College Football Recruiting 2012: Ranking The Top 25 Recruiting Classes

It's time to release another rankings of the top 25 recruiting classes again. I'm sure these rankings will continue to fluctuate at a very fluid pace through the year as we move forward.

There are some very special classes being built by some of the normal juggernauts, while some surprise programs have begun to make their marks on the trail. We've seen more top prospects make their selections and classes are in full-forming mode.

Here are the top 25 recruiting classes thus far.

25. Stanford

Stanford has 13 commits right now, and according to ESPNU two of those are inside their top 150. Alex Carter is a talented safety, but the jewel is OLB/DE Noor Davis.

Davis is a 6'4", 225-pound defender with great athletic ability and will be a three-down defender on The Farm.

24. Arkansas

Eighteen commits are on board for the Hogs, as Bobby Petrino is looking to add talent to his program yet again. Arkansas has seen themselves become one of the prime contenders rise up in the SEC over the past few years.

Of course, with Petrino being their head coach, the Razorbacks' top-rated prospect is a WR. Jalen Cobb is a solid and quick route-runner and D'Arthur Cowan is not far behind.

23. Virginia Tech

Can you believe the Hokies are inside the top 25 recruiting rankings? It's not like they have been awful; it's just that they usually go after players that fit their program better over the sexy prospect names each year.

This year, they have 23 committed players, and we're just seeing August roll around. I really like CB Donaldven Manning out of Florida; he's a quick athlete with great short-area quickness and closing speed.

22. Arizona State

Told you before, I need a bit more pizzazz from ASU's 24-man class to move up. Sure, Dwayne Stanford would help a whole lot, but he's not committed.

That win over USC this weekend should do just the trick.

For now, their best player is a 6'5", 205-pound QB from Texas named TJ Milleweard. Milleweard shows good touch and has a bit of a clutch gene.

21. Virginia

The Wahoos have gotten two significant pledges since our last go in this series: QB Greyson Lambert and OLB Eli Harold.

Now they have 24 commitments to go along with players like DE Michael Moore, a talented defender that stands 6'4", 255 pounds. He can play the strong-side end spot or an OLB spot.

I also really like LB Kwontie Moore, a 6'1", 245-pound MLB prospect with a solid skill set. 

20. Missouri

Really digging Missouri's class, as they have some pretty good talents pledged. Out of their 15 commits, the top player is obviously OL Evan Boehm.

Whether you see him as a future OG or OC, Boehm will be a multi-year starter for Gary Pinkel's front. He'll be snapping to QB Maty Mauk and opening up holes for RB Jonathan Williams.

19. TCU

Scout.com doesn't like TCU's class as nearly as much as ESPNU does, as Scout has them at No. 40 and ESPNU puts them at No. 20.

With 16 commits already, the Horned Frogs even have two prospects ranked inside the ESPNU 150. Their top prospect is DE Davonte Fields, and I think TCU could actually move up in the rankings, as they are on some other good prospects.

18. Georgia

Whether you believe he's on the hot seat or not, Mark Richt is recruiting hard for UGA.

The Dawgs are fresh off to a great recruiting class last year and are on a solid pace again in 2012 recruiting. They have 15 commits, and there are two specific players I really like.

OT John Theus is a 5-star player via Scout and Rivals and one of the top overall recruits in the country. DT Jonathan Taylor could develop into an All-SEC player under Todd Grantham in Athens.

17. Tennessee

Wow, Derek Dooley and the Vols have come so far in the past few months. For awhile they were on my list of programs that were off to a slow start; now I feel they have a top-25 class.

The top prospect in their 16-commit class is DB LaDarrell McNeil, a 6'0", 190-pounder that hits like a hammer and plays with great speed and range. WR Jason Croom may be a poor man's Alshon Jeffrey at this point.

16. Penn State

Penn State has surged in the past few months on the trail.

They've gotten top-tier players like WR Eugene Lewis, DT Tommy Schutt and DB Armani Reeves—all in August.

Happy Valley has 17 commits and another player I really like in this class is Camren Williams, a speedy, athletic and rangy 6'2", 200-pound OLB.

15. USC

USC may not have a lot of commitments, but you can see they are aiming for good quality with each recruit they'll sign from here on out; they have to due to the sanctions.

The Trojans have 11 commitments, and four of them are inside the ESPNU 150. The leader is DE/OT Arik Armstead, a 6'8", 280-pounder. Jabari Ruffin, Max Tuerk and Jalen Cope-Fitzpatrick are other notables.

14. LSU

LSU may be a class with a bit more quantity than quality, but not by a wide margin. That's not a knock on their class, but they have 19 commits, and the bulk of them are 3-star players.

I love WR Avery Johnson and DE Toshiro Davis. Also, watch out for LB Trey Granier; he's a productive MIKE LB prospect that makes stop after stop.

13. Texas Tech

Tommy Tuberville recruited well at Auburn, so you had to figure at some point he'd get Texas Tech going well in recruiting.

