College Football Recruiting 2012: The Top Schools Recruits Should Avoid

With the NCAA cracking down on the enforcement of infractions and rules, we have seen some of the top programs become subjects of NCAA investigations. With that comes the looming cloud of sanctions hovering over the program.

Recruits always take this into consideration and some of them simply remove schools from their lists because they want to play for a program eligible to play in a bowl game. This year, there are several schools under investigation that I think in the long run recruits may want to avoid.

Here's who they are.

Oregon

The Oregon situation is a bit puzzling as there has not been much news lately in Eugene regarding the Willie Lyles scandal. Though with Lyles implying that Oregon had him "steer" recruits in their direction, that does not bode well.

The NCAA is investigating the Ducks' football operation, with an emphasis on the recruiting side of things. With some of the consensus information that has been made public, many feel sanctions are coming Eugene's way.

Recruits may want to think twice about heading to Oregon.

North Carolina

The Tar Heels' problems stem from academic fraud and illegal contact with agents. Not good. The NCAA takes these infractions very seriously, and there may be more information uncovered during the investigation.

This has already cost Butch Davis his job and that's even worse. Now recruits don't even know who the head coach will be next year to go along with the likely heavy-handed sanctions coming to Chapel Hill.

Ohio State

The Buckeyes got some good news when they learned the "lack of institutional control" term was not going to be applied to them by the NCAA. That term is one of the key phrases the NCAA used on USC to hand the Trojans their tough sanctions.

Yet the Buckeyes still will receive serious punishment for Jim Tressel and Terrelle Pryor's roles in receiving impermissible benefits among other infractions.

One recruit, 5-star OT Kyle Kalis, even de-committed from OSU and verballed to Michigan because of the oncoming sanctions to the Buckeye program.

Jameis Winston took OSU off his list once Jim Tressel left, and even Brionte Dunn is flirting with other schools.

Miami

You know things are bad when people start seriously wondering aloud if you may get the death penalty. As much as I doubt Miami will receive such a harsh punishment, they're going to get something close.

Like perhaps the harshest punishment to an FBS program since SMU's death penalty. 

I will go on record and say that I don't think their current recruiting class will be too severely disbanded, but going forward, Miami may find itself behind the pack in recruiting.

Their punishment is likely to be the most severe out of any other team on this list.