Cincinnati Bearcats Football: 5 Recruits Who Will Make an Impact in 2012

With the offseason now officially under way for the Cincinnati Bearcats, head coach Butch Jones is out on the recruiting trail, trying to beef up what is already the best recruiting class in recent memory.

The class currently ranks in the top 30 on both Rivals and Scout.

With national signing day only three weeks away, there is still time to change the minds of a few recruits.

With that being said, Cincinnati already has some commitments from recruits who have a chance to have an immediate impact next season.

Here are five recruits who could be seeing some serious playing time next year.

Errol Clarke is a three-star linebacker from Miami, Florida.

The loss of star linebacker J.K. Schaffer to graduation will leave the spot wide open, and Clarke is one of a few highly touted linebacker recruits.

According to Rivals.com, he is ranked the No. 65 outside linebacker and has a chance to come in and make an immediate impact next season for Cincinnati.

Nick Temple and Maalik Bomar will return at linebacker, but Clarke could see serious playing time on special teams and compete for the No. 3 linebacker spot.

Marcus Foster is an athlete who played both sides of the ball in high school. He will likely play safety at the next level.

According to Rivals.com, he is rated the No. 53 athlete in the country and the No. 46 player overall in the state of Ohio.

With the graduation of Wesley Richardson, Foster will be fighting for a starting job, and while there are already some viable backups ready to step into the starting role, Foster could see some immediate playing time next year for the Bearcats.

Kenneth Bynum is another in a talented group of linebackers that will compete for a starting job next season.

He is a three-star outside linebacker from Jacksonville, Florida, who chose Cincinnati over other big-name schools including Stanford, West Virginia, Illinois, North Carolina, North Carolina St. and Rutgers, among others.

He is a speedy linebacker that will certainly have an impact on special teams with a chance to see some immediate snaps on defense.

A year does not go by in which Cincinnati does not pick up a highly ranked receiver.

This year, the top name on the list is Nathan Cole.

The three starting positions are virtually set next year for Cincinnati, but the fourth receiver spot is clearly up for grabs, and Cole has a chance to step right in.

He is ranked the No. 62 receiver in the country and chose Cincinnati over Alabama, Stanford and Tennessee, among other schools.

He has a great chance to earn some serious playing time next year for the Bearcats.

Without question, the prize of the recruiting class is running back Dennis Norfleet.

Norfleet is a four-star recruit from Martin Luther King High School in Detroit. He is ranked the No. 5 all-purpose back in the country and the No. 6 player in the state of Michigan.

He chose Cincinnati over Michigan St. and Tennessee.

Norfleet is a small, speedy back at 5'7" and 170 pounds.

With Isaiah Pead graduating, last year's top recruit Jameel Poteat and senior-to-be George Winn are likely ahead of Norfleet on the depth chart, but his talent cannot be ignored.

Head coach Butch Jones will likely try to find a spot for him on certain plays from day one.