College Football Recruiting 2012: The Flagship Recruit from Every Top 25 Class

Having a top 25 class is a grand accomplishment in recruiting because your class is one of the top hauls of talent in the country.

In every recruiting class, you always hear about the "headliner" or "flagship" recruit, which really is the incoming star. For this read, I'm going to give you the flagship headlining recruit for each top 25 recruiting class.

Here we go.

25. Stanford: Noor Davis, LB

Davis is a 6'4", 225-pound defender with great athletic ability and will be a three-down defender on The Farm. He can double as a coverage defender on third downs, playing on nickel and even the LB on dime packages.

Davis can also put his hand down and come off the edge as a pass-rusher.

24. Arkansas: Jalen Cobb, WR

Cobb is a WR prospect who looks he could come in a help out early next year. He's 6'1", 180 pounds and has good quickness. Whether he works in the slot or out on the perimeter, look for Cobb to be in the line of Joe Adams and Jarius Wright for the Hogs.

23. Virginia Tech: Drew Harris, RB

At 6'1" and 205 pounds, Harris is a violent, no-nonsense, decisive runner. He can stick his foot in the ground, plant and get upfield, showing solid burst.

Harris is not a burner, but is a bell-cow back who should be at least 230 pounds before he leaves Blacksburg.

22. Arizona State: TJ Millweard, QB

For now, Arizona State's top recruit is a 6'5", 205-pound QB from Texas named TJ Millweard.

Millweard shows good touch and has a bit of a clutch gene. Once he learns the offense, sparks could fly in Tempe.

21. Virginia: Eli Harold, DE/OLB

Harold is combo defender; he can play DE, 3-4 OLB or WILL or SAM in a 4-3 defense. He's 6'3", 230 pounds and is explosive off the edge.

Harold can rush the passer, drop off in coverage or track the run with speed—you pick.

20. Missouri: Evan Boehm, OC

Out of their 15 commits, the top player is obviously OL Evan Boehm. At 6'3" and 290 pounds, whether you see him as a future OG or OC Boehm will be a multi-year starter for Gary Pinkel's front.

Honorable mention goes to QB prospect Maty Mauk.

19. TCU: Devonte Fields, DE

With 16 commits already, the Horned Frogs have two prospects ranked inside the ESPNU 150. Their top prospect is DE Devonte Fields. Fields could stick at DE or kick out to LB in TCU's 3-3-5 and 4-2-5 defensive scheme.

18. Georgia: John Theus, OT

OT John Theus is a 5-star player via Scout and Rivals, and is one of the top overall recruits in the country.

Theus is a 6'6", 295-pound road grader who just gets nasty in the run game. But he's not just a mauler, as he shows the foot quickness, knee bend and adjust ability to be a great pass protector.

17. Tennessee: LaDarrell McNeil, DB

For the Vols, the top prospect in their 16-commit class is DB LaDarrell McNeil, a 6'0", 190-pounder who hits like a hammer and plays with great speed and range. McNeil is one of the top 10 biggest hitters in the country. He can play either strong or free safety on the back end.

16. Penn State: Eugene Lewis, WR

Lewis is a 6'2", 180-pound WR prospect who should just get the job done. He's not a speedster, but please do not label this guy as a possession WR. Lewis has a large strike zone thanks to his long arms, and he can snatch balls all around his frame.

15. USC: Jabari Ruffin, LB

I read the other day that a college coach who recruits in the west says LaMar Dawson is good, but USC should have saved No. 55 for Jabari Ruffin.

That's a big time statement, but Ruffin is a big-time player. He's a 6'4", 230-pounder with excellent instincts, athleticism, play speed, tenacity and quickness.

14. LSU: Avery Johnson, WR

The best team in the country this year has one of the best WR prospects in the country.

Avery Johnson, the younger brother of Patrick Peterson, has a high ceiling. At 6'2" and 185 pounds, Johnson has a large frame with room to grow, but has a ton of speed. I fully expect him to become a prime-time deep threat in the SEC.

