College Football Recruiting 2012: 50 Recruits With Class Headliner Potential

You always hear and see the word "headliner" when you look up a recruiting class. When the term is used in the present, it pertains to who is the most prized recruit in the incoming class.

When it is used in review of the class, it's mostly for who the top player that came from the class is. For this read, I'm going to give you 50 recruits with the potential to either be the incoming class headliner or be the best player from their recruiting class when they leave their program of choice.

Here are 50 recruits with "class headliner" potential.

50. Dominque Wheeler, WR

Wheeler is a 6'1", 180-pound WR prospect that is headed to Texas Tech. He can scoot all over the field with speed and quickness, as he's among the best RAC players in the country.

With the type of offense the Red Raiders run, having a dynamic elite-caliber WR like Wheeler should see him put up fantastic numbers during his career.

49. Jonathan Taylor, DT

Taylor has a world of potential, as the big DT is super-talented. He's a 6'4", 310-pound mammoth with a ton of raw skills and talent.

In fact, many have Taylor as one of the recruits with the most potential in the country. I think once he gets to Georgia and gets coached up, he should become an All-SEC performer.

48. Yuri Wright, CB

Many college coaches are drooling at the thought of Wright covering WRs for their program. He's 6'2", 180-pounds and is a remarkable athlete.

Wright has a chance to develop into a similar version of how Nnamdi Asomougha plays CB on such a tall and long frame.

With his size, speed, agility and coverage skills, Wright could be one of the best CBs to come out of this class and thus be a headliner in a few years.

47. Kennedy Estelle, OT

Estelle stands at 6'7", 305-pounds and has the body of an OT. In fact, Estelle also has the athleticism and feet of a LT.

He can also line up as an OG, so let's just say Estelle is a versatile player. That versatility, combined with his size, agility, knee bend, balance and foot quickness should make him a great OL for Texas.

So great that he may even be considered the top player in this current 2012 Longhorn class in a few years.

46. Ifeadi Odenigbo, DE/OLB,

One of the most athletically gifted players in the country, Odenigbo also has a ton of potential. He projects best as a 3-4 stand up OLB-rush end type.

At 6'4", 220-pounds, Odenigbo is as good going forward as he is changing direction. He shows quick feet, burst, balance, agility and great explosion.

He's raw, but once he gets a DL coach to show him different pass rushing moves, watch out.

45. Barry Sanders Jr., RB

Sanders is a similar runner to his father, as he is a bit more quick than fast on a 5'9", 180-pound frame. He shows elite elusiveness and home run-hitting ability.

With Florida State, Alabama, Stanford and Oklahoma State all on him extremely hard, Sanders is a wanted man.

He has headliner potential because he shows the skill set to be able to make memorable runs and dazzling plays now, and should continue to do so in college.

44. Channing Ward, DE

Ward is a big and long DE prospect at 6'4", 240-pounds and I think he's going to bulk up to over 255-pounds in college. He's very strong but also has good quickness off the ball.

Some even say Ward can play the rush end position in a 3-4 defense. He's one of the top recruits in the country and wherever he goes, he should be a headliner going in and coming out.

LSU, Alabama and Ole Miss are just a few schools to name that he's looking at. 

43. Nelson Agholor, ATH

The 6'1", 175-pounds Agholor has the versatility to play WR, RB, CB or DS. He has tremendous speed and quickness, and is probably the best all-around athlete in the nation.

USC, Florida, Miami and a slew of more schools are after Agholor. I wouldn't be surprised if he's the headliner of the class that he goes in with and comes out with in a few years.

The only debate will be what position he should play.

42. Travis Blanks, DB

At 6'1", 195-pounds, Blanks is a big DB prospect that plays with great athleticism, strength and instincts. He wants to play CB but DS may be his best long term position.

Blanks marked over 100 tackles last season and can play boundary corner, FS or SS. He loves to press, jam and re-route and has good speed to carry WRs all over the field.

