Scout 300 version 1.0

The first version of the Scout 300 is out! With recruiting starting earlier and earlier every year, it's not only possible to see who the best players are, but also to see where they are going. Who heads the list? Who is off to a fast start? Find out more, inside.

Scout 300

The Scout 300 is the list of players that will be ranked four and five stars when it is finalized. For the first release, only half of the star rankings have been allocated, and to this point, only players on the Scout 300 have been ranked.

What does this mean?

We will eventually end up with our standardized star ratings of:

Top 50 players regardless of position = 5-Stars
51-300 = 4-Stars

Currently on the list, half of the star ratings have been implemented, so what you see is this:

Top 25 = 5-Stars
26-150 = 4-Stars
151-300 = 3 Stars

So, who is making the biggest splash early on?

The No. 1 ranked prospect in the country has already made a commitment to a team that is off to a hot start, Matt Barkley to USC.

Barkley made his commitment to the Trojans in January of this year, and at the time it was notable that the No. 1 prospect in the Class of 2009 made his commitment before the No. 1 prospect in the Class of 2008 (Terrelle Pryor). At this rate, Pryor may be the last guy on each of the last two Scout 300s to make a commitment, but that's a story for a different day.

Barkley headlines a USC Class that has gotten off to a fast start. The Trojans have 10 early commitments, and each of them is a member of the Scout 300.

USC doesn't typically come out of the gate this fast, but it's no surprise that Texas has. The Longhorns have 13 early commitments, and nine of them are members of the Scout 300. Quarterback Garrett Gilbert headlines the Texas Class.

Ohio State is a team that had one of the very best classes in the country last year, and they're off to another good start this year. Seven of the eight Buckeye commitments have made the Scout 300, including 5-Star defensive tackle Johnny Simon.

Johnny Simon

Moving towards the South, Florida State has reversed an age-old trend of closing late, but securing commitments from six members of the Scout 300. LSU has capitalized early on a strong year in Louisiana and a BCS Championship matching the Seminoles with six on the list.

Heading into the Spring Evaluation period, it's understandable that these rankings will change considerably over the course of the next 11 months to signing day. Scout will continue to update rankings through the spring, summer, and fall as we countdown to another signing day.

The Scout 300 is a good first look at who is doing well so far, but there's a lot of race left in this marathon, so stay tuned.