Ranking the 20 college football recruits with the most hype in the wild world of recruiting, including four future NFL Hall of Famers and one Heisman Trophy winner.
Paramus Catholic High’s Rashan Gary has long been the unanimous decision as the nation’s number one football recruit. You can go check Rivals or ESPN, or anywhere else, and he’ll be the first name you see.
But despite all the buildup surrounding the defensive tackle’s National Signing Day announcement of which school he’ll be attending, not even his expectations have been raised as high as the ones of many high school greats before him.
To be in a top 20 list of the most hyped players in college football recruiting history, there has to be something extra to the excitement of a player. The first part of that involves the “once-in-a-generation-talent” hype the scouts and coaches serve up. The even bigger part comes from fans and media.
Since 2002, the internet has revolutionized the way we see recruiting, with all types of rankings creating publicity and endless attention around the top tier players. But even before this era, there were still plenty of prospects that caught the eye of the nation and were painted the Heisman’s of the future.
Some of the players lived up to the hype, while many others, as you’ll find out, fell distantly short of such lofty praise.
Next: Eli Manning
20. Eli Manning
He won’t be the last Manning to make this list, but Eli was quite a hot commodity in his own right. And just imagine having to live up the hype of not only a successful father in the sport but also an MVP brother.
But so was the life of Eli Manning, who owned Louisiana just as his brother did in high school and found himself likewise on top of every big-time recruiter’s wish list. After throwing for more yards than even his big brother did in high school, the youngest Manning was considering a bevy of southern teams, including Texas, Florida, and Georgia. But Ole Miss and Tennessee seemed the favorites, and the Volunteers were fervent in their pursuit.
But then Peyton Manning’s old offensive coordinator, David Cutcliffe, received the head coaching job at Ole Miss, and it was then clear where Eli would go. “The Grove” would be rocking one more, and the biggest recruit in team history was the reason why. Eli would have a successful college career, and though he’s been at times erratic in the NFL, he’s got two rings that can never be taken away from him.
Little bro didn’t do half-bad.
Next: Terrelle Pryor
19. Terrelle Pryor
While Ohio State and Michigan’s football rivalry on the field is one of the most legendary in all of college sports, its extension to recruiting in 2007 and ’08 was nearly as entertaining.
That’s when Terrelle Pryor was trying to decide between the two and several other schools who had intentions on signing the top recruit in the country. Pryor had been endlessly compared to Vince Young, one of the best comparisons to be had for a young quarterback at that time.
Running a sub-4.4 40-yard dash and standing at nearly 6’6” and 230 pounds, Pryor was a giant among boys, and he exhibited so in not only football but as a top-30 basketball recruit from Pennsylvania.
So naturally the media, coaches, and scouts drooled over him and his talents, and when it seemed it was all decided that he would choose his school on national television on signing day, he decided to wait so he could explore his options at Penn State and Oregon.
He had already visited Michigan and Ohio State months before, and those two schools would still be what it came down to for the phenom. And when all the meandering had finally reached its conclusion a month and a half after signing day, Pryor chose the Buckeyes.
Next: Eric Dickerson
18. Eric Dickerson
Long before Eric Dickerson became one of the most successful running backs in the history of the NFL, he was just a skinny kid with funky glasses that most of the kids in his neighborhood liked to pick on.
Then middle school came along, Dickerson grew out of his awkward phase, and started playing football. And from that point on, the buzz around him before college continuously grew. In his very first game, he recorded four touchdowns. By high school, he was already gaining attention from a few different colleges around his home state of Texas. And by the time he graduated from Sealy High, he was ranked right along fellow future Hall of Famers Dan Marino and John Elway as the most valued recruits in the nation.
Being the best player in likely the most football-crazy state, Dickerson naturally was given an overload of attention. He was also a state champion in track, able to run 100 yards in an incredible 9.4 seconds. This is all while packing on over 220 pounds to a 6’3” frame for football. It was a combination that allowed him to have a high school career rivaling that of other Texas running back legends that had come before him, like Earl Campbell, Billy Sims, and Kenneth Hall.
When it came time to choose a school, Oklahoma looked like the popular choice by experts, but Dickerson’s mother wanted him to stay close to home. So he ended up at Southern Methodist, where he and Craig James rolled over the competition as the “The Pony Express”.
