By Matthew Osborne
SouthernPigskin.com

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While most college football fans are fixated on the battles on Saturday afternoons, there are battles of another variety that are taking place every day.

The battles that I am referring to, of course, are recruiting battles.

Every program in the country is attempting to earn verbal commitments from some of the top high school prospects in the nation.

As recruiting has begun to take shape for the class of 2012, let’s take a look at the top 100 prospects out of the class of 2012 in the Southern Pigskin coverage region. Our list is a work in progress as some players will drop off as others will earn their way onto the RealTree Energy All South Team. 

The states included in our region are Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Arkansas, Tennessee and Kentucky.

#1 – OT D.J. Humphries (Mallard Creek HS) Charlotte, NC
Recruitment Status: Committed to Florida

#2 – OT John Theus (The Bolles School) Jacksonville, FL
Recruitment Status: Committed to Georgia

#3 – RB Keith Marshall (Millbrook HS) Raleigh, NC
Recruitment Status: Still considering UNC, Clemson, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida and Notre Dame

#4 – WR Stefon Diggs (Our Lady Good Counsel HS) Olney, MD
Recruitment Status: Still wide open, with at least 12 schools on his list.

#5 – QB Jameis Winston (Hueytown HS) Hueytown, AL
Recruitment Status: Committed to Florida State

#6 – S Landon Collins (Dutchtown HS) Geismar, LA
Recruitment Status: Alabama and LSU are thought to be the current leaders.

#7 – ATH Eddie Williams (Arnold HS) Panama City Beach, FL
Recruitment Status: Committed to Alabama

#8 – S Nelson Agholor (Berkeley Prep) Tampa, FL
Recruitment Status: 12 schools still in the running for his services.

#9 – CB Tracy Howard (Miramar HS) Miramar, FL
Recruitment Status: Many SEC and ACC schools still on his list, although Florida and Florida State are considered the favorites by most experts. Don’t discount WVU.

#10 – WR Chris Black (First Coast HS) Jacksonville, FL
Recruitment Status: Committed to Alabama

#11 – OLB Kwon Alexander (Oxford HS) Oxford, AL
Recruitment Status: Alabama, Auburn, Florida State, LSU and Oregon are still involved.

#12 – DT Quay Evans (Morton HS) Morton, MS
Recruitment Status: Alabama, Mississippi State and Ole Miss are his current leaders.

#13 – DE Dante Fowler Jr. (Lakewood HS) St. Petersburg, FL
Recruitment Status: Committed to Florida State

#14 – RB T.J. Yeldon (Daphne HS) Daphne, AL
Recruitment Status: Committed to Auburn

#15 – S Travis Blanks (North Florida Christian HS) Tallahassee, FL
Recruitment Status: Committed to Clemson

#16 – CB Ronald Darby (Potomac HS) Oxon Hill, MD
Recruitment Status: Committed to Notre Dame

#17 – DE Jonathan Bullard (Crest HS) Shelby, NC
Recruitment Status: Final five of Clemson, Florida, Nebraska, South Carolina and Tennessee.

#18 – RB Mario Pender (Island Coast HS) Cape Coral, FL
Recruitment Status: Committed to Florida State

#19 – DE Chris Casher (Davidson HS) Mobile, AL
Recruitment Status: Committed to Florida State

#20 – OT Avery Young (Palm Beach Gardens HS) Palm Beach Gardens, FL
Recruitment Status: Six schools remain on his list, but Auburn in the current leader.

#21 – LB Ukeme Eligwe (Stone Mountain HS) Stone Mountain, GA
Recruitment Status: Committed to Florida State

#22 – CB Geno Smith (St. Pius X HS) Atlanta, GA
Recruitment Status: Committed to Alabama

#23 – OLB Noor Davis (Leesburg HS) Leesburg, FL
Recruitment Status: Committed to Stanford

#24 – MLB Reggie Ragland (Bob Jones HS) Madison, AL
Recruitment Status: Committed to Alabama

#25 – OLB Josh Harvey-Clemons (Lowndes HS) Valdosta, GA
Recruitment Status: Eight ACC and SEC schools are still in the mix.

#26 – QB Anthony Alford (Petal HS) Petal, MS
Recruitment Status: Final six of LSU Mississippi State, Ole Miss, Nebraska, South Carolina and Southern Miss.

#27 – ATH Ricardo Louis (Miami Beach Senior HS) Miami Beach, FL
Recruitment Status: Committed to Auburn

#28 – WR Shaq Roland (Lexington HS) Lexington, SC
Recruitment Status: Committed to South Carolina

#29 – DT Jonathan Taylor (Jenkins County HS) Millen, GA
Recruitment Status: Committed to Georgia

#30 – DE Jordan Jenkins (Harris County HS) Hamilton, GA
Recruitment Status: Final five of Alabama, Auburn, Florida, Georgia and Tennessee.

