Posted by Bryan Fischer

Michigan's big day just got better after hours as Pickerington (Ohio) linebacker Taco Charlton and Parker (Colo.) offensive lineman Chris Fox, right, both committed to the Wolverines to run the total to six for the program on Saturday.

"You can't pass something like Michigan up after seeing it," Charlton told 247Sports. "It's everything you want in a college."

The 6-foot-6, 245-pound Charlton held offers from Notre Dame, Nebraska, UCLA and others but will stay in the Midwest to play his college ball. On the opposite side of the ball, the 6-foot-6, 300-pound Fox is built like a prototype left tackle and held offers from Ohio State, Iowa, Colorado and Purdue and committed to the coaching staff despite making the trip to Ann Arbor for what was a defacto Junior Day.

"It's crazy." Charlton said. "The coaches were going crazy. I'm just excited to be a part of the big family now."

The duo cap off a big day for Michigan recruiting and gives Brady Hoke and company nine commitments for the class of 2013.

Posted by Bryan Fischer

CBS Sports Top 25 Team Rankings
College		Commits	Top 100
	9. USC	15	5
	10. Stanford	21	6
	15. California	15	2
	18. UCLA	26	2
	19. Oregon	21	3
	24. Washington	25	1
Search Recruits | Complete Top 25 Rankings

Pac-12 school-by-school
North Division		Commits	Top Players	Notes
	- Team page - Commitment list	15	QB Zach Kline	B- Though they don't land a lot of the highly regarded guys they could have with Tosh Lupoi still around, the Bears bring in some great pieces that can leave a lasting impact on the program.
	- Team page - Commitment list	21	DL Arik Armstead	A- Chip Kelly's near departure to the NFL didn't end up costing the Ducks a bit class and even landed a big fish from the state of California for the second year in a row.
	- Team page - Commitment list	20	OL Isaac Seumalo	B+ This might not be a highly regarded class by some but it has some tremendous pick ups and might be one of the best groups of talent headed to Corvallis in a while.
	- Team page - Commitment list	21	OL Andrus Peat	A+ When was the last time you talked about Stanford on Signing Day? Now the Cardinal are landing top 10 classes and bringing in what appears to be the best OL class in recent memory.
	- Team page - Commitment list	25	DB Shaq Thompson	B+ It got a little dicey with Cyler Miles but adding him and Jeff Lindquist is a great one-two punch at QB and there's plenty of other top talent headed to Seattle as well, including elite guys like Thompson.
	- Team page - Commitment list	23	WR Gabriel Marks	B- All things considered, this was a solid first effort for Mike Leach and company, picking up several solid offensive weapons and some key Juco guys.
South Division		Commits	Top Players	Notes
	- Team page - Commitment list	25	LB C.J. Dozier	B- It looked a little shaky but closed strong and there are some solid guys that fit the systems RichRod is looking to run.
	- Team page - Commitment list	25	RB D.J. Foster	B- It's not blow you away good but there's some guys that will come in and get some minutes right away.
	- Team page - Commitment list	29	DB Yuri Wright	B+ There's some recruits in the Buff's 2012 class that will no doubt be expected to contribute early. There's not only some surprising talent coming in but some depth too.
	- Team page - Commitment list	25	DT Ellis McCarthy	A- Big time defensive tackles seem to be a dime a dozen and landing McCarthy is a huge get for new coach Jim Mora. There's plenty of talent coming in several different positions too.
	- Team page - Commitment list	15	ATH Nelson Agholor	A Though the Trojans missed on a few offensive line targets late that would have made this a top five class despite the numbers, it's still a great effort with impact players and some who add depth.
	- Team page - Commitment list	28	QB Travis Wilson	B This is really the first class that the move to the Pac-12 is a big draw and it's paid off with some pretty good recruits from the tradition talent bases for the school.
Search Recruits | Complete Top 25 Rankings

Posted by Bryan Fischer

It's time to pick up the wrapping paper, survey the damage and get excited to play with your new toys as Signing Day - i.e. Christmas in February for college football coaches and fans - has come to a close. Here's a broad overview of what happened from coast-to-coast.

Houston, we have a five-star

If there was one big - to borrow a metaphor from another sport - curve ball on Signing Day that made everybody scratch their head in disbelief it was word that Fresno (Calif.) wide receiver Deontay Greenberry had surprisingly signed with Houston during the middle of the day. It's normally a bit unusual when a program like UH signs anybody from outside the states of Texas or Louisiana and even more puzzling when they sign a highly rated player. But Greenberry? In addition to becoming the highest-ranked recruit the program has ever inked, the switch was cause for celebration inside the football office for a coup of epic proportions.

In short: Houston stole a five-star recruit on the week before Signing Day from Notre Dame.

