College Football Recruiting: Noah Spence and the Top 5 Remaining 2012 Prospects

Although some big names like Mario Edwards and Johnathan Gray have already made their commitments, to Florida State and Texas respectively, most of the top prospects in the 2012 recruiting class are still available.

Alabama head coach Nick Saban will be a busy man in the coming months, trying to lock up some of the nation's top recruits. The Crimson Tide are listed among the favorites for several top 10 prospects, making it highly likely Alabama will have one of the top-rated classes once again in 2012.

Other schools that are making their voices heard in the early going include most of the usual suspects, namely Auburn, Florida, Notre Dame and USC.

With that in mind, here are the top five prospects who are still being recruited in hopes of finding the perfect fit.

DT Eddie Goldman

Eddie Goldman is a 6'3'', 290-pound defensive tackle from Washington, D.C. He is explosive for a player of his size and should wreak havoc in opposing backfields for years to come. His work ethic has come into question during the recruiting process, which is a red flag for many high-level head coaches.

He is a tremendous athlete that can be the cornerstone of a defense. The number of defensive tackles taken in the top five of the NFL Draft is on the rise recently, and Goldman is definitely on the right track to add his name to that list. He'll need to add more looks to keep the offensive line guessing in the long run, but he will be able to contribute immediately.

Goldman recently cut his list to 15 schools:

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Alabama, Auburn, California, Clemson, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, LSU, Maryland, Miami (FL), North Carolina, North Carolina State, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Virginia

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Leaders: 1. Florida State 2. Alabama 3. South Carolina

Dark horse: Maryland

WR Dorial Green-Beckham

The top-ranked receiver by the three major recruiting sites, Dorial Green-Beckham hails from Springfield, Mo. He has terrific size for a wide receiver at 6'6'' and weighs in at 220 pounds. He ran a 4.43 40-yard dash and a 22.1 200-meters while in high school, showing outstanding speed.

His combination of size and speed is rare, making him a very valuable prospect. Throw in a 3.1 GPA and he's as close to a “can't bust” recruit as you can get. He improved his production each year in high school, which illustrates the lack of complacency you see in many top recruits.

Although 21 teams have made offers, only 13 are still in the running:

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Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, Florida, LSU, Mississippi, Missouri, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Texas, USC

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Leaders: 1. Texas 2. Alabama 3. Oklahoma

Dark horse: Oklahoma State

OL D.J. Humphries

A Charlotte, N.C. native, D.J. Humphries is ranked as the top offensive lineman by two of the three main recruiting sites. At 6'6'', he has the height to play either tackle position, but he could benefit from bulking up from his current 262 pounds.

As a four-year starter in high school, he has a lot of experience under his belt. That is pretty rare and gives him an advantage over many of the other offensive line prospects. He is a good athlete for a player of his size and should be able to quickly adapt to any issues that arise during his jump to college.

Humphries received at least 23 offers, but as narrowed his focus to eight:

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Florida, South Carolina, Tennessee, Auburn, Clemson, Georgia, North Carolina, North Carolina State

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Leaders: 1. Florida 2. South Carolina 3. Auburn

Dark horse: Clemson

RB Keith Marshall

Keith Marshall is ranked in the top five by ESPN and Scout, but Rivals only lists him as the No. 55 best prospect for 2012. That is one of the biggest discrepancies of any one player in the entire class. That said, Rivals does rank him as the No. 1 all-purpose running back in the class.

Marshall has all the natural talent you want in a tailback. He has great speed, vision and can make plays in the passing game as well. He could use some extra weight so he can spend more time running between the hash marks, but can still be a big-play back if he maintains his current size.

With over 30 offers, Marshall has no shortage of options and hasn't narrowed his list very much:

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Alabama, Auburn, Clemson, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, Michigan, North Carolina, Notre Dame, South Carolina, Stanford, USC, Duke, Georgia Tech, Maryland, North Carolina State, Oregon, Penn State, South Florida, Syracuse, Tennessee, Virginia Tech

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Leaders: 1. Auburn 2. Notre Dame 3. Clemson

Dark horse: North Carolina

DE Noah Spence

Noah Spence is considered the best pass-rushing prospect to come out of Pennsylvania since Jason Taylor. He has a great burst at the line of scrimmage and shouldn't have much trouble transitioning to the next level. Despite earning the pass rusher label, he was strong against the run as well.

Like many top high school defenders, including the aforementioned Eddie Goldman, Spence was good enough to rely on a small set of moves. He'll need to add more to his repertoire to become the complete package. His size is also in a good range for a freshman defensive end.

Spence started with nearly 40 offers, but has trimmed the list to 13:

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Iowa, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, North Carolina State, Notre Dame, Penn State, Pittsburgh, Rutgers, Syracuse, Tennessee, USC, Virginia

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Leaders: 1. Notre Dame 2. Michigan 3. Ohio State

Dark horse: Pittsburgh