With National Signing Day right around the corner, here’s how the top recruits from last year’s class performed in their freshmen seasons.
High school football players around the nation are quickly narrowing down their college lists, as National Signing Day is less than a week away.
Most players will sign letters of intent to play for their respective schools on February 1. The class of 2017 features a number of players who are expected to make big contributions right away, including defensive end Jaelan Phillips and running back Cam Akers.
As always, teams like the Alabama Crimson Tide and Ohio State Buckeyes are dominating the recruiting trail and landing commitments from top athletes around the country. While many five-star prospects go on to dominate, recruiting sites always miss on a few players every year.
The Crimson Tide actually benefited from such a miss in 2016, as freshman Jalen Hurts led Alabama to the title game after being rated as the No. 11 quarterback in the class by 247Sports composite rankings. Other under-recruited players like Wake Forest cornerback Jessie Bates and Kentucky running back Benny Snell Jr. exceeded expectations, while we didn’t get to see some top 10 prospects like Alabama linebacker Ben Davis take the field.
Here’s how a few of the top players in the 2016 247Sports composite rankings fared in their freshmen seasons.