This wasn't a local big time kid, this was the state of California's best wide receiver and somebody the Irish were counting on to play early and often with the departure of guys like Michael Floyd. The Cougars were not only closer to a BCS game than the storied program but they picked their pockets for one of their top recruits. It should have been a big day for Brian Kelly to trumpet guys like number two overall player and Columbus (Ind.) quarterback Gunner Kiel or Greenberry's cousin, cornerback Tee Shepard. Instead it was Kelly who was trying to spin the loss during his annual press conference.

"It is hard for me to feel disappointed about something I have never had, or someone I have never coached," Kelly said. "I'm more excited about the 16 who did sign."

The reason the 6-foot-3, 187-pound wide out flipped was primarily due to Houston receivers coach Jamie Christian, who came over from Arizona State. Christian had kept the Sun Devils in the running (Greenberry took a visit in October and considered them as late as December) despite a commitment to Notre Dame until Dennis Erickson's staff was fired and deserves the lion's share of the credit for getting Greenberry on campus last weekend and for ultimately landing a top-ranked guy. Cougars' head coach Tony Levine has developed some very successful wide receivers over the past several years and it appears he's got somebody a lot more talented than he's ever coached coming in with the class of 2012.

One in January, another in February

Texas coach Mack Brown has picked up the title Mr. February due to his penchant for winning a recruiting title but lack of success in translating that into a national title. After the run Nick Saban has had at Alabama recently, it might be time to find something that accurately describes his dominance in the first two months of the year because he's not limited to one or the other. As expected, the Crimson Tide took home the top recruiting class in the country in 2012 but perhaps the only thing that was surprising about it was that it wasn't, well, surprising.

"We knew exactly pretty much what we were gonna get," Saban said. "We didn't really have any surprises."

The only thing that even registered on the meter was when defensive tackle Korren Kirven decided to go away from home and play for the Crimson Tide (part of the reason why a numbers crunch led to some like defensive tackle Darius Philon signing at Arkansas). All told, 28 players will be considered part of yet another recruiting title for a program that seems to land any recruit they want, including an impressive six top 100 players.

The headliner is Geismar (La.) defensive back Landon Collins, who signed sans drama Wednesday and even seems to have patched things up with his mother following the bizarre reaction she had when he committed at the Under Armour All-American Game early last month. A ball-hawk who isn't afraid to lower the shoulder and stick the ball carrier, Collins is bound to find a role early on in the secondary. This class didn't really load up on offensive lineman but filled out just about everywhere else was stacked. The front seven in particular could see plenty of recruits turn into All-Americans, led by the impressive Reggie Ragland and Dillon Lee. Offensively there are some speedsters at wide out and T.J. Yeldon might be the best running back coming into the conference.

The Tide, it appears, just can't stop rolling.

M-I-Z-D-G-B

Though the news had broken that the country's top overall player in the class of 2012 would likely be headed to Columbia, nobody was truly sure until the the 6-foot-6 Dorial Green-Beckham put on the Missouri hat and officially sent his LOI in. The announcement seemed a little ho-hum despite the nearly 1,000 people watching locally and the national television audience but that's mainly a testament to the reserved Green-Beckham himself.

With many analysts calling him the second coming of Randy Moss, there's immense pressure on the top-ranked wide receiver and for good reason. There are few prospects as impressive physically as Green-Beckham and though he doesn't have great hands and needs some polish, the underlying natural talent is a good reason why he was highly regarded and highly recruited. Missouri has had success building around taller, bigger pass catchers in their offense and it looks like they'll have three years to see what kind of eye popping numbers

It can't be understated how big this is for a program like Mizzou. Landing the top recruit in the country is not just about getting a good player, it's about adding a level of prestige to the program. A talent like DGB only comes along once in a generation and for the Tigers to keep him at home is understandably huge, especially with the move to the SEC. Gary Pinkel has had plenty of success over the past several years even if it hasn't resulted in a championship and everybody understands that the competitions is about to be ratcheted up several notches going forward. With the signature of Green-Beckham, Pinkel and Mizzou proved that even if guys like Mack Brown, Bob Stoops and Nick Saban really want a kid, the Tigers can compete off and - hopefully - on the field in their new league going forward.

Nerd Search 2012

Outside of alumni and those that have to write about the Pac-12, there weren't too many mentions of Stanford on Signing Day every year.

My how times have changed.

Not only did the Cardinal tie for the national lead with six top 100 prospects, but they landed multiple five-stars and had people talking less about Andrew Luck and more about the fact that maybe this program can indeed sustain excellence going forward. There's no denying that it was one of the best years for talent on the West Coast in some time and the big reason why was the number of elite offensive lineman. If this were a few years ago, many of them would be penciled in to go to USC or Oregon or out of the area to programs like Notre Dame but instead it was Stanford who reeled the majority of the elite guys in this year (Josh Garnett, Andrus Peat, Kyle Murphy). If you were to call this the best offensive line class in recent recruiting history, you wouldn't find too many who would argue. That's just how much of a difference the school was this year and the coaches' efforts were rewarded with a top 10 class ranking.

