20 most hyped college football recruits of all-time
By Dustin Hull
10. Jadeveon Clowney
Although some may argue the peak point for Jadeveon Clowney’s hype-train was created by one play in the Outback Bowl, he was garnering quite a load of attention before he even made it to the college level.
Watching this guy’s highlights from high school, he was like a superhuman among Pop Warner kids. His size and strength easily overpowered all who dared to stop him, and many of his opponents chose not to. He was the biggest deal the state had ever seen in the sport, and when he chose his school near home over SEC foe Alabama and rival Clemson, the legend only grew.
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It all started though with his freshman year in high school, where he came in at 6’3” and over 200 pounds. He’d play nearly his entire sophomore year with a bone spur in his foot and still manage 17 sacks. He’d have nearly 30 sacks his senior season along with an incredible 11 forced fumbles and 162 tackles.
It was enough for him to be honored by USA Today and to get featured in an ESPN the Magazine article. All the recruiting sites ranked him as king of his class. He was a phenomenon to behold at 6’6” and nearly 250 pounds, all while running a 4.5 40-yard dash and having a 36-inch vertical leap.
It’s easy to see why the buzz was so heavily placed upon him, and he’d go on to have a tremendous career at South Carolina. As for his results so far in the pros? That’s another story.
Next: Ronald Curry