College Football Recruiting 2012: The Latest on the Top 20 5-Star Recruits

Moving along in the 2012 recruiting cycle, we are now starting to see updated rankings and recruits being tabbed as 5-stars and so forth.

The spring evaluation period, along with the camps and combines circuit, all give us a chance to see prospects up close and match what we have seen on tape.

With the 5-star recruits, naturally they get most of the focus, as their recruitment is magnified by their hyped status.

With this list, we are just going to take the top 20 5-star recruits on our board and give you a quick update on their recruitment.

Let's get started. 

20. Jordan Simmons, OL

Simmons is a 5-star prospect on the offensive line.

I project the 6'5", 335-pounder to be a guard, but don't count him out as a right tackle. He's strong on his feet, has nimble feet and plays very balanced.

Right now, the latest on Simmons has the California native open to leaving the state for college.

Simmons claims he has not grown up a fan of one specific school, and leaving home is a definite possibility.

19. Darius Hamilton, DE

Hamilton is a 6'4", 245-pound defensive prospect that can do it all.

Most ends at the highs school level only focus on their pass rushing prowess, yet Hamilton shows the strength to anchor and shed against the end.

Toss that in with his elite pass rushing ability and you see a 5-star prospect on the defensive edge.

The latest with Hamilton is that he is lining up visits for the spring. He has no leader at the moment, and is really looking at who is after him the hardest.

That seems to be, according to Hamilton, Florida, Tennessee, Rutgers, Virginia, North Carolina and Virginia Tech.

18. Jameis Winston, QB

Perhaps the top dual-threat QB in the country for this year, Jameis Winston is also one the very elite prospects out of Alabama.

At 6'4", 200 pounds, Winston combines a rifle for an arm along with great play speed and running ability.

The most recent tip on Winston is that he wants to make an early decision. He is narrowing in on a decision and this summer we will know where the signal-caller is headed.

Look for Alabama, Auburn and Florida State to be among the top of his list.

17. Cayleb Jones, WR

I called it. I called it when I watched him on tape and kept calling it as I gathered more information on him.

Cayleb Jones is a 5-star prospect at receiver, like I said he would be. At 6'3", 190 pounds, Jones is among the top receivers in Texas, and the country.

There really isn't much going on him, as he gave Texas and Mack Brown a pledge in late February and seems solid to honor that commitment.

16. DJ Humphries, OT

The natural comparison for Humphries' game seems to be Jets left tackle D'Brickashaw Ferguson, and rightfully so.

At 6'6", 270 pounds, Humphries is a left tackle through and through and is likely the best athlete in the trenches in the country.

He has a top list that consists of Florida, South Carolina, Tennessee and Auburn. A decision could come at anytime.  

15. Shaq Thompson, DS

Thompson is a 6'1", 185-pound safety prospect that can also play running back and a little bit of cornerback as well.

His brother Syd plays for the Denver Broncos, and Shaq was the top player for NorCal powerhouse Grant HS (CA) as a junior.

Recently Thompson pledged to California, but a few days later re-opened his recruitment. I still think he ends up at Cal in the end.

He is rumored to be waiting until the postseason all-star games next January to announce.

14. Ellis McCarthy, DT

At 6'5" and a ripped 300 pounds, McCarthy is among the very top players in the country.

He is extremely strong on his feet and at the point of attack, and he plays very instinctively. He has a great frame and looks like a college junior right now.

Recently, McCarthy was named as one of the top performers at the Nike Camp in Los Angeles and is in the process of narrowing down his list.

13. Zeke Pike, QB

There is talk that Pike may be the top QB in the country, and you can easily make a compelling argument for that to be true.

At 6'6", 225 pounds, Pike possesses a cannon for an arm to go along with elite size and very good athletic ability.

Pike has drawn some whispers about his attitude, and getting ejected from a recent seven-on-seven game will not help his case to defend against character concerns.

Pike threw a ball at an official after receiving a delay-of-game penalty and promptly was thrown out.

On the recruiting front, he is in the process of taking unofficial visits this spring and is looking to whittle his list down to eight schools.

After that, a final list of three will be formulated, then a decision will be made.

12. Quay Evans, DT

At 6'2", 320 pounds, Evans is an immovable object in the trenches. He has great strength and I like him as a one technique or a nose tackle.

He has the girth to be a space eater, but also the athleticism to make plays along the line.

The latest with him is he has a top list of Texas, Oregon, Ole Miss, Alabama and LSU.

11. Rushel Shell, RB

At 5'11", 215 pounds, Shell is among the best running backs in the country. He has elite vision, awareness and run instincts to go along with great speed and run strength.

Not much has been let out in regards to Shell, but I do notice that it seems he glows when speaks about Pitt, Ohio State and Florida.

Yet he has close to 30 offers and is still a bit open. 

