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

11. Vince Young

Following one No. 1 overall recruit with another, Vince Young was quite clearly destined to be an electric playmaker from the moment he stepped foot on a football field. A product of Madison High School in Houston, Young led the 2002 recruiting class and made his way to play for Mack Brown and the Texas Longhorns and, when you look at his highlights, it’s clear why everyone in Austin was excited about his arrival.

Young was an absolute problem for defenses to deal with. Possessing a strong arm he could beat you on any level of the field with, was just part of the equation high school defenses had trouble stopping. The other factor was the elite speed and athleticism Young brought to the position, allowing him to not just keep any play alive but possibly make a broken play into a touchdown.

Once at Texas, Young clearly showed dual-threat ability through all three seasons with the Longhorns, falling two yards shy in his freshman season of having three consecutive 1,000-yard rushing seasons as a quarterback. However, it was his 2005 campaign that goes down as his magnum opus, throwing for over 3,000 yards, accounting for 38 total touchdowns and leading Texas to an upset win in the BCS National Championship Game over USC.

After being selected third overall in the 2006 NFL Draft, Young’s talent never truly shined at the next level. He dealt with various mental health issues throughout his career and, as a result, never lived up to his draft status. But the unique and elite physical talent we saw in high school and in college was unforgettable.