It wasn't just an academic powerhouse like Stanford who made waves either. Northwestern landed a pair of top players in Malin Jones and Ifeadi Odenigbo. Vanderbilt brought in what some called the best class in school history. Duke landed a lightly recruited guy who, according to recruiting coordinator Matt Lubick on the CBSSports.com Signing Day Central Show, runs a sub-4.3 40 yard dash. Lots of recruits talk about wanting academics but it appears they're finally following up.

Pocket squares and pads seem to be the latest thing on the recruiting trail.

More recruiting SECcess

It wasn't quite the banner year for the league that it could have been but 2012 certainly was a great Signing Day for the best conference in the country. Eight of the SEC's 14 teams finished in the final top 25 class rankings, highlighted by Alabama at the top and both of the league newcomers turning in great first efforts. Texas A&M ended up stealing defensive tackle Edmund Ray from Missouri and added wide receiver Thomas Johnson, a former Texas commitment, to a group that finished 14th. Florida was a top five class despite missing out on some guys and even a few programs that have recently struggled did well with Georgia, Tennessee and Auburn grouped together from 20-22.

The Bulldogs had to land just about every target left on their board and they did ok, notably beating Florida State late for linebacker Josh Harvey-Clemons despite a little issue with his grandfather not signing his letter of intent until Thursday. The Bulldogs missed out on Juco wide receiver Cordarrelle Patterson (who went to Tennessee) and offensive tackle Avery Young (to Auburn) but also landed five-star offensive lineman John Theus and what might be the best one-two punch at running back in the class with Keith Marshall and Todd Gurley. It wasn't a "Dream Team" but Georgia still showed you can have a very good class and it only be alright in such a deep league.

Kentucky brought in what might be the top quarterback in the state this year in Patrick Towles and took advantage of Alabama's number crunch in grabbing running back Justin Taylor. The state of Georgia was a big producer of talent for a lot of the league's schools and is quickly becoming the go-to state for most FBS programs after the big three of California, Texas and Florida. The theme this year was even if a school didn't pick up a commitment from a kid, there's a high chance he went to another SEC school.

Quality over quantity

This was finally the year that we'd see NCAA sanctions limit USC and Lane Kiffin had to be creative in how he managed the numbers on top of grabbing the best talent available. Even though the Trojans missed out on linemen Peat and Murphy, it was still a good haul with Zach Banner, Jordan Simmons and Max Tuerk on top of skill position talent like five-star Nelson Agholor, linebacker Jabari Ruffin, end Leonard Williams and wide receiver Darreus Rogers. Given the way the staff has recruited over the past two years, it's looking more likely that the school can get through harsh NCAA sanctions better than was previously thought. Missing out on three guys may seem like a lot but it should help next year by giving Kiffin those scholarships to use for early enrollees in 2013.

Meyer Mayhem

FYI to coaches across the country, if Urban Meyer starts circling your recruits, you better be prepared to bring your A+++ game if you want to land them. The master recruiter took Ohio State's class from middling prior to his hire to tying the nation's lead with six top 100 recruits and a number three overall class ranking. This was, mind you, with only two months on the job to recruit with a program that just got slapped with a bowl ban from the NCAA. Meyer really attacked the defensive line and looks like he'll be importing a high quality, SEC-caliber defensive line with Se'Von Pittman, Tommy Schutt, Noah Spence and Adolphus Washington. He's already jumped on several top 2013 players and if this year was any indication, it could be a long couple of years for his Big Ten counterparts.

Seminole DLight

Mark Stoops is the defensive coordinator at Florida State and he might be the happiest man in the state of Florida. As good as Ohio State's defensive line class was, FSU's might be the best in the country. Though they lost Dante Fowler Jr., they still signed Chris Casher, Mario Edwards, Eddie Goldman, Justin Shanks and should get Dalvon Stuckey in a year or two after he goes to a Juco. The thing about the Seminoles is that they don't need every guy to come in and play right away but each is talented enough to make an impact in certain situations. Edwards has the pedigree and drive to become a high first round draft pick with his skill set and Stoops should use him in multiple spots. Adding guys like Ronald Darby and P.J. Williams are also huge gets for the program in the secondary. Whoever plays the best defense likely has a leg up in the ACC and it appears that's where Florida State did the best on Wednesday.

