College Football Recruiting 2011: Who's Going To Start? Who's Going To Redshirt?

Spring ball is right around corner for many college football programs and with that and the spring evaluation period coming up, it will be a busy time for the "off-season" portion of college football. Teams usually have a decent grasp of what their teams will need from an incoming recruit going into training camp after spring ball.

Whether they need an incoming freshman to start, contribute more than expected or even redshirt ,it will be decided from spring ball through training camp. With the talent incoming from the 2011 recruiting class, we decided to take a look at a couple players and see if they'll be able start, contribute or even be asked to redshirt.

Here we go. 

Isaiah Crowell, RB: Georgia

Crowell signed with Georgia over Alabama on NSD and completed the Dream Team haul for Mark Richt's recruiting plan. He's a 5'11", 210 pounder that has LaDanian Tomlinson like ability as a jump cutter with quickness, speed and vision.

Richt has already stated that he plans on Crowell being the opening day starter against Boise State and with incumbent Washaun Ealey starting 2011 with a bad taste in the coaches mouth, Crowell is almost a lock to start.

He'll have to adjust from sharing the load to being the man, but Crowell certainly has the talent to impact Athens as a freshman.

Brent Calloway, LB/RB: Alabama

Calloway flip flopped and flipped back to Alabama from Auburn. At 6'1", 210 pounds he likely will indeed end up at linebacker in Tuscaloosa, though he likes the idea of being a college running back. Yet, with the talent at both positions on the Tide roster, it may tough to see time as a freshman.

Trent Richardson is firmly entrenched as the starter at running back, with even Dee Hart forced to claw for carries. Dont'A Hightower returns as a starter in the middle at linebacker, with Courtney Upshaw at the JACK spot among a flurry of other talented second level defenders.

This may be a case where Calloway makes his mark on special teams as a freshman to see the field, or simply redshirts to master the Alabama defensive scheme, calls and adjustments.

Jeoffrey Pagan, DT: Alabama

Pagan also is a player that the Crimson Tide took for rivals in the south as he de-committed from Clemson and Florida to sign with Alabama on NSD. 6'4", 275 pounds Pagan is a former receiver who is still learning the nuances of defensive line play.

He will need a curve to learn to play the position in the college ranks, plus find a home among the Tide's 30 front base defense.

Another wrinkle to Pagan's probable redshirt year is he is still recovering from a torn ACL. An extra year to continue rehabbing and re-strengthening the knee would be wise to take advantage of.

Braxton Miller, QB: Ohio State

Miller is a 6'2", 190 pound QB who is a dual threat style signal caller with equal throwing and running talent. The talk around Columbus is that he has a higher ceiling than Troy Smith had coming in, plus he is more polished as a passer.

Incumbent QB Terrelle Pryor is suspended for the first five games of the 2011 season and Joe Bauserman and Ken Guiton are vying to get those snaps.

Yet Miller could be the player to come in and provide a spark to the Buckeye offense. While it could be tough to start for OSU as a true freshman at QB, Miller still should be a contributor as freshman.

George Farmer, WR: USC

Farmer is in an interesting situation, I believe. He's uber-talented, yet walking onto a roster with players with either similar talent as him or more collegiate experience. 6'2", 200 pounds, with high 4.3, low 4.4 speed, Farmer is expected to become one of the better receivers in Trojan history.

Yet his buddy Robert Woods is a firm starter, and Kyle Prater is poised to meet expectations at the USC receiving core. Then there is Brice Butler, Markeith Ambles, Brandon Carswell and Devon Flournoy among others.

It'll be plenty interesting to see what Farmer does in camp and how that shapes his freshman campaign as a receiver in Troy.

Malcolm Brown, RB; Texas

Brown is the top incoming running back this season and was a man-child on the high school level. He's 6'0", 220 pounds and has the run strength, speed, vision, quickness and instincts to immediately factor in Bryan Harsin's new Texas offense.

Harsin will have the Longhorns in multiple formations, but Brown's best spot is directly in the backfield.

He should get a good amount of carries as a freshman, and I think he will eventually unseat Fozzy Whitaker as the man at some point by mid season.

Jeff Driskel, QB: Florida

Driskel was the top QB on my board all year and solidified that by dazzling in the UA game. He's 6'4", 225 pounds with a hose arm and great mobility. I think he has a high ceiling.

He's headed to Florida where there is a new coaching staff, with one Charlie Weis as the OC. John Brantley likely will be Weis' guy in the 2011, but Driskel has a chance to get some snaps.

If Florida chooses, they can redshirt Driskel, make Jordan Reed the No.2 guy for 2011 and let Driskel, Reed and another freshman QB Jacaoby Brissett slug it out for the job in 2012 when Brantley is gone.

La'El Collins, OT: LSU

Collins was the top lineman in the south this year and has the tools to exceed at left tackle. At 6'5", 290 pounds, he has great feet, mirror ability and athleticism to recover.

Joe Barksdale has graduated and moved on to the NFL. For LSU, there is a hole at the left tackle spot where Collins could step in and man for the next four years.

It's always tough for a true freshman to to come from high school to start on the offensive line in college, especially in the SEC. But with Les Miles asking Steve Kragthorpe to improve the passing game and throw more, this could make it an easier transition for Collins.

Cyrus Kouandjio, OT: Alabama

Koaundjio ended his saga and chose the Tide over Auburn a few days after NSD, but what was lost in sight was the fact that he's the top offensive tackle prospect in the country.

At 6'7", 320 pounds, Kouandjio has a frame that can easily add even more bulk, and he combines that with excellent athleticism, feet and agility.

But with Tyler Love, Aaron Douglas, DJ Fluker and even his brother Arie Kouandjio all at the tackle spots, Cyrus could be in line to redshirt while he refines his pass protection technique and adjusts to life in Tuscaloosa.

Jadeveon Clowney, DE: South Carolina

Clowney is one the best and most hyped prospects to come into CFB in years. He's 6'6", 250 pounds and the sky is the limit for him. He decided to play in a 40 front base defense over Alabama's JACK linebacker role, by heading to Columbia.

South Carolina has some talent at the defensive end position with Devin Taylor and Chaz Sutton returning, but Clowney will be starting by mid-season, if not on opening day. It's just the perfect storm of a super talent coming into a program in need for players at his position.

If Clowney redshirts, then it means he got hurt. If he's healthy then he will be a starter as a true freshman.