impressive group of recruits on Notre Dame's offensive line. Matthew Hegarty leads the class on the offensive line as the Irish hope to build around the hopeful commitment of Huggins.
Clemson
5 of 5
The Tigers have performed well this recruiting season despite a down year. With Florida State, North Carolina and Virginia putting together spectacular recruiting seasons and solid classes, Clemson needed to pull its weight in the recruiting game.
Up to this point, the Tigers have done that and more. And with a host of top players scheduled to visit and considering heading to Clemson, they very well may continue to improve their 2011 class.
Clemson hopes to hear good news from top-ranked and No. 2 defensive ends Jadeveon Clowney and Ray Drew, respectively and linebackers Stephone Anthony, Tony Steward and Brandon Ellerbe.
If the Tigers can land even a portion of their targeted recruits, they would join a class that ranks No. 9 in Rivals.com's team rankings. Sammy Watkins and Mike Bellamy top the Tigers' class up to this point.
.jpg)








