Top Schools that do the Most and Least with 5-Star Football Talent Since 2009
Written by Ryan Wright
Twitter: @HogManInLA
Good talent typically leads to good or high performing teams, sometimes even great teams, but getting the top talent does not always translate into wins, conference championships, and/or national titles. A lot of coaching and a little bit of luck is needed along the way before attaining collegiate gridiron glory.
Taking a sample size of relevant recent history, by the numbers regardless of the background cause which could include injury, arrest, or overhyped, this is an idea of the best and worst schools that have received top talent and what the programs have done with said talent once on campus.
Starting with the 2009 class, giving enough time for the 2013 class to put two years in with a given program, the breakdown determines which program got which 5-star recruit(s) and how the star power related to wins and losses on the field.
Year by Year Overview
In 2009, of the 33 players rated as a 5-star Alabama, LSU, and USC topped the group landing four each. The Crimson Tide went on to win the BCS National Championship that year with Mark Ingram winning the Heisman Trophy Award.
In 2010 Florida and USC topped the haul with four recruits each while Bama and LSU dropped to one each. Auburn picked up two 5-stars with true freshman Michael Dyer teaming with quarterback Cam Newton to help lead the Tigers to a BCS National Championship trophy. Newton won the Heisman that year.
The wealth was spread out a little more evenly in 2011 with Alabama, Clemson, Georgia, and LSU getting three 5-stars each but Florida State and Oklahoma also recruited well getting two each. Alabama won the prize but Robert Griffin III nabbed the Heisman.
Alabama, Florida, Florida State, and USC all had three top recruits in their respective classes in the 2012 class. A repeat of the year before, Alabama wins the championship but Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel captured the entertainment value of Heisman voters.
Florida State used their three 5-star recruits from 2012 to push for a BCS National Championship in 2013 with former 5-star quarterback Jameis Winston winning the Heisman.
2013 belonged to USC on the recruiting trail with five prospects ranked as 5-stars. Alabama cashed in as well with four as did Notre Dame. Mississippi became the anomaly with three top prospects at three different positions from three different states deciding to go to Oxford out of the blue.
Over the duration, Ohio State landed just six blue chip players but turned that success into a title in 2014. Alabama once again made good with top 2013 talent showcasing their players in the national championship game winning again in 2015. Derrick Henry, a 4-star, won the Heisman in 2015.
The Best and the Worst with the Talent
Five-star rankings may translate into NFL products but the equation does not include national championships or conference titles. Over the five year duration, no team recruited better than USC landing 17 top prospects but the results would have to be considered mixed at best tilting downwards.
The Trojans have posted win-loss records of 9-4, 8-5, 10-2, 7-6, 10-4, 9-4, and 8-6. There has been two different head coaches and three different interim head coaches, Clay Helton twice, during this time. So some understanding could be had but wins would have saved the day, certainly for Lane Kiffin and maybe for Steve Sarkisian. After being allowed back into postseason play, USC has gone 2-2 in bowl games going to mid-level bowls like the Sun Bowl, Las Vegas Bowl, and the Holiday Bowl in consecutive seasons.
Another school that has done perhaps less with the most talent is Florida. The recruiting is spread out over two head coaches, Urban Meyer (2009-10) and Will Muschamp (2011-2014). The glaring hole in the haul is of the 13 top prospect brought to Gainesville 10 were defensive guys. What about the offense?
Meyer went 13-1 in 2009 and Muschamp got the squad to an 11-2 record in 2012 before a disastrous 2013 season going 4-8 when an injury bug wiped the team out. The base of talent was there allowing Jim McElwain to work the defense for a 10-4 mark in 2015 in his first year with the Gators.
LSU has been as consistent as it comes since 2009. The Tigers have four 10-plus win seasons going to the BCS National Championship Game in 2011. The fan base maybe frustrated with the lack of a passing attack but everything else is A-plus.
