College Football Recruiting 2012: The Top 25 Instant-Impact Recruits

Making an impact early is every recruit's dream, as early playing time and depth charts have become more crucial and significant in decisions and commitments.

Yet, it is a rare feat to make an impact as a true freshman, as many recruits lack to size, frame, speed, instincts and truly college-ready skill level. Development and coaching is imperative, but there are still a select few every fall who make an early impact.

The following are 25 players I believe have a chance to impact a program and contribute as a freshman.

25. Rushel Shell, RB

Shell is a solidly-built RB prospect at 5'11" and 215 pounds. I estimate his speed is in the 4.5 range, and he shows the ceiling, skill set and potential to be an every-down rock-toter in college.

RB is always the easiest position to impact as a young player on any level, and Shell shows he has solid quickness, nimble feet and good run instincts to carry the load as a true freshman. 

He has solid breakaway speed, above-average wiggle and the elusiveness to make an impact on his chosen program early in his initial season.

24. Nick James, DT

You want a monster, space-eating DT for your defensive front? Look no further than the 6'5", 335-pound James.

He plays with great snap quickness, balance, strength and power for a big man. His force comes from his strong upper body and he flashes some short area chase ability in pursuit.

James can come in right now, eat up space and give you two downs a series as a run-stuffing DT.

23. Mario Pender, RB

Pender averaged almost 14 yards a carry last season. Do me a favor; go back and read that one more time. Because that's amazing.

At 6'0" and over 200 pounds, he has fantastic speed to hit creases and skate through. He does a solid job of banging inside and can break a few tackles as well. Pender runs tough and is very durable as well.

He's headed for Florida State, and his early impact potential on the Seminoles' roster is debatable, but Pender has the talent to warrant early carries as a freshman.

22. Jordan Simmons, OL

Simmons has the talent and ability to play tackle and guard , but I like him as a guard more. At 6'5", 335 pounds, he shows very good athletic ability, strength and balance as a blocker.

He can even play some center in a pinch, too. He does have some baby fat around his body, but a college strength program will shed that, and he is one of the elite line prospects in the country.

21. Matt Jones, RB

Jones is a big back prospect who stands a large 6'3", 210 pounds. Most big backs are stiff, straight-line bruising types, but Jones is the contrary.

He has very good athleticism and has good wiggle for a big back. He is decisive with his reads, hits holes hard and can also be used as a receiver.

Jones is committed to Florida.

20. Ellis McCarthy, DT

At 6'5" and 311 pounds, McCarthy looks like a college player now. He's a big man, but his body type shows very little excess baby fat, as opposed to a Jordan Simmons. 

McCarthy is a very good athlete for his size and shows great strength. At times, he loses leverage at the point of attack because he plays too high, but with coaching, he should be able to overcome this flaw.

He can explode off the ball, blow by blockers with quickness or bull rush inside and walk them back. He also shows the ability to scrape down the line and pursue ball-carriers against the run. 

19. Trey Williams, RB

Williams is not very big, but he's very fast, slippery and explosive, quick and elusive. At 5'8", 175 pounds, Williams is a stick of dynamite in the backfield and can score anytime he touches the rock.

He uses his lack of height to his advantage, sliding and hiding behind his line, then darting when he sees a crease. He may not be an every-down back in college, but I still expect him to be very productive.

Look for him to contribute as RS and third-down back early for Texas A&M.

18. Jordan Jenkins, DE

At 6'3", 245 pounds, Jinkens may be able to come in as a true freshman and make an impact as a sub rusher from Day 1; he's that athletically gifted.

You watch him on tape and you see a burst and ability to beat blockers at the snap.

He can bend well off the edge and close on the QB in a flash. He plays the run well and just needs to get seasoned. Keep an eye on him, as he can potentially be a sub-rusher as a freshman.

Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Georgia Tech, Tennessee and Auburn are his top six.

17. Ronald Darby, CB

Darby easily can be seen contributing early as a nickel back for Notre Dame.

A 5'11", 175-pound corner prospect who could find himself playing running back in college, he's a special athlete who can wow you on tape. He has very good foot quickness, which is why he projects well to corner.

He shows solid instincts in coverage, comes out of his backpedal well and can close in a hurry. Darby also can return punts and kicks very well, too.

16. Landon Collins, DS/OLB

Collins is a five-star recruit and one of the top players in the country, and I think he can be the next Tony Jefferson, as he can play safety and outside linebacker.

At 6'0", 210 pounds, Collins shows to be uber-instinctive in the box, physical vs. the run and rangy to chase and pursue.

He's productive in space in coverage, showing an ability to factor in the zone due to his awareness. He always finds a way to the ball and hates getting caught in traffic.

Look for him to be one of the best strong safeties to come out of this class.

Alabama, Florida, LSU, Miami (Fla.) and Tennessee are his final five.

15. Reggie Ragland, LB

The only concern I have on Ragland is his lateral quickness; he has to gather to change direction. Otherwise, the 6'4", 245-pounder is a missile at LB. 

Ragland plays pretty instinctively to his size at the point of attack and explodes upon contact. He has solid straight-line speed and is quick to fill alleys to challenge ball-carriers at the line of scrimmage.

His athleticism level, size and skill set make him an ideal candidate as a 3-4 ILB.

