College Football Recruiting 2012: Early Look at the Top 5 Recruiting Classes

It still is likely a tad too early to start recruiting class rankings, as many of the top players have yet to even start to narrow down their lists and name leaders, we figured we'd take a quick stab at the task to see what shakes out.

As the summer comes along, the rankings will start to become concrete, as we will then begin to see classes take more of a shape and form due to more pledges being made.

But for now, this is a just a quick examination of a couple early recruiting classes we like thus far for the 2012 recruiting cycle.

Here's a quick and early look.

5. USC

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LOS ANGELES - NOVEMBER 27: Head coach Lane Kiffin of the USC Trojans watches warmups for the game with the Notre Dame Fighting Irish at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on November 27, 2010 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Stephen Dunn/Getty Imag

Right now as it stands, the Trojans have a five man class, with four out the five pledges being four-star status or higher.

Lane Kiffin and Ed Orgeron have not let the sanctions stand in their way of infusing more talent and bodies on the roster in Troy.

The headliner now and through the recruiting period will be Arik Armstead. The younger brother of current Trojan DL Armond Armstead, Arik is a 6'8", 280 pounder that can play DE, DT and LT. Some consider him to be the No. 1 overall player for the 2012 class.

Jabari Ruffin is a 6'4", 230 pound future starter at SAM LB, while Darreus Rogers and Jayden Mickens are top talents as receivers.

Jordan Payton remains committed to USC, but the four-star receiver continues to look at an array of other schools.

4. Florida

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GAINESVILLE, FL - APRIL 9: Coach Will Muschamp of the Florida Gators watches fans after the Orange and Blue spring football game April 9, 2011 at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville, Florida. (Photo by Al Messerschmidt/Getty Images)

Will Muschamp has hit the ground running for the 2012 class.

He saw a solid 2011 class sign with the Gators, but with recruiting powers stored by Urban Meyer, a top five class is expected year in and year out in Gainesville.

The Gators have a nine-commit class thus far for 2012, headlined by athletic left tackle prospect Jessamen Dunker.

At 6'6", 315 pounds, Dunker is a super athletic big man that could see himself in the NFL in just a few short years.

Matt Jones is one of the top "big back" prospects in the country and he and Mike Davis give the Gators a formidable tandem in the backfield going forward.

Omari Phillips is another solid offensive lineman, while Latroy Pittman is a sound receiver.

3. Florida State

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ATLANTA, GA - DECEMBER 31: Head coach Jimbo Fisher of the Florida State Seminoles sideline reacts after their 26-17 win over the South Carolina Gamecocks during the 2010 Chick-fil-A Bowl at Georgia Dome on December 31, 2010 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo b

The Seminoles have already loaded up on pass rushers in this class, with three DE pledges thus far in 2012 recruiting.

The headliner not only of the DE class, but for the overall commit list for FSU is five-star defensive end Mario Edwards.

6'4", 275 pounds, Edwards has strong side potential and is likely the most complete edge defender in the country.

Chris Casher and Dante Fowler are not slouches either, and all three will terrorize ACC QB's for years, with Dalvon Stuckey in the middle.

P.J. Williams is one of the top safety prospects in the country, and Mario Pender is a super productive running back with a very high ceiling.

2. Alabama

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ATLANTA - DECEMBER 5: Head coach Nick Saban of the Alabama Crimson Tide watches his players during warm ups against the Florida Gators during the SEC Championship game at Georgia Dome on December 5, 2009 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty

The Tide have seen themselves become a recruiting juggernaut under Nick Saban. Saban's approach to recruiting is disciplined, smart and thorough. It's the same approach used at FSU, South Carolina, Florida and LSU.

For his 2012 class, Saban has 11 commits, with seven of those players having four-star ratings or higher.

The headliners so far are Reggie Ragland, a five-star 6'4", 245 pound linebacker, Eddie Williams, a 6'4", 205 pound ATH who likely will be a free safety.

Other four-star standouts includes OLB Tyler Hayes, RB Kenyan Drake, DT Dakota Ball, WR/QB/ATH Justin Thomas and OT Brandon Greene. 

1. Texas

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ARLINGTON, TX - DECEMBER 5: Head coach Mack Brown of the Texas Longhorns after his teams 10-6 victory over the Nebraska Cornhuskers in the game at Cowboys Stadium on December 5, 2009 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)

Mack Brown and the Longhorns are at it again.

16 commits already and May is not even here yet. Wow.

Brown and Texas have changed the way everybody recruits at the FBS level, and they still keep a few paces ahead of everyone else.

The class is led by 5'11", 195 pound Johnathan Gray, who in my opinion is the top running back in the country. He and Malcolm Brown (the running back) will be a dangerous tandem in Austin. 

Mack Brown has another QB in the fold in Connor Brewer along with two elite receivers in Cayleb Jones and Thomas Johnson.

Malcolm Brown (the defensive tackle recruit), Bryson Echols, and Peter Jinkens could develop into stalwarts on the Longhorn defense. 12 out of the 16 commits for Texas are four-star player or higher.