The most underrated recruits from last five recruiting classes
It's the first Wednesday of February. All of you recruiting fans know what that means – it's National Signing Day. The prospects your favorite programs have been recruiting for the past few years can finally make their verbal commitment official and sign their national letters of intent.
A number of the Rivals.com's top-rated recruits still remain undecided. While those prospects will be the focus of fans across the country, there will be many under-heralded recruits who sign with programs that may end up being difference-makers down the road. You know, those two-star guys whose name you didn't know when they committed but end up leading the nation in tackles.
With those hidden gems in mind, we decided to take a look back at the most underrated recruits from the past five recruiting classes.
(Note: These players aren't listed in any particular order.)
Class of 2010
Jordan Matthews – Vanderbilt – Wide Receiver – Three stars
Vanderbilt’s Jordan Matthews is SEC’s all-time leader in career receptions. Not bad for a Rivals three-star recruit whose only other power conference offer came from Kansas. Matthews finished his career with 262 catches (112 in his senior year) for 3,759 yards and 24 touchdowns. What a great find by former Vandy head coach Bobby Johnson.
Blake Bortles – UCF – Quarterback – Three stars
Blake Bortles had great size at 6-foot-4 and 230 pounds coming out of Oviedo High School in the class of 2010, but most of the schools that offered him (there weren’t many) considered Bortles to be a tight end. The school that wanted him as a quarterback was UCF, which happened to be just right down the road from his hometown. It paid off as Bortles threw for 3,000 yards in back-to-back seasons for the Knights before being selected in the first round by the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Aaron Donald – Pittsburgh – Defensive Tackle – Three stars
Pitt knew it couldn’t let hometown kid Aaron Donald get away. A Pittsburgh native, Donald’s only other offers were from Akron, Rutgers and Toledo when he committed to play for the Panthers. He went on to become one of the most dominant defensive linemen in recent memory as he racked up 66 career tackles for loss and 29.5 career sacks. As a senior, Donald was a consensus All-American, won ACC Defensive Player of the Year as well as the Nagurski, Bednarik, Outland and Lombardi awards.
Star Lotulelei – Utah – Defensive Tackle – Three stars
Star Loutelei originally signed with BYU coming out of high school in 2007, but he failed to qualify academically. After a year away from the game, Loutelei ended up in junior college before committing to Utah in 2010. What a gem the Utes found. Aside from BYU and Utah. the Rivals three-star recruit only had offers from Oregon State and Utah State. He made an immediate impact at Utah, earning first-team All-Pac-12 honors in 2011 and first-team All-America honors in 2012.
Le’Veon Bell – Michigan State – Running Back – Two stars
With Le’Veon Bell, Michigan State pulled a gem right from Ohio State’s backyard in the 2010 class. Bell, a native of Reynoldsburg, Ohio, -- just a 15-minute drive from Columbus – was rated only two stars and had low level offers from Bowling Green, Eastern Michigan and Marshall before the Spartans came along. The offer paid off as Bell ran for 3,346 yards and 33 touchdowns while catching 78 passes for 531 yards in three seasons in East Lansing. He’s now a star running back for the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Darqueze Dennard – Michigan State – Cornerback – Two stars
In the same class as Bell, Mark Dantonio went south and plucked cornerback Darqueze Dennard from Jeffersonville, Georgia. Dennard was another two-star recruit who only had offers from Middle Tennessee State and Utah State before the Spartans came along. Dennard made the trip north to East Lansing and before it was all said and done, he won the Jim Thorpe Award as the best defensive back in the country.
Andre Williams – Boston College – Running Back – Three stars
Coming out of Parkland Senior High School in Allentown. Pa., Andre Williams’ offer sheet looked like this: Akron, Boston College, Temple, Vanderbilt. Williams, the 44th-best back in the nation, picked the Eagles. After modest production in his first three seasons, Williams exploded for 2,177 yards and 18 touchdowns as a senior. He earned All-America honors and finished fourth in Heisman voting. Not bad for a guy with four offers.
