Every Top-25 College Football Team's Current Top Committed 2016 Recruit

247Sports

National signing day 2016 is less than a week away, and there are still a number of blue-chip recruits who haven't made their commitments yet. But while programs across college football try to land some splash players in the 11th hour, there are many more who have already made their intentions known.

In the following slides for the final Associated Press Top 25 ^[1] are the top commits for each class based on 247Sports composite rankings. In addition, we tell you what the following prospects bring to their team—assuming they don't flip between now and signing day—and where they could land on the depth chart.

Early enrollees and junior college transfers are noted when applicable.

247Sports

247 Rank: No. 2 WDE, No. 26 Overall

With the departure of Jonathan Bullard, Florida is in the market for another disruptive edge-rusher to complement Cece Jefferson. Enter 4-star weak-side defensive end Antonneous Clayton. One of the top prospects in the state of Georgia, Clayton is only 218 pounds ^[2], but he has exceptional burst and quickness.

"He's raw and they'll teach him a lot of different things there with Coach [Jim] McElwain and Coach [Geoff] Collins," Clayton's coach, Jimmy Hughes, told Chris Hays of the Orlando Sentinel^[3]. "He'll need to carry some more weight and muscle, but he has the frame to do it and they'll put it on him, but he's such an explosive player off the ball. I just think his upside is tremendous."

If Clayton can pack on some pounds during that first year in the weight room while maintaining his speed, he'll be the perfect fit in Florida's defensive scheme on the weak side.

247Sports

247 Rank (C.C.): No. 30 DT, No. 249 Overall

Coming off a 12-win season, Western Kentucky is looking to rebuild a defensive line that loses three senior starters. Junior college transfer Chris Johnson should be able to help with that. The 3-star defensive tackle appeared in 21 games during his last two seasons at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College.

At 6'2" and 290 pounds ^[4], Johnson has the ideal size to compete right away for playing time. During his time at MGCCC, Johnson showed some athleticism as well by returning a fumble 41 yards for a touchdown and intercepting a pass, per WBKO ^[5].

247 Rank: No. 24 RB, No. 452 Overall

Northwestern is stacked at running back for the time being. Plus, quarterback Clayton Thorson is a legitimate running threat. Still, the Wildcats picked up a good one in the form of 3-star running back Jeremy Larkin. The former Cincinnati commit was named to USA Today's ^[8] All-USA Team for the state of Ohio in 2015. Additionally, he was the publication's Offensive Player of the Year for Ohio.

The 5'10", 180-pound ^[9] back isn't the biggest player in the backfield, but he can pick up a ton of yards because of his quick lateral movement and open-field vision. He's a tough guy to bring down with that type of twitch to his game.

Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports

247 Rank: No. 1 Dual-Threat QB, No. 77 Overall

Jarrett Guarantano is officially a Vol, so the good news for Tennessee is there won't be any drama on national signing day next week—at least with the 4-star signal-caller. The longtime commit should battle for the backup job with Quinten Dormady and Sheriron Jones for 2016 and will look to replace Joshua Dobbs in '17. ^[10]

Already at 6'4" and 201 pounds with 4.6 speed, Guarantano has the frame to fill out and the speed to be a legitimate weapon to hurt defenses with his arm and legs. He already took home top honors for winning the Under Armour QB skills competition ^[12] earlier this month, so he's off to a good start. ^[11]

247Sports

247 Rank: No. 14 OT, No. 139 Overall

Surprise, surprise. Wisconsin's top verbal commit for the class of 2016 is an offensive lineman. The 4-star tackle ^[13] has a nice list of offers, including a few Big Ten teams. A fifth star is possible, but with signing day so close, it doesn't matter all that much.

"Everyone is talking about the fifth star," Cole Van Lanen told Barton Simmons of 247Sports ^[14]. "It would be really cool to get it, but it's not gonna mean a ton or ruin my life if I don't get it. I'm here to better myself and prepare for the next level."

