20 most hyped college football recruits of all-time
By Dustin Hull
9. Ronald Curry
Allen Iverson and Michael Vick were two of the greatest prep stars in the history of their sports, but a guy from the same area was at the time hyped to be better than both of them.
Ronald Curry was considered the best high school football and basketball player in the country, and that was when he was a junior. Amid all the hype, Curry committed to his home state school, Virginia, where Cavaliers fans and coaches alike were ready to crown him a better two-sport star than Charlie Ward, with the arm of John Elway.
He was featured in USA Today during his junior year, and ESPN even caught up with him after physics class to do an interview and take photos. But even, after all, the buildup over Curry being one of the greatest high school athletes ever, and to some the best offensive football prospect in two decades, the publicity had just begun to shower itself on the young star.
That was because a recruiting war was being waged between Virginia and North Carolina for Curry’s immense talents. After throwing for 90 touchdowns, rushing for 74, and returning 22 more on kickoff and punt returns, Curry was certainly going to play football in college. But he chose a richer basketball tradition.
He flipped from Virginia to North Carolina, causing a stir that both, crowned him as the best Tar Heel since Michael Jordan, and earned him the terms “jerk of the year” and “Benedict Ronald” at Virginia.
The Hoos would get the last laugh when Curry’s stretch at North Carolina was lackluster compared to predictions, and the quarterback had to settle for being a seldom-used wide receiver in the NFL.
Next: Chris Simms