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2012 SEC recruiting class: Hits, misses, cautionary tales
By Chris Wright
Published:
The 2012 recruiting class was quite the collection of life experiences.
It included future NFL first-round draft picks, transfers, swings-and-misses at quarterback, overachievers and several cautionary tales, none more senseless than that of former Texas A&M prized recruit Thomas Johnson.
A look back at 2012 goes a long way to explaining what happened in 2015.
Alabama (No. 1)
It’s easy to see why this was the nation’s No. 1 class. It had three 5-stars, including Jacksonville Jaguars running back T.J. Yeldon and cautionary tale Eddie Williams, plus 4-star WR Amari Cooper (Oakland Raiders). Derrick Henry is driving the 2015 bus to the championship, but several 2012 4-star recruits have co-starring roles: Reggie Ragland, Cyrus Jones, Dillon Lee.
Arkansas (No. 28)
John Smith’s final class supplemented the 2011 signing of Brandon Allen.
Jonathan Williams was the No. 11 RB in the country. WR Keon Hatcher developed into a go-to target before injuries impacted his 2015 season. Coach Bret Bielema dismissed 4-star WR D’Arthur Cowan, and 3-star WR Mekale McKay transferred to Cincinnati after his freshman season, but TE Jeremy Sprinkle caught 5 TD passes this season.
Auburn (No. 11)
Upon further review, it’s doubtful this class would rank this high. Ricky Parks, a 4-star TE, was viewed as a key get but transferred after being dismissed. Ricardo Louis and Cassanova McKinzy, also 4-stars, have led the 2015 Tigers offensively and defensively, respectively. In a theme to this class, Auburn missed on its lone QB signee — 3-star dual-threat Jonathan Wallace, who eventually changed positions.
Florida (No. 4)
Say what you want about his coaching, but Will Muschamp’s 2012 class certainly showed his value as a recruiter. Dante Fowler and D.J. Humphries were first-round picks. Jonathan Bullard and Antonio Morrison are defensive standouts this season. Muschamp missed on 3-star quarterback Skyler Mornhinweg, however, something that came back to bite the Gators this season.
Georgia (No. 8)
Mark Richt signed four 5-star recruits, most in the SEC and second nationally only to Florida State. As unbelievable as it sounds now, or even a year later, Keith Marshall was viewed as the better prospect than Todd Gurley. Both North Carolina running backs were 5-star recruits. Like Muschamp, Richt missed on the quarterback however, signing 3-star Faton Bauta. That miss proved costly in 2015.
Kentucky (No. 50)
On paper — or smart phone — the 2012 QB class appeared stout. The Wildcats certainly were thrilled to keep 4-star recruit Patrick Towles at home.
Pairing Towles’ arm with DeMarcus Sweat’s speed on the outside seemed like a four-year fix to a generation-long problem in Lexington. Sweat was above average as a freshman, but transferred due to academic issues.
Justin Taylor, the highest-rated RB in Kentucky’s class, also transferred.
Most recently, Towles thanked Lexington but said he, too, is leaving the program.
The coaching change from Joker Phillips to Mark Stoops in 2013 impacted this class as well.
LSU (No. 14)
Think the Tigers could have used linebacker Kwon Alexander this season? He’s been a disruptive force with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, at least until his regular season ended because of a PED suspension. Alexander was the top-rated player in a Tigers class that also included standout OL Vadal Alexander. Travin Dural was the overachiever, arriving as a 3-star but emerging as a go-to playmaker. The class included a long-snapper, but not a quarterback.
Mississippi (No. 47)
Consider this the gateway class that led to the 2013 coupe, which nearly led to the 2015 SEC West Division title.
Bo Wallace was just a 3-star JuCo QB but had a brilliant, albeit brief, career until Chad Kelly arrived.
Trae Elston, also a 3-star recruit, has anchored the back end of the Rebels’ defense.
Channing Ward arrived as a 5-star DE prospect, but struggled, even before a DUI arrest in 2014.
Mississippi State (No. 22)
Wonder how many practices it took 3-star QB Nick Schuessler to realize his chances of ever playing were, let’s just say, not real good. He quickly transferred to Clemson, but Bulldogs fans didn’t mind: Dak Prescott (Class of 2011) was about to rewrite their history book.
Denico Autry, a JuCo signee, was the highest-rated player in the class. He played two years and is in the NFL.
Quay Evans, another 4-star defensive lineman, transferred after two seasons and later was arrested in connection with a 2014 shooting in Starkville.
Missouri (No. 31)
No team signed a better pass catching combo than the Tigers, who grabbed No. 1 WR Dorial Green-Beckham and 4-star QB Maty Mauk.
Fast-forward a couple of years.
Gary Pinkel dismissed Green-Beckham in April 2014 after his star had an altercation with his girlfriend.
Pinkel suspended Mauk midway through this season.
Green-Beckham is in the NFL. Mauk’s future is less certain, though he still could return to Missouri next season.
South Carolina (No. 17)
Shaq Roland was supposed to be Steve Spurrier’s answer for Amari Cooper. Roland was the top-ranked player in South Carolina, the state’s Mr. Football, the fifth-best athlete in the country. A touchdown in cleats. There’s never a straight line between what should be and what happens, and Roland’s took a detour. Spurrier’s other big get, 4-star WR Kwinton Smith, gave up football and returned to baseball, where he was a 14th-round draft pick in 2012.
One highlight? Mike Davis, also a 4-star recruit, battled injuries but made it to the NFL.
Tennessee (No. 20)
Cordarrelle Patterson was the obvious big get, the nation’s top recruiting prospect who made an instant impact before bolting for the NFL. Can still see him flying past future NFL DB David Amerson in Tennessee’s opening win against N.C. State in 2012. The coaching change from Derek Dooley to Butch Jones in 2013 impacted this class’ long-term impact. Omari Phillips was the key defensive get, a 4-star defensive tackle from Florida, but he didn’t last long under Jones. Drae Bowles, a 4-star WR, also transferred not long after Jones arrived.
Nathan Peterman, a 3-star QB who at one point beat out Joshua Dobbs for a start, transferred to Pitt.
Then this season, Jones dismissed Pig Howard, another 4-star recruit from this class.
Texas A&M (No. 16)
Matt Davis was a 4-star prize get from Houston, the No. 4-ranked dual-threat QB in the country. Texas A&M fired its head coach Mike Sherman. Davis signed anyway, and was credited for keeping this class together during the transition to Kevin Sumlin, but it never worked out. He transferred to SMU, where he is the starting QB for offensive guru Chad Morris.
The class also included 5-star Thomas Johnson, whose fall from No. 3-ranked WR in the country to murder suspect has permanently scarred the program.
Vanderbilt (No. 48)
Patton Robinette was the No. 13-ranked dual threat in the country. He made a wise choice in selecting Vanderbilt, just not necessarily for football reasons.
Just as 2015 spring practice was beginning, Robinette told his teammates and coaches that he was quitting football to focus on medicine.
Robinette was considered a contender for Vanderbilt’s starting job this season, which eventually went to Johnny McCrary, who eventually lost it to Kyle Shurmur.
Managing Editor
A 30-time APSE award-winning editor with previous stints at the Miami Herald, The Indianapolis Star and News & Observer, Executive Editor Chris Wright oversees editorial operations for Saturday Down South.