He's headed for Clemson and is the current headliner of the class now.

41. Zach Banner, OT

Banner is a huge OT who I think will be a RT in college, but has headliner potential if he gets in the right fit. Once he gets his big paws on a target, the pass-rushing sequence is over.

Tack on a 305-pound frame to a man who stands 6'9", and you basically see he's like having a Sequoia tree at OT.

But Banner can move like a receiver and mirrors well, on the right side in my opinion, not the LT spot.

40. Matt Davis, QB

Davis is a super athletic QB prospect at 6'1"and 200 pounds. He's a dual-threat type who can damage a defense via air and ground.

He's a Texas A&M pledge who will be a total-yardage type.

Davis is so athletic that some say he could play WR for the Aggies, and right now he's probably the class headliner.

39. Durron Neal, WR

An Oklahoma commit, the 6'0", 185-pound Neal is a dynamic threat on the perimeter and has been compared to Ryan Broyles already.

He gets it done with speed and quickness, along with good hands.

Neal reminds many of Ryan Broyles and has a similar skill set. He can cut on a dime, stem up a DB and has great playmaking ability.

38. Zeke Pike, QB

Pike is a big and tall power thrower at the QB position. He stands at 6'6", 225 pounds, and can flip the football with ease to all levels.

I think his best days are ahead of him, and I can't wait to see what Gus Malzahn does with him at Auburn.

Pike has solid mobility, and his height lets him dictate his throwing lanes.

37. Jordan Diamond, OT

A great-looking prospect, Diamond—in my opinion—likely could wind up at Michigan, but we'll see. He has a ton of offers.

Diamond is a 6'6", 290-pound OT whom I think can hold the gate down as a LT on the flanks. He moves well, with ease, quickness and great agility.

I think he could slide in well in a zone-blocking scheme offense.

36. Jarron Jones, DT

I want to do a little more tape study on Jones, to re-freshen myself with him and skills. Yet, I do feel, from what I've seen of him already, that he fits on this list. 

Penn State, Virginia Tech, North Carolina and Notre Dame are all fighting for Jarron Jones' services.

He's a 6'5", 290-pound DT prospect who is a load in the interior. He's long and strong in the middle, but also has good explosiveness.

35. Jordan Jenkins, DE

Jenkins is a 6'3", 250-pound DE that is also a premier all-around athlete. He has just a raw set of skills and is a player whom I feel will get better when he gets to college.

His nickname is "The Freak", as those around him say he's an amazing athlete. With schools like Georgia, Florida, Tennessee, Alabama, Auburn and Georgia Tech after him, Jenkins has a chance to be a marquee headliner in a few years.

34. Jelani Hamilton, DE

Hamilton is a 6'4", 245-pound DE prospect with great play strength for an edge defender. I think, if he wanted to, Hamilton could tack on the proper weight and girth to grow into a DT.

He shows the strength to one day be able to set the edges with ease, play with good leverage and shed tackles and TEs against the run. Hamilton is also very athletic and can get after the passer in a flash.

Look out for Rutgers.

33. Kyle Murphy, OT

At 6'7" and 270 pounds, Murphy is a very, very good LT prospect. He slides, mirrors and adjusts well as a pass-protector, and can seal and reach great in the run game.

Murphy is a solid run-blocker as well, and has a chance to add some good strength in college to develop more in this facet of his game. I expect him to become a standout OT in college.

He has offers from USC, Stanford, Oregon, Cal and Florida among others.

32. Dante Fowler, DE

Fowler is a 6'3", 240-pound DE prospect with a quick first step and a great close to finish. He's a DE's kind of DE, if you will, as his main preference is to get after the passer.

He's committed to Florida State, but has been rumored to flirt with Florida. 

Fowler comes relentlessly, and chances are he is a better pure athlete than many of the blockers he faces.

31. Brian Poole, CB

Poole is a 5-star recruit, according to Scout.com, and one the premiere headliners of the Florida class.