More on Signing Day

Columns

Dennis Dodd Urban strikes gold right away; stigma of Tressel scandal already gone Brett McMurphy Forget suspense and excitement, it's just another 'Bama Signing Day

Related links

MaxPreps: Ranking the Top 25 classes MaxPreps: Top 100 recruits Winners and Losers Signing Day Central Fornelli: Stanford's success continues up front Vote: National Signing Day poll questions Eye on College Football: Signings tracker Full recruiting coverage | Recruiting RapidReports

The Golden Touch

The early indication that things would be going Miami's way came when one of the country's top uncommitted recruits, Miramar (Fla.) cornerback Tracy Howard, flashed the "U" sign on national television and made, to some, the surprising decision to stay home and play for the Hurricanes. Although Howard's recruitment was a bit difficult to read, it appeared there was only a slim chance that he'd leave the state and most were predicting he was Florida's to lose down the stretch.

Much like Stanford this year, there weren't a whole lot of recruits the program missed out on that they were after hard - a remarkable accomplishment given what's swirling around Coral Gables. The loss of linebacker Reggie Northrup hurts because he could play multiple positions and is easily one of the top linebacker prospects in the state. That he switched to archival Florida State stung a little but that was one of the rare occasions were the Hurricanes were slowed down. This was the largest class in the country and plenty of the recruits should see early playing time with guys like Duke Johnson making an impact from the moment they step on campus. Al Golden had to climb a mountain but did a great job grabbing the guys he did.

Tosh.Ohhh

Not sure any assistant had a greater impact on multiple programs than new Washington coach Tosh Lupoi. California's class imploded, Washington landed the #5 player in the country in Shaq Thompson, UCLA added Jordan Payton and Oregon picked up Arik Armstead due to the uncertainty. One wonders if Lupoi had been hired earlier how much more impact he would have had for the Huskies' class but it's clear he shifted the recruiting trail in the conference in just a few short weeks.

In addition to Washington, USC, Stanford, plenty of other Pac-12 programs landed strong classes in what was a very, very good year for talent West of the Rockies. Oregon managed to flip several recruits, such as wide receiver Chance Allen from Oklahoma State and a terrific pick up in Bralon Addison from Texas A&M (who took a late visit and should fit perfectly in Chip Kelly's system). Though many were skeptical of the hire initially, Jim Mora grabbed a terrific class and fellow newcomers Rich Rodriguez and Mike Leach also had good first efforts. There really wasn't a "bad" class among the bunch and even lowly Colorado landed a top 100 player.

Texas being Texas

The Longhorns finished in a familiar spot right at the top of the class rankings and even though they couldn't push Alabama off the top spot, this has some major players who can play early and often. Malcom Brown is a beast at defensive tackle and Manny Diaz' defensive staff pulled one of the big surprises in taking Torshiro Davis away from LSU. The class has the top running back in the country with record-setter Johnathan Gray and the state's top wide out in Cayleb Jones. Mack Brown also closed very well, grabbing speedy Daje Johnson and linebackers Dalton Santos and Bryce Cottrell in addition to Davis. It will be a young Texas team in 2012 but with this class and the current roster, it will certainly be a talented one.

Posted by Bryan Fischer

Great story about the long journey to South Carolina for commit Shaq Roland.

Washington has one solid quarterback commitment and another they're not 100% sure about.

 Chip Kelly landed his big fish in Arik Armstead.

 Offensive lineman Jessamen Dunker is ready for Florida.

 Baylor is doing a very good job on the recruiting trail this year.

 Recruiting is on the upswing for Utah, BYU and others in the state.

 Arkansas is Missouri's new talent rival.

 Alabama's Junior Day was very, very successful.

Commitments

 Oklahoma added junior college offensive tackle Will Latu over the weekend.

 Linebacker BJ Bello made a last minute flip to Illinois.

 Michigan State came close to filling out its class with the commitments of wide receiver Monty Madaris and running back Marcus Horne.

 Colorado added two commits over the weekend.

 Texas Tech grabbed a late pledge from Juco cornerback Olaoluwa Falemi.

 Nice pick up for Houston in wide receiver Andrew Rodriguez.

 Vanderbilt continues to grow their class, adding offensive lineman Kevin McCoy after a visit.

 Wide receiver Travin Henry committed to Georgia Tech.

 Sleeper linebacker Courtney Arnick has decided to play for Kansas.

 Another wide receiver is going to Arkansas with the commitment of Demetrius Wilson.

Posted by Jerry Hinnen

Most schools are hoping for a big finish to their 2012 classes. But with Alabama's loaded current class already at a full 27 commitments and ranked No. 1 in the nation, the Tide have mostly moved their focus to 2013--and seeing that focus pay off with a rash of early commitments.

The Tide received three of them over the weekend at their annual Junior Day, including a pair Sunday in New Orleans wide receiver Raheem Falkins and Fultondale (Ala.) athlete ArDarius Stewart. Arkansas running back Altee Tenpenny committed to the Tide on Saturday. The commitments bring Alabama to a total of seven for their 2013 class already.

