15 college football recruits who had the sickest high school highlight tape

15. Reuben Foster

Ranked as the No. 6 overall recruit and the No. 1 linebacker in the 2013 class, Reuben Foster was expected to be the next Alabama Crimson Tide great at the position. And when you watched his high school highlights, it was immediately apparent why he was so highly touted as he was heading to Tuscaloosa to play under Nick Saban.

Frankly, it’s somewhat hard for a defensive player to have a highlight tape that’s as impressive as a wide receiver, running back or quarterback going berserk on opposing teams and simply not getting touched. It takes a special type of performance on film for someone on the defensive side of the ball to make you watch them and truly be impressed. That’s exactly what Foster did, however.

The way Foster flew around the field at Auburn High School in Alabama was unbelievable. On every play, it looked as if he had a personal vendetta against whoever had the football. He was a heat-seeking missile that wasn’t just looking to make a tackle but deliver punishment when he got home. And rest assured, he left his mark on plenty of high school opponents.

Foster went on to start 39 games for the Crimson Tide throughout his college football career, accruing 73 tackles in 2015 and then exploding for 115 tackles and five sacks in 2016, his final year with the program. Off-field issues and injuries have derailed his NFL career to this point after being selected No. 31 in the 2016 draft but, at least in college, he continued to be the dominant force he was in high school.