Next: Vince Young
17. Vince Young
There was a time when Vince Young made the news for far different reasons. And man, how fun it was to watch him play growing up.
Young was the number one overall recruit according to Rivals when the site released its first rankings in 2002. Parade and Sporting News thought the same. Young could run like a thoroughbred but was also built for elusiveness, all while standing at the perfect quarterback height of 6’5”.
He was also a track star, a solid baseball player, and could’ve easily played at a competitive D-I university for basketball, but chose football over it all. And why wouldn’t he have? He was the man of the year, or even quarterback of the decade in Texas, a place he’d only leave once he made the pros.
LSU in the SEC, Florida State and Miami in the ACC, and several other big-time schools were on Young’s list. But for all the hype that followed him, he made his college choice rather easily, deciding to make the two-and-a-half-hour trip west from Houston to Austin.
His hype nearly matched that of Chris Simms when he first arrived at Austin, but Young would easily exceed the results of the former Texas quarterback, and go on to win a national title. It’s unfortunate that his reaction to NFL hype didn’t pan out as smoothly.
Next: Dan Marino
16. Dan Marino
Everyone knew Dan Marino had what it took to be an All-Pro quarterback. He was admired in his prep career for having one of the most naturally gifted arms to be witnessed, an arm the quarterback was using for 50-yard throws when he had just started high school.
It not only brought him hype on the gridiron, where he made the Parade All-American team his senior year, but also on the diamond, where he was 23-0 as a starting pitcher. But though he’d go on to accomplish impressive feats at quarterback in the NFL, much of his athleticism was taken from him by then.
Marino had several knee issues in college and the pros, so if you can imagine a man of Marino’s stature at 6’4” running a 4.6 40-yard dash in the NFL as he did in high school, you might come to the conclusion that he could’ve been himself and John Elway rolled all in one.
And many thought he was better than Elway when they came out the same year though Elway was likely the majority pick for best high school player in 1978.
All of Pennsylvania waited to see what Marino would do, football or baseball. And at the chance he chose to throw pigskins over pearls, would he play in his backyard at Pitt? Luckily, they got the answer they wanted.
The Kansas City Royals picked Marino in the fourth round of that year’s draft, but he chose to play for the Panthers instead, building the hype further for his arrival. He’d have two top-10 finishes in the Heisman before going on to become a Hall of Fame quarterback down in Miami.
Next: Herschel Walker
15. Herschel Walker
Just one look at Herschel Walker—even now at his age of 53—and you’ll know why he was so hyped. One of the greatest physical specimens to ever hit the gridiron, Walker had world-class speed and a chiseled 220-pound frame behind it.
After setting Georgia high school football ablaze his senior season as a state champion and 3,000-yard rusher, Walker was in no hurry to sign with any college team. It got the point his mother had grown exhausted of the many recruiters who had called and visited their home.
To be fair, the finalists for the young running back were Alabama, Clemson, Georgia, and USC, and that’s one tough group to pick from. Not only did he exceed the February signing date he waited until Easter to pick his school. And the story goes that he eventually let fate decide. Cutting up pieces of a napkin that read the four teams on them, he mixed them up and threw them on the ground. Whatever team he picked up the most of, that was his school.
Talk about indecision.
Fortunately for the in-state team, they were the destined pick. Walker went to Georgia and nearly won Heisman as a freshman. He’d eventually get one of those, and despite injuries, would go on to have a productive pro career.
Next: Joe Mauer
14. Joe Mauer
Florida State signed such a great high school athlete that he ended up being too good to play for them. That’s because Joe Mauer was destined for Major League Baseball.
Mauer took the money and ran as the number one overall pick in the 2001 MLB draft, choosing to stay in his home state as a Minnesota Twin and not play for Bobby Bowden and the Seminoles. For as hyped as he was in baseball—and trust me, he’d find himself even further up that list—Mauer was by far the most sought-after football recruit his senior season.
He appeared in Sports Illustrated before that year rolled around, and was the Gatorade National Player of the Year when it finally did. USA Today and ESPN were also among the crowd of media honoring the three-sport star. Yes, Mauer had also been an all-state basketball player.
