College Football Recruiting 2012: The Ideal Recruit For Every Top 25 Team

We're going to play a little bit of "what if" with this read. I'm going to take the top 25 teams for 2011 and give you the ideal recruit for each program.

Keep in mind there could be virtually no chance the team lands this ideal recruit, or the recruit may be considering other schools on the list.

We're just having fun—dreaming. Check this out.

25. Tulsa: Gunner Kiel, QB

Tulsa is known for its spread offense and ability to sling the ball the ball around with ease; their QBs basically play seven-on-seven every Saturday in the fall.

That's why I think Gunner Kiel fits here. He's the top QB in the nation and already plays in a similar spread offense for his Indiana high school team. 

Imagine Kiel and his elite QB abilities in that system—wow.

24. Texas: Johnathan Gray, RB

When you think of Texas, you think of top talent at all positions, but the one position the Longhorns have really excelled in is at RB.

Ricky Williams. Cedric Benson. Jamaal Charles. Selvin Young. Even Priest Holmes.

That's why I think Texas has already landed their ideal recruit in Johnathan Gray. Gray's the top RB in country and over the past two seasons alone, he's topped 6,000 yards and 109 TDs. 

23. Arizona State: Bryce Treggs, WR

Arizona State is a school that really does a great job of taking California and West Coast recruits who were put on the back-burner by schools like USC and Oregon.

A prime example of that is CB Omar Bolden. USC was late getting in on Bolden, who wanted to be a Trojan, but he opted for Tempe since ASU had always shown him the respect he felt he deserved.

This year the ideal Sun Devil is someone like Bryce Treggs, a dynamic WR from California. Treggs is only around 5'10" and 170 pounds, but he can give DBs fits and reminds some of DeSean Jackson.

22. Florida: Brian Poole, CB

Florida is another school that always gets elite talent wherever they go. From top-notch skill players to great OLs and DLs, the Gators always have a talented roster.

With Joe Haden gone to Cleveland and Janoris Jenkins gone, the Gators will be looking for a complete corner.

Look no further than current Gator commit Brian Poole. Poole has the potential to be on the level of Haden and Jenkins, as the 5'11", 185-pounder plays physically and athletically all over the field.

21. Missouri: Maty Mauk, QB

Missouri is another spread team that throws the football all over the field. Sometimes they exclusively go empty with five wides and run a ton of play side flood routes.

The Tigers put up a lot of points, and the QB is the key distributor of the football. So why wouldn't a great spread QB like Maty Mauk work for Gary Pinkel?

Mauk is 6'2", 190 pounds and has put up some gaudy numbers for his prep team.

20. Notre Dame: Tommy Schutt, DL

Brian Kelly decided to stick with the 30 front defense in South Bend. While Ethan Johnson is a great DL for the Irish, he's not a prime fit for the role of a 3-4 DE.

I think Tommy Schutt, a 6'3", 290-pound DL who reminds me of Louis Castillo would be a great fit for Notre Dame. Schutt is very strong at the point of attack, can toss and shed well, and has some fight to pressure.

19. Nebraska: John Theus, OT

When you think of Nebraska you think of toughness, strength, power, effort and hustle. Big Red is known for producing top-notch OLs year in and year out.

That's why a big, tough and strong OL like John Theus would work well in Lincoln. He's a 6'6", 295-pound OT who can play LT or RT and finish blocks with the best of them.

18. Virginia Tech: Stefon Diggs, ATH

Frank Beamer's teams always play sound special teams and great defense with a few playmakers on offense—that's Beamer Ball to a T.

Why not get a player who is known for doing all of that and more?

His name is Stefon Diggs. Diggs is a 6'1", 190-pound ATH who also makes noise as a WR, RB, CB, DS and RS. He's a dynamic player who is the most versatile in the country.

17. South Carolina: Shaq Roland, WR

Steve Spurrier is the head man in Columbia, so that means he has the Gamecocks running a version of his "Fun 'N' Gun" offense.

They already have a top WR in Alshon Jeffery, but this is likely his last year with the Gamecocks as the NFL is calling. RB Marcus Lattimore will need a new friend on the perimeter to make some plays and open his running game, so another WR will be needed.

6'1", 180-pound WR Shaq Roland, a local prospect, would be the first choice.

16. Mississippi State: Matt Davis, QB

Dan Mullen has the Bulldogs in the mold of the old Urban Meyer Florida and Utah teams, especially offensively. Mullen is a firm believer of the spread option offense and runs it with MSU.

An ideal recruit for him this year would be a dual-threat QB talent like Matt Davis, a Texas A&M commit. Davis is a mobile, fleet-footed 6'1", 200-pound QB who is so athletic he could play WR in college.

He'd be a great fit in Mullen's offense.

15. Arkansas: Marvin Bracy, WR

Bobby Petrino loves having offensive toys to play with. He's an innovative offensive mind who always wants to score points and is viewed as one of the better play-callers in the game.

I would love to see what Petrino could do with Marvin Bracy, a WR out of Florida who is heads and shoulders the fastest player in the country.

With Petrino teaching Bracy the finer points of the position and getting the football in space to utilize his speed, the Hogs would be must-see TV.

14. Wisconsin: Dan Voltz, OG

The Badgers pride themselves on winning with toughness, strength, power and grit. They bully teams in the run game and put an emphasis on stocking great OL.

Well, they already have an ideal one in OG Dan Voltz. It's rare to see an OG as a top-100 level player, but the 6'4", 290-pound Voltz is a future All-Big Ten OG for Wisconsin.

