Sherman, a 5″11, 187-pound prospect out of Sherman, chose the Bears over offers from Oklahoma, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, Arizona, and Vanderbilt, not exactly a bad list of offers for a three-star prospect.

Earlier in the summer Reid established a top three of Oklahoma, Vanderbilt, and Baylor. He admitted he was feeling love from all of the coaches at each school, and visited both Baylor and Vanderbilt during the summer. But in the end, Reid felt most comfortable with Baylor.

In Reid the Bears are gaining another great athlete, who currently plays free safety for his high school team but will probably play cornerback at the next level. Reid has good hips, and is a very physical presence in the run game as well, which is key for a cornerback. Another positive to Reid is his ability to take good angles to the ball in both passing situations and running situations as well.

Reid is the Bears 18th known commitment in the 2012 class.

WR Drae Bowles continues in Tennessee's recent string of great receiver recruits.

With only two commitments in the 2012 recruiting class up to this point, the Tennessee Volunteer fans were not worried, but maybe a little anxious about recruiting. After back-to-back top 15 classes, things were moving a little slowly.

Today, that changed for Coach Derek Dooley and his staff, as Tennessee picked up not one, but two commitments.

The first player to commit to the Volunteers was Jackson, TN WR Drae Bowles. The 6″1, 195-pound Bowles is rated a four-star prospect by rivals.com, and the 109th ranked player in the nation. Early on Bowles received a lot of recruiting attention, including offers from Auburn, Arkansas, California, Baylor, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, Missouri, Notre Dame, Vanderbilt, and Virginia among many others.

Tennessee first started recruiting Bowles over a year ago, and he decided today they were the team he wanted to play for.

On film Bowles is a receiver with good size and very good speed as well. He is able to take short passes and make them into very long plays, which is always a plus. At the next level, he’ll need to work on his agility and route-running, but Tennessee is getting a very good player in Bowles for sure.

The second commitment for the Volunteers came from Dunwoody, GA Athlete Justin King. The 6″3, 215-pounder currently plays quarterback for his high school team, though he will play linebacker for the Volunteers next year. A very good athlete on film, King has good speed and agility, and deceptive strength as well. However, King will really need to bulk up and learn the finer techniques on defense at the next level. Unfortunately, the Volunteers are very thin at linebacker, so after a redshirt year King may see the field.

It appeared early in the process that Mauk would head to Notre Dame, where he and his family were very comfortable with Kelly and his offense. But Notre Dame took four QB commitments in the last two classes, and it appeared they were content with not having a quarterback in the 2012 cycle. Mauk visited both Michigan and Missouri as well, and it seemed that the Tigers recruited the talented signal caller the most.

Today, Mauk officially committed to Missouri while on a visit, as he posted on his facebook page. He becomes Missouri’s 12th known commitment n the 2012 class, and only quarterback.

Listed at 6″2, 185 pounds, Mauk is an ideal fit for the Missouri spread offense. He plays in a primarily shotgun-based offense in high school, so the transition to college will not be very difficult. On film, Mauk has a fairly quick release, and solid, but not great arm strength. He’ll need to improve his mechanics and technique at the next level, but should be able to redshirt and learn under Coach Yost and his offensive staff.

Overall, a solid pickup for the Missouri Tigers, as it seems Indiana QB Gunner Kiel is headed to Oklahoma or Indiana at this point.

Brady Hoke and his staff have Michigan back atop the Big Ten recruiting rankings.

The national signing day for the 2011 class was only 5 months ago, but in today’s world coaches are often recruiting one, or even two years ahead of time. The 2012 class has yet to play out their senior seasons on the field, but already many prospects have been offered, visited, and committed to various schools.

A few weeks ago we broke down the current SEC recruiting race. Today, we’ll take a look at the Big Ten.

Last season, the Ohio State Buckeyes signed the Big Ten’s top class, which ranked 11th in the nation according to rivals.com. But with recent allegations of player benefits, and the firing of Jim Tressel, a new, or to be truthful, old player has emerged in the Big Ten recruiting race in 2012.