While everyone pondered what route he would choose, Mauer played in a very NFL-like pro-style offense that he ran to perfection as a state champion. He tossed 41 touchdowns (7 in one game) his senior year, and no matter if the colleges knew he was leaning toward baseball, they sure weren’t going to use their time on other recruits.
Mauer had terrific poise in the pocket and a catcher’s canon for an arm and the southpaw left everyone wondering what would’ve been had he chose the Seminoles. Being the face of the Twins franchise and having $200 million in career earnings wasn’t a bad choice for him, though.
Next: Lorenzo Booker
13. Lorenzo Booker
Besides a certain Oklahoma running back, Lorenzo Booker is the most hyped running back of the recruiting site era. And in that decade-and-a-half, there’s been plenty of other backs who’ve gained sufficient publicity.
But Booker was the one grabbing all the glory before he’d even graduated from St. Bonaventure High School in California. It was the first year of the online scouting databases Scout and Yahoo’s Rivals, and these websites brought much more attention to the scene of high school athletics.
Booker was front-and-center at the beginning of this era, crowned the number one overall player by Scout, and placed behind only future stars Vince Young and Haloti Ngata on Rivals’ list. With 99 touchdowns and nearly 6,000 rushing yards in his final two high school seasons, it’s not surprising to know how sought-after he was. Notre Dame was constantly pursuing him, as were the Washington Huskies. Despite giving heavy consideration to in-state powerhouse USC, a team (far too) aggressively in pursuit of his services, Booker surprisingly decided on Florida State.
And he did so live on ESPN, back when these type of announcements were just starting to become commonplace. This is also after Booker had already verbally committed to Notre Dame, which brought, even more, news.
It was all downhill from there for Booker, who would make it to the NFL, but only after he had vastly underperformed at the college level.
Next: Emmitt Smith
12. Emmitt Smith
For as incredible of a recruiting hotbed as the state of Florida is, there was a time when Emmitt Smith was a head above the rest.
He set numerous state high school records, compiling over 100 touchdowns, 8,800 rushing yards, and 45 100-yard performances at Escambia High. He is still considered by many to be the greatest high school player in Florida’s history and is certainly one of the top few running backs to ever play at three different levels.
Not only was Smith the USA Today and Parade high school player of the year in 1986, but he also was recognized years later as Florida’s “Player of the Century”. Even with all the awards and lofty hopes for Smith, he had his share of critics as well. Recruiters constantly went back and forth over whether he was too small or not, or if he had enough speed for the next phase of his career.
Whether good or bad, Smith was the talk of the 1986 class and likely the most hyped player of the decade aside from Marcus Dupree. Even what he was wearing on national signing day was a big deal. Smith wore red and black, which brought on the frenzy that he was going to play for Tom Osbourne and Nebraska. It was thought that the Cornhuskers had beaten out Auburn for Smith’s services, until Smith got on stage and said, “Well, I’m wearing Nebraska colors, I guess I will be going to the University of Florida.”
As you can imagine, an even bigger in-state frenzy ensued after that last bit.
Next: Tim Couch
11. Tim Couch
For as many of the hyped recruits Kentucky brings in year-after-year for its basketball team, Tim Couch coming in to play football for the Wildcats just might’ve topped them all.
Holding state records in career passing yards, touchdown passes, and completions, Couch was easily the most hyped recruit Kentucky ever landed. It was thought that he alone could provide much-needed attention to a football program that was a perennial loser.
Couch could’ve gone to several more prestigious colleges, and was also Mr. Basketball in Kentucky. He scored over 36 points-per-game in one of his high school seasons but chose football at the basketball-rich school. He was labeled the next John Elway, a better recruit than even Peyton Manning was thought to be at the time by many scouts, and better than another highly touted recruit from a few years’ prior, Jeff George.
Couch would certainly hold up as a great prospect, but Kentucky never rose to any great significance under Couch. He would perform well enough to earn himself the choice at number one in the 1999 NFL Draft, but he wouldn’t be nearly as successful playing on Sundays.
Next: Jadeveon Clowney
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
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
8. Chris Simms
Yet another son to a once-prestigious quarterback, Chris Simms seemed like the surest thing since taxes coming out of high school.
