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Top 25 Team Recruiting Rankings

For both high school and college, the 2011 football season has barely begun and there are only a handful of official visits that have taken place. However, February and National Signing Day are already in sight and several programs have positioned themselves nicely with some strong foundations.

Malcom Brown

Texas commit Malcom Brown has helped the Longhorns jump out to the top class in the country.

We take a look at the Top 25 recruiting classes in the country heading into the heart of the season.

1. Texas

Commitments: 18
Headliners: DT Malcom Brown, RB Johnathan Gray
Quick hitter: Due to its traditional fast starts, Texas is always at the top of the early team ranking calculations but with all but three of the Longhorns commits rated four-stars or better, Texas won’t move far from the top if it moves at all.

2. Alabama

Commitments: 18
Headliners: WR Chris Black, ATH Eddie Williams
Quick hitter: Highlighted by a phenomenal group of linebacker commits, Alabama is setting up for another terrific class. With several elite targets still out there, the Crimson Tide isn’t done yet either.

3. Michigan

Commitments: 22
Headliners: OT Kyle Kalis, OT Erik Magnuson, DE Chris Wormley
Quick hitter: Brady Hoke’s first full year on the recruiting trail has yielded strong early returns, particularly in both Michigan and Ohio.

4. Florida

Jameis Winston

Jameis Winston is the nation's top quarterback and part of a terrific FSU class.

Commitments: 17
Headliner: OT D.J. Humphries
Quick hitter: Will Muschamp has recruited what he knows in the class of 2012 with loads of defensive talent and some productive work in his home state of Georgia.

5. Florida State

Commitments: 16
Headliner: QB Jameis Winston, DE Mario Edwards
Quick hitter: Already with the top group of defensive line commits in the country, Florida State looks poised to add several more national recruits in the coming months.

6. Texas A&M

Commitments: 22
Headliner: RB Trey Williams
Quick hitter: Building off of its recent on-the-field success, the Aggies have been among the quickest out of the gates in the 2012 class and don’t seem to be slowing down.

7. LSU

Commitments: 18
Headliner: LB Torshiro Davis
Quick hitter: Once again, LSU is relying on in-state talent. Though many of the current commits are raw, athleticism is in abundance in LSU's 2012 class. What else is new?

8. Miami

Duke Johnson

The Miami recruiting class is holding strong for now behind one of the top backs in the country, Duke Johnson.

Commitments: 24
Headliner: APB Duke Johnson
Quick hitter: Faced with more recent off-the-field adversity than any program in the country (and that is saying something), Miami remains strong with 24 commitments many of whom are home-grown products.

9. Clemson

Commitments: 17
Headliners: WR Germone Hopper, QB Chad Kelly
Quick hitter: Clemson continues to prove that it can recruit among the nation’s elite under Dabo Swinney.

10. Notre Dame

Commitments: 14
Headliner: DT Jarron Jones
Quick hitter: The Fighting Irish are not only recruiting at an extremely high level under Brian Kelly but they have found a renewed defensive focus with loads of talent coming in on that side of the ball.

11. Auburn

Commitments: 15
Headliner: TE Ricky Parks
Quick hitter: Recruiting off of a national championship, Auburn is poised for a characteristic fall and winter push under its terrific recruiting staff.

12. South Carolina

Shaq Roland

With Shaq Roland, South Carolina will likely land the top player in its own state for the fourth straight year.

Commitments: 18
Headliner: ATH Shaq Roland
Quick hitter: For the fourth consecutive year, South Carolina will likely sign the top player in its home state (Roland). There is plenty more talent on board as well.

13. Oklahoma

Commitments: 14
Headliner: RB Alex Ross
Quick hitter: Though the class is currently small with only 14 commitments, every pledge is elite leaving the Sooners with plenty of room to continue to climb the 2012 rankings.

14. Virginia

Commitments: 23
Headliners: DE Eli Harold, LB Kwontie Moore
Quick hitters: Following a 4-8 season, no one would have expected to see Virginia in the top 15 at this stage but head coach Mike London is proving to be a recruiting heavyweight.

15. Baylor

Commitments: 18
Headliners: ATH Corey Coleman, WR Kiante’ Griffin
Quick hitter: Art Briles has the Baylor program firing on all cylinders and recruiting is no different with some of the top players in Texas buying in.

