Best by position: Offense

Several college programs have bright futures at the various positions based on their current Class of 2012 commit lists. Here’s a look at the best by position from across the country.

Five-star Jameis Winston is the top quarterback prospect in the country and is committed to Florida State.

Quarterback

The easy choice for the top quarterback class in the 2012 recruiting cycle is Florida State. Not only do the Seminoles have the top ranked quarterback in the class committed in Jameis Winston (Bessemer, Ala./Hueytown), but also a impressive thrower of the ball in Sean Maguire (West Orange, N.J./Seton Hall Prep).

Winston, a 6-foot-4, 190-pound dual threat signal caller, is the No. 4 prospect in the class of 2012 with a 100 rating, while Maguire is a high-three star prospect with a grade of 88.

Indiana also makes the quarterback list with the commitment of five-star signal caller Gunner Kiel (Columbus, Ind./Columbus East). Kiel and Winston are the two five-star rated quarterbacks in the class and Kiel is the top ranked pro-style quarterback in the country and No. 12 overall with a 247 Rating of 98.

Running back

While quarterback was a simple decision, running back is a little more cloudy. Florida gets the nod, as of today, with a pair of commitments from talented runners in Mike Davis (Stone Mountain, Ga./Stephenson) and Matt Jones (Seffner, Fla./Armwood).

Davis is the No. 85 prospect in the class and the No. 6 running back with a grade of 95, while Jones checks in at No. 175 in the247 with a grade of 93. While Jones is listed as an athlete, he will get a first crack at running back for the Gators.

Oklahoma also has a pair of talented runners in Alex Ross (Jenks, Okla.) and Daniel Brooks (Port Lavaca, Texas/Calhoun). Ross, 6-foot-2, 213-pounds is the No. 25 prospect in the 2012 class and a 200-meter state sprint champion that is drawing comparisons to Adrian Peterson in Norman both in terms of body type and speed. He is the No. 3 ranked running back in the class with a grade of 97.

Four-star running back Mike Davis is one of two talented prospects at his position committed to Florida.

Like Florida commit Jones, the 5-foot-9, 175-pound Brooks is listed as athlete, but is a talented runner that is likely to stay on offense at the next level. Brooks is the Texas 3A state 100-meter champion (10.61) and medalist in the 110-high hurdles (14.23). Brooks has a 91 rating and is the No. 34 ranked prospect in the Fab 55 of Texas.

Also figuring into the top running back classes is Auburn with commitments from all-purpose back T.J. Yeldon (Daphne, Ala.) and Jovon Robinson (Memphis, Tenn./Wooddale). Yeldon is the No. 109 prospect in the 2012 class with a 95 rating, while Robinson checks in at No. 223 with a 92 rating.

Of the programs with one runner committed, the Texas Longhorns gain mention. Five-star back Johnathan Gray (Aledo, Texas) is the No. 17 prospect in the country with a 98 rating.

Wide receiver

The Texas Longhorns are the pick of the litter at receiver with commitments from two of the nations best in Thomas Johnson (Dallas, Texas/Skyline) and Cayleb Jones (Austin, Texas/Austin High).

Johnson, a recent star at the Gridiron Kings Championship in Orlando, is the No. 38 prospect in the 2012 class, the No. 3 ranked wide receiver and has a 247 Rating of 96. The 5-foot-11, 175-pounder battled a severe high ankle sprain as a junior missing seven games ,but is primed for a big season in 2011.

Jones, the No. 97 ranked prospect in the 2012 cycle and the son of former NFL linebacker Robert Jones, is the No. nine ranked wide receiver in the class with a 247 Rating of 95. The 6-foot-3, 200-pounder has nearly 150 receptions the last two seasons.

Right on the heels of Texas is South Carolina with three commitments, all members of the247.

Shaq Roland is the top prospect in the state of South Carolina for the 2012 class and is the crown jewel of a deep Gamecocks' wide receiver class.

Athlete Shaq Roland (Lexington, S.C.) is the No. 48 prospect in the country with a rating of 96 and is slated to play wide receiver for the Gamecocks. Jody Fuller (Monroe, N.C./Sun Valley) and Kwinton Smith (Dillon, S.C.) make up the rest of the impressive trio. Fuller is the No. 169 ranked prospect in the class with a rating of 94, while Smith checks in at No. 180 with a 247 Rating of 93.

Also worth a mention at the position are Oklahoma, Baylor, Tennessee and
Texas Tech. The Sooners have commitments from two of the very best in Durron Neal (St. Louis, Mo./DeSmet) and Sterling Shepard (Oklahoma City, Okla./Heritage Hall). Neal is the No. 74 prospect in the country with a rating of 95, while Shepard sits at No. 137 in the country.

With a number of talented wide receivers and athletes still left to make decisions, the wide receiver position has plenty of room for movement.

Tight end

The easy choice here is defending National Champion Auburn. The Tigers have a commitment from the nations top-ranked tight end, Ricky Parks (Hogansville, Ga./Callaway), and the physically impressive Darrion Hutcherson (Dadeville, Ala./Dadeville School).

Parks is the No. 67 ranked player in the 2012 cycle with a 247 Rating of 96. Hutcherson is a solid three-star prospect with an 88 rating.
Michigan also has a pair of talented tight end prospects committed in four-star Devin Funchess (Farrington, Mich./Harrison) and three-star AJ Williams (Cincinnati, Ohio/Sycamore).



Offensive line

The Michigan Wolverines are the pick at offensive line over Texas and the under valued group committed to Texas Tech.

Offensive tackle Erik Magnuson was a huge pick-up for Michigan out of the state of California. The Wolverines have a terrific offensive line class in 2012.

The Wolverines have five commitments on the line led by top national tackles Kyle Kalis (Lakewood, Ohio/St. Edward) and Erik Magnuson (Encinitas, Calif./La Costa Canyon).

Kalis has a 247 Rating of 96 and is the No. 40 prospect in the country and No. 7 offensive tackle in a truly special class of tackle prospects.
Magnuson, 6-foot-6, 275-pounds, checks in at No. 63 with a 96 rating. He is the No. 10 ranked tackle in the class.

Joining the impressive duo are tackles Ben Braden (Rockford, Mi.), Blake Bars (Nashville, Tenn./Montgomery Bell Academy) and Caleb Stacey (Cincinnati, Ohio/Sycamore). Braden is on the verge of four-star status checking in with a 247 Rating of 89.

The Texas Longhorns continue to show up on the offensive side of the ball with a solid trio of offensive line commits. Tackle Kennedy Estelle (Pearland, Texas/Dawson) is the No. 68 prospect in the country with a 96 rating, guard prospect Curtis Riser (DeSoto, Texas) is also in the top 100 at No. 84 and tackle Camrhon Hughes (Killeen, Texas/Harker Heights) checks in at No. 230 in the247.

Also knocking on the door on the offensive line is the Florida Gators. While Florida only has two linemen committed, they are two of the best tackle prospects in the country in five-star D.J. Humphries (Charlotte, N.C./Mallard Creek) and the No. 57 prospect in the 2012 class, Jessamen Dunker (Boynton Beach, Fla./Boynton Beach Community).

A second program from the state of Texas is putting together an impressive class on the offensive front. Texas tech has five commitments on the line, including four-star prospects Michael Starts (Waco, Texas/La Vega) and tackle Trey Keenan (Argyle, Texas). They are joined by a trio of high three-star prospects in tackle Halapoulivati Vaitai (Haltom, Texas), guard prospect Christian Okafor (Houston, Texas/Westbury) and center Jared Kaster (Rice, Texas/Rice Consolidated).