With the weight of the college football world on him, Simms first committed to Tennessee where many thought he’d be able to fill the enormous shoes Peyton Manning had recently left behind. But in one of the most scrutinized decisions in recruiting history, he backed out of playing for the Volunteers and chose to play at Texas instead.
Recruiters thought he’d be the best lefty quarterback since Steve Young, and before Simms had even played for the Longhorns he had been on the cover of close to a dozen national magazines. He was both loved and hated by the nation without having taken a snap in college. Even Simms admits that alumni were willing to pay money for autographs. He was just that big of a deal in a place where football was and forever will be king.
At 6’4” and 225 pounds, the USA Today national player of the year was put on a pedestal few could ever live up to, but for Simms, he never even got close in Austin. He proved very mistake-prone and was often found on the bench in favor of Major Applewhite through the first three years of his college career.
Next: John Elway
7. John Elway
To many scouts, John Elway was like no other high school quarterback they’d ever witnessed to that point. His arm was something of a legend, and it led him to be considered as not only a great football prospect but someone who could’ve eventually played in Major League Baseball.
But despite the fact he could throw a baseball from home plate over his college’s outfield fence, Elway would eventually set his sights on football alone in the pros.
Elway had one of the most illustrious four-year stretches ever in high school and was chosen to the Parade All-American team his senior year despite missing five games during the season. Five. That’s how good everyone knew he was.
It wasn’t just the arm, a “gift from God” as Elway’s coach put it, but also his crafty elusiveness and a reasonable amount of speed. He ended up with over 60 scholarship offers to contemplate, and that was just in one of his sports. He’d also been drafted by the Kansas City Royals that year, which is interesting to think about, seeing as Dan Marino was also selected by them. Imagine George Brett and two of the greatest quarterbacks in NFL history playing on the same team.
But Elway chose Stanford over what we can assume were many programs with much better football programs. After all, Elway would never make a bowl game at Stanford, but would have an incredible career there with over 9,000 passing yards and 77 touchdowns. He then became the greatest player in Denver Bronco history.
Next: Adrian Peterson
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
5. Jimmy Clausen
There’s no doubt that Jimmy Clausen was surrounded by all kinds of lofty hype, but he also didn’t help to simmer down expectations.
After an incredible run of 42-0 as a starter in high school, one with a state-record 146 passing touchdowns, the California product decided to stretch his recruitment fiasco to its peak. Speaking of stretch, Clausen showed up in a Hummer limo at the College Football Hall of Fame to make his announcement on where he’d be attending school.
Talk about setting yourself up for potential backlash.
But Clausen chose Notre Dame, and the school was once again gifted with another extremely hyped quarterback on or exceeding the levels of Joe Montana, Ron Powlus, and Brady Quinn. He was yet another player considered a once-in-a-generation player and the “LeBron James of high school football” by his private quarterback’s coach Steve Clarkson.
He was said to have an arm like John Elway, the composure that could be compared to Tom Brady’s, and a quick release that reminiscent of Joe Namath. Some other coaches and trainers likened him to Dan Marino. Are there any other greats we missed?
Needless to say, Jimmy Clausen didn’t touch the surface of success that those quarterbacks had, ending up more like Powlus and not Montana in the pros. And certainly nothing like LeBron.
Next: Peyton Manning
4. Peyton Manning
Being the son of an SEC legend and two-time Pro Bowl selection naturally brought some hype toward Peyton Manning. But the talents he showed at an extremely early age were what grew his legend long before he even stepped into Neyland Stadium.
Manning was never gifted with speed or agility, we can clearly see that, but he had long had the golden arm and a thirst for knowledge like no other competitor his coaches had ever known. That immense understanding of the game at an early age helped lead him to becoming the recruit everyone was talking about in 1994.
For a time, Manning considered going to Michigan, and how funny it would’ve been with Manning at quarterback in Ann Arbor with Tom Brady ready in the wings. Manning was certainly impressed when he took a visit to Michigan, and his own brother Cooper thought he very well could’ve picked the Wolverines.
Instead, Manning chose Tennessee, and the college football world was in a buzz over another Manning coming to the SEC. He’d do plenty of good there though his real imprint on the game would come after he left Knoxville. Either way, he always faced away from the hype but more than lived up to it.