"I like their program, they've got a nice program,'' Falkins told the Times-Picayune. "Coach [Nick] Saban, he recruited me the hardest. He competed with other schools and showed the most interest.''

Both Falkins and Stewart project as two of the higher-ranked prospects at their positions for next year's class. The 6'4", 190-pound Falkins pulled in 53 passes for 989 yards as a junior and earned all-state honors. He claims early offers from Tennessee, Colorado and Illinois--though not home-state LSU, which still might complicate things for the Tide down the road.

Stewart was named Alabama's class 2A Back of the Year after piling up 50 total touchdowns and more than 3,400 yards of total offense in 2011.

Posted by Bryan Fischer

National Signing Day is almost here and recruits across the country are gearing up for plenty of last-minute pitches and school visits as head coaches look to shape their program for years to come. There was some head coaching turnover in the Pac-12 and a few interesting moves in terms of assistants which makes 2012 a very interesting year in the conference. Combined with the fact that this is the best year in a while for talent on the West Coast and there some buzz about what is going on in the Pac-12.

• Full Pac-12 conference commitment list

• Pac-12 recruiting news and commitments

• Pac-12 college football news

MaxPreps.com Top 25 Team Rankings, Big Ten
College		Commits	Top 100	Moving
	10. California	18	3
	17. USC	12	3
	21. Oregon	18	2
	25. Stanford	17	2
Search Recruits | Complete Top 25 Rankings

Top storylines

1. What's the fall out from Tosh Lupoi leaving for Washington?

The departure of Lupoi, Cal's best recruiter, might end up a seismic shift in the Pac-12 recruiting landscape. He was responsible for getting the Golden Bears into the top 10 in the team rankings and was on the verge of landing another five-star defender to give him an impressive three on defense. Instead plenty of Cal recruits and commitments have decided to take late official visits and only a handful can be considered solid verbal pledges. Lupoi might not be able to have a huge impact on the Huskies class but they're in the running for a few top players late in the process. Needless to say, this is a big move and one that might have a huge impact in 2012 and beyond.

2. How high does Oregon go?

The near departure of head coach Chip Kelly threw many recruits for a loop but it looks like, despite some negative recruiting by other schools, the current class will remain intact with the Ducks also in the running for some elite five-star guys on the West Coast come Signing Day. Oregon currently sits just outside the top 20 but if they land one or two of the guys that are left on their board, it's very possible to find them in the top 15 with one of the most talented classes headed to Eugene in a long time.

3. Roster management in Los Angeles

It's a good thing both head coaches in Los Angeles have NFL experience because they're going to have to do some good ol' fashioned roster management - something that does happen outside of the SEC - albeit for different reasons. Lane Kiffin and USC are finally starting to feel the effects of sanctions and have to be careful to not only sign 15 or fewer recruits on Signing Day but come in under the NCAA-imposed  limit of 75 scholarship players by the fall. The Trojans are in the running for some top talent and, with early enrollees, will actually bring in more than 15 players so it will be interesting to see what the team looks like going forward. Across town, this was expected to be a small UCLA class of 17 or so recruits but the Bruins currently have 25 commits. There are some creative things Jim Mora can do so it will be interesting to see who winds up on the roster come the fall.

4. Which new coach winds up with the best class?

The massive coaching turnover in the Pac-12 has made things interesting among the conference's middle class. Rich Rodriguez had an early head start but it took awhile to get his full staff on board and that might have cost him some. Todd Graham has to deal with a lot of negative recruiting thanks to the way he left Pitt but has managed to do better than tread water and could land one of the state's top players. Meanwhile, Mike Leach has done a remarkable job of remaking the Wazzu class to fit his offense and aggressively get players who might have been overlooked by others but are simply players when it counts on the field. Finally, Jim Mora has done a great job getting some elite talent to get excited about UCLA. Should be an interesting finish.

Most impressive class: California

Most underrated class: Oregon State

Work left to do: Arizona

Top Players to Watch Name Pos Committed 5. Shaq Thompson DB California 6. Ellis McCarthy DT UCLA 8. Andrus Peat OL Uncommitted 13. Nelson Agholor ATH Uncommitted 16. Arik Armstead OL/DT Uncommitted 21. Zach Banner OL Uncommitted 26. Josh Garnett OL Uncommitted 30. D.J. Foster ATH Uncommitted 37. Jordan Simmons OL USC 41. Aziz Shittu DT Uncommitted Complete Top Players Page

Assistant recruiters of note:

