Who’s the Greatest High School Recruit of All Time?
High school football has given us glimpses of some of the most electrifying athletes to ever suit up and play for our favorite college and professional teams. Elite athletes and playmakers come in and out of our favorite teams every year, and we always want to know where they came from. What I want to do is take a step back and look at where some star athletes came from.
Rivals.com would say that, based off their algorithm and scoring system, current Tennessee Titan, former No. 1 overall draft pick, and former Rock Hill High School athlete Jadeveon Clowney is the undisputed king.
Clowney is one of five players to score a 1.0000% on the two major scouting services’ high school grading scales. Clowney also has the rare distinction of being a wire-to-wire player as the No. 1 recruit and again the No. 1 pick in the NFL draft. He’s a three-time pro bowler and earned all-pro honors in 2016. Clowney has established himself as a good NFL player but not the dominant game changing or position changing player he was predicted to be.
The class of 2002, in a lot of minds, not only ushered in possibly the greatest high school quarterback recruit of all time but possibly even the greatest college football player of all time in a national championship winner and the greatest Texas Longhorn of all time. I’m talking about Vince Young, who had a college record of 30-2, with a winning percentage of .968, which currently has him sixth in Division I history. Young currently sits at No. 10 on ESPN’s list of 100 greatest college football players.
Ernie Sims, who ushered in the class of 2003 out of North Florida Christian in Tallahassee, till this day remains the highest graded linebacker in the recruit ranking era, and it was much deserved. Sims was a versatile talent, with sideline-to-sideline speed, freaky athleticism, and a tendency to go for big, bone crushing hits. Sims was relentless with an endless motor. Unfortunately, he played for Florida State during the “lost decade” and because of that Ernie Sims was not as big of a name in his college years as he could have been.
A player I’m sure a lot of kids would recognize on this list is Clemson quarterback, future No. 1 pick, and odds on favorite to win the Heisman Trophy Trevor Lawrence. Standing at 6-foot-6 and weighing over 220 pounds, Lawrence led Carterville (GA) to 41 straight victories and two state titles, ranking up passing statistics and accolades while rocketing up the ranking charts.
Lawrence was named USA Today’s High School Football Player of the Year in 2017, won the hall trophy, and was an All-American athlete. Lawrence is currently a junior, and with the possibility of coming back for his senior year, he could end up a two-time Heisman winner, which would put him in elite company.
Written by: Jacquez McCoy