Wisconsin was awfully young along the O-line in 2016. That could mean one of two things for Van Lanen. Either he'll have some time to redshirt and develop for a couple of years, or he could play sooner rather than later since head coach Paul Chryst has shown he's not afraid to use younger guys up front. Either way, Van Lanen doesn't look like he'll be forced into action before he's ready.

247Sports

247 Rank (C.C.): No. 5 OG, No. 82 Overall

Run blocking was a particular problem for Oklahoma State in 2015. The Pokes finished ninth in the Big 12 in rushing offense. And with quarterback J.W. Walsh gone, the running game needs an overhaul. Part of the Cowboys' solution to rectify this is to bulk up front. Enter junior college transfer Larry Williams ^[15] from Hutchinson C.C..

According to Oklahoma State's official website ^[16], Williams was a "NJCAA first team All-American at Hutchinson Community College last season. He also has experience at the FBS level at East Carolina before playing at Hutchinson."

Since Williams doesn't need to worry about redshirting and developing, he can come in right away and compete for a starting job.

247Sports

247 Rank: No. 31 WR, No. 161 Overall

If the above photo is any indication, Dillon Mitchell ^[17] is going to fit in just fine with Oregon's offense. The early enrollee will get a head start on the rest of the incoming class by taking part in spring practices and learning the offense before preseason camp.

Though Bralon Addison is gone, the bulk of Oregon's receiving is returning. That's good news for the Ducks, who will once again be breaking in a new quarterback. However, it means a lot of competition for Mitchell. But Mitchell's game is big on picking up yards after the catch. There's always room for that in Oregon's high-powered, fast offense.

247Sports

247 Rank: No. 48 DT, No. 702 Overall

Navy isn't going to pull in a ton of top recruits, but the Midshipmen got a long, lean defensive lineman in Joe Goff. The 3-star product from Alexandria, Virginia, has been committed to Navy since June of last year and had a list of offers from ACC schools.

Last fall, Goff was selected to the U.S. Marine Corps' Semper Fidelis All-American Bowl, per Chris Teale of the Alexandria Times^[18]. At 6'5" and 265 pounds ^[19], it'll be interesting to see where Navy uses Goff in its three-lineman defense, which featured a number of juniors and seniors in the starting 11 this past season.

247Sports

247 Rank (C.C.): No. 2 OT, No. 3 Overall

If you're looking for a great turnaround story, check out new Utah commit Garett Bolles ^[20]. The lineman at Utah's Snow College had a troubled childhood and at one point was kicked out of his own home. But he's turned his life around and recently verbally committed to Utah. Here's what he told Ryan McDonald of the Deseret News^[21] about his decision:

I just felt good. I felt confident. I turned to the Lord in my decision and prayed with my wife, and we just both decided that this was the best decision for both of us, and I couldn't be more proud to take my family up to Salt Lake and contribute to the offensive line up there. I'm really looking forward to it.

What's more is Bolles ^[22] was previously committed to BYU. So count that as another victory for the Utes and head coach Kyle Whittingham.

247Sports

247 Rank: No. 5 DT, No. 23 Overall

We're finally getting into the best of the best. In fact, LSU has the No. 1 class ^[23] in college football, according to 247Sports. That top ranking was boosted in part thanks to the verbal commitment of Rashard Lawrence earlier this month.

The No. 2 player in the state of Louisiana, per 247Sports, picked the Tigers over Ohio State. According to Scout.com, "Lawrence will enter college ready to compete for playing time. Has great size, he plays for a great high school program, and he has good strength. Really tough to drive off the ball and at times, he simply takes over a game." ^[24]

At 6'3" and 305 pounds ^[25], Lawrence already has the size to compete at the college level. He's going to be one of those immovable forces up front who control the line of scrimmage. Believe it or not, LSU could actually use some of that after giving up nearly five yards per rush in the month of November last season.