#31 – OT Brandon Greene (Cedar Grove HS) Ellenwood, GA
Recruitment Status: Committed to Alabama

#32 – CB Brian Poole (Southeast HS) Bradenton, FL
Recruitment Status: Committed to Florida

#33 – S Deon Bush (Columbus HS) Miami, FL
Recruitment Status: More than a dozen schools remain on his list.

#34 – DE Eli Harold (Ocean Lakes HS) Virginia Beach, VA
Recruitment Status: Committed to Virginia

#35 – OT Jessamen Dunker (Boynton Beach HS) Boynton Beach, FL
Recruitment Status: Committed to Florida

#36 – DE Channing Ward (Aberdeen HS) Aberdeen, MS
Recruitment Status: He is being recruited by every SEC West school minus Arkansas, and also has interest in Tennessee.

#37 – TE Kent Taylor (Land O’Lakes HS) Land O’Lakes, FL
Recruitment Status: Committed to Florida

#38 – RB Duke Johnson (Norland HS) Miami, FL
Recruitment Status: Committed to Miami (FL)

#39 – ATH Cyrus Jones (Gilman School) Baltimore MD
Recruitment Status: Top five of Alabama, Auburn, Maryland, Virginia Tech and West Virginia.

#40 – RB Wes Brown (Our Lady Good Counsel HS) Olney MD
Recruitment Status: More than a dozen schools are still on his list.

#41 – ATH Joel Caleb (Clover Hill HS) Midlothian, VA
Recruitment Status: More than a dozen schools are still in the hunt.

#42 – DT Carlos Watkins (Chase HS) Forest City, NC
Recruitment Status: Committed to Clemson

#43 – DT Isaac Gross (South Panola HS) Batesville, MS
Recruitment Status: Committed to Ole Miss

#44 – DE Jelani Hamilton (St. Thomas Aquinas HS) Fort Lauderdale, FL
Recruitment Status: Committed to Miami (FL)

#45 – WR Amari Cooper (Northwestern HS) Miami, FL
Recruitment Status: Committed to Alabama

#46 – ILB Kwontie Moore (Norfolk Christian HS) Norfolk, VA
Recruitment Status: Committed to Virginia

#47 – OLB Dillon Lee (Buford HS) Buford, GA
Recruitment Status: Committed to Alabama

#48 – OT Brock Stadnik (Western Guilford HS) Greensboro, NC
Recruitment Status: Committed to South Carolina

#49 – WR Avery Young (Blanche Ely HS) Pompano Beach, FL
Recruitment Status: Committed to LSU

#50 – DT Nick James (Long Beach HS) Long Beach, MS
Recruitment Status: Committed to Mississippi State

#51 – OT Patrick Destefano (Dorman HS) Roebuck, SC
Recruitment Status: Committed to Clemson

#52 – DT Justin Shanks (Prattville HS) Prattville, AL
Recruitment Status: Committed to Florida State

#53 – S Marcus Maye (Holy Trinity HS) Melbourne, FL
Recruitment Status: Committed to Florida

#54 – RB Mike Davis (Stephenson HS) Stone Mountain, GA
Recruitment Status: Committed to Florida

#55 – WR Germone Hopper (Phillip O. Berry Academy of Technology) Charlotte, NC
Recruitment Status: Committed to Clemson

#56 – RB Matt Jones (Armwood HS) Seffner, FL
Recruitment Status: Committed to Florida

#57 – S Alex Carter (Briar Woods HS) Ashburn, VA
Recruitment Status: Committed to Stanford

#58 – TE Ricky Parks (Callaway HS) Hogansville, GA
Recruitment Status: Committed to Auburn

#59 – DE Torshiro Davis (Woodlawn HS) Shreveport, LA
Recruitment Status: Committed to LSU

#60 – DE Martin Aiken (Bamberg Ehrhardt HS) Bamberg, SC
Recruitment Status: Committed to Clemson

#61 – DE Tyriq McCord (Jefferson HS) Tampa, FL
Recruitment Status: Top six of Florida, Georgia, Miami, South Carolina, TCU and USC.

#62 – RB Kenyan Drake (Hillgrove HS) Powder Springs, GA
Recruitment Status: Committed to Alabama

#63 – OG Vadal Alexander (Buford HS) Buford, GA
Recruitment Status: Committed to LSU

#64 – DE Francis Kallon (Central Gwinnett HS) Lawrenceville, GA
Recruitment Status: Committed to Georgia Tech

#65 – DE Leonard Williams (Mainland HS) Daytona Beach, FL
Recruitment Status: Auburn and Florida are his current leaders.

