College Football Recruiting 2012: Predictions for the Early 5-Star Recruits

Although it's still extremely early in the 2012 recruiting process, in which schools are still gathering information and film on players to evaluate, some prospects are inching closer to making a decision. Early commitments are starting to become the trend in college football recruiting.

Some players have already achieved five-star status due to dominating as sophomores and juniors, gaining a slew of early offers and being uber-productive on the field. We've decided to try to take a very early stab at where these early 5-star players will end up.

We may wrong, we may be right but this will be fun to look back at come next February to compare our predictions.

Noah Spence, DE

Spence is a 6'4", 240 pound defensive end from Pennsylvania that has an incredible wing span and length in his arms to stay clean from blockers. Spectators say he's the best defensive end from Pennsylvania in years coming out of the high school level.

He has offers from USC, Penn State, Notre Dame, Rutgers, Tennessee, Iowa, North Carolina,Virginia, Syracuse, Purdue and Maryland.

Spence is extremely open at the moment and he could wind up anywhere as the process plays out. Notre Dame looks a favorite right now.

Shaquille Thompson, DB

6'1", 180 pounds, Thompson is the top defensive back prospect in the Sunshine State and likely will play safety in college. He has great range to patrol the back end and can close on receivers in a hurry. Thompson has solid tackling technique and wraps up well, rarely leaking any yardage.

Talk is he can play all four spots in a secondary, but I think he could only play corner in an off-man/zone type of defense.

USC, California, Oregon, UCLA and UNLV have already offered with more on the way.

Look for this to come down to Cal and USC.

Eddie Goldman, DT

Goldman is on par with a Shariff Floyd and Dominique Easley, two interior defensive tackles that signed with Florida in 2010 and also hail from the Atlantic region. Goldman is a 6'3", 295 pounds and has excellent snap quickness.

He has very quick hands to beat blockers to the punch and get inside their body. Goldman pushes the pocket from the inside and has strength to rarely stall when he's on. There are some intensity knocks on him and also some pass rush plan questions, but he could develop into a solid DT with more seasoning.

Michigan, Miami, Alabama, USC, Tennessee, LSU, South Carolina, Oklahoma, Auburn, Florida State, Florida, Clemson, North Carolina and Georgia have offered.

He really favors Miami and Michigan right now.

Keith Marshall, RB

Marshall has been timed at 4.32 in the 40 to go with a 5'11", 190 pound frame. He can skate to and through holes with ease, or turn the corner and blow by an entire defense. He has very good jump cut and quick cut ability, elusiveness and it is all set up by his great run vision.

Georgia, Clemson, North Carolina, Alabama,  USC, South Carolina, Auburn and Florida are just a few offers to name.

Look for the Raleigh native to wind up on Chapel Hill at North Carolina.

Mario Edwards, DE

Edwards is a 6'4", 240 pound edge rusher from Texas. He has an excellent first snap to jump offensive tackles off the line, athleticism to duck his shoulder, bend and burst to finish on the QB in the pocket. Edwards is also athletic enough to chase ball carriers and even drop off in coverage.

He has offers from Texas, Florida State, Alabama, Oklahoma, and Texas A&M among others.

He's favoring FSU and his father, Mario Sr. played there.

Andrus Peat, OT

6'7", 280 pounds, Peat has the frame to develop into an excellent left tackle. He will be battle QB Conor Brewer for top player in Arizona honors this 2012 recruiting cycle. Peat is a solid technician, plays with good natural knee bend and has the feet to slide and mirror on the edges in pass protection.

He gets good hand placement in the defender's body as a run blocker, rarely stalls and brings his feet with every block.

Peat has over 25 offers from top BCS programs and will be able pick where he wants to go, as he is welcome on almost any campus across the country. This is a wide open race and Peat hasn't really named a favorite yet.

Rushel Shell, RB

Shell is a very complete runner and will be an every down back in college. 5'11", 215 pounds, he has been timed at 4.4 in the 40. He's big enough to plow between the tackles, push piles and gain yards after contact. Yet he also has great speed to get to the edges, square his shoulders upfield and burst for long runs.

He has offers from Florida, Auburn, Pitt, Ohio State, Tennessee, Virginia, Oregon, Penn State and West Virginia.

Look for him to end up at Pittsburgh.

Kwon Alexander, OLB

Alexander is a 6'2", 210 pound linebacker that has great range, play speed and athleticism. He can get after the passer as an edge rusher and still track the run very well. I compare him to a high school version of Giants' linebacker Michael Boley with similar athleticism, traits and skill set in their overall game.

Alexander holds offers from Alabama, Florida, Auburn, Florida State, LSU, Ole Miss, USC, Tennessee, Oklahoma, Nebraska and Mississippi State.

Look for this to come down to an Iron Bowl fight between Auburn and Alabama.

John Theus, OT

It's a toss up between who's the top offensive tackle prospect in the country this year between Theus and Peat. Theus is a 6'6", 290 pound man with great toughness, footwork and a blue collar mentality. He bends his knees well, slides, recovers and is a flat out nasty run blocker.

Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Miami, Notre Dame, North Carolina and Texas are only a few offers he has to name.

I think Theus winds up at either Georgia or Florida at this point.

Dorial Green-Beckham, WR

6'6", 220 pounds, with 4.43 speed Green-Beckham is a monster. He's a problem for defenses. Simple and plain. He's too big for corners and too fast for safeties, plus he has the toughness to go across the middle and underneath. If he is not on the field in the red zone then his team's offensive coordinator should be fired as he's deadly on fade routes.

USC, Notre Dame, Missouri, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Florida, Alabama, LSU, Iowa, Ohio State and Nebraska have offered.

Missouri will do all it can to keep him home but its going to a tough task to fight off the national powers.

John Gray, RB

Gray is a top three player in Texas, along with Edwards and receiver Caleb Jones, who likely will earn a fifth star in the near future. 5'11", 195 pounds, Gray has been productive in high school due to his blend of speed, quickness, acceleration, vision and run instincts. He can skate anywhere yet is tough enough to bang inside and do the dirty work. He's similar to Aaron Green.

Offers include Texas, Florida, Texas A&M, Oklahoma, Baylor and Texas Tech.

Look for Gray to head to Texas.