College Football Recruiting 2012: The Top 3 Schools for Every 5-Star Recruit

With June here and recruiting in full swing, now comes time for many of the top programs to begin holding their various summer camps to see prospects in action on their campus. Schools like Ohio State, Alabama and Oklahoma have held camps recently and more are sure to follow.

June also means recruits are narrowing down their lists as they use these camps to also be unofficial visits.

For this piece, I'm going to strictly focus on the uncommitted five-star recruits and give you a quick update on who I think are the top three schools right now to land their signed LOI come next February.

D.J. Humphries, OT

Perhaps the most athletic offensive line prospect in the entire country, Humphries is a 6'6", 265 pound pure LT prospect that reminds many of D'Brickashaw Ferguson.

He has a host of offers from everyone, and the latest is still the norm with him: He really likes the Florida Gators.

After Florida, I would guess Georgia, Tennessee and South Carolina are prime contenders.

Jordan Simmons, OL

6'5" and over 330 pounds, Simmons is an elite OL prospect that can play OT or OG. I have seen him up close and in person, and I can attest to his size.

On tape, Simmons plays with good athleticism for a big man and has solid strength.

I think USC, Washington and Cal are three schools to look out for along with Miami.

Ellis McCarthy, DT

McCarthy made a name for himself at the junior Army game combine by dominating the one on ones. Now, he's a 6'5", 300-plus pound DT with almost no baby fat and great strength.

I would look for USC, Florida, Michigan and Oklahoma to be in the thick for McCarthy.

Kyle Murphy, OT

6'7" and 270 pounds, Murphy is a wide and long framed tackle with long arms to stay clean from rushers, easy slide and mirror ability as a pass protector and bends very easily in his knees.

His 270 pound frame easily can tack on weight in college and I think he is a pure LT prospect.

Murphy has announced he has a top four in Stanford, USC, Cal and Oregon.

Darius Hamilton, DE

Hamilton got slighted a bit yesterday in the first ESPNU 150 list, as he was not a five-star recruit and ranked in the 60s. Yet he is a five-star caliber player in my book, so I have him on this list.

6'4", 245 pounds, Hamilton has great play strength along with snap quickness, closing ability, range and pass rush instincts.

Rutgers, Florida and California seem to be his top three right now. 

Josh Garnett, OL

Garnett is listed as an OG, but it seems many schools feel he can and will be able to kick out to OT. 6'5", 275 pounds, Garnett has great athleticism, agility, balance and good movement skills on the offensive front.

I think the top three schools in contention are Notre Dame, Oregon and Washington for Garnett. At one point it seemed Oregon was the leader, but Notre Dame has caught the eye of the big OL.

Kwon Alexander, OLB

The top flank LB prospect in the nation, Alexander is a joy to watch on tape. He plays with excellent play speed and range, is a great blitzer and can hold his own in pass coverage thanks to great athletic ability on his 6'2", 210 pound frame.

Hailing from Alabama, the Tide and Auburn will be in the race until the end. Also look out for Oregon; however, Alexander still seems fairly open and receptive to everyone at this point and won't announce until signing day in all likelihood.

Adolphus Washington, DE

Washington is a big DE prospect at 6'5", 250 pounds, but he is also so athletic that many programs are recruiting him as an OLB.

He can rush the passer with a quick first step, has long arms to keep blockers out of his body, solid play strength, can bend for a big man and shows a quick close on the ball.

He has named a top five in no order in Ohio State, Kentucky, Miami, Alabama and Michigan.

Jameis Winston, QB

Winston is the top dual threat QB in the country, and the 6'4", 200 pound signal caller is rated the No. 2 overall QB prospect for 2012. He combines a strong arm with quick feet, play speed and instincts like a RB.

Winston is a very good baseball player and is considered a good prospect for the 2012 MLB Draft. He says he wants to see where he is drafted and could play college baseball.

Alabama, Florida State and LSU seem to be the prime favorites. Stanford is a darkhorse.

Shaq Roland, WR

The top WR in the south, Roland is a 6'1", 180 pound smooth and graceful receiver. He glides off the line is his release, can scoot all over the field and is almost Lynn Swann-esque.

He has a slew of offers, but is down to a core four of Georgia, South Carolina, Alabama and Florida. I like the Gamecocks' chances for the Palmetto State native.

Eddie Goldman, DT

Goldman is a 6'4" DT that weighs over 305 pounds. He is very, very strong on his feet, quick to sit and anchor vs. double teams and he can make a mess in the middle.

I think he fits best in a 30-front as a nose, or an end, but Goldman wants to play the three-technique in a 4-3 scheme ultimately.