13. Texas Tech: Dominique Wheeler, WR

At 6'1" and 180 pounds, Wheeler is the best WR prospect to come to Lubbock since Michael Crabtree. Wheeler has premier quickness and can really get in and out of his cuts to create separation. He should catch a ton of balls before he leaves Lubbock.

12. South Carolina: Shaq Roland, WR

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 Jeffery leaves. At 6'1" and 180 pounds, Roland is an excellent athlete, and once he refines his game, he'll be big-time.

11. Notre Dame: Ronald Darby, CB/ATH

Darby is lightning in a bottle with the football. He can play both RB and WR, and return some kicks and punts. But the 5'11", 175-pounder is also viewed by some as the best CB prospect in the country. 

It's going to be interesting to see what Brian Kelly does with him in South Bend.

10. Oklahoma: Durron Neal, WR

Now, Neal will be the headlining player, yes.

But, the biggest get for OU is the duo of OLs in John McGee and Ty Darlington. Plus the Sooners have top-tier RB Alex Ross, DEs Charles Tapper and Polo Manukainiu, WR Sterling Shepard and CB De'Vante Harris.

Oh, right—they also finally get 5-star 2011 WR commit Trey Metoyer on campus in the spring too.

9. Miami: Duke Johnson, RB

I could have easily gone with Jelani Hamilton, a top-tier DE prospect, but I'm going with Randy "Duke" Johnson. Johnson is a jitterbug type of back with great speed, quickness, jump-cutting and home run hitting ability.

Look for him to dazzle almost immediately in Coral Gables.

8. Texas A&M: Matt Davis, QB

The Aggies have had a banner recruiting cycle. They have pledges from QB Matt Davis, RB Trey Williams, OL Jordan Richmond, ATH Bralon Addison and WR Corey Thompson.

All those players are excellent and each could be the headliner, but I'll give the nod to the 6'1", 205-pound dual-threat QB Matt Davis.

7. Clemson: Travis Blanks, DB

The biggest find for Dabo Swinney is DB Travis Blanks, a 6'1", 195-pounder who can play CB or DS. Blanks is a big DB, and I think he's going to actually play CB for the Tigers.

During the process, Blanks was adamant about playing CB and not safety, so Clemson may have plans to make him a Charles Woodson-type of combo secondary defender.

6. Auburn: T.J. Yeldon, RB

Yeldon played so well this year that many publications are seriously considering giving him a fifth star. He's a 6'1", 200-pound back with excellent play speed and home run hitting ability.

Yeldon could easily develop into a three-down RB on The Plains.

5. Michigan: Kyle Kalis, OT

Kalis is the headliner not only because he's the highest rated incoming recruit for Big Blue, but because they took him from Ohio State.

At 6'5" and 305 pounds, Kalis can play LT or RT for the OL. He's solid in pass protection, shows good strength, solid foot quickness and toughness. Kalis also is a great run-blocker and flashes some finish ability.

4. Florida: D.J. Humphries, OT

With his kind of rare athleticism for an OL, once Humphries puts on some weight, he should be in the NFL. At 6'6" and 270 pounds, Humphries moves like a WR at times. He reminds me a lot of D'Brickashaw Ferguson.

Florida has a future top-flight LT.

3. Alabama: Eddie Williams, DB and Reggie Ragland, LB

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

Ragland is a 6'5", 245-pound LB who is a monster in the middle with great instincts and explosion at the point of attack. Williams is a 6'4", 205-pound FS prospect with excellent coverage awareness and ball skills.

2. Florida State: Jameis Winston, QB

With the uncertainty of DE Mario Edwards' commitment, I'm going with QB Jameis Winston, who is the No. 1 signal-caller in country and could also be a first-round pick in the MLB draft next spring.

At 6'4" and 190 pounds, Winston is a dual-threat who combines a shotgun for an arm with wings as legs. He can make plays all over the field and has a chance to be a special QB, should he stick with football.

1. Texas: Johnathan Gray, RB

Johnathan Gray has had one of the most stellar careers of any prep football player in the U.S. Look up his numbers and you'll see why. He's a 5'11", 195-pound RB with a pretty close to complete skill set.

Speed, vision, run instincts, run strength, feel, foot quickness, patience, creativity, burst and tackle-breaking ability—Gray has it all.