#66 – ATH Sheldon Dawson (Ridgeway HS) Memphis, TN
Recruitment Status: Committed to Memphis

#67 – WR Justin Ferguson (Flanagan HS) Pembroke Pines, FL
Recruitment Status: Committed to Notre Dame

#68 – S P.J. Williams (Vanguard HS) Ocala, FL
Recruitment Status: Committed to Florida State

#69 – RB Brian Kimbrow (Memphis East) Memphis, TN
Recruitment Status: Committed to Vanderbilt

#70 – CB A.J. Leggett (South Miami Senior HS) Miami, FL
Recruitment Status: Committed to Miami (FL)

#71 – OG Caleb Peterson (Auburn HS) Auburn, AL
Recruitment Status: Committed to Southern Miss

#72 – OT Evan Goodman (Lakeland Senior HS) Lakeland, FL
Recruitment Status: Committed to Arizona State

#73 – OLB Keith Brown (Miami Norland HS) Miami, FL
Recruitment Status: Soft Verbal to Miami (FL)

#74 – ATH Jeremy Liggins (Lafayette HS) Oxford, MS
Recruitment Status: Top four of Alabama, LSU, Mississippi State and Ole Miss.

#75 – CB Joshua Holsey (Creekside HS) Fairburn, GA
Recruitment Status: Committed to Auburn

#76 – WR Jaquay Williams (Sandy Creek HS) Tyrone, GA
Recruitment Status: Committed to Auburn

#77 – QB Zeke Pike (Dixie Heights HS) Edgewood, KY
Recruitment Status: Committed to Auburn

#78 – OLB Leonard Floyd (Dodge County HS) Eastman, GA
Recruitment Status: Committed to Georgia

#79 – C Jay Guillermo (Maryville HS) Maryville, TN
Recruitment Status: Committed to Clemson

#80 – WR D’Vario Montgomery (Winter Park HS) Winter Park, FL
Recruitment Status: More than a dozen schools are still in the mix.

#81 – QB Chad Voytik (Cleveland HS) Cleveland, TN
Recruitment Status: Committed to Pitt

#82 – OT Ereck Flowers (Miami Norland HS) Miami, FL
Recruitment Status: Committed to Miami (FL)

#83 – C Ty Darlington (Apopka HS) Apopka, FL
Recruitment Status: Committed to Oklahoma

#84 – OLB Tyler Hayes (Thomasville HS) Thomasville, AL
Recruitment Status: Committed to Alabama

#85 – WR Drae Bowles (Jackson Christian HS) Jackson, TN
Recruitment Status: Committed to Tennessee

#86 – RB Todd Gurley (Tarboro HS) Tarboro, NC
Recruitment Status: UNC is thought to be his current leader.

#87 – WR LaTroy Pittman (North Marion HS) Citra, FL
Recruitment Status: Committed to Florida

#88 – OG Ryan Watson (Our Lady Good Counsel HS) Olney, MD
Recruitment Status: Top four of Michigan State, Penn State, Pittsburgh and Purdue.

#89 – ATH Angelo Jean-Louis (Palm Beach Central HS) Wellington, FL
Recruitment Status: Committed to Miami (FL)

#90 – DE Denzel Devall (Bastrop HS) Bastrop, LA
Recruitment Status: Alabama and Texas A&M are his current favorites.

#91 – DT Korren Kirven (Brookville, HS) Lynchburg, VA
Recruitment Status: More than a dozen schools are still in the race.

#92 – TE John Thomas (Airline HS) Bossier City, LA
Recruitment Status: Committed to LSU

#93 – RB Jovon Robinson (Wooddale HS) Memphis, TN
Recruitment Status: Committed to Auburn

#94 – OLB Raphael Kirby (Stephenson HS) Stone Mountain, GA
Recruitment Status: Committed to Miami (FL)

#95 – WR Alton Howard (Edgewater HS) Orlando, FL
Recruitment Status: Tennessee and UCF are his current leaders.

#96 – ATH Marvin Bracy (Boone HS) Orlando, FL
Recruitment Status: Committed to Florida State

#97 – RB Beniquez Brown (Florence HS) Florence, AL
Recruitment Status: Mississippi State and Tennessee are his leaders.

#98 – DT Dalvin Tomlinson (Henry County HS) McDonough, GA
Recruitment Status: More than a dozen schools are still in the race.

#99 – OT Javarius Leamon (Woodruff HS) Woodruff, SC
Recruitment Status: Committed to Clemson

#100 – OT Omari Phillips (Venice HS) Venice, FL
Recruitment Status: Committed to Florida