10. John Theus, OT

In a story I did last week comparing some 2012 recruits to a some 2011 recruits, I compared Theus to Christian Westerman.

At 6'6", 295 pounds, Theus, like Westerman, excels at drive blocking and has an ability to finish.

Solid in pass protection, I think Theus' best spot is right tackle.

Theus' brother, Nate, is a long snapper at Georgia, and the Bulldogs have been talked about as the early favorite for John.

John and his father took an unofficial visit to Athens to meet with new offensive line coach Will Friend, who replaced Stacy Searles.

The visit went well and Georgia is still in the race, along with a slew of other schools.

Theus has repeatedly said he will take his time with the process and is not in a hurry to commit.

9. Kwon Alexander, LB

At 6'2", 210 pounds, Alexander is a fantastic linebacker prospect. He has tremendous play speed and range, and will be a three-down defender in college.

He projects well at WILL, but I think can also play SAM in a 4-3 scheme due to his ability to carry tight ends around the field in coverage.

One of the top prospects in Alabama bar none, Alexander claims no favorite at the moment.

Yet, with him being from 'Bama, Auburn and the Tide will be among the top schools after his services.

He took an unofficial visit to Alabama earlier this month. 

8. Keith Marshall, RB

Perhaps the fastest running back in the country, Marshall is a touchdown machine.

I liken him to a Marshall Faulk, as he can impact the game as a runner, receiver and even as a returner.

At 5'11", 185 pounds, Marshall has been timed in the 4.3 range in the 40.

With a slew of offers, Marshall has whittled his list down to, in no particular order, Alabama, Auburn, Clemson, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, Michigan, North Carolina, Notre Dame, South Carolina, Stanford and USC.

7. Noah Spence, DE

Spence is the top pure pass rusher in the country and easily has the quickest first two steps in America. He flies off the ball and gets after the QB with tenacity, passion and sheer speed.

At 6'4", 245 pounds, he has been compared to Dwight Freeney, although he is a bit longer and taller than the 6'1" Freeney.

Spence, at the moment, still seems to be taking the process all in, as he gets a new offer almost every day.

NC State, Penn State, Notre Dame, Rutgers, Maryland and USC are just a few schools to name that are on his trail. 

6. Gunner Kiel, QB

At 6'4", and over 200 pounds, Kiel will have to fend off some top gunslingers through the cycle for top QB honors.

Yet he is one of the top prospects at the moment, and has a great arm, mobility, accuracy and solid vision. He reminds me a bit of Blaine Gabbert.

Kiel's uncle Blair was a QB at Notre Dame in the 1980s, and the Irish are hot after Gunner, along with Oklahoma and a host of other schools.

He's still a bit open, but is narrowing down his list soon.

5. Mario Edwards, DE

The most complete edge defender in the country, Edwards is a 6'4", 275-pound monster of a defensive end.

He has the strength to play the run, anchor, stop and stack at the point and shed blocks. Then he has the speed to chase and pressure passers all night long.

He is solid to Florida State, which he pledged to over Texas. 

4. Arik Armstead, DE/DT/OL

At 6'8", 280 pounds, Armstead has been talked as the top prospect in the country. He can play defensive end, defensive tackle and also shows the feet and balance to play left tackle.

The brother of current USC defensive end Armond Armstead, Arik is mammoth that isn't just a big man, he's an excellent athlete as well.

He is solid to USC, where he will begin as a strong side defensive end. 

3. Andrus Peat, OT

At 6'7", 280 pounds, Peat is the top line prospect in the country and will be a franchise left tackle.

He reminds me a lot of USC left tackle Matt Kalil coming out of high school. Sound in his technique, smart, patient and savvy in pass protection, Peat is an elite offensive lineman.

He is still wide open, but did take a trip to Florida State recently, along with visiting USC as well.

Both trips went well, and Peat is still keeping his options very open.  

2. John Gray, RB

Gray is the top running back in the country on my board, as the 5'11", 195-pounder's production is that of three backs.

He has over 6,000 yards and 109 touchdowns over the past two seasons alone. Gray has elite vision, feel, instincts, elusiveness, speed and quickness.

The latest on Gray is he will not be a participant in any combines in the near future due to a shoulder injury. His top three still is Texas, TCU and Texas A&M.

1. Dorial Green-Beckham, WR

I have Green-Beckham as the top player in the country on my board, as do many other talent evaluators.

At 6'6", 220 pounds, the only knock I have on him right now is his release quickness off the line.

Other than that, Green-Beckham has the hands, separation quickness, catch-in-crowd ability and playmaking talent to become a dominant receiver in college. 

The latest on Green-Beckham is he has soured on the recruiting process and is tired of the constant attention.

His high school coach and guardian regularly does the talking for Dorial and says they will both start to visit schools in the summer.

Look for a scaled-down list to be revealed in September.