College Football Recruiting 2012: The Top 10 Five-Star Recruits

We're starting to see the board get top heavy as April approaches, with whom we consider to be the obvious elite talents in the 2012 class so far. There's bevy of talent in this year's class overall, yet the board is taking shape with some interesting battles at the top.

There are a couple offensive tackles that can all lay claim as the best at the position, the defensive end class is very good, there are three defensive backs that are elite players and more. This should be a great recruiting cycle for college football recruiting fans, as there are some great players this year. The other interesting thing is many of them are still wide open at this point.

With all that said, here are 10 players that we like as five-star recruits.

10. Shaq Thompson, DS

Thompson is the younger brother of Bronco's and former Cal cornerback Syd Thompson, and is a star in the making. 6'1", 185 pounds, he was the best player on the Grant (CA) team last year, and the squad had several college recruits on the roster, including Viliami Moala.

Thompson could easily be among the top running backs in the country, yet he is too good at safety. He rushed for 1800 yards and nearly 20 scores last year, but his impact as a defensive back was even better. Thompson can play both roles in the middle back end and is even athletic enough to play some boundary corner for you in a pinch.

He pledged to Cal a few weeks ago but has backed off recently. However, those around him still expect him to land in Berkley and would be shocked if he doesn't.

9. Stefon Diggs, WR

Diggs is a 6'1", 190 pound receiver that came to the Army combine last year and left as the MVP of the heralded event. He's like a video game player with the football. He easily has the best RAC ability for any receiver in this class, and almost runs like a running back in the open field.

Diggs plays very fast, and explodes well off the line. He does a solid job of getting away from defenders with slippery quickness in his breaks and has good hands. He just needs the ball in hands, whether as a receiver, runner, on reverses, smokes, returns, just get this guy the ball and magic happens.

With over 30 offers, Diggs claims he has no favorites at the moment. Florida, Michigan, FSU, Colorado, Miami, Maryland and Alabama have or will receive an unofficial visit from Diggs this spring.

8. Arik Armstead, DL/OL

Armstead is a 6'8", 280 pound defensive end right now, but he could eventually grow into a defensive tackle or even move across the ball to left tackle. He's an excellent athlete for his size and a terror on the field.

As a rusher he shows a great first step, and can just impose his will on blockers due to his size and strength. He flashes a burst to finish and can easily stop and stack at the point to plug the run. He does have the wingspan and nimble feet to project as a top caliber left tackle if he chooses that route as well. However it seems like he will start his career in Troy as a strong side defensive end, then go from there.

The younger brother of Armond Armstead, he will join his big brother at USC and could play basketball for Kevin O'Neil too.

7. Landon Collins, DB

Collins is among the very best defensive backs in the country, and the 6'0", 200 pounder could even grow into a linebacker by the time he's ready to play at the next level. Right now, he compares favorably to Tony Jefferson at Oklahoma.

Watching his film just shows Collins making stop after stop and him always being around the football. This instinct and desire is something you can't coach, but when you see a defensive player has it, he becomes a must-have for your program. Collins can also cover well in zone concepts on the back end and shows pretty good ball skills and quickness to close.

He lists Alabama and LSU as his two favorites, but Florida Texas A&M and Tennessee are also in the race.

6. Noah Spence, DE

Spence is arguably the best pure pass rusher in the class for 2012. He has elite snap quickness, explodes off the ball, can bend, dip, and burst to finish.

6'4", 245 pounds, he does a good job of staying clean, keeping big blockers from getting inside his body and just keeps coming and coming. He's athletic enough to chase ball carries down the line and has solid strength to anchor and play the run.

His father played at NC State and they are thick in it for Noah, yet he has a slew of offers, including from local Penn State and Pitt among a host of others.

5. Andrus Peat, OL

Peat has the top spot for offensive line recruits, but John Theus and DJ Humphries are five-star caliber players too. The 6'7", 280 pound Peat is a pretty complete recruit and is on the same level as USC left tackle Matt Kalil when he came out of Servite (CA).

A solid technician, Peat has good set quickness, is patient to wait for the rush, but has a solid punch to strike and slide and recover to inside moves. He rarely overextends or waist bends as he's not a panic type blocker. He has great feet and can drive block in the run game. Peat can also get out and upfield to lead on linebackers.

He has over 30 offers from FBS programs, and is wide open. Yet Peat has recently revealed USC and Nebraska will get official visits form him during the fall.

4. Mario Edwards, DE

Edwards has the potential to be the most complete end to come out of this class. He's already 6'4", and over 270 pounds, which projects him well to the strong side. He has solid strength to play the run off the edge and could be basically a third defensive tackle on the defensive front.

He has a solid first step off the ball and gets upfield in a hurry. Edwards has great usage of his hands, which is not common for highs school players. He can run around all over the field, showing extreme range vs. the run. Some say he could end up as a tackle, but the "big" end role was almost made for him.

He is headed to Florid State like his father, Mario Sr.

3. Eddie Goldman, DT

6'4", 305 pounds, Goldman is the best interior defensive line prospect in the country. He has the ceiling to be special one day, and there is nothing that he can't physically do. He is one of the best defensive line prospects to come out of the Atlantic region in awhile.

He's quick off the ball, strong on his feet and can bull rush well. Not just a one trick pony to walk blockers back, Goldman also has the speed and quickness to slip blocks as a rusher and can penetrate gaps very well. Word right now has it that he doesn't prefer to play in a 3-4 as he wants to be a tree technique in a 4-3, but don't count the 3-4 programs out just yet.

North Carolina, North Carolina State, Clemson, Alabama, Auburn, LSU, Florida, Florida State, and Georgia will all be seeing Goldman in the spring.

2. John Gray, RB

The top running back in the country, Gray may go down as the most productive running back in not just Texas but also U.S. high school football history. He has over 6,000 yards the past two seasons to go along with nearly 110 touchdowns.

5'11", 195 pounds he has just about everything you want in a running back. Vision, speed, quickness, run strength, elusiveness, nimble feet, instincts, awareness, feel, desire, production and hands. He's a winner and prolific player to say the least.

He's down to Texas, Texas A&M and TCU.

1. Dorial Green-Beckham, WR

6'6", 220 pounds with a 4.43 40, Green-Beckham is not just the top receiver in the country, but the top player. He is a cross between Calvin Johnson and Plaxico Burress.

Watching more tape on DGB, what it most surprising with him is he is very good in the RAC portion of the game. Most tall receivers are straightline type of athletes that have a hard time getting out of breaks and making moves. On tape, I see Green-Beckham making moves, shaking, baking and scooting on a 6'6" frame.

He has offers from everyone including Florida, Ohio State, Notre Dame, Oklahoma and many, many more.