Gary W. Green / McClatchy Tribune

College football powers battle rival schools for recruits and build for future success

1. Alabama
Head of the Class: OT D.J. Fluker, RB Trent Richardson
Buzz: Alabama dominated its home state again, landing the state̢۪s top seven players, then went out and landed the top prospect in Florida in running back Trent Richardson, a terrific safety in Rod Woodson from Mississippi and three solid offensive linemen from Georgia. This is the second consecutive No. 1 class hauled in by Saban.
Big fish that got away: OL Bobby Massie (to Ole Miss).

2. LSU
Head of the class: WR Rueben Randle, QB Russell Shepard
Buzz: This is an unbelievable class with in-state stars such as Davenport, running back Michael Ford, Barkevious Mingo and offensive lineman Chris Faulk and out-of-staters such as Shepard, linebacker Kevin Minter, athlete Drayton Calhoun, and safety Craig Loston. The Tigers loaded up.
Big fish that got away: WR Andre Debose (to Florida).

3. USC
Head of the class: QB Matt Barkley, DE Devon Kennard
Buzz: Another year, another elite class for the Trojans. USC once again has the best class in the Pac 10, and this year̢۪s group has plenty of stars other than Barkley and Kennard. Patrick Hall is one of the nation̢۪s best athletes, and the five-star prospect should star at safety in the future. Kennard might have ascended to the No. 1 ranking in the nation, but he suffered a knee injury.
Big fish that got away: LB Vontaze Burfict (to Arizona State)

4. Ohio State
Head of the class: LB Dorian Bell, CB Corey Brown
Buzz: The Buckeyes jumped out of the gate early, securing a majority of their commitments before the season even got into high gear. As always, Ohio State did a lot of their damage in their backyard, plus they went national to score some other key prospects. A late addition of four-star offensive tackle Marcus Hall was a nice boost right before National Signing Day.
Big fish that got away: CB Justin Green (to Illinois)

5. Texas
Head of the class: QB Garrett Gilbert, DE Alex Okafor
Buzz: Texas landed three in-state five-star recruits in Gilbert, Okafor and offensive lineman Mason Walters. Further bolstering that in-state dominance, the Longhorns landed one of the state̢۪s best defenders in Calvin Howell, a great possession receiver in Greg Timmons, a jumbo athlete in Chris Whaley and a shut-down corner in Marcus Davis. Texas also added depth to the offensive line beyond Walters with Thomas Ashcraft, Garrett Porter and Paden Kelley and two of the nation̢۪s best tight ends in Barrett Matthews and Trey Graham. After Oklahoma snatched up some of the state̢۪s best in 2008, the Longhorns locked down the state in 2009.
Big fish that got away: LB/DE Jarvis Jones (to USC)

6. Florida State
Head of the class: DT Jacobbi McDaniel, CB Greg Reid
Buzz: Florida State had another great recruiting year and hit on most of their needs. Two four-star running backs, Lonnie Pryor and Chris Thompson, lead the offensive charge along with wide receivers Willie Haulstead and Rodney Smith and linemen Henry Orelus and Aubrey Phillips. On defense, McDaniel and Reid are five-star pickups and are joined by four-star defensive ends Brandon Jenkins and Demonte McAllister, four-star linebacker C.J. Mizell and four-star defensive backs Jajuan Harley. Athlete Willie Downs could be an impact guy on offense or defense, and FSU did a great job getting quarterback Will Secord away from Arkansas.
Big fish that got away: RB Trent Richardson (to Alabama)

7. Michigan
Head of the class: DT William Campbell, S Justin Turner
Buzz: While it was a disappointing season on the field for the Wolverines, there were only a few disappointments in the recruiting front. Rich Rodriguez was able to scour the nation for the type of offensive skill players, led by quarterback Tate Forcier and athlete Jeremy Gallon, that should help immediately.
Big fish that got away: DT DeQuinta Jones (to Arkansas)

8. North Carolina
Head of the class: WR Jheranie Boyd, DE Donte Moss
Buzz: North Carolina̢۪s recruiting has changed since Butch Davis took over and the Heels now are consistently involved with top players up and down the East Coast. UNC nailed it at numerous key positions including along the defensive line, at linebacker and at wide receiver. UNC dominated its home state, pulling in seven of the top 10 players.
Big fish that got away: OT Xavier Nixon (to Florida)

9. Georgia
Head of the class: QB Aaron Murray, CB Branden Smith
Buzz: Georgia signed two big-time quarterbacks (both already are enrolled), a touchdown machine in running back Washuan Ealey and playmakers at receiver in Marlon Brown and Rantavious Wooten. There̢۪s a strong group of linemen headed to Athens. Smith is one of the nation̢۪s best corners.
Big fish that got away: LB/DE Jarvis Jones (to USC).

10. Florida
Head of the class: WR Andre Debose, LB Jelani Jenkins
Buzz: This is another good class for Urban Meyer and his Gators, as the national champs loaded up on speed and athleticism with Debose, Josh Evans and Mike Gillislee. The Gators filled big needs on the offensive line and at linebacker. Five-star prospect Gary Brown has a chance to be a big-time defensive tackle.
Big fish that got away: RB Trent Richardson (to Alabama)

11. Miami
12. South Carolina
13. Oklahoma
14. Arkansas
15. Michigan State
16. UCLA
17. Ole Miss
18. Auburn
19. Stanford
20. Notre Dame
21. Texas A&M
22. Mississippi State
23. Tennessee
24. Virginia Tech
25. Penn State

By Rivals.com / McClatchy Tribune