FCS fans may think it's too early to talk about recruiting, but with the early signing period that the NCAA instituted (for December), the world of FCS recruiting has accelerated and there are several programs that are already in double digits as far as class size. Today, we rank this year's list of The Top 150 FCS commitments so far (with many to come).
[divider]MORE: Compare Any Two FCS Players or Any Two FCS Teams
HERO SPORTS FCS PODCAST: Subscribe here
MCLAUGHLIN: Key Points From Week Eight
FCS PLAYOFF SEEDS: After Week Eight[divider]
SCHEDULE: DL (Thursday, Oct. 4); DBs (Friday, Oct. 5); LBs (Monday, Oct. 8), OL (Tuesday, Oct. 9), RBs (Wednesday, Oct. 10), WR/TEs (Thursday, Oct. 11), QBs (Friday, Oct. 12), This week (Conference by Conference); OVERALL TOP 150 (Monday, Oct. 22); Top 25 Classes (Tuesday, Oct. 23)[divider]
QUOTABLE
What do these guys think about being the most highly recruited players coming to the FCS? We asked some of the top five below:
No. 2 – Julio Ayamel – James Madison – LB: "It’s an honor. I plan on doing great things at JMU. I think we can all play at the FBS level and this says that JMU is not your ordinary FCS school. They recruit at an FBS level and maybe soon they will actually be an FBS school"
No. 3 – Omari Fiffer – Florida A&M – LB: "I’m honored to be in this position. The talent that’s coming to the FCS level will be very competitive and a different style of play. FAMU is on a roll. I love what Coach (Willie) Simmons has done with the program."
No. 4 – Jordan Kirkbride – Dartmouth – TE: "I take pride in the work that I have put in to be in this position. My coaches have pushed me to constantly grind and I wouldn't be who I am today without them. The FCS level has great talent and it shows every year. I'm excited to compete against some great football players."
No. 5 – Nate Martens – Northern Iowa – QB: "The talent is great. It's great to be recognized for the work you put in but knowing that if I want to stay up there I need to continue to work hard. (The MVFC) is great competition, every game is a good game."[divider]
How do we come to the Top 150 FCS recruits below? It's a mixture of a couple of things:
- How do the ratings services see them at the time of the commitment? (because many FCS commitments lose their higher ranking status after they commit to this level)
- How many offers does this recruit possess? If a large quantity of college coaches are offering this individual, that holds clout — even over the star rankings.
- Who is offering? If a young man has Power Five Conference offers or multiple FBS offers, that's another key factor in what you see below.
- Also, this doesn't include JUCO transfers. We'll do that at a later date. This is only high school recruits/commitments.
TOP CROWDS: The FCS' Biggest Crowds After Week Eight[divider]
So take a look at the Top 150 FCS commitments (as of Oct. 21). This is something we will follow through February 2019.
[divider]
THE TOP 150
| RK | FCS CHOICE | POS | PROSPECT | HOMETOWN | OTHER OPTIONS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | YALE | RB | Josh McKenzie | Oradell, NJ | 8 P5 offers, 13 total |
| 2 | JAMES MADISON | LB | Julio Ayamel | Olney, MD | Kentucky – 15 total offers |
| 3 | FLORIDA A&M | LB | Omari Fiffer | Jacksonville, FL | 3 P5s, 17 total |
| 4 | DARTMOUTH | TE | Jordan Kirkbride | Columbus, OH | 3 P5s, 15 FBS,23 total |
| 5 | NORTHERN IOWA | QB | Nate Martens | St. Louis, MO | Syracuse, Temple, 8 total |
| 6 | JAMES MADISON | LB | Jalen Green | Olney, MD | Virginia – 6 total offers |
| 7 | RICHMOND | TE | Ben Castellano | Purcellville, VA | Indiana, Syracuse, 10 FBS, 18 total |
| 8 | NDSU | LB | Luke Weerts | Batavia, IL | Kansas St., 6 FBS, 18 total |
| 9 | HARVARD | DL | Nate Leskovec | Solon, OH | 8 P5 offers, 14 total |
| 10 | TENN-MARTIN | WR | Jaden Gibbs | Knoxville, TN | Kentucky, South Carolina – 9 offers |