16. Penn State

Armani Reeves

Armani Reeves is one of the few Penn State commits that won't be playing inside the tackle box.

Commitments: 17
Headliner: CB Armani Reeves
Quick hitter: Penn State is a blue collar team and it is bringing in a blue collar recruiting class with lots of beef and physicality committed from both sides of the line of scrimmage.

17. Georgia

Commitments: 13
Headliner: OT John Theus
Quick hitter: The Bulldogs have to get the job done on the field but remain in striking distance on the recruiting trail led by the likes of the five-star Theus.

18. Virginia Tech

Commitments: 24
Headliners: DE Jarontay Jones, APB J.C. Coleman
Quick hitter: A typical Virginia Tech class that has yet to get much fanfare, the Hokies have a deep group committed of typical tough Beamer-style players.

19. Tennessee

Commitments: 16
Headliner: S LaDarrell McNeil
Quick hitter: Fueled by a furious July and August on the recruiting trail, Tennessee is quickly picking up the pace heading into the heart of recruiting season.

20. Missouri

Evan Boehm

Evan Boehm is part of Missouri's continued success on the field and in the recruiting realm.

Commitments: 15
Headliners: OG Evan Boehm, RB Jonathan Williams
Quick hitter: Under Gary Pinkel, Missouri has shown that it can line up and play with anyone. It is starting to recruit with the same confidence.

21. USC

Commitments: 10
Headliner: OT/DT Arik Armstead
Quick hitter: It’s tough to make the Top 25 with only 10 commitments but USC has pulled in an all-star group, all from within its own state.

22. Texas Tech

Commitments: 16
Headliner: ATH Dominique Wheeler
Quick hitter: The Red Raiders have yet to stray outside the boarders of the Lone Star State, led by four big home-grown offensive linemen.

23. Arizona State

Commitments: 23
Headliner: LB Salamo Fiso
Quick hitter: Of Arizona State’s 23 commits, five are from California’s powerhouse program of Long Beach Poly. Four-star Fiso leads the way.

24. Ohio State

Commitments: 12
Headliner: S De’van Bogard
Quick hitter: Some negative national attention and the resignation of Jim Tressel have slowed the Buckeyes’ recruiting but they remain in the Top 25 despite having only 12 commitments.

25. Michigan State

Commitments: 14
Headliner: WR Aaron Burbridge
Quick hitter: Along with the top player in the state of Michigan (Burbridge), Michigan State has also done plenty of work in Ohio landing six commitments out of it’s southern neighbor including four-star quarterback Tyler O’Connor.

Barton Simmons

    • Have to say, I'm a little disappointed with where PSU is at, but I think they've got some potential to move up.

      psubills62 ●

    • This list is generated by a computer using a calculation based on each team's Top 17 commitments. So anyone with 18 or more commitments, only their highest 17 were used. Anyone with less than 17 was obviously hurt in varying degrees.

      Barton S

    • Barton S said...

      This list is generated by a computer using a calculation based on each team's Top 17 commitments. So anyone with 18 or more commitments, only their highest 17 were used. Anyone with less than 17 was obviously hurt in varying degrees.

      Interesting...why 17?

      psubills62 ●

    • psubills62 said...

      Interesting...why 17?

      17 commits a year over the course of 5 years brings you to an 85 man roster.

      Also this is early in the process and very few teams have 20 or more commitments. We may extend the cap to 20 by signing day. But at this point we don't want the list to be simply who has the most commitments. It should be a mix of who has the most and who has the best.

      Barton S

    • Good info. Your Ranking seems quite different from TOS?

      dcole001

    • dcole001 said...

      Good info. Your Ranking seems quite different from TOS?

      Well we have a lot of differences in our player ratings. Also our formula is very different. They use lot of arbitrary bonus points for position rankings, star rankings etc. We try to make ours reflect as accurately as possible the actual player ratings rather than a cocktail of random bonus points.

      Conceptually, the ranking is based on the most highly rated prospect in each class having the most weight (biggest impact guys) while the lowest rated players have the least weight. In other words, you're getting penalized less for having a 2-star kid (who could always surprise and pan out) and rewarded more for having a 5-star player (who has been evaluated the most and has the biggest chance for success).

      Barton S

    • Barton S said...

