20 most hyped college football recruits of all-time
By Dustin Hull
6. Adrian Peterson
From lifting weights and learning playbooks at the age of 7, to being a three-sport star in high school, it was clear to all that Adrian Peterson was destined for greatness.
Dubbed football’s LeBron James coming out of high school, Peterson was the most sought-after running back of this century. Unless you’ve been living under a rock the last dozen years, you know just how Peterson answered such hype.
2004’s top-ranked recruit according to Yahoo Rivals, Peterson was being enticed by everyone from Texas, to Miami, to USC. Peterson would instead choose the Oklahoma Sooners on live television at the U.S. Army All-American Bowl. It was the perfect ending to a senior year that had many considering Peterson the greatest high school football player in Texas state history.
What’s more, is that Peterson and several experts thought he had the size, smarts, and ability to go straight from high school to the NFL. Though under NCAA rules that would never happen, Peterson showed he was more than ready for the pros with an outstanding freshman year that could’ve easily ended with the Heisman trophy. Though he’d be robbed of the award, Peterson would continue to answer up to the expectations.
Next: Jimmy Clausen