He's committed to Alabama, and I highly doubt he'll actually start as a true freshman in Nick Saban's complicated 3-4 scheme, but at any other program, Ragland has true freshman starting size and talent.

14. Adolphus Washington, DE

Washington is another pass rusher and among the elite in the country this year. At 6'5", 250 pounds, Washington has the size to play the strong side in college, but also the athleticism, play speed and quickness to man the weak side as well.

He has a long frame to stay clean, he can convert speed into power quickly and forcefully, and he bends solidly. Washington is also a noted hoops prospect, which is why you hear the Julius Peppers comparisons.

Ohio State, Michigan, Kentucky, Miami and Alabama are his top five.

13. Quay Evans, DT

Evans is a 6'2", 320-pound beast. He's extremely strong and powerful on his feet, and explodes at the snap.

He displays shock value at the point of attack, and if he wins the hand placement battle with an OG, it's over.

He can walk blockers back in to the passer, has the strength to toss and shed, and some quickness to close and finish on ball-carriers. Evans can start, and start early as a freshman.

12. Shaq Roland, WR

Roland is a receiver that is here because his ceiling is so high. At 6'1", 180 pounds, he has played multiple spots, but receiver is his definite future home position in college. He just needs to spend more time there and get coached up.

Dynamic with the ball in his hands, Roland shows very good play speed and explosiveness. He isn't very strong, but can beat press with change of direction and quickness in his release. He flashes great separation quickness and solid hands.

Look for him to end up at South Carolina, with Georgia, Alabama and Florida in the race.

11. Eddie Goldman, DT

At 6'4" and 305 pounds, Goldman has a chance to step foot on campus early and be a two-down DT. He's stout against the run, anchors well and makes a mess on the interior due to great strength, power and force.

On tape, Goldman displays a quick recognition of double-teams, snap quickness and the ability to get skinny to penetrate gaps.

He has some short area chase ability and may be better suited for the NT/0-technique than the DT/3-technique spot, but Goldman should be a great player. 

10. Darius Hamilton, DE

At 6'4" and 245 pounds, Hamilton shows he has the strength and athleticism to start on the edge as a true freshman.

He's so strong at the point of attack that some say he may grow into a defensive tackle down the road in college.

Hamilton shows the ability to set the edge in the run game, anchor against TE's and OT's, shed and make the stop.

He's also athletic enough to pursue and chase away from him, plus he has all the needed pass-rush tools to be a high-level starter as a freshman.

9. Shaq Thompson, DS

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

Thompson has very good athletic ability, play speed and range. On the back end, at safety, he shows the ability to patrol a deep third in Cover-3, and also the transition quickness to get off the hashes in Cover-2.

Thompson can also play on the deep flanks as a CB, in a zone scheme, and supports the run with big time hits at the point of attack and solid tackling technique.

8. John Theus, OT

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

Solid in pass protection, I think Theus' best spot is right tackle. In no specific order, Alabama, Georgia, Texas, Notre Dame, Arkansas and Florida are Theus' top six schools.

He moves targets off their marks with ease, has quick feet and plays physical at the point of attack.

7. 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.

6. Arik Armstead, DE

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 a mammoth who isn't just a big man; he's an excellent athlete as well.

USC will trot him out early as a strong-side DE, due to his size, strength and ability to anchor vs. blockers.

5. Dorial Green-Beckham, WR

DGB is the top recruit on my board.

But when you're 6'6" and 220 pounds with 4.4 speed, long arms, a huge strike zone, separation quickness, build-up speed and strength to release against press-man coverage, you can play early.

Green-Beckham is on the same level as Kyle Prater was coming out of high school a few years ago.

4. Mario Edwards, DE

Edwards is the most complete DE in the country on my board, standing at 6'4" and weighing in the 260-270 range.

He is very strong to set the edge and athletic enough to rush the passer. While I don't think he's in Jadeveon Clowney's class just yet, he's a prime recruit in his own right.

Edwards can fire of the ball, quickly read run or pass, bend around a blocker and close on the passer in the pocket.

He can also anchor against the run, stall a blocker, shed with strength and stop a ball-carrier in his tracks. 

3. Johnathan Gray, RB

At 5'11" and 195 pounds, Gray is a complete running back. He grades out at above average or higher in every major and critical position factors for which I grade RB's.

Gray shows great instincts, front seven alignment knowledge, understanding of his OL's blocking assignments, understanding of how to execute a play,—be it attack downhill or showing pre-line of scrimmage patience—great vision and anticipation.

Gray should be able to make an early impact at Texas.

2. Stefon Diggs, WR/RB/RS/DB

The more I watch of Diggs, the more I love him. He reminds me of USC receiver Robert Woods, and I think he can have that type of impact as a true freshman.

At 6'0" and 190 pounds, some even claim Diggs can be an elite safety as well. He's dynamic with the football, playing receiver, running back and return man for his high school squad, along with defensive back.

He's extremely sudden off the ball, has great hands and is the best RAC player in the country. Diggs is a prime-time home run threat and will be a multiple-use offensive weapon in college.

1. 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 can come to any school in the country and probably win the DPR role as a freshman. He has length to stay clean, and can even stand up and rush as an OLB.