Marquess Wilson – Washington State – Wide Receiver – Three Stars
Marquess Wilson didn’t attract too much Pac-12 attention coming out of Tulare, Calif. The three-star wideout was nowhere to be found among the top-rated players in California. He took his talents to Washington State in 2010 and made an immediate impact. Wilson set the school record for receiving yards in just three seasons with 3,207 yards on 189 catches. He also hauled in 23 touchdowns for the Cougars.
Damontre Moore – Texas A&M – Defensive End – Three stars
Damonte Moore was rated as the 72nd-best player in the state of Texas in the class of 2010. It didn’t take him long to prove those ratings wrong. As a freshman, Moore showed a knack for working his way into the backfield by registering 6.5 tackles for loss and 5.5 sacks as a backup. He moved into a starting role his next two seasons and combined for 157 tackles, 38.5 tackles for loss and 21 sacks.
Roosevelt Nix – Kent State – Defensive Tackle – Two stars
At 5-foot-10 and 237 pounds, Roosevelt Nix’s size as an interior lineman understandably scared teams away during the recruiting process. After earning offers from Air Force, Ball State, Kent State and Eastern Michigan, the two-star recruit picked the Golden Flashes. He added 30 pounds of weight and showed his ability to get in the backfield with a monster freshman season that included 20 tackles for loss, 10 sacks and four forced fumbles. Though his sack totals dipped as his career went on (24 total), he was able to finish his career with 65 tackles for loss and 12 forced fumbles.
Class of 2011
David Cobb – Minnesota – Running Back – Three stars
David Cobb was the final addition to Jerry Kill’s first recruiting class at Minnesota and boy was it a good one. After an early verbal offer from Stanford fell through, Cobb was considering Memphis, North Texas and Texas State before Kill gave him a call. Three years later, Cobb was putting the finishing touches on a school-record 1,626 yards as a senior – his second straight season with 1,200-plus yards.
Marcus Mariota – Oregon – Quarterback – Three stars
Chip Kelly went to Hawaii and found a Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback. Marcus Mariota had just one offer, from Memphis, before Kelly, now with the Philadelphia Eagles, offered him a scholarship. Mariota quickly established himself as one of the best quarterbacks in the country, earning the starting role as a redshirt freshman. By the time his career was over, Mariota threw for 10,796 yards, 105 touchdowns and only 14 interceptions in three seasons and won the 2014 Heisman.
Trey Flowers – Arkansas – Defensive End – Three stars
Trey Flowers was not ranked among the best players in Alabama when he signed with Arkansas coming out of the 2011 class. His only other offers were Air Force, Arkansas State, Georgia Tech, South Alabama and UAB (RIP) when the Razorbacks offered. Flowers pounced on the chance to play in the SEC and quickly worked his way into the rotation along the defensive line. Overall Flowers had a very consistent career with 185 tackles, 32 tackles for loss and 17 sacks and was a second-team all-SEC selection as a senior.
Sammie Coates – Auburn – Wide Receiver – Three stars
Sammie Coates has been one of Auburn’s most-feared playmaking threats over the past few seasons. Those skills would have been on display at Southern Miss if Auburn didn’t offer Coates the Golden Eagles commitment. Auburn was Coates’ only other scholarship offer and he quickly flipped to the Tigers. Though he dealt with a few injuries, Coates averaged 21.4 yards per reception (82 catches, 1.757 yards) in his Auburn career before declaring for the NFL draft following his junior season.
Tyler Lockett – Kansas State – Wide Receiver – Three stars
Kansas State coach Bill Snyder is known for finding hidden gems and Tyler Lockett is a perfect example of that. Lockett was only 5-foot-10 and 160 pounds coming out of Booker T. Washington High in Tulsa and only had offers from Kansas and KSU. He chose KSU and proved to be an explosive kick returner early on. As he added some weight, he became a force at receiver, too. In all, he caught 249 passes for 3,710 yards and 29 touchdowns in his K-State career, all school records. He also returned six kicks for scores.