He's a 5'11", 185-pound CB who has a rare combo of being physical and athletic.

Poole can press well at the line, but also comes out of his transition well enough to play off coverage. Then if Poole smells run, he will support hard off the perimeter.

30. Kyle Kalis, OT

Kalis is versatile OT, as he shows he can play both RT and LT at 6'5", 305 pounds.

He has good enough athletic ability for LT, and is tough and strong enough at the point of attack for RT. Kalis should be a starter early in his career.

He's committed to Michigan.

29. Ellis McCarthy, DT

McCarthy may be the best DL and defensive player on the West Coast. He's a 6'4", 311-pound DT with an amazing-looking frame.

McCarthy shows great snap quickness off the ball and awesome play strength. Whenever McCarthy plays with leverage and a low pad level, he's virtually unblockable.

USC, Washington, Florida, Cal and Oregon have all been mentioned.

28. Adolphus Washington, DE

Washington stands 6'5" and weighs in at the 250-pound range. He can put his hand down in a 40 front as a DE or play OLD in a 3-4 scheme.

Washington is athletic enough to the point where I think he can easily be used as a short-area zone defender on some pressure packages. He could also play college basketball.

Ohio State, Michigan, Michigan State, Kentucky and Alabama have all been mentioned with Washington.

27. Avery Young, OT

Young is a 6'6", 275-pound OT prospect who could play the LT position in college. He's very athletic, long and flashes some strength.

Young can fit in any blocking scheme due to his athleticism and toughness. That's why schools like Georgia, Oklahoma, Florida, Miami and Alabama are after him.

26. Cayleb Jones, WR

Jones is a 6'2", 195-pound WR with excellent athletic ability and a trait to make spectacular grabs. He has solid play speed, release quickness and an excellent catch radius.

I think Jones will be a No.1 WR at Texas, which puts him in the headliner category.

The long frame, the hands, the athleticism, the above-average speed and more all project me to be right on.

25. Shaq Roland, WR

6'1" and 180 pounds, Roalnd is one of the best WRs in the nation and the top prospect in the Palmetto State this year.

South Carolina has locked him up, where he is the class headliner already going into Columbia.

Roland is silky smooth athletically, but has excellent deep speed and quickness in and out of his cuts. He needs some refinement on some finer points of the WR spot, but has a super high ceiling.

24. Jessamen Dunker, OT

Out of the three 5-star commits Florida has, the 6'6" 315-pound Dunker may have the highest ceiling.

On tape, you can easily see the basketball athleticism and huge potential Dunker has. With some seasoning, he could be a first-round pick at LT.

Once Dunker gets coached up on his technique in Gainesville, he should be solid.

23. Josh Garnett, OL

I have Garnett listed as an OL prospect because he is being recruited by some schools as an OG, but many others think he'll be an OT.

He's 6'5" and 275-pounds, and I think his best spot is actually LG. He's a good pass protector, but he may not be suited for the prime time in space.

Yet Garnett has schools like Notre Dame, Oregon, Washington and USC all hot after him.

22. Ronald Darby, CB

When you're the top commit for the recruiting class of Notre Dame, that's a big deal.

Darby is a 5'11", 175-pound ATH who can play RB, WR or CB. Some list him in the ATH category, while others have him down as a CB, as do I.

"Nitro," as he's know to most, is a quick-twitch athlete with excellent burst, transition quickness, speed and quick cut ability.

21. Gunner Kiel, QB

At 6'4" and 200-pounds, Kiel is an excellent QB prospect with a well-rounded skill set. He plays in the shotgun almost exclusively, but sees the field very well and makes fantastic decisions.

Kiel has a good arm, excellent accuracy and pocket presence. He also flashes good athletic ability as well.

Kiel's bound for Indiana where he's easily the headliner now, and should be when we look back on the 2012 Hoosier class in a few years down the road.

