Wilder the cream of a strong Class of 2011 crop

It's great to be back for another year writing about national prep football recruiting for RebelNation.Net. Make sure you check out my blog each week as I break down the nation's Top 25 prospects by position.

This week I'm starting with the Top 100 overall prospects for the Class of 2011. I think this has the makings to be a very good year nationally after three pretty average years. There are good players and depth at just about every position.

It's a great year for offensive tackles. No less than a record 14 made my Top 100 including three of my top seven. Several other offensive line prospects on the list have the potential to also grow into the position.

One area I believe that is down is pro-style quarterbacks. After Urban Meyer led Utah to a perfect season with the spread offense six years ago, more and more colleges have switched to that style of attack. Now the spread option has really filtered down to the high school level and consequently you find a lot fewer pro-style QBs out there.

Unlike recent years, I don't have a player from Nevada in my preseason Top 100. I met with more than 20 of the state's prospects at UNLV back in April and I believe it is a good year for talent in the Silver State. However, right now there are no real superstars like a Xavier Grimble or DeMarco Murray in this class ... yet.

A handful of players from Las Vegas will be featured during my weekly Top 25 position rundowns. So be sure to check my blog each week at www.RebelNation.Net. Next week we will begin with my Top 25 combo quarterbacks.

I've been doing this now for more than 30 years but this is the first one where I drove or flew to all 50 states to evaluate and interview prospects. Normally I hit 47 or 48 states but this year I made my first ever trip to Alaska in March where I met a handful of players who are featured in my 284-page Prep Football Report yearbook. I also spent several days in Hawaii.

Topping my Top 100 list this year is RB/LB James Wilder (6-foot-2, 220-pounds, 4.5 forty) from Plant High School in Tampa, Fla.

James, the son of former Tampa Bay Bucs star James Wilder, has the potential to star on either side of the ball in college. He might be the top linebacker in the country and also starred at the U.S. Army Combine in San Antonio as a corner. He is kind of like a Derrick Brooks at linebacker but also is outstanding at running back where he rushed for 1,004 yards and 19 touchdowns on 127 carries without a fumble while helping lead Plant to the state title.

Wilder, who benches 320 pounds and has the speed to get around the corner, recently committed to Florida State despite offers from just about every major program in the country including Florida, USC, Notre Dame and Alabama.

Jadeveon Clowney (6-6, 240, 4.6), a prototypical pass-rushing defensive end in the Richard Dent mold from South Pointe HS in Rock Hill, S.C., comes in at No. 2 on my list.

Clowney, who had 114 tackles and 26 sacks as a junior, has tremendous initial burst off the ball, has excellent flexibility and body control, can bend off the edge and has long arms that he uses to quickly disengage. He also has big-time closing speed. He looks thin at 240 pounds and has the frame to get bigger. He has a remarkable 38-inch vertical leap and averaged 15 points and 15 rebounds in basketball.

Clowney is expected to wait until signing day to make a college choice. South Carolina, Alabama and Clemson are the early leaders.

Next up at No. 3 is my No. 1 offensive tackle prospect in a class loaded with them, Cyrus Kouandjio (6-7, 290, 4.9) from famed DeMatha High in Hyattsville, Md.

Cyrus has been blessed with the perfect left tackle body, is exceptionally athletic and plays the game with a passion needed to become a dominating player at the next level. He has good movement skills, runs well, has good burst, is strong and is a great kid and student.

Cyrus, who has the frame to weigh 330 in college, is a major national recruit with everyone from USC to UCLA to Notre Dame and Penn State on him. He recently visited Virginia Tech but the betting money is he will eventually follow his brother, Arie, who is also an offensive tackle who signed with Alabama in February.

My No. 4 prospect is linebacker Stephone Anthony (6-3, 220, 4.52) of Anson High in Wadesboro, N.C.

When I was traveling through North Carolina in February I had no idea I would be rating "Scoota" this high. But after meeting him in person and watching his exceptional game film, I absolutely fell in love with him.

Anthony has tremendous athletic ability, is extremely quick at filling the hole and is very strong in taking on lead blockers. He does a great job of reading the run and pass and is as productive as they come. He already has 18 interceptions in his career heading into his senior season. Not bad for a linebacker.

Anthony lists six schools he is currently considering: Florida, Clemson, Virginia Tech, USC, North Carolina and North Carolina State.

Rounding out my top five is running back Kenny Hilliard (5-11, 230, 4.5) of Patterson, La.

Hilliard, who has already verbally committed to LSU and is the nephew of former NFL wide receiver Ike Hilliard, enters his senior season with over 6,700 career rushing yards. He's very athletic with quick feet, agility, a great short area burst and good vision. He shows patience to hit the holes as they open, can run through tackles, keeps his pads low and makes defenders pay for trying to tackle him. He benches 355 pounds.

Tom Lemming is the cohost of the MaxPreps Lemming Report which begins another year on CBS College Sports on Thursday, Sept. 9, at 4:30 p.m. He writes a weekly recruiting blog for RebelNation.Net. To receive Tom's Prep Football Report magazine (3 issues), send a check or money order for $60 payable to Tom Lemming, P.O. Box 59113, Schaumberg, Ill., 60519.