College Football Recruiting 2012: The Top 30 Uncommitted Recruits

The more and more I looked at my board and other research avenues, I realized that many of the upper echelon players have made their decisions.

Sure, we still have many big-name, high-profile, highly ranked recruits still mulling their options, but in general, a lot of the better recruits are already committed.

With that said, I have those I feel are the top 30 prospects still undecided. Here they are.

30. Elijah Shumate, OLB/SS

Shumate is a player I liken to former Arizona State star Adam Archuleta. At 6'1" and 200 pounds, Shumate has great instincts versus the run and fills alleys quickly.

He can play outside 'backer and strong safety, and he is nasty in the box. Shumate can stand to improve his coverage ability, but he's too good in the box to be asked to play in space often.

Rutgers, South Carolina, Michigan, Notre Dame, Oklahoma and Georgia Tech are in the race.

29. Javonte Magee, DE

Magee is another player who reminds me of a player from 2011: Delvon Simmons. At 6'5" and 265 pounds, Magee has the quickness to cause problems in the middle, but he wants to play DE in college.

Offensive lines have trouble with him because he just keeps coming and never stays blocked. He can slip gaps and penetrate holes very well.

Magee is very wide open and really hasn't shown much interest in revealing any leaders or favorites.

28. Josh Harvey-Clemons, WR/OLB

Josh Harvey-Clemons is a good football player.

Only thing is, will he be a LB or WR?

At 6'4" and nearly 210 pounds, Harvey-Clemons shows very good knowledge of the game on defense, plays with instincts, can set the edge and is a sound athlete. If he sticks at OLB, his transition quickness will allow him to become one of the better cover LBs in the country.

Florida, Alabama and Georgia are the top three, with Florida State behind them.

27. Ronnie Stanley, OL

Stanley plays for Bishop Gorman in Las Vegas, which is one of the elite and premier programs not just in Sin City or Nevada but on the West Coast as a whole. 

At 6'6" and 285 pounds, Stanley has the ability to play left and right tackle. He's light on his feet, quick and agile. Yet Stanley has solid strength, and he can maul in the run game.

USC, Miami, Arkansas, Notre Dame and Auburn are just the tip of the iceberg.

26. Greg Garmon, RB

Big backs with vision are among my favorite types, and Garmon is exactly that. At 6'2" and 200 pounds, you can almost see his eyes processing information quickly on tape, and he blocks very well.

Once he makes his selection of where to attack, Garmon sticks his foot in the ground and charges upfield, showing excellent speed. He should be an exciting player in college.

Garmon has Iowa leading.

25. Jordan Payton, WR

Payton is one of the best players in the country, but his recruitment is also one of the most interesting sagas as well. At 6'2" and 190 pounds, Payton is perhaps the best receiver in Southern California.

He was once committed to USC, but Florida, Penn State, Cal, Michigan and Notre Dame were too much not to see. Michigan leads, but Arizona State is in the race too.

24. Aziz Shittu, DT

Shittu burst on the scene a few weeks ago, as he was basically unblockable at the Nike Camp in Los Angeles. He dominated one-on-ones, and made evaluators go back and watch more tape of his junior season.

At 6'3" and 275 pounds, Shittu had 6.5 sacks and more than 75 stops from his defensive tackle spots as a junior. He does it with a combination of snap quickness, strength and athleticism—on every snap.

He reopened his recruitment from Stanford, but I think in the end he sticks it out and ends up on The Farm.

23. Barry Sanders, RB

At 5'9" and 190 pounds, Sanders actually does remind you a bit of his dad when you watch him on tape. He has excellent elusiveness and quickness in the open field, and just enough long speed to get to the house.

Sanders displays great balance to take hits, shoves in the box, and he can still stay on his feet and get upfield. He won't wow you with his stature, but he will with the ball in his hands.

Oklahoma State, Florida State, Alabama and Stanford are the main four, with Florida there too.

22. Ifeadi Odenigbo, OLB/DE

At 6'4" and 220 pounds, Odenigbo is as a raw a prospect as there may be in the country. He's only played football for just a few years, but watch his tape and you see a ceiling that is as high as Mount Everest.

He's super athletic, quick and explodes off the ball. Odenigbo plays very, very fast and has amazing range. If he can find a program that has a great pass-rushing coach and gets stronger, he may have a long playing future ahead of him.

Stanford, Cal, Ohio State, Notre Dame, Northwestern, USC and UCLA are in the hunt.