Another team doing less with more is Texas. The Longhorns have landed seven 5-star recruits over this time and more 4-star players that would take too long to count. Since 2010, Texas is just six games over .500 with a 41-35 mark. Former head coach Mack Brown is responsible for a losing season in 2010 (5-7) and his failings have been dumped onto Charlie Strong who has struggled to an 11-14 record in two seasons but is still 1-1 against Oklahoma.
SEC and Alabama haters beware, Nick Saban and the Crimson Tide coaching staff get the best results out of the top talent. Over the last seven seasons, Alabama has won at least 10 games every year bringing home national championship trophies in 2009, 2011, 2012, and 2015. Writers and TV talking heads foolishly keep calling for the “fall” of the Alabama dynasty but the Tide has only lost 10 games over the past seven years with the “worst” season being in 2010 when they went 10-3 after losing a lot of talent from their 14-0 championship squad.
Does the Absolute Most with Less 5-star recruits
Oregon (3), Stanford (3), Clemson (3), Missouri (2), Baylor (0), and TCU (0); an argument could be made for Oklahoma (2).
Alabama
OT D.J. Fluker – 2009
RB Trent Richardson – 2009
DB Dre Kirkpatrick – 2009
LB Nico Johnson – 2009
SS DaMarcus Milliner – 2010
OT Cyrus Kouandjio – 2011
SS Hasean “Ha-Ha” Clinton-Dix – 2011
RB Demetrius Hart – 2011
RB T.J. Yeldon – 2012
DB Landon Collins – 2012
ATH Eddie Williams – 2012
DE Jonathan Allen – 2013
LB Reuben Foster – 2013
TE O.J. Howard – 2013
DT A’Shawn Robinson – 2013
Auburn
RB Michael Dyer – 2010
OT Shon Coleman – 2010
LB Kris Frost – 2011
OG Christian Westerman – 2011
DE Carl Lawson – 2013
DT Montravius Adams – 2013
Arizona State
LB Vontaze Burfict – 2009
Arkansas
CB Darius Winston – 2009
California
SS Keenan Allen – 2010
DE Chris Martin – 2010
Clemson
LB Tony Steward – 2011
WR Sammy Watkins – 2011
RB Mike Bellamy – 2011
Florida
LB Jelani Jenkins – 2009
WR Andre Debose – 2009
DT Gary Brown – 2009
DE Ronald Powell – 2010
DT Sharrif Floyd – 2010
DT Dominique Easley – 2010
DB Matt Elam – 2010
QB Jeff Driskel – 2011
OL D.J. Humphries – 2012
DE Jonathan Bullard – 2012
DE Dante Fowler Jr. – 2012
CB Vernon Hargreaves III – 2013
LB Alex Anzalone – 2013
Florida State
DT Jacobbi McDaniel – 2009
CB Greg Reid – 2009
CB Lamarcus Joyner – 2010
LB Christian Jones – 2010
DB Karlos Williams – 2011
RB James Wilder Jr. – 2011
DT Mario Edwards – 2012
DT Eddie Goldman – 2012
QB Jameis Winston – 2012
DB Jalen Ramsey – 2013
LB Matthew Thomas – 2013
Georgia
DB Branden Smith – 2009
DE Ray Drew – 2011
RB Isaiah Crowell – 2011
DB Malcom Mitchell – 2011
OG John Theus – 2012
ATH Josh Harvey-Clemons – 2012
LSU
WR Rueben Randle – 2009
QB Russell Shepard – 2009
DB Craig Loston – 2009
DT Chris Davenport – 2009
RB Spencer Ware – 2010
OT La’El Collins – 2011
DT Anthony Johnson – 2011
WR Jarvis Landry – 2011
DB Tre’Davious White – 2013
DE Frank Herron – 2013
Maryland
WR Stefon Diggs – 2012
Miami
ATH Ray Ray Armstrong – 2009
OT Seantrel Henderson – 2010
ATH Latwan Anderson – 2010
DB Tracy Howard – 2012
RB Randy Johnson – 2012
Michigan
DT William Campbell – 2009