247Sports

247 Rank: No. 8 Dual-Threat QB, No. 311 Overall

Chazz Surratt ^[26], the prize recruit in North Carolina's 2016 class, still plans on signing with the Tar Heels. However, he won't be an early enrollee as previously planned. Per Richard Walker of the Gaston Gazette^[27], an elbow injury that was supposed to sideline Surratt's high school basketball career is healing up faster than expected. As a result, Surratt plans on playing basketball this winter/spring.

"I'm not enrolling Friday because my elbow is feeling better and better," said Surratt to the paper. "If there's a chance to play again, I want to play again. The doctors think there's a chance I can play the first or second week of February."

Surratt was named the AP High School Football Player of the Year ^[28] in North Carolina and passes through as one of the most productive high school players the state has ever seen. By not enrolling early, Surratt likely won't challenge for the starting quarterback job in 2016, but he might have that opportunity in a couple of years.

247Sports

247 Rank: No. 1 CB, No. 7 Overall

You're not going to find many offer lists longer or more impressive than the one 5-star cornerback Levonta Taylor ^[29] has. Luckily for Florida State, Taylor decided he wants to spend his college years in Tallahassee.

And while Jalen Ramsey may be gone to the NFL, the Seminoles have some young talent in place ready to step up. Among them are Tarvarus McFadden, who played in seven games this past season, Malique Jackson and Ryan Green. Taylor knows he'll be competing against other former blue-chippers for playing time. And that's what he embraces.

"[The competition] is the reason I committed to Florida State early, to be honest," Taylor said to Safid Deen of the Tallahassee Democrat^[30].

Taylor has decent size for a corner (5'11", 182 lbs) and could potentially see time in a nickel role as a freshman.

247 Sports

247 Rank: No. 4 WR, No. 36 Overall

How have times changed in the Big 12? Baylor currently has the No. 1 class in the conference and the No. 14 overall class in college football, according to 247Sports rankings ^[31]. Per Jon Solomon of CBS Sports ^[32], if neither Texas nor Oklahoma finishes with the No. 1 class in the Big 12, it'll be the first time that's happened in the star-system era at 247Sports.

Anyway, the highest-rated player in Baylor's class is receiver Devin Duvernay ^[33], which only adds to the new-age "Wide Receiver U" label the Bears have going for them. As Max Olson of ESPN.com ^[34] explained, Duvernay doesn't need to be thrust into playing time, but he has the physical skills to crack the two-deep right away:

I like Duvernay's chances of cracking that rotation, though it's fair to point out that Art Briles and his coaches don't really need to promise immediate playing time to these freshmen to get them on campus. The wideouts they signed last year redshirted. I don't think that'll be the case for Duverany, ESPN's No. 3-rated wide receiver recruit.

It's possible Duvernay redshirts to create some separation between him and guys such as KD Cannon, but the Bears have been known to play freshmen wideouts before without hesitation.

247Sports

247 Rank: No. 5 OT, No. 39 Overall

One full season in, Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh is establishing his own brand of Wolverines football. And it revolves around bullying opponents up front. The '16 class for Michigan features four offensive linemen, three of whom are rated as a 4-star or higher. Obviously, Ben Bredeson ^[35] is the highest rated of them all.

Though Michigan does not own the Big Ten's top class, B/R's Ben Axelrod ^[36] called it the conference's most impressive group.

With Michigan's O-line full of juniors and seniors, Harbaugh will have to do some replenishing in the trenches over the next year or so. Bredeson figures to be a huge part of that as a mauling presence on the edge.

247Sports

247 Rank: No. 3 OT, No. 27 Overall

Notre Dame is undergoing a substantial loss at left tackle with the departure of Ronnie Stanley. The right side of the line will go through some similar attrition with Mike McGlinchey next year. The point being, now is the perfect time for the Irish to stock up on offensive linemen.

As it turns out, the highest-rated prospect in the '16 class for Notre Dame is lineman Tommy Kraemer. The 4-star recruit stands at a towering 6'6" and weighs in at 309 pounds ^[37]. Physically, he's about where he needs to be; it's now a matter of getting him into shape and molding him.