21. Jordan Diamond, OT

Diamond's skill set upon watching him on film projects well to a zone-blocking scheme offense. Diamond shows a great ability to get up on linebackers on the second level, and he can hit moving targets efficiently.

At 6'6" and 290 pounds, he has solid athletic ability and knee bend, which helps him in pass protection. Diamond does a good job of sliding when engaged and recovers well.

I just would be shocked if Diamond didn't wind up at Michigan.

20. Wes Brown, RB

Brown is a very solid running back prospect from the Mid-Atlantic region and has the tools be a complete runner on the collegiate level. He's solid in all areas of his game, standing 6'0" and 190 pounds.

Brown shows good patience and understanding when to attack downhill out of his stance and when to let things develop. He can pick and slide to holes, and he has the juice to skate through.

Vanderbilt leads.

19. Tracy Howard, CB

At 6'0" and 175 pounds, Howard has the length that many teams are looking for in corners these days. Receivers are getting bigger, so corners need to be as well.

Yet Howard also has solid coverage skills, and can come out of his backpedal easily and fluidly. He can carry receivers deep and will sniff around in the run game as well.

Florida State is in the driver's seat, but Miami, Florida and LSU are in the hunt, among others.

18. Nelson Agholor, ATH

There is talk that Agholor may be the most athletic player in Florida this year, and his tape does nothing to dispel that notion. At 6'2" and 180 pounds, he makes play after play all night long. 

He can factor as a safety, receiver, running back or corner. Talk is his best spot may be safety, but you can't count him out as a receiver. He's dynamic with the ball in his hands, but then again, he could be an All-American safety. 

Florida and Notre Dame are the favorites, according to Dante Fowler.

17. Jordan Jenkins, DE/OLB

At 6'3" and 250 pounds, Jenkins may be able to come in as a true freshman and make an impact as a sub rusher from Day 1—he's that athletically gifted. You watch him on tape, and you see a burst and ability to beat blockers at the snap.

Jenkins can bend well off the edge and close on the QB in a flash. He plays the run well and just needs to get seasoned.

Florida, Alabama, Georgia and Auburn are the main suitors.

16. Yuri Wright, CB

Wright is a big CB prospect at 6'2". He's a sleek athlete with a long frame at 180 pounds and is a solid athlete.

The New York native is one of the four elite prospects from Don Bosco Prep of New Jersey. Wright has good transition quickness, solid ball skills and quick feet.

Rutgers, Cal, Colorado, Georgia and Michigan are his main five.

15. Channing Ward, DE/OLB

Ward is a 6'4", 240-pound pass-rush specialist who could play OLB in a 3-4 scheme. He has good athleticism, shows a pass-rushing plan and plays well with his hands.

He shows a burst at the snap and bend ability. Yet what really makes Ward special is knowing that his hands can be a weapon. Most rushers just try to out-run blockers and get stuck when engaged; Ward can get free.

Auburn, Ole Miss, Mississippi State, LSU and Alabama here.

14. Kyle Murphy, OT

Murphy is another great OT, standing at 6'7" and 270 pounds, and he has solid athleticism for an offensive trench man.

Murphy excels in pass protection and gets by through being simply more athletic than his opponents. Once he gets coached up in college, look out, because he will combine athleticism with technique, and that could equal no sacks for opposing rushers.

USC, Stanford, Cal, Oregon and Florida are the main suitors.

13. Ellis McCarthy, DT

McCarthy is a defensive tackle who I think will see himself rise up the board higher before the final board comes out around NSD 2012. He's a dynamic force in the middle at 6'4" and nearly 310 pounds, but he has very, very little body fat.

That speaks to his frame, as he has college size and strength right now. McCarthy is quick to read and react versus the run, but he can also rush the passer from the interior like an end.

It's USC vs. Oregon, with Cal and Washington trailing.

12. Josh Garnett, OL

Garnett may be the best offensive guard prospect from the Washington area since Steve Schilling. At 6'5" and 275 pounds, he has a high ceiling and plays with great athletic ability, knee bend and strength. He may also be able to kick out to tackle in college.

Garnett has good snap quickness, gets into his opponent's chest, walks them back and he can finish. He holds his own in pass protection, as he can work well in the short-area confines at guard.

Washington, Oklahoma, Miami and Michigan are schools to watch out for.

11. Avery Young, OT

When you watch Young move around on tape, you wonder if he could even play tight end—he is that athletic. He has not even scratched the surface as to how good he can be, as the 6'5", 275-pounder looks like a potential left tackle.