DT Ondre Pipkins – 2012
OG Kyle Kalis – 2012
RB Derrick Green – 2013
Michigan State
DE William Gholston – 2010
Mississippi
LB C.J. Johnson – 2011
DT Robert Nkemdiche – 2013
WR Laquon Treadwell – 2013
OT Laremy Tunsil – 2013
Mississippi State
DE Chris Jones – 2013
Missouri
DT Sheldon Richardson – 2009
WR Dorial Green-Beckham – 2012
North Carolina
Donte Moss – 2009
North Carolina State
OT Robert Crisp – 2010
Notre Dame
LB Manti Te’o – 2009
DE Ishaq Williams – 2011
DE Stephon Tuitt – 2011
DE Aaron Lynch – 2011
QB Gunner Kiel – 2012
LB Jaylon Smith – 2013
RB Greg Bryant – 2013
DT Eddie Vanderdoes – 2013
DB Max Redfield – 2013
Oklahoma
WR Trey Metoyer – 2011
RB Brnadon Williams – 2011
Ohio State
DB Corey Brown – 2009
LB Dorian Bell – 2009
DE Noah Spence – 2012
DE Adolphus Washington – 2012
LB Mike Mitchell – 2013
DB Vonn Bell – 2013
Oregon
RB Lache Seastrunk – 2010
RB De’Anthony Thomas – 2011
RB Thomas Tyner – 2013
Penn State
QB Christian Hackenberg
Pittsburgh
OL Dorian Johnson – 2013
Rutgers
DE Darius Hamilton – 2012
South Carolina
RB Marcus Lattimore – 2010
DE Jadeveon Clowney – 2011
Stanford
OT Kyle Murphy – 2012
DE Aziz Shittu – 2012
OT Andrus Peat – 2012
Tennessee
RB Bryce Brown – 2009
DB Janzen Jackson – 2009
WR Da’Rick Rogers – 2010
Texas
DE Alex Okafor – 2009
QB Garrett Gilbert – 2009
OL Mason Walters – 2009
DE Jackson Jeffcoat – 2010
LB Jordan Hicks – 2010
RB Malcolm Brown – 2011
RB Malcolm Gray – 2012
Texas A&M
RB Christine Michael – 2009
RB Trey Williams – 2012
UCLA
DE Owamagbe Odighizuwa – 2010
DT Ellis McCarthy – 2012
USC
QB Matt Barkley – 2009
DE Devon Kennard – 2009
ATH Patrick Hall – 2009
SS T.J. McDonald – 2009
WR Kyle Prater – 2010
WR Robert Woods – 2010
RB Dillon Baxter – 2010
WR Markeith Ambles – 2010
WR George Farmer – 2011
OL Zach Banner – 2012
WR Nelson Agholor – 2012
OL Jordan Simmons – 2012
DT Kenny Bigelow – 2013
QB Max Browne – 2013
DB Su’a Cravens – 2013
DB Leon McQuay III – 2013
RB Ty Isaac – 2013
Virginia
RB Taquan Mizzell – 2013
Virginia Tech
BD Kendall Fuller – 2013
Washington
DB Shaq Thompson – 2012
*All rankings from Rivals.
Photo credit: nydailynews.com; Nick Saban gets a Gatorade bath after winning national championship.
Nice bait article for stupid SEC fans. Maybe the rankings are wrong, author. Ever think of that?
Hey “Smarter Than You”,
I guess you’ll have to reserve said title for others since you are not living up to the billing on this one… Even if the rankings are off, say some of the guys should have been 4-star players, the school(s) still recruited said players. So whoever you’re cheering for and for whatever reason you got upset, the fact still stands that some teams do better with the talent they bring onto campus. No two ways around it. Yes, a lot of kids are over-hyped, as mentioned in the piece. The school(s) still recruited the player(s). Yes, there are a lot of circumstances that surround the success of each player at any school. No matter what, a player gets a ranking, a player commits to a school, and the school either does or does not have success, ditto with the player. Can’t argue wins and losses.
Thanks for reading
Far Smarter Than You