Kraemer will come to Notre Dame with some lofty accolades. Late last year, the freshman-to-be was named the Gatorade Ohio Football Player of the Year, per Rivals.com ^[38].

LM Otero/Associated Press

247 Rank: No. 1 OT, No. 3 Overall

The most talked about prospect in Ole Miss' 2016 recruiting class is 5-star quarterback Shea Patterson. And why not? The Elite 11 MVP ^[39] could very well be the best quarterback to pass through the program since some guy named Manning (either one) played there.

However, Patterson technically isn't the highest-rated prospect in the Rebels' class—at least not per the 247 composite rankings ^[40]. That would be offensive lineman Gregory Little ^[41], who is anything but at 6'6 ½" and 305 pounds. What's more is Ole Miss went into Texas to grab the No. 1 prospect in the Lone Star State.

With Ole Miss losing both tackles, including Laremy Tunsil, there's room for Little to at least see some playing time right away if he develops quickly enough.

247Sports

247 Rank: No. 22 SDE, No. 493 Overall

Depending on the extra eligibility outcome of defensive end Drew Ott, the Iowa Hawkeyes could be down not just one stud edge-rusher but two (Nate Meier is a senior). Either way, Iowa will have to reload at that position, so it's a good thing the top prospect in the '16 class is strong-side defensive end Cedrick Lattimore ^[42].

Lattimore is longer and leaner than Ott and Meier, standing at 6'6" and 265 pounds ^[43]. With five defensive end prospects in the '16 class, Lattimore will have plenty of competition when he arrives on campus. But with some major departures on the way, there will be room for playing time for a lot of guys.

Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports

247 Rank: No. 3 DT, No. 6 Overall

Well hello, Houston coach Tom Herman. Nice to see you can get blue-chip players to bypass Big 12 and SEC programs to come to Houston.

Herman took the recruiting world by storm when he landed hometown product and 5-star defensive tackle Ed Oliver ^[44] last May. Of course, Oliver's older brother, Marcus, is already on the team, and Westfield's former coach, Corby Meekins, is the tight ends coach for the Cougars.

"Maybe Houston wouldn't have had a shot if my brother hadn't went there and they didn't make me pay attention," Oliver told Amos Morale III of the New Orleans Times-Picayune^[45]. "My brother being there, my coach being there, it kind of made me pay attention."

Then, last month, Oliver's commitment was followed by a verbal commitment from Oliver's Westfield teammate, Tyrie Cleveland ^[46]. The pair makes up the top two recruits in Houston's class by a substantial margin.

247Sports

247 Rank (C.C.): No. 1 WR, No. 6 Overall

With the departures of Josh Doctson and Kolby Listenbee at wide receiver, TCU needs some immediate help on the edges of the field. Enter 4-star junior college transfer Taj Williams. The lengthy wideout (6'3", 180 lbs ^[47]) has already signed his national letter of intent and is ready to compete in 2016.

The Frogs do have sophomore-to-be KaVontae Turpin, but with his size (5'9", 152 lbs ^[48]), he's not the deep threat that made the offense work so well over the past couple of seasons. TCU does have some lengthy receivers already on roster, but Williams should come in right away and compete for time as a highly regarded JUCO transfer.

247Sports

247 Rank: No. 6 SDE, No. 95 Overall

A couple of years ago, Michigan State needed to reload at defensive tackle. This year, the Spartans will have some sizable turnover at defensive end. Namely, Shilique Calhoun and Lawrence Thomas are gone. Malik McDowell is still around to anchor the interior, but the Spartans need some fresh names on the edge.

One player who could make an impact as a freshman is 4-star strong-side defensive end Josh King. At nearly 6'7" and 245 pounds ^[49], King has some room to add weight, but his athleticism makes him the prize piece of what is turning out to be an impressive class for head coach Mark Dantonio.