Next: Marcus Dupree
3. Marcus Dupree
Marcus Dupree had the greatest combination of speed and size of any running back on this list, so it’s a tragedy that things didn’t pan out for him.
Dupree was of deity status as a high schooler in Mississippi, where thousands would show up to each of his Philadelphia High School games. And if I had been alive at that time in that town, I’m sure I would’ve been there too. Imagine seeing a guy at 6’2” and 220 pounds with the capabilities of doing double-digit 400-pound bench presses and running a sub-4.3 40-yard dash.
Dupree scored 87 touchdowns in high school, breaking Hershel Walker’s record, and has been considered not only the best player in the state’s history but still the greatest high school running back of all-time. Considering the kind of things Derrick Henry, Adrian Peterson, or Emmitt Smith did in high school, that’s really saying something.
He was endlessly hyped by the media, courted by Texas, Oklahoma, and UCLA among others, and received nearly 100 phone calls every few days from recruiters during his senior season. He was even promised $250,000 from one school, and an oil well from another if he’d only commit. Seriously.
Dupree signed with the Longhorns only to later flip to Oklahoma, only adding to the frenzy that was Marcus-mania. He was compared by some to be a faster Earl Campbell and came to Norman with far more hype than his idol and Heisman winner Billy Sims had.
After Dupree had an incredible freshman year, things spiraled quickly. He was stricken by injuries, celebrity, and the NCAA rules, and never was the same despite turns in the USFL and NFL. Even though he never lived up to the magnificence of his publicity, he is still one of the most freakishly athletic individuals to ever put on the pads.
Next: Todd Marinovich
2. Todd Marinovich
One of the saddest, yet intriguing sports stories of all-time is that of quarterback Todd Marinovich.
It can be argued that his hype started from birth. After all, being the son of a national champion at USC brings a fair deal of expectation. But that wasn’t what the hype really was about when Marinovich was growing up. It was that he had been born and bred to be an athlete and raised to do only that.
Marinovich loved the game, at least for a while, and the media certainly loved him and his story too. He’d be known as “America’s first test-tube athlete” by Sports Illustrated, among many other names that the nation would give him. But there came a point when even Marinovich’s hype became too dramatic for even what was really going on in his life. The media seemed to overblow the bad relationship with his father, the fact Marinovich was being forced to train for endless hours, and his growing disinterest in the game.
But the buildup for Marinovich going to USC was also fueled by the young quarterback breaking the high school record for passing yards and the fact all that training had formed one of the most NFL-ready players anyone had ever seen at such an age.
Marinovich would eventually be lured in by hard-core drugs and crushed by the incredible weight that was on his shoulders. Though he has been clean for some time, most people will remember him for being the surest of prospects that got burnt out on the sport.
Next: Ron Powlus
1. Ron Powlus
He was described as “perfect” by his high school coach, the best player in the nation by everyone from ESPN, to Sports Illustrated, to Parade in 1993, and was predicted to win multiple national championships and Heisman trophies.
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So you can at least somewhat understand why Ron Powlus never quite lived up to the hype. Though he stayed humble during his time as quarterback for Notre Dame, Powlus was the biggest name there was in the recruiting world as he was offered by all the major title-contenders in the country before deciding on South Bend.
Teams were lining up across the country for a chance at this guy. He started regularly getting mail as a freshman and was thoroughly questioned by the NCAA to make sure there was never teams offering gifts to the can’t-miss prospect.
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And once he finally picked the Fighting Irish, ESPN expert Beano Cook declared he’d win two Heisman Trophies, something only Archie Griffin had previously done, and would be the greatest quarterback in Notre Dame history. That meant better than Joe Montana, Johnny Lujack, Paul Hornung, Joe Theisman, or George Gipp.
People were practically marking down Golden Dome titles before he’d even played a game, and even the South Bend Tribune called him “Among Immortals” after his first game with the Irish.
Despite setting 20 school passing records, Powlus never came anywhere close to the hype of being the greatest of all college football recruits. A slew of injuries would hamper that. But even if he had always been healthy, with such high expectations, it’s hard to imagine him or anyone else ever reaching such level of success.