Trae Waynes – Michigan State – Cornerback – Two stars
Trae Waynes is just another example of an awesome two-star find by the Spartans. Though he had an offer from in-state Wisconsin, Waynes went to Michigan State and established himself as a starter by his redshirt sophomore year. He broke out in 2013 with 50 tackles and three interceptions and followed it up in 2014 with 46 tackles and three more picks. Waynes was a first-team All-Big Ten pick in 2014.
Allen Robinson – Penn State – Wide receiver – Three stars
Allen Robinson only had offers from Buffalo, Minnesota and Toledo before Penn State entered the conversation. He saw little playing time his first season in Happy Valley and rocketed to the top of the depth chart in 2012, earning Big Ten Receiver of the Year honors as a sophomore with 77 catches, 1,018 yards and 11 scores. He followed it up as a junior with 87 catches for 1,432 yards and six scores and won his second straight Receiver of the Year award.
Mike Evans – Texas A&M – Wide receiver – Three stars
Mike Evans was known more as a basketball player when he committed to Texas A&M as an athlete in December 2010 over other offers from Colorado State and Tulane. After redshirting his first season, Evans established great chemistry with quarterback Johnny Manziel and lit up defenses for 82 catches, 1,105 yards and five scores. He continued to thrive the following year as he caught 69 balls for 1,394 yards and 12 touchdowns and was a consensus All-American. After his redshirt sophomore season, Evans declared for the NFL draft and was picked in the first round by the Tampa Bay Bucs.
Jay Ajayi – Boise State – Running Back – Three stars
Jay Ajayi was rated as the 84th-best player in the state of Texas when he signed to play for Boise State. His only other offers were Minnesota, New Mexico State, Tulane and Wyoming and after a redshirt year with the Broncos, Ajayi quickly made the programs in Texas regret not taking a harder look at him. After gaining 548 yards on only 82 carries as a redshirt freshman, he became the starter and ran for 1,425 yards and 18 touchdowns as a sophomore and 1,823 yards and 28 scores as a junior.
Trevone Boykin – TCU – Quarterback – Three stars
Trevone Boykin had just two schools to choose from coming out of high school: UTEP and TCU. He chose TCU and after redshirting his first season, Boykin quickly showed his special level of athleticism. He split time as a starter at quarterback and wide receiver in 2012 and 2013 and threw for 3,252 yards and 22 touchdowns, ran for 730 yards and 10 scores and also caught 26 passes for 204 yards. He made the full-time move back to quarterback in 2014 and had an incredible season – 3,901 yards and 33 touchdowns passing and 707 yards and eight scores rushing – for the 12-1 Horned Frogs.
Class of 2012
Trevon Stewart – Houston – Cornerback – Three stars
Houston dipped into Louisiana to snag Trevon Stewart, one of the most productive players in the AAC over the past few seasons. Stewart led all freshmen nationally with 126 tackles in 2012, a school freshman record. He also added 109 tackles and four interceptions as a sophomore and 50 tackles and three interceptions as a junior. Stewart’s other offers came from Louisiana Tech, UL-Lafayette, Memphis, SMU, Southern Miss and Tulane.
Kenneth Dixon – Louisiana Tech – Running Back – Three stars
Though a few expressed interest, no SEC teams offered Strong, Ark., native Kenneth Dixon. That allowed Louisiana Tech to nab the underrated three-star back and he has rewarded the program with 3,410 yards and 53 touchdowns in his first three seasons with the program. As a freshman, Dixon’s 28 total touchdowns led the nation.
Tyler Matakevich – Temple – Linebacker – Two stars
Tyler Matakevich, an outside linebacker who used a post-grad season to earn his only two FBS offers from Akron and Temple, has registered more than 100 tackles in each of his first three seasons with the Owls. He led the nation with 106 solo tackles (and 137 total) in 2013 and followed that up with 117 total tackles in 2014. He’s currently sixth in school history with 355 tackles.
Maxx Williams – Minnesota – Tight End – Three stars
Maxx (with two x's!) Williams showed off his awesome athletic ability and hands through his two seasons suiting up for Minnesota, the only listed offer on his Rivals profile. He attracted interest from Wisconsin and Iowa, but committed to the Gophers pretty early in the process. Williams was rated the 7th-best player from Minnesota, and caught 61 passes for 986 yards and 13 touchdowns before declaring early for the NFL.