Robert Anae, Tony Gibson and Calvin Magee, Arizona
Mike Norvell, Arizona State
Marcus Arroyo, Ron Gould and Todd Howard, California
Eric Bieniemy, Darian Hagan and Bobby Kennedy, Colorado
Jerry Azzinaro, Gary Campbell, Mark Helfrich and John Neal, Oregon
Mark Banker, Brent Brennan, Mike Cavanaugh and Danny Langsdorf, Oregon State
Lance Anderson, Pep Hamilton and Mike Sanford Jr., Stanford
Adrian Klemm, Demetrice Martin, Noel Mazzone and Angus McClure, UCLA
James Cregg, Clay Helton, Kennedy Pola and Ed Orgeron, USC
Brian Johnson, Morgan Scalley and Kalani Sitake, Utah
Eric Kiesau, Tosh Lupoi, Johnny Nansen and Peter Sirmon, Washington
Mike Breske, Jeff Choate and Jim Mastro, Washington State

Head coach under pressure: Jeff Tedford, California

Top Pac-12 class prediction: California

Top Pac-12 signee: Shaq Thompson

Pac-12 school-by-school
North Division		Commits	Top Players	Notes
	- Team page - Commitment list	18	QB Zach Kline OL Freddie Tagaloa DB Shaq Thompson WR Bryce Treggs	This is a top 10 class for now. The emphasis is added because the departure of Lupoi to Washington has really thrown this group for a loop and caused several, such as Thompson, to look around before signing.
	- Team page - Commitment list	18	DE DeForest Buckner RB Byron Marshall QB Jake Rodrigues WR Dwayne Stanford	Chip Kelly's flirtation with the NFL has thrown some for a loop but it looks like the Pac-12 champs will only add to a very good 2012 class. Marshall and Rodrigues are perfect fits on offense
	- Team page - Commitment list	24	WR Malik Gilmore DB Tyler Hasty OL Isaac Seumalo	This might be one of Mike Riley most talented classes during his time in Corvallis. Seumalo is one of the top offensive linemen on the West Coast and Gilmore is very underrated at the wide out spot. There are plenty of players who could play as freshmen or sophomores from this group.
	- Team page - Commitment list	17	OL Nick Davidson LB Noor Davis RB Barry Sanders DT Jordan Watkins	It's not often you find the Cardinal in the top 25 in recruiting but things are rolling on the Farm. This is linemen heavy and has several recruits who should see early playing time. Stanford is also in the mix for elite offensive linemen Josh Garnett and Andrus Peat.
	- Team page - Commitment list	20	QB Jeff Lindquist QB Cyler Miles DE Damion Turpin	You wonder if this class could have been even better had Lupoi been hired earlier but as is, it's a very good effort out of Steve Sarkisian and staff. They failed to land the top OL's in the state but picked up two very good QB's to build around in Lindquist and Miles.
	- Team page - Commitment list	23	RB Robert Lewis WR Gabriel Marks OL Alex Mitchell	Mike Leach's hire has certainly turned heads on the Palouse and the recruiting trail. He's hit California for some players who were overlooked by other programs but are great fits for his system and done a good job in a short time span.
South Division		Commits	Top Players	Notes
	- Team page - Commitment list	17	QB Javelle Allen LB C.J. Dozier WR Trey Griffey	Even though he was hired early in the process,  Rodriguez hasn't made a huge splash in recruiting. But with new facilities and his staff finally in place, that will come. Allen is a very good fit for RichRod's offense.
	- Team page - Commitment list	19	ATH Randall Goforth OL Evan Goodman OL Stephon McCray	Former head coach Dennis Erickson had assembled one of the better classes in the conference and while it has taken some hits, Todd Graham has mostly kept it together.
	- Team page - Commitment list	25	DB Kenneth Crawley QB Shane Dillon DB Yuri Wright	Landing Wright is a risk but there's no doubt he's a talented player who can contribute early on. This class should add depth across the board despite not having a big time impact player.
	- Team page - Commitment list	25	DB Ishmael Adams DT Ellis McCarthy QB T.J. Millweard DB Marcus Rios	Jim Mora answered all the questions people had about an NFL guy recruiting in college with this effort. Landing McCarthy is a program-changer because big West Coast DT's don't exactly grow on trees.
	- Team page - Commitment list	12	WR Darreus Rogers LB Jabari Ruffin OL Jordan Simmons OL Max Tuerk	This is the first class truly limited by NCAA sanctions but that doesn't mean Lane Kiffin hasn't been able to pull in some great players. The Trojans are also in the running for elite, top 20 players on Signing Day too.
	- Team page - Commitment list	22	ATH Chase Hansen OL Cedrick Poutasi QB Travis Wilson	Kyle Whittingham has talked about what a plus the move to the Pac-12 has been for recruiting and this class is one example of getting better players by being in a BCS conference.
Search Recruits | Complete Top 25 Rankings

Posted by Bryan Fischer

National Signing Day is almost here and recruits across the country are gearing up for plenty of last-minute pitches and school visits as head coaches look to shape their program for years to come. There was some head coaching turnover in the Pac-12 and a few interesting moves in terms of assistants which makes 2012 a very interesting year in the conference. Combined with the fact that this is the best year in a while for talent on the West Coast and there some buzz about what is going on in the Pac-12.

