College Football Recruiting: The Top 10 Classes in 2012
It's far too early to really settle in on who will bag a Top 10 class in the 2012 College Football Recruiting, but there are a pack of teams separating themselves from the rest.
At this point, this list is primarily based on the number of 5Q Top 250 prospects each school has received a verbal commitment from.
Familiar names abound on this early look at 2012 recruiting, but a few teams are surprising in the early going.
Did your team make the list?
1. Texas
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Texas still has to settle their QB situation, but one thing they never have to worry about is reeling in top recruits. The Longhorns have already collected an astounding 10 commitments in the 5Q Top 250, five of which rank in the top 60 overall prospects.
Texas always completes their class early and always finishes in the top 10 nationally in recruiting.
Key Recruits
RB Jonathan Gray
DT Malcolm Brown
WR Cayleb Jones
Notes
Of the 10 5Q Top 250 commits in this class, nine are from the Lone Star State. Texas is always loaded with talent and nearly every high school football player in the state dreams of being a Longhorn, so Mack Brown has one of the easiest recruiting jobs in the country every year. Brown's job may be an easy one, but he always delivers even after a sub-par season.
2. Florida State
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Whether or not you agree with how the Bobby Bowden era ended in Tallahassee, it's hard to question Jimbo Fisher as his replacement. Excitement has been restored for Seminole fans and Fisher will look to add another outstanding class to his monster class from last year.
Florida State will likely be neck and neck with in-state rival Florida until Signing Day, but right now they have more playmakers in this class.
Key Recruits
DE Mario Edwards
DE Dante Fowler, Jr.
DE Chris Casher
Notes
Remember when FSU used to just bring in waves talent on the defensive line and rotate All-American level talent throughout the game? Yeah, those days are back in a big way. It's not a typo that all three of their key recruits at this point are defensive ends. They have three of the top six at the position in the country for 2012. Scary, scary stuff for opposing ACC QB's.
3. Florida
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Former Texas Defensive Coordinator and brand new Florida Head Coach Will Muschamp is off to a great start recruiting his first class in Gainesville. While the Gators have more total commitments (eight) than their in-state rivals, Florida State (six), the individual recruits don't pack quite as much of a punch. three of the eight commits are ranked 220 or lower in the 5Q Top 250, but that's still plenty good enough to land them at number three.
Key Recruits
CB Brian Poole
RB Matt Jones
OT Jessamen Dunker
Notes
Florida has a very good shot at moving up the list as they are in great shape with five other players in the top 50. The Gators lead (or are very close to the lead) for OT D.J Humphries, OT Avery Young, DE Jordan Jenkins, CB Tracy Howard and WR Chris Black.
The key to this class will be getting the right types of skill players for Charlie Weis' offensive schemes. They are already loaded on the defensive side of the ball.
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4. Miami
4 of 10New Head Coach Al Golden is probably finding that he has a little more clout on the recruiting trail than he had at his previous stop at Temple, and he isn't letting it go to waste. The Miami area is probably the richest hotbed of talent in the nation, which certainly doesn't hurt matters, but Golden is off to the type of start that any school would be envious of.
They might be the first somewhat surprising entry on the list, but with the recent addition of 5Q Top 100 DE Jelani Hamilton, they put themselves firmly in the top 5.
Key Players
DE Jelani Hamilton
ATH/WR Angelo Jean-Louis
CB Amos Leggett
Notes
Though he isn't currently in the 5Q Top 100 Players, I couldn't talk Miami recruiting without prominently mentioning MLB Raphael Kirby. He is everything that you want to see in a MLB if you are a Hurricane fan. In a place where Ray Lewis is the gold standard, that's saying a lot.
Miami has a great start to recruiting defensively, but they need to secure some elite talent on the offensive side of the ball if the expect to finish with a top five class.
5. Alabama
5 of 10The number five slot on the list is probably a disappointment to fans of the Crimson Tide, but I wouldn't worry too much. It's still very early and they're at the top of a lot of lists, but one thing to be a little concerned with is the lack of offense thus far, particularly at the QB position.
The Tide need to take two QB's in this class and they haven't locked one up yet. There is certainly plenty of time left, but elite QB's tend to commit early and this year is no exception.
