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Rankings Rewind: Current NFL and college stars as recruits
Ahead of another loaded weekend of college and NFL games, take a look at where some of the biggest names in the sport were ranked as high school recruits and whether or not their ranking was a Hit or a Miss.
Carter arrived at Penn State and made an immediate impact. The former Rivals250 prospect posted eight sacks as a freshman, four as a sophomore and already has four this season. Carter’s tackle numbers have dipped a bit but he’s still considered a likely first-round selection in the upcoming NFL Draft.
As a high school prospect, Carter wasn’t very open about his recruitment. South Carolina and Ole Miss hosted him for visits and he was interested in Ohio State but the Buckeyes didn’t offer. Something they’re surely regretting, as we are with his respectable but still too low ranking.
Verdict: Miss
This week: Penn State at Wisconsin; Saturday, 7:30 p.m. ET; NBC/Peacock
BetMGM: Penn State -6.5
“Nuk” ranked No. 148 in the 2010 Rivals250, the second-highest-ranked player Clemson signed that year after Martavis Bryant. Hopkins chose the hometown Tigers over Tennessee, South Carolina and Wisconsin. He went on to have a stellar career with Clemson, finishing his college career with 3,020 receiving yards (No. 2 in program history) and 27 touchdown catches (tied for most in program history).
Hopkins was selected by the Houston Texans with the 27th overall pick in the 2013 NFL Draft. Since then he’s been named a first-team All-Pro three times and made five Pro Bowls while amassing 12,974 receiving yards and 80 receiving touchdowns on 980 career catches.
The Rivals250 ranking Hopkins received back in 2010 wasn’t egregiously low but certainly does not line up with his selection in the first round of the NFL Draft.
Verdict: Miss
This week: Kansas City at Las Vegas; Sunday at 4:25 p.m. ET; CBS
BetMGM: Kansas City -9.5
Nussmeier, the son of longtime college and NFL assistant coach Doug Nussmeier, is putting together an excellent season, his first as a full-time starter. The No. 80 prospect in the 2021 Rivals250, Nussmeier’s recruitment and evaluation was impacted by the COVID pandemic and the extended NCAA recruiting dead period but he camped at LSU every summer since he was a freshman so he was very familiar with the Tigers. Despite playing his high school career in Texas, Nussmeier is originally from Louisiana so signing with LSU was a bit of a homecoming.
After Jayden Daniels beat him for the starting job in 2022, Nussmeier is making the most of his opportunity this year. He currently ranks No. 6 in passing yards and is tied at No. 7 in passing touchdowns among FBS quarterbacks. In most mock drafts, Nussmeier is currently projected to be selected after the first round, which is in line with his ranking as a high school prospect.
Verdict: Hit
This week: LSU at Texas A&M; Saturday at 7:30 p.m. ET; ABC/ESPN+
BetMGM: Texas A&M -1.5
With a win over Florida State on Saturday, Miami would earn the right to call itself the 2024 Sunshine State Champion and Restrepo is a big reason why the Hurricanes have been able to maintain their undefeated record up to this point. The South Florida native signed with the Hurricanes under then-head coach Manny Diaz in the 2020 recruiting class as a four-star prospect, the highest in the industry.
The sure-handed Restrepo had a breakout season last year in which he posted 1,102 receiving yards and 85 catches – 10th among Power Four pass catchers. This year he’s on pace for more receiving yards and touchdowns on fewer catches and he’s catching a higher percentage of his targets.
Verdict: Hit
This week: Florida State at Miami; Saturday at 7 p.m. ET; ESPN
BetMGM: Miami -21
BYU is playing like one of the best teams in college football and Warner, a BYU alum, has evolved into one of the very best players in the NFL. Warner signed with the Cougars despite overtures from USC, Nebraska and Washington. He had a very solid career at BYU and ended up getting picked by the San Francisco 49ers in the third round of the 2018 NFL Draft. Warner was the eighth linebacker selected that year, behind Roquan Smith, Tremaine Edmunds, Leighton Vander Esch, Rashaan Evans and Darius Leonard.
Warner was an immediate difference-maker in the NFL. He started in the first game of the 2018 season and hasn’t looked back. In the six years he’s been in the NFL, Warner has been selected as a first-team All-Pro three times and he’s made three Pro Bowls. If he continues on this trajectory, Warner will be a shoe-in for the Hall of Fame.
Warner has outperformed every possible ranking during his NFL career but his Rivals250 ranking lined with his third-round selection in the draft.
Verdict: Hit
This week: Dallas at San Francisco; Sunday at 8:20 p.m. ET; NBC/Peacock
BetMGM: San Francisco -4
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