"I feel like it's a great opportunity," King told Steve Wiltfong of 247Sports ^[50]. "They produce great defensive linemen year in and year out. It's a great program, great exposure for the next level, and the best opportunity I have to uplift my game and take it to the next level if I can."

247Sports

247 Rank: No. 8 SDE, No. 154 Overall

Not only does Oklahoma lose a great pass-rushing duo in Eric Striker and Charles Tapper, but there's not a ton of experience behind either player. That creates an opportunity for a freshman such as Amani Bledsoe to come in and make an impact right away at defensive end.

Bledsoe is a recent commit out of Kansas. At 6'5" and 263 pounds ^[51], he's physically able to match up right away. For a smallish class that features just two defensive linemen, this was a huge pickup for the Sooners. Now the question is how quickly Bledsoe can be brought up to speed and contribute.

247Sports

247 Rank: No. 1 SDE, No. 8 Overall

You know what they say: When one Bosa leaves, another one arrives. Well, maybe just for Ohio State.

Though the Buckeyes are losing edge-rusher Joey Bosa to the NFL draft, they're getting his younger brother, Nick, to Columbus this year. The 5-star strong-side defensive ^[52] end could compete for playing time right away, but a knee injury suffered in his senior year of high school could play a role in that as well. Either way, Bosa projects to be a star just like his brother.

And, like Joey, Nick can play defensive end or move to the inside of the line, as noted by Dave Biddle of 247Sports ^[53]. That versatility gives the Buckeyes some options.

247Sports

247 Rank: No. 2 TE, No. 37 Overall

In addition to running a physical, run-first offense, Stanford has been known in recent years as an NFL factory for tight ends. Zach Ertz, Coby Fleener, Levine Toilolo and now Austin Hooper have been some of the big names to pass through the program.

Could 4-star Kaden Smith be next? He certainly has the physical makeup to be at 6'6" and 235 pounds ^[54]. Smith suffered a knee injury during his senior year, so his recovery timeline will affect how soon he can contribute. Then again, Stanford generally sits first-year players. This would be beneficial to Smith in both recovery and adapting to the college game.

Still, with Hooper gone and Greg Taboada moving on to his redshirt junior season, there's some space for Smith to be a star for years to come.

247 Rank: No. 2 DT, No. 2 Overall

Clemson may not have won a national championship, but head coach Dabo Swinney isn't slacking off in recruiting. The Tigers program has been built to last, and the coaching staff will have a fabulous freshman in defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence ^[57] ready to help the team pick up where it left off.

Lawrence is your classic big ol' boy at 327 pounds. As noted by ESPN.com's Craig Haubert, Lawrence possesses "raw talent and ability ^[59]": ^[58]

The Clemson commit is a physically impressive prospect that carries his weight well and moves extremely well for his size. Not surprisingly he was disruptive during team drills and tough to handle during one-on-ones. In one rep working against Georgia commit Ben Cleveland, he won with a bull rush, firing out low, getting underneath the big OLs pads and quickly driving him back.

Carlos Watkins returns in the interior of the defensive line, but with D.J. Reader gone, Lawrence could get some reps right away.

247Sports

247 Rank: No. 2 OT, No. 17 Overall

Alabama run-blocked its way to yet another national championship. And, yet, the Tide will pick up where they left off thanks to new freshmen such as offensive lineman Jonah Williams ^[60]. The early enrollee was not only one of the premier O-line prospects for 2016 but one of the best overall recruits.

The Alabama O-line is still fairly young on the left side and has some more experienced players ready to step into starting roles at center and right tackle. In other words, there's some time for Alabama to figure out exactly how it wants to use Williams.

However, head coach Nick Saban ^[61] hasn't hesitated to play freshmen before. Left tackle Cam Robinson is an example of that. Either way, Alabama's success at landing big, physical, yet athletic linemen continues.

Ben Kercheval is a lead writer for college football. All quotes cited unless obtained firsthand. All recruiting information courtesy of 247Sports ^[62].