Key Players
S Eddie Williams
MLB Reggie Ragland
ATH Justin Thomas
Notes
The crown jewel of this class would be reeling in a guy like QB Gunner Kiel. Kiel is the top QB in the country and would fit the Alabama offense well, but the latest rumor is that he has told coaches he will not be playing for the Tide. There is a rumor a day on his recruitment, so take it for what it's worth. Either way, in-state star QB Jameis Winston is an outstanding consolation prize.
6. Auburn
6 of 10Auburn started the recruiting season a little slow considering they are the reigning National Champions, but they are quickly gaining momentum.
It's summer camp season and Auburn made the most of theirs, hosting a laundry list of big names at the annual Tiger Camp. Auburn locked up QB Zeke Pike early and he is actively recruiting for the Tigers, which is already paying off as well.
Key Players
QB Zeke Pike
RB T.J. Yeldon
TE Ricky Parks
Notes
Just outside of there top 3 players are wide receivers Ricardo Louis and JaQuay Williams. Both are in the 5Q Top 100 and both are further proof that Zeke Pike is gathering weapons for his future at Auburn.
Pike hasn't had a very impressive camp season so far, but he has all the physical tools to be a great reciever. He should have the time to develop further before he takes the field, with 2011 stud QB Kiehl Frazier already headed to campus this fall.
7. Michigan
7 of 10Brady Hoke joins Al Golden and Will Muschamp on the list of first-year coaches that are having absolutely no problem adjusting to recruiting at their new schools. Michigan has already hauled in 16 commitments in total and they are all Big-Ten caliber players, which is something that they were lacking in the last few seasons.
Michigan will continue to benefit from Jim Tressel's downfall at OSU, but major credit should be given to fellow staff members Fred Jackson and Greg Mattison. Both coaches have been incredible so far in their respective areas.
Key Players
LB Royce Jenkins-Stone
LB James Ross
OT Erik Magnuson
Notes
Unlike many other schools in the top 10, Michigan is a school that has to recruit nationally to find themselves in the top ranks of the recruiting world. Former coach Rich Rodriguez focused on that idea heavily, as he recruited Florida harder than he did the Midwest.
Historically, the way to build winning football team in Michigan is to recruit the Midwest hard and pluck a few elite kids from elsewhere. That is exactly what Hoke and company seem to be doing. California OT Erik Magnuson's recent commitment proves how far Michigan's reach can go.
8. Texas Tech
8 of 10Tommy Tuberville seems to have recruiting rolling in Lubbock in ways that it really never has before. Under Leach, the stars were mostly system driven, but big time talent is starting to gravitate towards the Red Raiders.
If they continue on this pace, this will likely end up their best recruiting class in...well...probably ever. They are the biggest surprise of the top group to me and the state of Texas has plenty of local talent for them to close the class out strong.
Key Players
WR Dominque Wheeler
OT Michael Starts
Notes
Texas Tech has a great start to their class with an outstanding receiver in Wheeler who has the ability to pink up where Crabtree left off a couple of years ago.Getting Wheeler to commit is a monster get for the Red Raider program. Add Reginald Davis to the mix and you've got yourself one heck of a duo of targets for your QB.
9. Southern California
9 of 10Lane Kiffin continues to succeed in spite of himself. Even with sanctions, he has pulled in some outstanding talent already. This will likely be a short stay for USC as they just cannot bring the number of players typically needed to pull in a top 10 class.
It is imperative to make every scholarship count at USC for the next few years and they are doing a great job so far
Key Players
OT Arik Armstead
WR Jordan Payton
OLB Jabari Ruffin
Notes
While not in the top 3 ranked recruits, Darreus Rogers is a dynamic athlete that could play either side of the ball. Most likely he will play wide receiver, where his 6'2, 194 pound frame will allow him to be a playmaker from day one.
10. Notre Dame
10 of 10Notre Dame had a strong class last year and they are off to a good start in 2012 as well. They have done a good job filling needs with the 10 total recruits that they have added.
Quarterback recruiting hasn't gone as planned so far, however. They were thought to be very heavily involved with two 5Q Top 250 QB's Maty Mauk and Gunner Kiel in the early going, but both recruitments seem to have fallen through.
Key Players
CB Tee Shepard
CB Ronald Darby
WR Deontay Greenberry
Notes
The Irish have pulled in 2 of the top 4 cornerback recruits in the nation, which likely will make up the best two CB's in any class in the country. Shepard and Darby both have great size and quickness and should make an outstanding tandem in the defensive backfield for years to come in South Bend.
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