Cyrus Jones of Gilman (Baltimore) is verbally committed to Alabama, and should play a big role in the nation's top recruiting class.
Photo by John Middlebrook
Not only is Alabama No. 1 in the nation following its BCS championship win over LSU, but it is also No. 1 in the most recent
CBS Sports Top 25 College Football Team Recruiting Rankings.
As a result, the Crimson Tide also stands in the best position to replace the key players who are leaving school, via graduation or early entry into the NFL draft, with its pool of recruits.
Here's a look at 12 major bowl teams, including some of the players they are losing and some of the players they are bringing in.
Alabama (12-1, No. 1)Who Leaves: Dont'a Hightower, LB, early entry, All-SEC, Projected 1-2 rounds; Dre Kirkpatrick, DB, early entry, All-SEC, Projected No. 7 overall draft pick; Trent Richardson, RB, early entry, All-SEC, Projected No. 5 overall draft pick; William Vlachos, C, All-SEC, Projected 6-7 rounds; Courtney Upshaw, LB, All-SEC, Projected No. 18 overall draft pick; Mark Barron, S, All-SEC, Projected No. 16 overall draft pick; Josh Chapman, DT, All-SEC, Projected 2nd round; Marquis Maze, WR, Projected round 5-6; Jerrell Harris, Projected round 7; DeQuan Menzie, CB, Projected round 3-4.
Who's Coming In: Landon Collins, Dutchtown (Geismar, La.), 6-1, 205, DB;
Chris Black, First Coast (Jacksonville, Fla.), 6-0, 175, DB;
Cyrus Jones, Gilman (Baltimore), 5-10, 195, WR/DB;
Dillon Lee, Buford (Ga.), 6-4, 225, LB;
Darren Lake, Sumter Central (York, Ala.), 6-3, 300, DT/OL;
Geno Smith, St. Pius X Catholic (Atlanta), 6-0, 165, CB;
Reggie Ragland, Bob Jones (Madison, Ala.), 6-3, 245, LB;
Eddie Williams, Arnold (Panama City Beach, Fla.), 6-4, 210, WR;
T.J. Yeldon, Daphne (Ala.), 6-2, 210, RB.
Notes: With Kirkpatrick declaring early for the draft and senior safety Mark Barron graduating, Nick Saban has some big holes to fill in the secondary. Fortunately Alabama addresses that need with some of the nation's top defensive backs, including Landon Collins and Geno Smith. Reggie Ragland will also help ease the loss of Hightower. On offense, Richardson will be a tough one to replace, but Daphne running back T.J. Yeldon ranked among the top rushers in the country.
LSU (13-1, No. 2)Who Leaves: Michael Brockers, DT, All-SEC, early entry, Projected No. 28 overall draft pick; Morris Claiborne, DB, All-SEC, early entry, Projected No. 6 overall draft pick; Rueben Randle, WR, All-SEC, early entry, Projected Round 2; Will Blackwell, OL, All-SEC; Jordan Jefferson, QB; Brandon Taylor, SS, Projected Round 5; Deangelo Peterson, TE, Projected Round 6.
Who's Coming In: Vadal Alexander, Buford (Ga.), 6-6, 310, OL;
Trey Granier, Thibodaux (La.), 6-1, 225, LB;
Avery Johnson, Blanche Ely (Pompano Beach, Fla.), 6-3, 200, WR;
Jerquinick Sandolph, Hahnville (Boutte, La.), DB;
Ronnie Feist, West St. John (Edgard, La.), DE.
Notes: The Tigers have plenty of numbers on the list of verbal commitments, but the number of Top 100 players appears to be down. LSU needs some help on defense, where potential first-round picks Brockers and Claiborne have moved on after declaring for early entry into the NFL draft. The Tigers haven't landed anyone at DT to eventually replace Brockers, but Jerquinick Sandolph could be the answer at DB for Claiborne. LSU also loses quarterback Jordan Jefferson and has not received a verbal commitment from a quarterback so far. It does have some good replacement parts for WR Rueben Randle and OL Will Blackwell in the form of recruits Vadal Alexander (Buford, OL) and Avery Johnson (Blanche Ely, WR).
Oklahoma State (12-1, No. 3)Who Leaves: Grant Garner, OL, All-Big 12, Projected round 7; Justin Blackmon, WR, early entry, All-Big 12, Projected No. 2 overall draft pick; Levy Adcock, OL, All-Big 12, Projected round 6-7; Jamie Blatnick, DL, All-Big 12; Markelle Martin, DB, All-Big 12, Projected round 2-3; Brandon Wheeler, QB, All-Big 12, Projected round 4; Josh Cooper, WR, All-Big 12.