Shock Linwood – Baylor – Running Back – Three stars
After redshirting his first season, Shock Linwood quickly made Baylor’s coaching staff look smart for being one of two high-level FBS programs to offer him a scholarship. He fit in perfectly with the Bears’ up-tempo offense, racking up a combined 2,133 yards and 24 touchdowns in 2013 and 2014. His only other offers came from Arkansas State, North Texas, TCU and UTSA.
Jack Conklin – Michigan State – Offensive Tackle – Unrated
Michigan State was the only school to offer this unrated lineman from Plainwell, Mich. It wasn’t a traditional offer, either. The Spartans gave Jack Conklin a greyshirt offer that put him on full scholarship in January 2013, a semester after he arrived at the school. After a redshirt in 2012, Conklin jumped from the scout team into the starting lineup and has started 26 games in the past two seasons. He was a second-team All-Big Ten selection in 2014.
Roberto Aguayo – Florida State – Kicker – Three stars
Kickers often don’t receive a whole lot of attention during the recruiting cycle. Roberto Aguayo was no different and accepted his only offer from Florida State. After a redshirt year in 2012, Aguayo won the Lou Groza Award in 2013 by making 21-of-22 field goals (long of 53) and hitting all 94 extra points. Aguayo followed it up by making 27-of-30 field goals and nailing all 55 extra points in 2014. He’s become a real difference-maker for the Seminoles.
Mason Monheim – Illinois – Linebacker – Three stars
Mason Monhein, a middle linebacker, always wanted to play in the Big Ten and he got that shot when Illinois offered him a scholarship. Monheim had six other offers, all from MAC schools. Monheim quickly showed that he is a Big Ten caliber player by starting 10 games and making 86 tackles as a true freshman. He followed that up with 97 tackles in each of his next two seasons.
DeVon Edwards – Duke – Defensive back – Two stars
DeVon Edwards accepted the only scholarship offer he received from Duke just two months before National Signing Day in 2012 and Edwards quickly developed into a play-making machine for the Blue Devils. Edwards made a name for himself in 2013 by returning interceptions for touchdowns on consecutive plays against N.C. State. He also had 64 tackles and two kickoff return touchdowns that season. His strong play continued in 2014 with 119 total tackles, one interception and another kick return TD.
Jordan Williams – Ball State – Wide Receiver – Two stars
Jordan Williams, a native of Indianapolis, had interest from many Power Five programs, but only received offers from Ball State and Western Michigan. Williams decided to play for Pete Lembo at Ball State and had extremely productive sophomore and junior campaigns. Williams was third in the MAC with 72 catches for 1,050 yards and 10 scores in 2013 before making 56 catches for 753 yards and six scores in 2014.
Class of 2013
Scooby Wright – Arizona – Linebacker – Two stars
There may not be a player on this entire list who has blown away his recruiting rankings more than Scooby Wright. Arizona was the only school to offer Wright and he contributed immediately by starting 12 games and making 83 tackles as a true freshman. His sophomore year put him on the national radar as he led the country with a whopping 153 tackles, including 29 tackles for loss and 14 sacks. His efforts resulted in unanimous All-American honors, as well as the Nagurski, Lombardi, Bednarik and Lambert Awards.
Elijah McGuire – Louisiana-Lafayette – Running Back – Three stars
Elijah McGuire was rated as the 33rd-best athlete in the nation, but his only offers came from Lafayette, McNeese State, Nicholls State and Southern Miss. He chose the Rajun Cajuns and immediately gave a boost to ULL’s backfield. He rushed for 863 yards and eight scores on just 103 carries (8.4 avg.) as a true freshman. He improved as a sophomore with 1,264 yards and 14 scores on 166 carries. Over two seasons, McGuire is averaging 7.9 yards per carry. He also has 67 catches for 852 yards and five receiving touchdowns.
