It’s an understatement to claim that the Class of 2008 was nationally talented. Players such as Kyle Rudolph, Andrew Luck, and Mark Ingram were all products of this loaded class, but none of them were ranked in the top five nationwide. So, which dominant athletes were the five best?
5. Will Hill (St. Peter’s Prep, NJ): The best safety in the nation, Hill played several positions in high school, including quarterback and running back. Hill committed to the Florida Gators, where he won a national championship under Urban Meyer. He was named to the SEC All-Freshman Team in 2008, but went undrafted three years later. He played in the Arena Football League and proceeded to play for six more franchises. Hill seemed to have promise with the Baltimore Ravens, but that dream ended quickly after he failed a drug test.
4. Darrell Scott (St. Bonaventure, CA): Running back Darrell Scott’s career was a rollercoaster. After a standout senior year which featured 3,197 rushing yards and 45 touchdowns, Scott privately committed to Texas, but later decommitted and switched to Colorado. His freshman year featured 343 rushing yards, but he was discontent with the number of carries he was getting, so he transferred to UCLA. However, UCLA already had five running backs on their roster, so Scott ended up at South Florida. He eventually went undrafted in 2012.
3. Julio Jones (Foley, AL): This requires minimal elaboration. After being named Alabama Mr. Football, Jones committed to Alabama as the best receiver in the Class of 2008, where he thrived as a wide receiver, racking up several awards. He was the sixt overall pick in the 2011 NFL Draft and immediately formed a connection with Falcons QB Matt Ryan. Jones made the Pro Bowl seven times and was traded to the Titans in 2020, but suffered injury setbacks that held back his production.
2. Terrelle Pryor (Jeannette, PA): In high school, Pryor became the first Pennsylvanian to rush and pass for 4,000 yards in a career. He committed to Ohio State and thrived, winning Rose Bowl MVP and Big Ten MVP runner-up in 2010. However, his college career came to a sudden end after an NCAA investigation concluded that Pryor had made thousands of dollars illegally. He entered the NFL’s Supplemental Draft and was drafted by the Oakland Raiders. Pryor played for nine different NFL teams during his tenure and never really found the success he had in high school or college.
1. Da’Quan Bowers (Bamberg-Ehrhardt, SC): Bowers played defensive end and running back in high school, racking up 14 sacks and 19 rushing touchdowns his senior year. The best player in the Class of 2008 stayed close to home and played for Clemson, where he won the Bronko Nagurski Award and was a unanimous All-American selection in 2010. Bowers was drafted in the second round of the 2011 NFL Draft by the Buccaneers, but injuries, suspensions, and arrests led to him leaving for the CFL in 2017. He retired in 2018 and is now the defensive line coach at USF.