Michigan.

Since Brady Hoke and his staff took over in January, the Wolverines have been absolutely relentless on the recruiting trail. Thus fair, the Wolverines have 16 known commitments, including a number of highly-regarded prospects, according to various recruiting sites. The Wolverines are doing work close to home as well, as Hoke promised, with 14 of 16 commitments from Michigan and Ohio.

Among the Wolverines top commits are Linebackers James Ross, Joe Bolden, and Royce Jenkins-Stone. One the defensive line, they have two great  Ohio ends in Lyndhurst’s Pharaoh Brown and Mentor’s Tom Strobel.  Illinois CB Anthony Standifer has terrific size at 6″2, 175 lbs, while Detroit CB Terry Richardson has speed that coveted offers from LSU, Notre Dame, USC, and others.

Behind the Wolverines, the Wisconsin Badgers are off to arguably their best start ever in recruiting. In the past the Badgers have taken a number of two and three star prospects and turned them into NFL players. This year, the Badgers have four four-star players among five commitments. Offensive Lineman Dan Voltz (OG) of Illinois, and OT/OG Kyle Dodson, of Ohio, are both excellent prospects. In-state LB Vince Beigel is a legacy player, but another huge pickup, and West-coast QB Bart Houston, at 6″4, 200 lbs, has great size and a very good arm as well.

In third place in our rankings are the Ohio State Buckeyes. Yes, the Bucknuts have fallen on hard times with the loss of their head coach, and while there is a lot of talented players leaving the state, the Buckeyes are still picking up some solid prospects. Their class is headlined by five-star OT Kyle Kalis. New Head Coach Luke Fickell was able to re-secure Kalis’ commitment, but he still may visit other schools in the summer and fall.

Along with Kalis, the Buckeyes have a terrific duo at running back in bruiser Brionte Dunn, and Warren Ball. Ball will be a Buckeye through and through, but Dunn has been rumored to be looking at Michigan and Penn State for some time.

Checking in at #4 in our countdown is Penn State. After a somewhat down recruiting year in 2011, the Nittany Lions have literally come roaring back. The Lions class is headlined by five-star mammoth DT Jarron Jones. Jones is joined by more talented defenders like DT Jamil Pollard, OLB Camren Williams, and DE Brent Wilkerson, who are all Atlantic and East Coast products. The Nittany Lions need to hold onto Jones, who may visit more schools this summer, but they’ve got a terrific foundation to build on.

Behind Penn State there is a bit of a drop-off. Michigan State is our #5 team, and once again the Spartans will not blow you away in the rankings category. QB Connor Cook headlines the group of five commitments as an Elite 11 candidate with good size and a very good arm to boot. With Michigan dominating in-state this year, the Spartans have taken two quality offensive linemen from Ohio in Benny McGowan and Zach Higgins. Indiana TE Evan Jones is a bit of a project but with great athleticism and proven tight end coaching he should be just fine at the next level.

Our #6 team is a surprise, the Minnesota Gophers. Former Head Coach Tim Brewster was let go, and new Head Coach Jerry Kill and his staff have taken over to try and revitalize the Gophers program. With four-star WR Andre Mcdonald headlining a solid 6-man class so far, the Gophers are off to a good start. In-state QB Philip Nelson was a solid pickup for the Gophers, and the staff continues to recruit Florida, a key talent pool, by adding Sunrise, FL DB Dinero Moss.

Watch for part 2 of our list tomorrow!

Santa Margarita, California OT Max Tuerk

On the heels of another top-5 recruiting class, the USC Trojans have begun the 2012 recruiting cycle right where they left off. With 6 four-star commitments out of 8 total commitments, the Trojans are once again recruiting at the premium level that they have recruited at since the Pete Carroll era.