Who's Coming In: Wes Lunt, Rochester (Ill.), 6-5, 200, QB;
Greg Brantley, Carthage (Texas), 6-7, 305, OL;
Brandon Sheperd, Parkway Central (Chesterfield, Mo.), WR;
Jeremiah Tshimanga, Richland (North Richland Hills, Texas), LB.
Notes: The Cowboys lose plenty of offense in the form of Wheeler, Blackman and Cooper. Coach Mike Gundy has managed to land a quarterback in Rochester's Wes Lunt, while Brandon Sheperd could be the next great receiver from OSU. The Cowboys also take a hit on the offensive line with the loss of Garner and Adcock, but massive Greg Brantley of Carthage should fill in nicely.
Oregon (12-2, No. 4)Who Leaves: Cliff Harris, DB, early entry, Projected round 4; LaMichael James, RB, early entry, all-Pac 12, Projected round 2-3; Darron Thomas, QB, early entry, Projected round 7; Josh Kaddu, LB, All-Pac 12, Projected round 3; Eddie Pleasant, LB, All-Pac 12, Projected round 7; David Paulson, TE, All-Pac 12, Projected round 7.
Who's Coming In: Deforest Buckner, Punahou (Honolulu), 6-7, 238, DE;
Byron Marshall, Valley Christian (San Jose, Calif.), 5-10, 191, RB;
Jake Rodrigues, Whitney (Rocklin, Calif.), 6-3, 209, QB;
Dwayne Stanford, Taft (Cincinnati), 6-4, 195, WR;
Terrence Daniel, Bishop O'Dowd (Oakland, Calif.), 6-7, 230, TE.
Notes: Oregon's potent offensive attack takes a huge hit with the early entry into the NFL draft by James and Thomas. Jake Rodrigues is the best bet to eventually fill Thomas' shoes at quarterback while Byron Marshall out of Valley Christian in San Jose is the best bet to fill the hole left by James. Terrence Daniel from Oakland will ease the loss of All-Pac 12 TE Paulson.
Arkansas (11-2, No. 5)Who Leaves: Jarius Wright, WR, All-SEC, Projected round 4; Joe Adams, AP, All-SEC, Projected round 4-5; Jerry Franklin, LB All-SEC, Projected round 5; Tramain Thomas, S, All-SEC honorable mention, Projected round 4-5.
Who's Coming In: Jeremy Ward, Pottsville (Ark.), 6-4, 280, T/NG;
Jonathan Williams, Allen (Texas), 6-0, 205, RB;
Keon Hatcher, Owasso (Okla.), WR;
Brandon Lewis, Ridgeway (Memphis, Tenn.), DE.
Notes: Most of the Razorbacks' top recruits are offensive players, which will help with the loss of Wright and Adams among the skill players. Keon Hatcher and Johnathan Williams figure to fit into those spots. Replacing linebacker Jerry Franklin could be tougher since Arkansas has just two linebackers among its 21 recruits.
Stanford (11-2, No. 7)Who Leaves: David DeCastro, G, early entry, All-Pac 12, Projected No. 17 overall draft pick; Andrew Luck, Stanford, early entry, Projected No. 1 overall draft pick; Jonathan Martin, OT, early entry, Projected No. 11 overall draft pick; Coby Fleener, TE, All-Pac 12, Projected No. 31 overall draft pick; Delano Howell, DB, All-Pac 12.
Who's Coming In: Alex Carter, Briar Woods (Ashburn, Va.), 6-1, 185, DB;
Nick Davidson, Eden Prairie (Minn.), 6-6, 275, T;
Noor Davis, Leesburg (Fla.), 6-4, 231, LB;
Josh Garnett, Puyallup (Wash.), 6-5, 300, OL;
Barry Sanders, Heritage Hall (Oklahoma City), 5-11, 195, RB;
Jordan Watkins, Woodward Academy (College Park, Ga.), 6-5, 260, DE.
Notes: Stanford loses four players who are projected to go in the first round of the NFL draft, including potential No. 1 overall pick Andrew Luck. The Cardinal has yet to receive a commitment from a quarterback prospect, however. They do have a commitment, however, from running back Barry Sanders, who plans to leave his home state of Oklahoma to play at Stanford. Losses on the offensive line will hurt, but Stanford recently picked up a big commitment in tackle Josh Garnett.
