National Signing Day looms, and so Does Disappointment About Your Schools’ Top Recruits

As national signing day looms and #1 recruit Terrelle Pryor’s decision threatens to throw the earth out of its natural orbit, I thought it would be important to take a look at the success of top recruits from years’ past.  We all know that high school recruiting is not an exact science, but let’s take a look at the busts, those who fulfilled the hype and those recruits who still have some “splaining” to do, in the words of Ricky Ricardo.

The Busts:

Rhett Bomar –  2004 #1 Overall Prospect – QB – Oklahoma – Bomar was dismissed from the Sooners for receiving money for an off-season job that he didn’t actually do. He now plays in anonymity for Sam Houston State and stands as one of the bigger busts in recent memory.

Willie Williams – 2004 #6 Overall Prospect – LB – Willie ran into problems with the law whenever he left the house following his signing with Miami. After being kicked off the team at Miami, which is really saying something, he transferred to West Los Angeles Community college and then Louisville but was later kicked off the team at Louisville.  Wherever he ends up next, history dictates that only felonies will follow.

Whitney Lewis – 2003 # 3 Overall Prospect – RB  / WR– Whitney’s career began in turmoil as he was academically ineligible in 2004.  He continued to struggle and later transferred to Northern Iowa, where he become a contributor, but suffice to say he hasn’t become the star that his hype warranted.

Ben Olsen – 2002 #4 Overall Prospect – QB – Olsen signed with BYU, went on his Mormon mission, and later transferred to UCLA.  Olsen spent three lackluster seasons as UCLA’s QB, never really realizing his potential.  I may have to blame god, and or missions, for his lack of success.

Xavier Lee – #10 Overall Prospect – QB – Florida State – Xavier’s career can be summed up with the phrase, “untapped potential.” He is 6’4” with a rocket arm and the ability to run a 4.5 40, yet he never became the passer or runner that anyone envisioned he could be.  The good news is, he has forgone his final year of eligibility and has declared himself ready for the NFL. Frankly, I agree with Xavier, who wouldn’t want a QB that can’t throw the ball accurately, hasn’t shown the escape ability that most expected him to have, and has led his college team to around a .500 winning percentage?

Kyle Wright – #5 Overall Prospect – QB – Miami – Kyle was supposed to be the next great Miami QB, instead, he was largely disappointing and left Miami fans wanting more in his three years as a starter.

Living up the Hype (Most of these don’t need much explaining)

Chris Wells – #2 Overall Prospect 2006 – RB  – Ohio State – Chris Wells has definitely lived up to the hype.  He rushed for over 1,600 yards this year and once again contributed to my unhappiness when his Buckeyes beat my Wolverines.

Percy Harvin –  #1 Overall Prospect 2006 – WR  - Florida – Here is another guy that has backed up his high ratings out of high school.  Percy has put up numbers from the backfield (2nd on the Team in rushing)  and split out wide (1st on the team in receiving). He is probably the most dangerous offensive weapon in college football.  

Reggie Bush – #2 Overall Prospect 2003 –RB – USC – No explanation necessary

Adrian Peterson – #1 Overall Prospect 2004 – RB –Oklahoma – Ditto

Vince Young – #1 Overall Prospect 2002 – QB – Again, no explanation necessary

Got Some Splanin’ to Do –

Derrick Williams – #1 Overall Prospect – WR  - Penn State – Despite showing flashes of brilliance for JoePa and the Nitany Lions, Derrick still has some work to do to live up to his #1 overall rank in the 2005 class.

Ryan Mallett – #4 Overall Prospect 2006 – QB – Michigan – Ryan was fairly impressive in leading the Wolverines to victory over a ranked Penn State squad.  He struggled hitting receivers as the season went on, but it was obvious that the talent was there.  Rich Rodgriguez’ hiring signaled the end of Mallett’s career was a Wolverine and he decided to transfer to Arkansas. 

Matt Stafford – #6 Overall Prospect – QB- Georgia – Stafford stepped up his play this year and put together a pretty solid season statistically after being very shaky, understandably, as a freshman in 2006.

Mark Sanchez – #7 Overall Prospect – QB – USC – Sanchez was given the opportunity to start when starter John David Booty went down with an injury.  He was less than impressive and dropped a game to hapless Stanford.   He will have another opportunity to win the starting spot but will have tough competition from Arkansas transfer Mitch Mustain.

Gerald McCoy #4 Overall Prospect – DT– Oklahoma – McCoy was redshirted last year and only made 19 total tackles in 13 games this season.  He has sophomore eligibility, so there is still a lot of room for this guy to grow. We will have to wait and see if this guy can live up to the hype that surrounded him when he was recruited by Oklahoma.

Ronald Johnson – #8 Overall Prospect 2006 WR –  USC –RoJo  sat most of the season behind a talented stable of young receivers at USC, catching only 7  passes in 2007.  We will have to take a wait and see approach on Ronald.

Even as the depth and sophistication of high school recruiting progresses, it is still very difficult to forecast the prospects of 18 years olds who are probably not completely physically or mentally mature.  So, Buckeye and Wolverine fans, no matter how good Terrelle Pryor looks, it could be dangerous to purchase your 2010 National Championship t-shirts just yet.  Don’t believe me? Ask Patriots fans.

The Angry T

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