The latest commitment for Head Coach Lane Kiffin and his staff is four-star Offensive Lineman Max Tuerk. A 6″6, 285-pound prospect hailing from Santa Margarita, California, Tuerk had offers from top programs all across the country, including Alabama, Arizona, Boise State, Michigan, Notre Dame, Nebraska, Oregon, Washington, and many others.

Tuerk had not yet begun to narrow down his extensive offer list, when USC jumped in and offered him. On Wednesday morning, Tuerk sealed the deal and committed to the Trojans, becoming their eighth known verbal commitment and second offensive lineman in the class.

Though he planned on taking visits before making a decision, Tuerk made it known very early in the year that he was waiting for a USC offer, and jumped on it the moment it arrived.

On film Tuerk is a nasty offensive lineman who is very powerful at the point of attack. He is able to maul many of his opposing defensive players, and push the line of scrimmage down the field. However, Tuerk definitely needs to work on his footwork as a pass-blocker. At the collegiate level he will be unable to simply overpower defensive lineman. Tuerk, like many other great high school players, plays too high as well. He’ll need to work on his initial punch and leverage, but has all the tools to be a very successful college player.

2012 QB Jeff Lindquist is a big pickup for the Washington Huskies.

When it comes to producing west coast talent, California is the state that first comes to mind. The state of Washington, on the other hand, does not produce substantial BCS-talent each year.

With star quarterback Jake Locker getting drafted this year, the Huskies need to continue to address the quarterback position. They added Nick Montana two classes ago, and now have added another talented quarterback prospect, from the state of Washington.

Jeff Lindquist, 6″3, 225-pound quarterback from Mercer Island, Washington, is considered one of the top dual-threat quarterbacks in the nation. He’s currently ranked the #5 player in the state by Washington Preps, and has seen his stock rise in recent weeks.

Washington got out to an early lead after offering Lindquist, but Stanford jumped in the mix and began to push for his services. Lindquist visited both campuses (Washington multiple times), and set a deadline for May 1st. Today might not be May 1st, but the talented signal-caller decided to pledge his services to the Huskies.

On film Lindquist is the definition of a true dual-threat quarterback. He possesses very good speed and some deceptiveness on the ground as well. Throwing the ball, Lindquist has an above average arm, and very good touch on his passes. In college he’ll need to work on his mechanics, and footwork, but by no means is Jeff a major project at the next level.  As the Huskies 3rd known verbal commitment in the class of 2012, Lindquist will provide good depth next year at quarterback behind junior Nick Price and sophomore Nick Montana as well. In the long term, he’s a great pickup for Coach Sarkisian and his staff.

Chesapeake RB J.C. Coleman

This past weekend the Virginia Tech Hokies wrapped up spring practice with their annual spring game. Over 80 recruits were in attendance for the game, and the coaches were able to gain public commitments from three players. Not a bad pickup for one weekend eh?

The first player to commit to the Hokes was Portsmouth, Virginia Athlete Der’Woun Greene. At 5″10, 175-pounds, Green was not a highly-recruited player nationally, but was a priority for both Virginia and Virginia Tech. Greene is a versatile talent who plays quarterback for his high school team, but will likely play receiver or cornerback at the next level.

The second commitment for the Hokies was Chesapeake, Virginia RB J.C. Coleman. Coleman is not a large back at 5″7, 179 pounds. Coleman does possess great speed though, and is a home-run threat when he touches the ball. Though he will need to gain more size at the next level, Coleman is very versatile as he can be split out wide in passing situations and play in the slot as well.

The third and final commitment for the Hokies came on Monday, when Chester, Virginia WR Desmond Frye pledged his services to the Virginia Tech staff. With offers from Virginia, Maryland, and South Florida, the 6″2, 170-pound Frye was starting to gain interest from a number of other schools.

Like the first two commitments, the theme with Frye remains in his versatility. A key receiver and defensive back for his high school, Frye is able to cover a lot of ground quickly on film, and has solid hands. He’ll need to add more bulk if he’s going to play safety, which the Tech coaching staff has him pegged for at the next level.