20. Shaq Thompson, DB

At 6'2" and 200-pounds, Thompson is a great DS prospect with a great canvas of versatility. He projects best as a free safety, but he can play the run like a SS.

Toss in some sneaky cover skills, and you start to think maybe he can play some boundary zone corner.

Thompson has offers from Cal, USC, Notre Dame, UCLA and Washington, among many more.

19. Chris Casher, DE

Casher's stock is plenty high, as he is a physical specimen at 6'4" and 240-pounds. While he looks the part, Casher also has great field awareness.

He's an instinctive player with a quick first step, strength to walk back blockers and flashes smarts in various game situations.

Florida State is where he's headed.

18. Quay Evans, DT

Explosive and strong at 6'2" and 320-pounds, Evans can stop, stack, drop, sit and anchor in the middle to make a mess with the best of them.

Pushing the pocket from the middle versus the pass is also one of his specialties.

Mississippi State, Alabama, LSU, USC, Oregon and Ole Miss are all in the hunt.

17. John Theus, OT

Theus is 6'6", 295-pounds and a just a flat-out mauler in the run game. He will get physical and nasty in the run game with anybody on any field. He does so by just rolling on targets with snap quickness and leg drive.

Theus also shows good movement to seal, pin, reach, trap and pull to get to the second level.

He's headed to Georgia and is the indisputable class headliner for the 'Dawgs.

16. Reggie Ragland, LB

Ragland is a huge 6'4", 245-pound LB who has also played WR for his high prep squad.

He's a future ILB at Alabama and fits right into the Tide's base 3-4 look.

Ragland is very instinctive, physical at the point of attack, sheds well and plugs the run, while also showing solid blitz ability.

15. Rushel Shell, RB

At 5'11" and 215-pounds, Shell's a productive back with every-down ability. He has solid explosion, toughness to bang inside and can also scoot to the edges to head up the perimeter.

You can see the run strength on tape, but Shell is not just a power back, as you can also see the burst to and through holes, as well as some breakaway speed.

Look out for Pittsburgh, just a hunch.

14. Landon Collins, DB

At 6'0" and 210-pounds, Collins is an excellent box safety who can double down as a ROVER/OLB. He plays the run well, but he's also a great athlete with some range to cover.

Whether he grows into an OLB or stays at SS remains to be seen, but Collins is easily one of the best defensive players in the country.

It's likely going to be either Alabama or LSU.

13. Eddie Williams, DB

Williams, a 6'4", 200-pound future safety at Alabama, can also play WR and OLB, but his coverage instincts, range and route recognition project him best to free safety.

He shows natural coverage instincts, free and easy movement on the back end, roaming range, route recognition and elite ball skills—all which make Williams a natural interceptor type.

Even with Reggie Ragland in the class, Williams will still be the 'Bama headliner.

12. Keith Marshall, RB

Marshall is a speedy and shifty RB prospect with quick feet, good vision and excellent explosiveness. At 5'11" and 185 pounds, he's a huge offensive threat and a touchdown waiting to happen.

Marshall has excellent burst to and through holes, can get to the second level of a defense in minimal steps and can also be used as a receiver out of the backfield.

He's tripping to Georgia and Notre Dame this fall, but is still setting up his other three visits.

11. Stefon Diggs, WR/DB/RS

Diggs may be the most versatile and special all-around offensive weapon in the country.

At 6'0" and 190 pounds, he is a quicker than fast athlete who can play WR, RB, DS and CB, while also returning punts and kicks.

Diggs has a ton of schools after him and will be a hot name on the trail, but an even hotter player in college.

Auburn, Virginia Tech, Alabama and Florida are just a few schools that have been mentioned.

10. D.J. Humphries, OT

Right now, many scouts are pegging Humphries as the Florida Gator class headliner, so you know he's a super-recruit off that merit alone.