A top three for Goldman right now is impossible nearly, but he has just announced a top 15 of: 

Alabama, Auburn, California, Clemson, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, LSU, Maryland, Miami, North Carolina, North Carolina State, Oklahoma, South Carolina and Virginia. 

Avery Young, OT

Young is a 6'5", 270 pound noted fisherman that also pancakes defensive ends and protects QBs in his spare time.

The latter likely will help pay for his college education because he's very, very good at it.

With his recruitment, it looks like Oklahoma leads, with Alabama, Florida and Georgia among others in the hunt.

Jarron Jones, DT

Jones is a 6'5", 290 pound DT prospect that combines snap quickness, strength at the point of attack and solid short area pursuit range vs. the run.

He gave a soft verbal to Penn State, and everyone figured that would be the end of his recruitment. We were wrong, as Jones has said he will take all five official visits in the fall.

Penn State, Syracuse and Notre Dame seem to be his top three.

Rushel Shell, RB

Shell is a 5'11", 215 pound RB from Pennsylvania that has the size, speed, instincts and quickness to be an every down back in college. He could make an instant impact as a true freshman.

Shell has not done many media interviews, but seems to be considering schools like Pitt, Ohio State, Auburn, Florida, Penn State, West Virginia, Tennessee, Oregon and Virginia.

Shaquille Thompson, DS

The top safety in the country, Thompson is a 6'1", 180 pounder that can play potentially all four DB positions for a back end. He hits like a strong safety, has the range of a free safety and can play corner for a zone scheme defense.

Cal, USC and Notre Dame seem to be his top three. I think he ends up at Cal in due time.

Quay Evans, DT

At 6'2", 320 pounds, Evans is a wrecking ball in the middle. Playing with excellent strength at all times, he can walk a guard back into the passer, collapse the middle and close or plug the run by anchoring and making a mess.

Mississippi State leads over Alabama, LSU and Ole Miss.

Stefon Diggs, WR/DB

Diggs is one of the best all around football players in the country. 6'0", 190 pounds, he can factor all over the place, but I like him best as a WR. He's very quick and sudden, and while he doesn't have elite long speed, he's fast enough.

The programs that seem to standout for him are Miami, Virginia Tech, Florida, Alabama, Michigan and South Carolina. He'll make his choice at the Army game.

Watch out for Florida, South Carolina and Alabama.

John Theus, OT

6'6", 295 pounds, Theus is one of the premier OT prospects in the country. He can play LT or RT and really excels in run blocking by showing great leg strength, hand placement and finish ability.

He has narrowed his list down to a prime six of Georgia, Notre Dame, Arkansas, Florida, Texas and Alabama.

Noah Spence, DE

Spence is the best pass rusher in the country and stands 6'4", 240 pounds. He has an excellent first snap, explodes by blockers, has tremendous foot speed and closes on QBs in a flash. Spence can also play stand up 3-4 OLB.

North Carolina State, Pitt, Penn State and Notre Dame are schools in the thick of the hunt for Spence.

Keith Marshall, RB

Marshall is a 5'11", 190 pound speedster that can score from anywhere at anytime. He has a great burst to and through run alleys, jumps LBs on the second level and can scoot to the edges and turn the corner.

He has a top 12 of Alabama, Auburn, Clemson, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, Michigan, North Carolina, Notre Dame, South Carolina, Stanford, and USC, but Miami and Oregon have made it a top 14.

Georgia has been rumored as the favorite.

Andrus Peat, OT

Peat is an excellent OT prospect that will be a great LT in college. He stands 6'7" and weighs over 280 pounds with long arms, good feet, easy movement, knee bend, patience and strength.

He has narrowed his list down to a top 13 in no order of Alabama, Oregon, Arkansas, USC, Florida, Michigan, Florida State, Auburn, Texas, Stanford, Nebraska, Miami and Notre Dame.

Florida State, USC and Nebraska are schools to watch out for.

Gunner Kiel, QB

Kiel is the top QB prospect in the country. 6'4", 200 pounds, he plays with good pocket presence, scans the field well, has a good enough arm to attack outside the numbers, is very accurate and flashes some running ability.

He is down to basically Oklahoma, Alabama, Michigan and Indiana from various reports.

It looks like OU is the leader.

Dorial Green-Beckham, WR

DGB is a big time talent and WR prospect that has heard his name mentioned and compared to some of the greats in the game today. 6'6", 220 pounds with 4.4 speed, he has the size, speed and skill level to be an instant star.

He has an offer from every major FBS school, and recently had an unofficial visit to Oklahoma, which he enjoyed. He is keeping his options open, as his recruitment will be a slow and thorough process.

Schools like Oklahoma, Florida, Texas, USC, LSU and Missouri are in contention along with a few more.