Kareem Hunt – Toledo – Running Back – Three stars
Kareem Hunt has been one of the best backs in the MAC since he enrolled at Toledo. Though he wasn’t among Rivals’ Top 75 players in Ohio, Pitt and most MAC schools offered him offered him, but Hunt decided to go to a school where he could contribute from day one. And he’s done just that at Toledo. In two seasons with the program, Hunt has rushed for 2,497 yards (1,631 as a sophomore) and 22 touchdowns.
Devonte Boyd – UNLV – Wide Receiver – Two stars
Devonte Boyd was rated as the 8th-best player in Nevada in the 2013 class and decided to stay in-state and attend UNLV over offers from Duke and Utah State. After a redshirt season, the two-star wideout established himself as one of the most reliable pass-catchers in the Mountain West. He hauled in 64 catches – 30 more than any other Rebel – for 973 yards and four touchdowns.
Cam Serigne – Wake Forest – Tight End – Two stars
Cam Serigne is another underrated recruit who accepted the only Power Five offer he received. He didn’t fall into the top 30 players in Virginia or the top 40 tight ends nationally, but Serigne was Wake’s leading receiver as a redshirt freshman in 2014. He caught 54 passes for 531 yards and five scores. In addition to Wake Forest, Serigne was offered by Air Force, UMass, Ohio, Old Dominion and Temple.
Kamari Cotton-Moya – Iowa State – Defensive Back – Two stars
Kamari Cotton-Moya went from two-star recruit to Big 12 Defensive Freshman of the Year. ISU was the 6-foot-1, 194-pound athlete’s only Power Five offer. After a redshirt season, Cotton-Moya quickly proved that the Cyclones found a gem. Cotton-Moya started 11 of 12 games and led the team with 77 tackles. In addition to his Big 12 honor, Cotton-Moya was named to the FWAA’s Freshman All-America team.
Parry Nickerson – Tulane – Cornerback – Two stars
Not only did Parry Nickerson outplay his two-star rating, he overcame a serious foot injury to finish in the top 10 in interceptions for Tulane as a redshirt freshman. Nickerson intercepted six passes in 2014 for the Green Wave. He also registered 51 tackles from his cornerback spot. Aside from Tulane, his only other offer came from FCS McNeese State.
James Conner – Pitt – Running Back – Three stars
James Conner, an Erie, Pa., native, came to Pitt originally as a defensive end. The coaching staff quickly realized he was better off with the ball in his hands. His 799 yards and eight scores as a freshman were a sign of things to come for the 6-foot-2, 250-pound Conner. As a sophomore, Conner ran for 1,765 yards and 26 touchdowns en route to ACC Player of the Year honors. That’s not too bad for a guy whose other offers came from Bowling Green, Eastern Michigan, Ohio and Toledo.
Rashard Higgins – Colorado State – Wide Receiver – Two stars
How did a guy like Higgins slip through the cracks? Former CSU coach Jim McElwain was the only coach to offer Rashard Higgins a scholarship and it certainly paid off. Higgins contributed immediately, catching 68 passes for 837 yards and six touchdowns as a freshman. His production increased significantly in 2014 as Higgins led the nation with 1,750 receiving yards and was 10th in the country with 96 catches.
Corey Davis – Western Michigan – Wide Receiver – Two stars
Corey Davis is another two-star wideout who was severely under-recruited. Davis accepted his only FBS scholarship to Western Michigan and also had a look from Illinois State. At 6-foot-2 and 205 pounds, Davis has the size you’re looking for in a solid wide receiver and he showed it by hauling in 67 passes for 941 yards and six touchdowns as a true freshman. He built off that and led the MAC with 1,408 yards on 78 catches in 2014.
Class of 2014
Mike Dudek – Illinois – Wide Receiver – Three stars
It took only one season to show that Illinois got a steal when it landed Mike Dudek’s signature. Dudek’s only other offers came from Illinois State and North Dakota, but the 5-foot-11, 185-pound Dudek proved to be a reliable target from the get-go. Overall, Dudek hauled in 76 passes for 1,038 yards and six touchdowns. His 76 catches were second in the Big Ten.