Greene, Coleman and Frye became the Hokies 6th, 7th, and 8th known commitments for the 2012 class. On the official in-state scorecard the Hokies gained 3 commitments over the rivals Virginia Cavaliers.

Florida commitment RB Matt Jones.

This is the second part of our Early Conference Breakdown. You can read the SEC West Breakdown here.

Last season the South Carolina Gamecocks captured their first SEC East Title en route to the SEC Championship game. They also signed the #1 prospect in the nation, Javadeon Clowney. Here’s our breakdown of the early SEC East recruiting rankings.

SEC East Rankings:

1. Florida Gators – 9 commitments
2. Georgia Bulldogs - 5 commitments
3. South Carolina Gamecocks - 3 commitments
4. Kentucky Wildcats – 3 commitments
5. Tennessee Volunteers – 1 commitment
6. Vanderbilt Commodores – 0 commitments

Starting off at #1, Florida capped a sub-par 2011 season with another great recruiting class. This year, the Gators are off to an even better start, with 9 very solid prospects so far. The Gators landed Stone Mountain, GA teammates RB Mike Davis and DT Jafar Mann. Both are very talented prospects with extensive offer lists, and come from a great program.

Heading back into their own territory, Florida picked up another power back in Armwood RB Matt Jones. Jones has great size at 6″2, 200 pounds, and like Davis and Mann was very highly-recruited. The Gators also gained the services of WR Latroy Pittman, who will likely be one of the top receivers in the country, and OL Jessamen Dunker, who is a bit of a project at this time but has an extremely high ceiling.

Behind the Gators are the Georgia Bulldogs. Mark Richt and his staff brought in a top-five class in 2011, known affectionately by many as the “Dream Team”. They’ve continued to recruit at a high level in 2012 as well.  The Bulldogs have commitments from a pair of receivers, in C.J Curry (6″2, 185), and Lonnie Outlaw (6″6, 200). Curry may be more of a finished product, but the Bulldogs have to be excited about Outlaw’s size.

Georgia has also pulled K Marshall Morgan out of Miami, as well as DE Jalen Fields, who is Outlaw’s teammate at Milledge Military Academy. Georgia has yet to pull any “hot names”, but it is another great year of talent in the state of Georgia, and they should have an excellent class by February.

Checking in at 3rd place is the South Carolina Gamecocks. South Carolina’s staff hit the road in Georgia to grab DT Carlos Hood from Stephenson. Hood was heavily recruited and comes from a very strong program as well, a good pickup for the Cocks. Joining Hood is power back Kendric Salley from Wiliston, SC, and LB T.J. Holliman from Atlanta. It is not expected to be a strong year for talent in the state of South Carolina, so look for the Gamecocks to be busy outside of the state lines.

In fourth place in our rankings is the Kentucky Wildcats. The Wildcats picked up one of the top quarterbacks and players in the state in Highlands Patrick Towles. Towles is a big quarterback at 6″5, 230 pounds, and many believe he is extremely underrated by the recruiting services. Heading into Louisville Kentucky addressed the defensive line with a big DT in Thomas Chapman, in an effort to get bigger in the back 7 picked up 6″1, 200 pound Josh Harris out of Maysville, Kentucky. Harris will play either safety or linebacker at the next level.

Behind the Wildcats in 5th place are the Tennessee Volunteers. On the heels of back-to-back top 15 classes, Coach Dooley and his staff are off to a slower start with one commitment. The Volunteers grabbed a solid prospect out of Georgia in RB Imani Cross. Cross has great size at 6″1, 220 pounds, and should see some early playing time as the biggest back on the Vols roster next season.

In 6th place are the Vanderbilt Commodores. Under new Coach James Franklin and his staff, the Commodores actually improved their recruiting in 2011, and there is some hype building around the program. For now, we’ll give them an incomplete.

Alabama QB/Ath commitment Justin Thomas.