• Full Pac-12 conference commitment list

• Pac-12 recruiting news and commitments

• Pac-12 college football news

MaxPreps.com Top 25 Team Rankings, Big Ten
College		Commits	Top 100	Moving
	10. California	18	3
	17. USC	12	3
	21. Oregon	18	2
	25. Stanford	17	2
Search Recruits | Complete Top 25 Rankings

Top storylines

1. What's the fall out from Tosh Lupoi leaving for Washington?

The departure of Lupoi, Cal's best recruiter, might end up a seismic shift in the Pac-12 recruiting landscape. He was responsible for getting the Golden Bears into the top 10 in the team rankings and was on the verge of landing another five-star defender to give him an impressive three on defense. Instead plenty of Cal recruits and commitments have decided to take late official visits and only a handful can be considered solid verbal pledges. Lupoi might not be able to have a huge impact on the Huskies class but they're in the running for a few top players late in the process. Needless to say, this is a big move and one that might have a huge impact in 2012 and beyond.

2. How high does Oregon go?

The near departure of head coach Chip Kelly threw many recruits for a loop but it looks like, despite some negative recruiting by other schools, the current class will remain intact with the Ducks also in the running for some elite five-star guys on the West Coast come Signing Day. Oregon currently sits just outside the top 20 but if they land one or two of the guys that are left on their board, it's very possible to find them in the top 15 with one of the most talented classes headed to Eugene in a long time.

3. Roster management in Los Angeles

It's a good thing both head coaches in Los Angeles have NFL experience because they're going to have to do some good ol' fashioned roster management - something that does happen outside of the SEC - albeit for different reasons. Lane Kiffin and USC are finally starting to feel the effects of sanctions and have to be careful to not only sign 15 or fewer recruits on Signing Day but come in under the NCAA-imposed  limit of 75 scholarship players by the fall. The Trojans are in the running for some top talent and, with early enrollees, will actually bring in more than 15 players so it will be interesting to see what the team looks like going forward. Across town, this was expected to be a small UCLA class of 17 or so recruits but the Bruins currently have 25 commits. There are some creative things Jim Mora can do so it will be interesting to see who winds up on the roster come the fall.

4. Which new coach winds up with the best class?

The massive coaching turnover in the Pac-12 has made things interesting among the conference's middle class. Rich Rodriguez had an early head start but it took awhile to get his full staff on board and that might have cost him some. Todd Graham has to deal with a lot of negative recruiting thanks to the way he left Pitt but has managed to do better than tread water and could land one of the state's top players. Meanwhile, Mike Leach has done a remarkable job of remaking the Wazzu class to fit his offense and aggressively get players who might have been overlooked by others but are simply players when it counts on the field. Finally, Jim Mora has done a great job getting some elite talent to get excited about UCLA. Should be an interesting finish.

Most impressive class: California

Most underrated class: Oregon State

Work left to do: Arizona

Top Players to Watch Name Pos Committed 5. Shaq Thompson DB California 6. Ellis McCarthy DT UCLA 8. Andrus Peat OL Uncommitted 13. Nelson Agholor ATH Uncommitted 16. Arik Armstead OL/DT Uncommitted 21. Zach Banner OL Uncommitted 26. Josh Garnett OL Uncommitted 30. D.J. Foster ATH Uncommitted 37. Jordan Simmons OL USC 41. Aziz Shittu DT Uncommitted Complete Top Players Page

Assistant recruiters of note:

Robert Anae, Tony Gibson and Calvin Magee, Arizona
Mike Norvell, Arizona State
Marcus Arroyo, Ron Gould and Todd Howard, California
Eric Bieniemy, Darian Hagan and Bobby Kennedy, Colorado
Jerry Azzinaro, Gary Campbell, Mark Helfrich and John Neal, Oregon
Mark Banker, Brent Brennan, Mike Cavanaugh and Danny Langsdorf, Oregon State
Lance Anderson, Pep Hamilton and Mike Sanford Jr., Stanford
Adrian Klemm, Demetrice Martin, Noel Mazzone and Angus McClure, UCLA
James Cregg, Clay Helton, Kennedy Pola and Ed Orgeron, USC
Brian Johnson, Morgan Scalley and Kalani Sitake, Utah
Eric Kiesau, Tosh Lupoi, Johnny Nansen and Peter Sirmon, Washington
Mike Breske, Jeff Choate and Jim Mastro, Washington State