Ja’Whaun Bentley – Purdue – Linebacker – Three stars
Though he wasn’t ranked among the top 30 inside linebackers in the 2014 class, Ja'Whaun Bentley was a little more heralded recruiting-wise than most on this list. He had offers from Iowa, Maryland, and West Virginia, among others, before choosing the Boilermakers. Still, he earned the starting role for Purdue and was second on the team with 76 total tackles. Additionally, Bentley had 3.5 tackles for loss and an interception.
Nick Johnson – Bowling Green – Defensive Back – Two stars
Nick Johnson enrolled early at Bowling Green and when the season rolled around, the two-star DB made an impact for the only school to offer him a scholarship. The 6-foot-2, 178-pound Johnson worked his way into a starting role and by the time the season ended he was second in the MAC with five interceptions. He also finished fifth on the team with 72 tackles despite only starting five games.
Tejan Koroma – BYU – Center – Two stars
Tejan Koroma, a two-star recruit, chose BYU after also earning offers from Air Force, Army, Arkansas State, New Mexico and UTEP. He quickly entered the mix during fall camp and ultimately earned the starting role at center out of fall camp. Koroma ended up starting every game for the Cougars and played the most snaps of any BYU lineman. He has all the makings of a four-year starter.
Jarvion Franklin – Western Michigan – Running Back – Three stars
Despite attracting interest from Big Ten schools like Illinois, Indiana and Iowa, Jarvion Franklin’s only offers came from Ball State, Miami (Ohio), Northern Illinois and Western Michigan – all MAC schools. He ended up at WMU and quickly ascended the depth chart to land the starting role. He rushed for a whopping 1,595 yards and 24 touchdowns and won the MAC Offensive Player of the Year Award.
DeMornay Pierson-El – Nebraska – Wide Receiver – Three stars
Though he didn’t really establish himself as a pass-catching threat for the Huskers until the end of the season, DeMornay Pierson-El, the 99th-best wideout in the 2014 class quickly made an impact in the return game. He led the nation with 596 punt return yards and three punt return touchdowns. He also caught 23 passes for 321 yards and four scores. Pierson-El chose the Huskers over offers from Boston College, Marshall, North Carolina and Old Dominion.
Marlon Mack – South Florida – Running Back – Three stars
Though he got late offers from Michigan and Louisville, Marlon Mack stayed in his home state and picked South Florida. Mack was rated as the 94th-best player in Florida and quickly established himself as the team’s best option in tbe backfield. On 202 attempts, Mack gained 1,095 yards and nine touchdowns. He also caught 21 passes for 160 yards out of the backfield.
Reginald Bain – Florida Atlantic – Offensive line – Two stars
Reginald Bain played for a stacked Miami Central program, but only got a look from Florida Atlantic. It paid off for the Owls as Bain immediately entered the starting lineup and played all but nine snaps in freshman season. He allowed only two sacks on the season and was named to the Conference USA All-Freshman Team for his efforts.
Marquis Haynes – Ole Miss – Defensive end – Three stars
Academic setbacks forced this three-star end to take a post-grad year at Fork Union Military Academy. From there Marquis Haynes was able to get his grades in order and earn two ACC offers from Miami and North Carolina and two SEC offers from Ole Miss and South Carolina. Haynes eventually chose Ole Miss and though he only started four games, Haynes led the Rebels with 7.5 sacks and was tied for the team lead with nine tackles for loss.
Jalen Davis – Utah State – Defensive back – Two stars
Jalen Davis came a long way from La Mesa, Calif., to join Utah State’s program. His only other offers came from Northern Arizona and UC Davis, but Davis quickly proved he was worthy of much more recruiting attention. Fitting in nicely on a tough Aggies defense, Davis registered 61 tackles along with four tackles for loss, two interceptions and one sack.
Are there any under the radar recruits from the last five recruiting classes that you think should have made our list? Let us know.
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Sam Cooper is a contributor for the Yahoo Sports blogs. Have a tip? Email him or follow him on Twitter!