National Signing Day for the class of 2012 is still many months away. However, recruiting is happening at an earlier pace every year, and many teams have chalked up commitments from players from all over the country already.

In the Early Conference Breakdown, we’ll be taking a look at each major conference, and what teams are really excelling early in the recruiting process.

Up first is the SEC West.

SEC West Rankings:

1. Alabama – 10 commitments
2. LSU – 9 commitments
3. Auburn – 3 commitments
4.  Arkansas – 3 commitments
5. Mississippi State – 2 commitments
6. Ole Miss – 0 commitments

The state of Alabama is experiencing a very deep pool of talent in the 2012 class, and the Crimson Tide have capitalized with 4 players from their own state. Athlete Tyler Hayes, of Prattville, is a big-bodied player with great athleticism who will likely play linebacker at the next level. One of the Tide’s biggest in-state coups is QB/Athlete Justin Thomas. At 5″11, 175 pounds, Thomas likely won’t stay at quarterback at the next level, but he’s got excellent speed and shiftiness in the open field, drawing offers from Auburn, Florida, Kentucky, LSU, and many others before committing to the Tide.

In second place, and very close to Alabama is LSU. 7 of the Tigers 9 commitments come from within their own borders, with the lone out of state pickups being LB Trey Gainer from Texas, and stud WR Avery Johnson from Florida. Some of the Tigers big pickups include CB Dwayne Thomas, who has great size and speed for a cornerback, Shrevport DE Torshiro Davis, and Athlete Lamar Lewis out of Lafayette.

After a national-championship season in 2011 and a strong finish to a top-5 class, the Auburn Tigers are off to a slower start than their in-state rivals. Lester, Alabama WR Alex Taylor was a big pickup, as Taylor has good size at 6″4 and solid speed and hands, while the Tigers beat out Alabama and others for Birmingham, DE Cassanova McKinzy, who is extremely athletic at 6″3, 230 pounds, and will be a terror of the edge once he puts more weight on.

Checking in behind the Tigers are the Arkansas Razorbacks. Their 2011 class finished well, with more quantity than quality, but many good players regardless. The Razorbacks grabbed big Offensive Tackle Jeremy Ward early, and with good weight and quality technique he’ll be a solid guard or center at the next level. Arkansas also picked up athlete Jalen Cobb, 6″1, 165 pounds of Texas as well.

LSU commitment Avery Johnson is one of the top receivers in the nation.

After dominating Michigan in their bowl game, the Mississippi State Bulldogs look to improve on the recruiting trail in Dan Mullen’s third season. Both of their commitments are from inside the state of Mississippi, with 6″4, 295-pound Offensive Lineman Devon Desper making the call in March, while Athlete Deonte Evans committed in April. With Evans you can see the continual improvement of athleticism that Coach Mullen and his staff have recruited while at Mississippi State.

In last place, the Ole Miss Rebels struggled to an 4-8 finish last season, and though recruiting went fairly well, the team has yet to gain a commitment in the 2012 class. We’ll give them an incomplete and wait until their first pledge becomes public to grade them.

This year it is no different, with massive defensive tackle Jarron Jones, a 6″5, 305-pound prospect hailing from Rochester New York.

After his junior season Jones saw the offer floodgates open, with teams like Alabama, Florida, Florida State, Connecticut, Michigan, North Carolina, South Florida, Rutgers, Penn State, and Tennessee offering him. Jones had an open mind early in his recruitment, with schools from both the North and South offering him.

But as he began to take visits one stuck out in his mind, and that was Penn State. The big tackle hit it off with stud recruiter and ace D-Line Coach Larry Johnson, and was impressed with the school and tradition as well. Today, he made it official.

On film Jarron Jones displays that quick first step off the line, and is a very strong young man. In college he’ll need to play lower and with better leverage, as most defensive lineman his size are able to simply bull rush players at the high school level.

Officially, Jones is the Nittany Lions 5th commitment in the 2012 class.