      This list is generated by a computer using a calculation based on each team's Top 17 commitments. So anyone with 18 or more commitments, only their highest 17 were used. Anyone with less than 17 was obviously hurt in varying degrees.

      That explains why we were higher than FSU. They have a better class than we do right now IMO.

      Aussie ●

    • Where does WVU fall, Barton? Fans on our board had guessed everywhere from 24-40.

      Chris Anderson ●

    • This will help Nebraska since we are only expected to sign around 16 this class. Kinda sucks, but more scholarships will be available next year.

      Nosfera2son

    • Kind of what I expected. I think FSU has the best chance of moving up.

      neoavatara

    • Are there any plans to release a full rankings?

      BklynTerp

    • I'm gonna be a man and say it.... Bama's class shouldn't be ahead of Florida State right now. They've got the better class.

      skitchbama

    • Chris Anderson said...

      Where does WVU fall, Barton? Fans on our board had guessed everywhere from 24-40.

      We actually only ran the program for the Top 25 so I haven't even seen an extended list but just by looking at West Virginia's class, I think Top 30 at this point is very possible.

      Barton S

    • skitchbama said...

      I'm gonna be a man and say it.... Bama's class shouldn't be ahead of Florida State right now. They've got the better class.

      One of the main reasons that Florida State's ranking looks a little bit off is that they only have 16 commitments so they are one short of the max which penalizes them slightly. Also, among their 16 commitments they have a punter and a kicker pulling them down slightly.

      I still fully expect FSU to be battling for the #1 class come February and if I had to pick, with a couple more commitments, they'd probably jump to at least #2.

      This post was edited by Barton S on 9/8/2011 at 11:20 AM

      Barton S

    • skitchbama said...

      I'm gonna be a man and say it.... Bama's class shouldn't be ahead of Florida State right now. They've got the better class.

      I said the same for Michigan.. I think FSU will have the best class when it's all said and done. I thought theirs was better right now, too, but I'll take it shrug

      Ducksworth ●

    • Michigan is the real surprise here, they've done an excellent job with a little help from OSU's troubles and took advantage of a very strong year locally in recruiting.

      Bama should have no problem finishing with the top class.

      This post was edited by Tider_N_FL on 9/8/2011 at 11:24 AM

      Tider_N_FL

    • Barton S said...

      17 commits a year over the course of 5 years brings you to an 85 man roster.

      Must. Fight. Urge. To. Make. Certain. Comment.

      devidee

    • sweet bama at #2. fsu is going to move up that list

      BillyEN4C

    • psubills62 said...

      Have to say, I'm a little disappointed with where PSU is at, but I think they've got some potential to move up.

      They can realize that potential when they have the right leadership. It took Michigan awhile but they seem to be heading in the right direction.

      SDWolverine ●

    • devidee said...

      Must. Fight. Urge. To. Make. Certain. Comment.

      Cutting players and oversigning, thats what we do.

      SEC SEC SEC

      Ichabod

    • SDWolverine said...

      They can realize that potential when they have the right leadership. It took Michigan awhile but they seem to be heading in the right direction.

      Even with the current leadership, we are reportedly the leader for a five-star and are in contention for another, along with some other very good players.

      psubills62 ●

    • Barton S said...

      Well we have a lot of differences in our player ratings. Also our formula is very different. They use lot of arbitrary bonus points for position rankings, star rankings etc. We try to make ours reflect as accurately as possible the actual player ratings rather than a cocktail of random bonus points.

      Conceptually, the ranking is based on the most highly rated prospect in each class having the most weight (biggest impact guys) while the lowest rated players have the least weight. In other words, you're getting penalized less for having a 2-star kid (who could always surprise and pan out) and rewarded more for having a 5-star player (who has been evaluated the most and has the biggest chance for success).

      You're such a Ivy League nerd, Barton.

      Wes Rucker

    • BillyEN4C said...

      sweet bama at #2. fsu is going to move up that list

      Michigan right on that ass and auburn will move up looks to be a good year for both teams

      Harryberry

    • I like this system of evaluating classes. I would throw in an algorithm taking into account depth beyond the top 17; in any of the classes including a large quantity of kids, statistically, some percentage of those kids not included in the top 17 recruits will turn out to be very-good to excellent players in college. At the very least, quantity should be a tiebreaker between two similarly rated classes.

      gonoles2011 ●

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