Young can set up quickly, slide, mirror, bend, recover and anchor versus rushers down after down. Once he learns good hand placement and how to mix up his sets, he could develop into an All-American left tackle.

Georgia, Florida, Auburn and Alabama seem to be the core four right now.

10. Darius Hamilton, DE

Hamilton is a 6'4", 245-pound defensive prospect who can do it all.

Most ends at the high school level only focus on their pass-rushing prowess, yet Hamilton shows the strength to anchor and shed against the end.

Toss that in with his elite pass-rushing ability, and you see a 5-star prospect on the defensive edge.

9. Guner Kiel, QB

Kiel is a 6'4", 200-pound QB with great tools. He's a got a solid arm, flashes striking accuracy, good field vision and some athleticism.

He runs a spread offense, showing a total grasp and command of what he's doing. Some consider Kiel to be the finest QB prospect in this year's class.

He's backed off his Indiana pledge, and has Notre Dame, Michigan and Alabama after him.

8. Landon Collins, SS/OLB

Collins is a 5-star recruit and one of the top players in the country who can play safety and outside linebacker. At 6'0" and 210 pounds, Collins shows to be uber-instinctive in the box, physical versus the run, and rangy to chase and pursue.

He's productive in space and in coverage, showing an ability to factor in the zone due to his awareness. Collins always finds a way to the ball and hates getting caught in traffic. Look for him to be one of the best strong safeties to come out of this class.

Alabama, LSU and Texas are the finalists.

7. Eddie Goldman, DT

Goldman is a 6'5", 305-plus-pound defensive tackle who has "special" written all over him. He has the quickness to jump blockers at the snap, strength to toss and shed, plus anchor ability to stop double-teams in their tracks and make a mess in the middle.

He wants to play 4-3 tackle, but some teams like him at 3-4 nose. Goldman can play both well in my opinion and could even play 3-4 end. He isn't a wow-you type of athlete who will chase in pursuit, but Goldman does have a bit of range.

Florida State, Alabama, Cal, Auburn, Clemson, Maryland and Miami are the schools to watch.

6. Stefon Diggs, WR/RB/DB/RS

Diggs is a player who can factor as a receiver or safety. I could move him onto the ATH board or DS board, but in the end, he is simply too good with the ball in his hands to not play on offense in my opinion.

At 6'1" and 190 pounds, Diggs is a quicker than fast athlete, but he does have tremendous speed. His RAC ability is amazing, and he is likely tops in this category in the country for 2012. Diggs can shake, bake and clean the dishes routinely.

Florida, Auburn, Maryland, Virginia Tech and Miami are the tip of the iceberg.

5. Arik Armstead, DE

A 6'8", 280-pound monster, Armstead can play DE, DT and even OT for you. In fact, Scout.com has him as their top OT prospect.

However, Armstead has no interest in playing OL in college, and is really only considering schools that want him as a DE.

He was committed to USC, but has backed off and is looking at Michigan, Alabama, Cal, USC, Auburn, Oregon, Texas, Oklahoma and a few more.

4. Kwon Alexander, LB

At 6'2" and 210 pounds, Alexander is a fantastic linebacker prospect. He has tremendous play speed and range, and will be a three-down defender in college.

Alexander projects well at WILL, but I think he can also play SAM in a 4-3 scheme due to his ability to carry tight ends around the field in coverage.

Alabama, Auburn, LSU and Florida State are the favorites.

3. Noah Spence, DE

Spence is the top pure pass-rusher in the country and easily has the quickest first two steps in America. He flies off the ball and gets after the QB with tenacity, passion and sheer speed.

At 6'4" and 245 pounds, Spence can also stand up as a 3-4 OLB and rush the passer, while also making plays from the back side against the run.

Florida, LSU, Ohio State, Penn State and Maryland are the top five right now.

2. Andrus Peat, OT

At 6'7" and 280 pounds, Peat is the top line prospect in the country and will be a franchise left tackle.

He reminds me a lot of USC left tackle Matt Kalil coming out of high school: Sound in his technique, smart, patient and savvy in pass protection, Peat is an elite offensive lineman.

Nebraska, Florida State, Stanford and USC are in the hunt.

1. Dorial Green-Beckham, WR

I have Green-Beckham as the top player in the country on my board, as do many other talent evaluators.

At 6'6" and 220 pounds, Green-Beckham has the hands, separation quickness, catch-in-crowd ability and playmaking talent to become a dominant receiver in college. 

Missouri, Oklahoma, Texas and Arkansas are all in the running.