At 6'6", 270 pounds and easily the most naturally-gifted athlete among offensive linemen in the country, Humphries is a future All-American LT.

He is a shadow to pass-rushers and gives them fits as a pass protector.

9. Arik Armstead, DE/OT

Armstead feels he's a DE and would like to stay there, but he also shows the skill set of a franchise OT. USC has told him he will likely play the strong-side DE spot in Troy, as he is the USC headliner for 2012 already.

Scout.com has him as their No.1 overall prospect.

Armstead is a huge DE at 6'8" and 280 pounds. He's also a great athlete, strong at the point of attack, has good feet, can close and can set the edge against run.

8. Jameis Winston, QB

Winston is a 6'4", 190-pound QB prospect with dual-threat abilities. He has just about every tool you need to succeed in any situation as a QB: arm strength, accuracy, vision, instincts, quick feet and leadership.

Headed to Florida State, the top signal caller is already considered the class headliner by many and the co-headliner by others.

The other you ask? You'll see soon on this list.

7. Noah Spence, DE

A 6'4", 240-pound speed rusher,—and just a natural at getting after the passer—Spence is viewed as the best pass-rushing DE in America. He has a sharp first step and burst to close on the passer and finish.

That burst I just described is a main trait that separates the good from the great pass-rushers. Spence stays clean, is strong enough to convert speed to power and can do this standing up. 

UNC, Florida, Alabama, Pitt, Penn State, Maryland and Notre Dame all have been mentioned.

6. Eddie Goldman, DT

Goldman is a DT who can pretty much play almost all of the DL positions in football. From 4-3 DT to 3-4 DE, I can put Goldman everywhere except 4-3 weak-side DE.

He stands with a 6'4", 305-pound frame and has play strength, snap quickness and anchor ability to stop the run. Goldman can also push the pocket from the middle and has a fight to pressure as a pass-rusher.

5. Kwon Alexander, OLB

At 6'2" and 210 pounds, Alexander defines the term "sideline to sideline," as he can beat RBs to holes and OLs with angles.

Alexander can also factor as a blitzer, and stay on the field in passing situations with ease due to his easy change of direction to cover RBs and TEs.

Alabama, Auburn, Oklahoma, LSU, Oregon and Florida State are in the race.

4. Andrus Peat, OT

Peat is a heady player whom I think will be one of the types of OTs that sets his targets up 2-3 snaps down the line.

I am also geeked about him because he came into this offseason at just 280 pounds, but word has it he is up to 300 now on his 6'7" frame.

Combine added girth with great technique, set quickness, patience, balance, nimble feet, athleticism and mirror ability, and you got something.

Nebraska, Michigan and Notre Dame are just a few of the tons of offers Peat has.

3. Johnathan Gray, RB

Gray is a ferocious RB prospect. He's 5'11", 195 pounds and has it all: speed, quickness, power, run strength, vision, quick feet, instincts, explosiveness, quick cut ability, tackle-breaking ability, great hands and more.

This season could be his best yet, and that's saying something, because he has more than 6,000 yards and 100 TDs in the past two years.

He's solid for Texas, where he is the current Longhorn 2012 recruiting class headliner.

2. Mario Edwards, DE

Mario Edwards is the "co"-headliner in the Florida State class.

You're not supposed to be 6'4", 270 pounds and play DE with athleticism, speed and quickness like a shooting guard.

Edwards can play the run with solid strength and get after the passer; pick which you want him to do, and he'll destroy an offense.

1. Dorial Green-Beckham, WR

Green-Beckham is a 6'6", 220-pound WR who runs a sub-4.4 40-yard dash. He's been the best player in the state of Missouri the past two years.

Whatever you want in a WR prospect, Green-Beckham has it and then some. He rarely talks to the media about his recruitment, and with the season getting ready to start, he will be putting that on hold to focus on winning games.

Missouri, Oklahoma, Alabama, Texas, Oklahoma State, Auburn and Arkansas are all in the hunt.