College Football Recruiting 2012: Winners and Losers Heading into July

With June wrapping up today, we decided to take a look at the month that was and give you a quick rundown of some programs that are sad to see June leaving because they did so well, while others can't wait to move on and get July started fast enough.

Some teams scored crucial commitments and hosted some top talent for unofficial visits, while other teams lost out on players and got the dreaded de-commitment news.

So with that said, here are the winners and losers as we enter the month of July in college football recruiting.

Loser: LSU

Les Miles has a good recruiting class shaping up for his 2012 efforts, and this fall is crucial, as he and the Baton Rouge Boys have BCS title hopes.

But one of his top commitments, WR Avery Johnson, who's the brother of Patrick Peterson, is rumored to be on the verge of de-committing and looking around. Johnson has taken a good amount of visits and could bolt for another program.

Stay tuned.

Winner: Miami

Al Golden is feeling good around Coral Gables these days. He has some talent and speed to work with on defense, and his recruiting efforts are starting to pay dividends around Florida.

That's evidenced by him snatching up a pledge from DE Jelani Hamilton, viewed as the top DE in Florida. This is a huge coup for Golden, as it shows he can go head to head with Florida and Florida State for a Sunshine State elite prospect and win out.

Can Golden keep it going in July?

Winner: Texas Tech

Tommy Tuberville scored two huge commitments this past month in 5-star WR Dominique Wheeler and top-100 player Michael Starts, who will play DL in Lubbock.

Tuberville is going hard on the trail, and recruits are starting to look harder at Texas Tech. While Wheeler and Starts are not the only top-tier talents in the Red Raiders' class right now, they are the two biggest names.

Huge gets for Tuberville.

Loser: Penn State

Penn State is doing fine on the recruiting trail as they sit pretty for Kent Taylor and Eugene Lewis, among a few other talented players. But they have a soft verbal from 5-star DT Jarron Jones, and the key word in his commitment is "soft."

I don't think Jones ends up a Nittany Lion, as he has stated he loves Syracuse and feels most comfortable with the Orange coaches over the Penn State staff. Jones will trip to upstate New York this fall, but seems to spend a lot time on campus already. 

Not a good look for PSU.

Winner: Auburn

Auburn is enjoying a great time in recruiting, yet again. The Tigers held their "Big Cat" weekend on The Plains in June, and a slew of great prospects attended, such as Barry Sanders Jr.

The weekend was a huge success and led to Auburn getting commitments from two top-100 players in RB T.J. Yeldon and TE Ricky Parks. The scary thing is, Auburn is not close to being finished.

This could be another banner year for the Tigers, who seem bent on stocking their roster with young talent. Oh, right—visiting the President of the United States is sort of a big deal too.

Winner: Michigan State

All along, many felt that either Michigan or Ohio State would Se'Von Pittman, a 6'4", 225-pound DE prospect. Pittman, a 4-star recruit, is one of the top overall players in the country and the Midwest.

Yet this month, Pittman made a surprise commitment to Michigan State and is headed for Sparta. This is a huge coup for Mark Dantonio, who capitalized on Ohio State's controversy and beat out upstart Brady Hoke for a prime regional recruit.

Is Aaron Burbridge next for MSU?

Loser: Florida State

I didn't want to put the Seminoles on this list, but I had to at the end. They aren't "losers" per se, but the news of possibly losing star DE Dante Fowler is troubling, especially when you take into account as to who they might lose him to.

Fowler seems to be interested in Florida at the moment, and the feeling is mutual. The Gators are trying to convince him to switch his pledge to head to Gainesville, and rumor has it some progress has been made.

There is still a great chance Fowler sticks with FSU, but look out for the lurking Gators.

Winner: Missouri

Missouri scored a huge pledge this month of June in getting OC Evan Boehm, viewed as the best center prospect in America.

At 6'3", 290 pounds, Boehm should start and anchor the pivot early in his career for Gary Pinkel. Also, the Tigers are thick in a rumor of being one of the top schools for WR Dorial Green-Beckham, the No. 1-ranked recruit in the nation and a Missouri native.

The Tigers enter July feeling good.

Loser: Ohio State

The Buckeyes are having a rough month, as they saw Terrelle Pryor leave and now got word they lost 5-star OT Kyle Kalis.

Kalis is still considering OSU, yet he took a trip to Michigan this month only days after de-committing. Not to mention 5-star RB Brionte Dunn is also looking around hard too, and the Buckeyes' class could be in serious doubt.

Winner: Oklahoma

The Sooners scored three terrific commitments in June, with two being on the offensive line in John McGee and Ty Darlington. Both players can play center or guard and should start multiple years before they leave Norman.

OU also got a huge pledge in WR Durron Neal, who has been compared to Ryan Broyles and Jeremy Maclin.

Also, the nation's No. 1 QB and No. 1 overall player both visited Norman in Gunner Kiel and Dorian Green-Beckham, respectively. Each prospect has been considered an OU lean at different parts of the spring, so it's safe to say the Sooners are doing alright on the trail as we enter July.