Tech has 18 pledges, including two from OL Michael Starts and WR Dominique Wheeler. I think Wheeler is talented enough to come to Lubbock and catch some balls as a true freshman, while Starts could be a great one as a DL or OL.

12. South Carolina

The Gamecocks hold 20 pledges right now, and have a chance to stick around in the top 15, as they are in contention for some other top prospects.

Committed WR Shaq Roland is one of the best WR prospects in the nation and could be the next big WR in Columbia when Alshon Jeffrey leaves. OL Brock Stadnik is another player that should be a great one for the Gamecocks. 

11. Notre Dame

Fifteen commitments. Six inside the ESPNU 150. Two of the top DB prospects in the country. Notre Dame is coming back with a vengeance on the trail.

They just recently locked up two stud DTs in Sheldon Day and DT/OT Jarron Joes

You have love the look of a tandem of Tee Shepard and Ronald Darby in South Bend in the back end for the Irish. Nick Barratti could get a look at QB, and Deontay Greenberry is a heck of a talent at WR. 

10. Oklahoma

Oklahoma has 14 commitments in their 2012 class, and eight are 4-star prospects. The Sooners have recruited well over the years and continue to do so in 2012 recruiting.

I love RB Alex Ross and WR Durron Neal, as these two will be in line to be the next great Sooner offensive players. But for me, the highlight of this class is the pledges from John McGee and Ty Darlington, two of the top OL prospects in the country.

9. Miami

This is a remarkable job and perhaps one of the best recruiting efforts in recent memory, as even with their current situation looming over them, Al Golden has gobbled up 25 commitments for the 'Canes.

From Keith Brown to Angelo Louis-Jean to Duke Johnson to Jelani Hmailton, Golden has proven that the combo of his selling skills of his vision along with his selling of returning Miami back to where it belongs has gotten recruits' attention.

8. Texas A&M

Mike Sherman and his staff have really done a great job this cycle.

The Aggies have 21 committed players, and they have specifically recruited the type of talent that will allow them to compete in the SEC moving forward.

They have pledges from QB Matt Davis, RB Trey Williams, OL Jordan Richmond, ATH Bralon Addison and WR Corey Thompson.

7. Clemson

Clemson is back again after having an awesome 2011 recruiting class and are off to a great start this season.

Dabo Swinney has gotten another 18 players lined up, and eight of them are 4-star recruits.

The biggest find is DB Travis Blanks, a 6'1", 195-pounder that can play CB or DS. DE Martin Aiken is another player to watch out for.

6. Auburn

The Tigers have 15 commits, with a slew of them being 4-star or higher prospects. They have two consecutive top-10 classes and likely will settle into the same tier this year.

QB Zeke Pike is the star of the class, but not by much because WR/ATH Ricardo Louis is a future star. So is TE Ricky Parks, RB TJ Yeldon and LB Cassonava McKinzy.

5. Michigan

Brady Hoke has been like the opposite of Turner Gill. Scout.com even lists Big Blue as the No. 1-ranked recruiting class in 2012.

Hoke has almost immediately shown he and his staff can recruit with the best of 'em. Hoke has 23 commitments, three in the ESPNU top 150 and his LB class alone is great.

Look for Michigan to have a great class and finish in the top five this year.

4. Florida

Will Muschamp may not realize that he's the Padawan this weekend vs. Nick Saban, but he seems to have learned a lot of Jedi tricks when it comes to recruiting.

Florida is in on top talents like Keith Marshall, Tracy Howard, Jordan Jenkins and Nelson Agholor among others.

With commits like D.J. Humphries, Brian Poole and Jessamen Dunker already, this class is lining up to be special for the lead Gator.

3. Alabama

The Tide are at it yet again, with this 2012 class being another great Nick Saban compilation. Saban has 19 pledges, and eight—count 'em, eight—are inside the ESPNU 150.

The two headliners are LB Reggie Ragland and DS Eddie Williams. I expect both of these defensive players to be All-SEC defenders one day and contend for All-American honors.

2. Florida State

I seriously thought about putting the Noles at No. 1.

Florida State has lost two straight games, but they have 16 commitments, and according to ESPNU, 10 of them are among the best 150 overall players in the country. Yikes.

QB Jameis Winston is the No. 1 signal-caller in country and could also be a first-round pick in the MLB draft next spring.

Mario Edwards is an elite overall player, along with talent like PJ Williams, Dalvon Stuckey, Justin Shanks, Chris Casher, Dante Fowler, Mario Pender and Marvin Bracy.

1. Texas

Half of Texas' class of 18 pledges is in the ESPNU 150. Half.

RB Johnathan Gray is the headliner, then you get QB Conor Brewer, WR Cayleb Jones, OLs Kennedy Estelle, Curtis Riser and Camhron Hughes, DL Malcom Brown, CB Bryson Echols, LBs Tim Cole and Peter Jinkens and WR Thomas Johnson.

This class could rival or surpass the famed 2002 Longhorn class.