13. TCU: Shaq Thompson, S

If you know Gary Patterson and TCU football, then you know he values smarts, instincts and versatility—especially on defense, as he goes back and forth between a 3-3-5 and 4-2-5 defensive look.

Patterson teaches his system in different ways, and you really have to be smart—as well as versatile—to get the hang of it because he asks his defenders to do multiple things. 

Shaq Thompson would be a prime recruit for him. At 6'2" and almost 200 pounds, Thompson is a safety prospect who can play FS, SS and boundary corner on a back end. Patterson would have fun with Thompson on his defense.

12. Michigan State: Matt Jones, RB

The Spartans are a program I think doesn't get enough respect.

They won a piece of the Big Ten title last year, have a great head coach in Mark Dantonio and play with solid toughness.

A good recruit for them to get would be a big RB like Matt Jones, who's committed to Florida. 

Imagine defenses having to tackle a huge 6'3", 210-pound RB like Jones in the freezing Midwestern weather late in the fall. That would have been a great advantage for the Spartans.

11. Auburn: Dorial Green-Beckham, WR

Auburn won the national title last year without a dominant receiving threat—no disrespect to their receivers and tight ends, but none of them were "dudes" as Cris Carter would say.

So the Tigers need a "dude" going forward for Gene Chizik's young team, and why not go hard after the top WR in the country, Dorial Green-Beckham?

At 6'6" and 220 pounds with 4.43 speed, DGB has superstar skills and potential.

10. Florida State: Mario Edwards, DE

Figuring out who the ideal recruit for a school like FSU is a tough task because they've gotten so many of their ideal targets over the years.

That's why I think they already have their man in the fold in current commit Mario Edwards. 

Edwards is the next in line of great FSU DEs like Peter Boulware, Kamerion Wimbley and Brandon Jenkins. At 6'4" and more than 265 pounds, Edwards could even grow into a super athletic DT in Tallahassee. 

9. Texas A&M: Trey Williams, RB

The Aggies play in one of the toughest places for an opposing team, have a passionate fanbase and also a great head coach. They also feature Cyrus Gray at RB, but will have replace him soon enough.

Trey Williams could be the guy. Even though I have doubts about Williams being an every-down RB in college, he runs tougher and more powerfully than his listed size and has proven to be plenty durable.

8. Oklahoma State: Quay Evans, DT

The Cowboys have all the pieces on offense, but lose their top two defensive players, which happen to be DTs, and also their MLB. So that means, even if they get by this year, they are going to need to rebuild the middle of their defense.

Why not start with an immovable object at DT like 6'2", 320-pound power-player Quay Evans? Evans is quick at the snap and has strength like a freight train. He'd look good in Stillwater.

7. Ohio State: Kyle Kalis, LT

Ohio State probably is not going to have the season they envisioned six months ago. Terrelle Pryor is gone and so is Jim Tressel.

But after this year, Mike Adams is also gone at LT. The Buckeyes had Kyle Kalis in the fold, but the big OT prospect just de-committed. 

He now has become that much more important to get for Luke Fickell.

6. Boise State: Connor Brewer, QB

The Broncos are going to have to replace Kellen Moore after this year—it seems like he's been there for 10 years, if you ask me. So Boise State has to be in the market for another super smart, super athletic QB.

Connor Brewer would work extremely well for them. Brewer is almost a taller version of Moore, as he doesn't have a "wow"-type arm, but he is accurate, a great leader, instinctive and has a special intangible factor.

5. Stanford: Ronald Darby, CB

Stanford plays in the Pac-12, which means they have to be ready to defend the pass every week.

That means you better have some great cover men.

The Cardinal should be hot after Ronald Darby since he is viewed as one of the very elite CBs in the country. At 5'11" and 175 pounds, "Nitro" is also a dynamic return man.

Darby is an excellent athlete with great cover skills and would be great Stanford—but he's going to Notre Dame.

4. Oregon: Jameis Winston, QB

Oregon runs an offense that is basically basketball on grass. It's an up-tempo, fast-paced attack that puts pressure on the defense in several different ways.

The QB is the key to the offense since he is the prime distributor and playmaker.

Darron Thomas will need to be replaced soon enough, and an athletic but great QB like Jameis Winston would have Oregon scoring points at will.

Winston would be a cross between Dennis Dixon's athleticism and Joey Harrington's passing prowess.

3. LSU: Jameis Winston, QB

The Tigers do an excellent job of plucking talent from their backyard of Louisiana then venturing around the South. Even though they get their fare share of talent, the Tigers always seem to have problems getting great QBs.

I think, again, Jameis Winston would be the answer to all of their problems. He's better than Jordan Jefferson right now and would give Death Valley the plays Ryan Perrilloux was supposed to give them on Saturday nights.

2. Alabama: Reggie Ragland, LB

Alabama has a growing defensive reputation that should only increase this year when their star-studded defense smothers opponents.

I think the Tide program is particularly keen on producing great LBs like DeMeco Ryans, Rolando McClain, Dont'a Hightower, Nico Johnson and Courtney Upshaw, just to name a few.

Next in line is current commit Reggie Ragland, a 6'4", 245-pounder who is a hard-hitting, heat-seeking missile. He's a perfect fit as an ILB in their 3-4 scheme.

1. Oklahoma, S

Oklahoma is known for their offensive scoring ability right now, but their defenses are consistently among solid units in the country. The Sooners have chance to really make some noise defensively in 2011.

For their ideal recruit, I can't get over how much Landon Collins reminds me of a young Roy Williams. At 6'0" and 210 pounds, Collins can play SS, FS and OLB easily.

He's a special defender who has Eric Berry potential.