| 11 | HARVARD | DL | Kevens Grammont | Charlotte, NC | 2 FBS, 11 total |
| 12 | YOUNGSTOWN ST. | DB | Jayvon Thrift | Irwin, PA | WVU, Syra., Pitt, Indiana – 17 offers |
| 13 | UC DAVIS | WR | Blake Thorpe | Walnut Creek, CA | Oregon St., 5 FBS offers |
| 14 | CHATTANOOGA | WR | Giovanni Dyer | Johns Creek, GA | Kansas State |
| 15 | JAMES MADISON | DL | Rick D'Abreu | Chester, VA | 7 FBS offers, 15 total |
| 16 | MONTANA STATE | WR | Jaden Smith | Kennedale, TX | Navy, Howard |
| 17 | FURMAN | LB | Josh Slay | Atlanta, GA | 5 FBS, 26 total offers |
| 18 | MERCER | QB | Dylan Fromm | Warner Robins, GA | South Alabama, Penn, SEMO, Chatt. |
| 19 | BROWN | TE | Hayden Hatten | Scottsdale, AZ | Louisville offer, 3 FBS, 5 total |
| 20 | HARVARD | QB | Curt Casteel | Fort Lauderdale, FL | Syracuse, Boston College, Cincy |
| 21 | PENN | OL | Ben Hoitink | Slinger, WI | 2 P5 PWO, 6 FBS, 16 total |
| 22 | TENN-MARTIN | WR | Rush Lansdell | Columbia, TN | Tulane, Murray State |
| 23 | FURMAN | OL | Evan Jumper | Myrtle Beach, SC | Rutgers, 13 FBS – 20+ total |
| 24 | CENTRAL ARKANSAS | OL | Drew Vest | Searcy, AR | So.Alab. – 9 total offers |
| 25 | PRINCETON | TE | Luke Gibson | San Antonio, TX | BowlGreen, Tex St. – 6 offers |
| 26 | HOLY CROSS | OL | Patrick McMurtrie | Montvale, NJ | 5 FBS offers, 8 total |
| 27 | PRINCETON | WR | Alex Cherry | Norwood, MA | 2 FBS, 13 total |
| 28 | ALBANY | WR | Jordan Irizarry | Fort Lauderdale, FL | Boston College, 5 FCS offers |
| 29 | FORDHAM | DB | Prince-Elijah Degroat | Staten Island, NY | Bost.Coll., Syracuse, Rutg., 11 offers |
| 30 | KENNESAW STATE | QB | Xavier Shepherd | Nashville, TN | 5 FBS offers, 11 total |
| 31 | TEXAS SOUTHERN | DL | Viramontes Pippens | DeSoto, TX | Colorado, Alabama A&M |
| 32 | YALE | DB | Ben Montgomery | Katy, TX | Tex. Tech, Dartmouth, 8 FBS offers |
| 33 | ALCORN STATE | QB | Tevarrius Adams | Meridian, MS | Southern Miss, 3 FBS, 5 total |
| 34 | BUCKNELL | QB | Keyshawn Copeland | Woodbridge, VA | Virginia, St. Francis |
| 35 | HARVARD | DB | Jelani Machen | Bethesda, MD | 5 FBS, 13 total offers |
| 36 | HARVARD | DL | North Peters | Mystic, CT | Syracuse, 4 FBS, 12 total |
| 37 | FLORIDA A&M | DB | Jamari Brown | Covington, GA | 6 FBS offers, 12 total |
| 38 | FURMAN | DL | Jack Barton | Roswell, GA | 8 FBS offers, 20+ offers |
| 39 | MCNEESE | LB | Christian Guillory | Lake Charles, LA | 3 FBS, 6 total offers |
| 40 | ILLINOIS STATE | DL | Dallas Culpepper | Beech Grove, IN | Three MAC offers, Indiana State |
| 41 | HOLY CROSS | TE | Sean Morris | Barnegat, NJ | Kent State, Army – 10 total offers |
| 42 | SOUTHERN ILL. | TE | Avery Taggart | Eureka, MO | BowlGreen, WIU, SEMO, EKU |
| 43 | YALE | DB | Gerron Duhon | Lake Charles, LA | Tulane, UTSA, 6 total offers |
| 44 | JAMES MADISON | RB | C.J. Jackson | Richmond, VA | Purdue, 8 FBS offers |
| 45 | ELON | DB | Bo Sanders | Indianapolis, IN | 2 MAC offers; 9 total |
| 46 | NDSU | DL | Reed Ryan | Waunakee, WI | 7 FBS offers, 14 total |
| 47 | SOUTH DAKOTA | TE | Mason Fairchild | Andale, KS | Kansas, SIU |
| 48 | MORGAN ST. | QB | Quinton Williams | Upper Marlboro, MD | Howard |
| 49 | SE LOUISIANA | DL | Jaylon Ned | Lake Charles, LA | 5 FBS, 11 total offers |
| 50 | HARVARD | QB | Joe Green | Sammamish, WA | FIU – 6 FBS offers |
| 51 | SOUTHERN U. | DB | Tyruss Gayden | Harvey, LA | Army, Air Force, Harvard |
| 52 | MISSOURI STATE | DB | D.J. Hart | New London, TX | Kansas, SFA, APB |
| 53 | UC DAVIS | DB | Sequoia Magdalena | Sherman Oaks, CA | 2 FBS, 7 total offers |
| 54 | CHATTANOOGA | QB | Zach Gibson | Alpharetta, GA | Ga. State, Morehead St. |
| 55 | HOLY CROSS | QB | Jared Kreimer | Cincinnati, OH | 2 FBS offers, 13 total offers |
| 56 | EASTERN WASH. | DL | Warren Hardin | Riverside, CA | 1 FBS, 5 Total |
| 57 | INDIANA STATE | DB | Ethan Hoover
 |