Head coach under pressure: Jeff Tedford, California

Top Pac-12 class prediction: California

Top Pac-12 signee: Shaq Thompson

Pac-12 school-by-school
North Division		Commits	Top Players	Notes
	- Team page - Commitment list	18	QB Zach Kline OL Freddie Tagaloa DB Shaq Thompson WR Bryce Treggs	This is a top 10 class for now. The emphasis is added because the departure of Lupoi to Washington has really thrown this group for a loop and caused several, such as Thompson, to look around before signing.
	- Team page - Commitment list	18	DE DeForest Buckner RB Byron Marshall QB Jake Rodrigues WR Dwayne Stanford	Chip Kelly's flirtation with the NFL has thrown some for a loop but it looks like the Pac-12 champs will only add to a very good 2012 class. Marshall and Rodrigues are perfect fits on offense
	- Team page - Commitment list	24	WR Malik Gilmore DB Tyler Hasty OL Isaac Seumalo	This might be one of Mike Riley most talented classes during his time in Corvallis. Seumalo is one of the top offensive linemen on the West Coast and Gilmore is very underrated at the wide out spot. There are plenty of players who could play as freshmen or sophomores from this group.
	- Team page - Commitment list	17	OL Nick Davidson LB Noor Davis RB Barry Sanders DT Jordan Watkins	It's not often you find the Cardinal in the top 25 in recruiting but things are rolling on the Farm. This is linemen heavy and has several recruits who should see early playing time. Stanford is also in the mix for elite offensive linemen Josh Garnett and Andrus Peat.
	- Team page - Commitment list	20	QB Jeff Lindquist QB Cyler Miles DE Damion Turpin	You wonder if this class could have been even better had Lupoi been hired earlier but as is, it's a very good effort out of Steve Sarkisian and staff. They failed to land the top OL's in the state but picked up two very good QB's to build around in Lindquist and Miles.
	- Team page - Commitment list	23	RB Robert Lewis WR Gabriel Marks OL Alex Mitchell	Mike Leach's hire has certainly turned heads on the Palouse and the recruiting trail. He's hit California for some players who were overlooked by other programs but are great fits for his system and done a good job in a short time span.
South Division		Commits	Top Players	Notes
	- Team page - Commitment list	17	QB Javelle Allen LB C.J. Dozier WR Trey Griffey	Even though he was hired early in the process,  Rodriguez hasn't made a huge splash in recruiting. But with new facilities and his staff finally in place, that will come. Allen is a very good fit for RichRod's offense.
	- Team page - Commitment list	19	ATH Randall Goforth OL Evan Goodman OL Stephon McCray	Former head coach Dennis Erickson had assembled one of the better classes in the conference and while it has taken some hits, Todd Graham has mostly kept it together.
	- Team page - Commitment list	25	DB Kenneth Crawley QB Shane Dillon DB Yuri Wright	Landing Wright is a risk but there's no doubt he's a talented player who can contribute early on. This class should add depth across the board despite not having a big time impact player.
	- Team page - Commitment list	25	DB Ishmael Adams DT Ellis McCarthy QB T.J. Millweard DB Marcus Rios	Jim Mora answered all the questions people had about an NFL guy recruiting in college with this effort. Landing McCarthy is a program-changer because big West Coast DT's don't exactly grow on trees.
	- Team page - Commitment list	12	WR Darreus Rogers LB Jabari Ruffin OL Jordan Simmons OL Max Tuerk	This is the first class truly limited by NCAA sanctions but that doesn't mean Lane Kiffin hasn't been able to pull in some great players. The Trojans are also in the running for elite, top 20 players on Signing Day too.
	- Team page - Commitment list	22	ATH Chase Hansen OL Cedrick Poutasi QB Travis Wilson	Kyle Whittingham has talked about what a plus the move to the Pac-12 has been for recruiting and this class is one example of getting better players by being in a BCS conference.
Search Recruits | Complete Top 25 Rankings

Posted by Bryan Fischer

Rich Rodriguez has always been a coach who has recruited nationally and he's bringing the same philosophy to his new job at Arizona. After picking up a commitment from Florida on Monday, he added another out-of-state player on Tuesday in San Antonio (Texas) defensive back Leo Thomas.

“The visit was really nice out there,” Thomas told WildcatAuthority.com. “I liked everything about Arizona. When I first got there, the campus was beautiful and the coaching staff from Rodriguez to (Tony) Gibson told me how much I would like it there and it was a good environment.”

The 6-foot-3, 175-pound safety was recruited by Mike Stoops and had committed to the previous staff but opened things up and held offers from schools such as Colorado, Illinois and Utah. A recent official visit over the weekend was chance to see Tuscon and get to know the program better, all that was needed to make Thomas feel comfortable enough to pull the trigger and commit.

“I just wanted to go back home and talk it over with my family,” he said. “When I got on the campus I closed my eyes and then opened them and everything just stood out to me and I felt like I fit. I can come right in and play. I just have to do what I do and keep working hard.”

Thomas gives Arizona 17 commitments for the class of 2012 and is the second from San Antonio.